Outdoor Pursuits: providing UAB students a change of scenery
Posted on Jun 11, 2012 in Sports
Outdoor Pursuits is a valued part of the Campus Recreation Center and offers exciting opportunities to students and other members who are ready for challenging fun. Looking for a getaway this summer or just tired of the same old stuff on campus? Outdoor Pursuits has the answer.
Outdoor Pursuits is most known for their fantastic trip series offered year-round. This trip series covers locations all over the country, ranging in activities that include kayaking, skiing, whitewater rafting, hiking, camping and more.
On the slate for Outdoor Pursuit’s summer trip series, the adventurous venues will include visits to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, trip to Colorado, Alaska, as well as some close to home.
The first trip in the series seems to be one of the most anticipated as Outdoor Pursuits will venture to Nantahala, Hiwassee for boating and biking in North Carolina and Tennessee. Travelers will be able to “Ride through trails that meander through mixed pine and hardwoods on a peninsula stretching out over Fontana Lake. Eight plus miles of constant waves, swift and clear, make the
Nantahala River a delight for almost all ages,” according to Outdoor Pursuits’ trip description. The trip will take place June 7-10.
For the next trip, Outdoor Pursuits will stay in Tennessee at the Cherokee National Forest. Travelers will be able to take part in whitewater rafting in the middle of the Ocoee river, which plunges 269 feet over five miles. It’s sure to be a thrill. This trip will take place June 23.
Following the Ocoee trip, Outdoor Pursuits will travel to Colorado for some hiking in the Rocky Mountains. What is sure to thrill those adventure-seekers will be the mountain hiking to the top of Mt. Elbert at an elevation of 14,433 feet, the highest point in the Rocky Mountains. This trip will take place July 13-22.
Outdoor Pursuits will again venture to the Grand Canyon “a powerful and inspiring landscape, that overwhelms your senses through its immense size; 277 river miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and a mile deep. Enjoy a day atop the rim at Grand Canyon National Park. See breath taking views of the Colorado River and the sheer size of the canyon itself as you backpack down the canyon.”
The summer trip series finale will also be the farthest trip on the schedule. Outdoor Pursuits will travel to Denali National Park in Alaska for backpacking and touring. Travelers will not want to miss the opportunity to see Glacier National Park’s unique scenery, which includes wildlife, lakes, streams, forests and alpine meadows. This summer trip series wrap-up will take place August 3-12.
Anyone interested in more information on these trips or Outdoor Pursuits in general can visit the Outdoor Pursuits page on the UAB Campus Recreation Center website. Adventure seekers will be able to find trip itineraries, thorough trip descriptions, trip prices and exact times and dates for trips and meetings.
Tarek Abdalla
Staff Writer
tabdalla@uab.edu