W&L’s Outing Club Starts the Adventuring Outside The fun kicks off early this semester with Outing Club activities starting Jan. 22, and the entire campus is invited to participate.

By Erica Turman
January 19, 2021

Washington and Lee University’s Outing Club (OC) isn’t letting the winter weather keep folks inside. The OC has announced Winter Term adventure plans and invites all students to participate.

The themes of this term’s events will be “On Your Own,” “Full Moon,” “New and Novel” and “High-End Adventure” (experience required).

The fun kicks off early this semester, and the first campfire of the term is planned for Jan. 20 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Students will meet outside the Outing Club Pavilion. Registration is required, and hot chocolate, tea and coffee will be available. Students should plan to bring their own blanket and camp chairs. They can also purchase a Crazy Creek camp chair at the pavilion that night if needed. Campfires will be scheduled every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday night during the term.

“Getting outside is much easier than folks think and can be done more often each week than people realize,” said James Dick, director of outdoor education at W&L. “Instead of only one big hike on the weekend, why not trail run one afternoon at a local nature area, or hit a sunset stroll on a nearby forest service road? Students can also join a trail maintenance day and get their hands dirty, or even mountain bike our very own back campus trails at lunch. There is a little something for almost everyone up for an adventure on campus.”

On Jan. 21, students can join the Outing Club for a back campus outer loop hike at 4 p.m. The hike starts at the Outing Club Pavilion. Rain, snow or shine, this walk will happen. Students can look forward to exploring some of the new and lesser-known trails on W&L’s back campus with James Dick, the Outing Club director. The hike will end before dinner.

Students can grab their running shoes for a trail run at Natural Bridge State Park on Jan. 22 at 3:30 p.m. Participants will go on a moderate four-mile trail run that ends on a summit of a great rise overlooking the valley surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains. This run is also a rain-or-shine event.

On Jan. 25, students can give back and dedicate some time to trail maintenance at nearby Glen Maury Park starting at 2 p.m. In partnership with Rockbridge Trail Club, students will spend approximately two hours improving Rockbridge’s local trails. Participants will be provided work gloves and tools. This work helps with mountain bike riding and improves evening walking experiences with friends. All experience levels are welcome. Transportation for this event is not provided, but carpool information is available from the Outing Club.

Outing Club staff also encourage students to suggest their own trip or activity with friends, and they will try to program it. Equipment is also available to rent for free from the Outing Club Barn.

Registration for all events is free but required for OC members, and new activities will be announced every few days. Space for all events is limited, and early sign-up is highly encouraged.

“We encourage you to tell everyone about your outdoor adventures at the weekly campfires outside of the pavilion, and we can’t wait to see you there,” said Dick.

Learn more about the Outing Club at W&L here.