Auburn Outdoors is always planning out-of-doors oriented trips, and this fall is no exception. Auburn Outdoors has adventures planned for both the fall and Thanksgiving breaks.
For Auburn’s fall break, there will be a backpacking trip along the Appalachian Trail going from Oct. 12 to Oct. 15. During the Thanksgiving break in November, there will be a canoe trip down Florida’s Suwannee River from Nov. 17 to Nov. 22.
October 5th, there will be an afternoon hike at Providence Canyon State Park.
Auburn Outdoors is a branch of Auburn Recreation that manages the climbing wall, provides rental equipment to students, and they, of course, organize student trips as well.
Scott Dirksen, Auburn Outdoors’s director, said “Auburn Outdoors is there to introduce people to the outdoors and to introduce healthy lifelong activities to students,” and “We provide resources and guidance to get [students] outside and to have a good time.”
The Fall Colors Backpacking trip will go to Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in Virginia where the AT goes through the Blue Ridge Mountains. Participants will hike 20-30 miles overall and will be camping in isolated areas without modern conveniences.
Trip Leader Stephen Snow said, “[Backpacking] is one of my favorite ways to get outside, so I’m hoping that other people… see what I love about it and get the same thing out of it that I do.”
The Fall Colors Backpacking trip is priced at $85 for transportation, equipment, and food, but all spots are currently taken on the trip.
The Suwannee River Canoe Touring trip will go to Suwannee River State Park in Florida where participants will spend four days canoeing the Suwannee River, and they will spend each night in cabins which include bathrooms.
Snow said, “You can basically treat it like car camping… you eat really good, pretty nice campsites.”
The Suwannee River Canoe Touring still has spot available, and costs $85 everything participants will need on the trip.
For those who do not have the time or money for a weeklong trip, there will be a $5 Thursday hike from 2-8 p.m. through Providence Canyon in Lumpkin Georgia. The canyon is strikingly similar to those found in the Southwest, but it is only an hour from campus.
When asked why he thinks students should come on Auburn Outdoor trips, Snow said, “One of my favorite things about all of the trips is the kind of community that [participants] build… you really get to know those people in a context that is kind of tough to do around campus.”
Auburn Outdoors is planning more trips for the Spring semester. Dirksen said that there will be a trip for Spring break and one soon after the semester is over.
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