Spring Trips - College Outdoors - Programs

College Outdoors

Welcome to the Spring 2010 College Outdoors Trip Schedule.

This web page was created for Lewis & Clark students and anyone else who is interested in the College or the College Outdoors program. Spaces on College Outdoors trips are available to currently enrolled graduate, undergraduate, and law students, as well as faculty and staff at Lewis and Clark College. Trip selection and dates are subject to change. Contact the College Outdoors office for the most up-to-date trip list.

Download an up to date list of our Spring 2010 Semester trips here:

Spring 2010 Brochure

BEGINNING CROSS-COUNTRY SKI CLINIC

Sunday, January 24
Signup Begins: Tuesday, December 1
Pre-Trip Meeting (PTM): Wednesday, January 20, 5 PM

This is a one-day trip to Mt. Hood for beginning cross-country skiers. After a beginning ski skills clinic we will head out to explore the surrounding ski trails and practice the techniques we’ve learned. The trip fee includes transportation, instruction, ski equipment, plus food if you’re on the Bon Appétit meal plan. Take advantage of this great deal!

MOUNT SAINT HELENS SNOWSHOE #1

Saturday, January 30
Signup Begins: Tuesday, December 1
Pre-Trip Meeting (PTM): Tuesday, January 26, 5 PM

Snowshoe on the trails of the Northwest’s most famous volcano! Weather permitting, we’ll head up one of the trails toward timberline on Mt. St. Helens to great views of this mountain, plus views of Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood in the distance. Snowshoeing takes a fair amount of energy, but it is great exercise and doesn’t require any previous training. If the weather’s bad, we’ll head for Mt. Hood’s east side.

CROSS-COUNTRY/SKATE SKI CLASS

Sunday, January 31

If a spot opens on the shuttle for the class, you can attend a one-time clinic. Check with College Outdoors for available space.

INTRO TO AVALANCHE FIELD CLINIC #1

Saturday, February 6
Signup Begins: Tuesday, December 1
Pre-Trip Meeting (PTM): Tuesday, February 2, 5-6:30 PM

Learn the basics of snow science and avalanches in this class session and one-day field trip. We’ll snowshoe into the backcountry on Mt. Hood to learn how to evaluate snow and terrain conditions, use avalanche transceivers, and practice rescue strategies. A mandatory 1.5 hour classroom session will introduce the concepts we will explore in the field. No previous experience needed. This clinic is a basic introduction to the concepts and skills that make up avalanche awareness.

OREGON COAST HIKE

Saturday, February 6
Signup Begins: Tuesday, January 19
Pre-Trip Meeting (PTM): Tuesday, February 2, 5 PM

Hike this spectaular area of the coast! We’ll hike a headland climbing 1,200 feet in elevation for some amazing views. After the headland, we’ll stop by a sandy beach for a little relaxation before heading back to campus.

CROSS-COUNTRY/SKATE SKI CLASS

Sunday, February 7

If a spot opens on the shuttle for the class, you can attend a one-time clinic. Check with College Outdoors for available space.

YOGA AND MEDITATION RETREAT #1

Friday, February 12 to Sunday February 14
Signup Begins: Tuesday, January 19
Pre-Trip Meeting (PTM): Tuesday, February 9, 5:30 PM

Come and have a relaxing weekend doing vinyasa yoga and breath meditation with College Outdoors. Vinyasa yoga is an invigorating (yang) yoga practice which links breath with movement. Breath practice, or pranayama, is a great way to get in tune with your body and calm your nervous system while moving through your yoga practice. There will also be some less invigorating (yin) yoga practice as well to create balance in the body and mind. On Friday evening, after classes, we’ll drive to the Oregon coast and stay in yurts; we’ll return by Sunday afternoon. We plan to do short hikes mixed with relaxing yoga sessions. No prior yoga or meditation experience necessary.

MOUNT SAINT HELENS SNOWSHOE #2

Saturday, February 13
Signup Begins: Friday, January 22
Pre-Trip Meeting (PTM): Tuesday, February 9, 5 PM

CROSS-COUNTRY/SKATE SKI CLASS

Sunday, February 14

If a spot opens on the shuttle for the class, you can attend a one-time clinic. Check with College Outdoors for available space.

WINTER CAMPING CLINIC

Saturday, February 20 to Sunday February 21
Signup Begins: Friday, January 29
Pre-Trip Meeting (PTM): Tuesday, February 16, 5-6:30 PM

Learn the skills of winter camping, using gear sleds, wielding those fancy-looking shovels and snow saws, and staying overnight in snow shelters you build. This trip is moderately strenuous, and is recommended for those in good physical shape and who are comfortable in the outdoors. There is a mandatory 1.5 hour pre-trip meeting before we head out for the snow, since winter camping is not the sort of thing you want to jump into without a little background.

ANCIENT FOREST CLINIC

Friday, February 26 to Sunday, February 28
Signup Begins: Friday, January 22
Pre-Trip Meeting (PTM): Tuesday, February 23, 5:30 PM

Hike through ancient forests draped with moss, and learn about the plants, lichens, and trees in this important ecosystem. Stay in a comfortable, heated yurt on the northern Oregon coast. While the weather may be soggy as we hike during the day, the yurts are warm, dry, and cozy places to spend the night. This trip is meant for folks who want to learn more about some of the amazing trees, plants, and animals of the Northwest’s temperate rainforest.

YOGA AND MEDITATION RETREAT #2

Friday, February 26 to Sunday, February 28
Signup Begins: Friday, January 29
Pre-Trip Meeting (PTM): Tuesday, February 23, 5 PM

If you weren’t able to attend the first retreat, we’re offering it a second time, at a different location on the coast! See Yoga and Meditation Retreat #1 above for description.

CROSS-COUNTRY/SKATE SKI CLASS

Sunday, February 28

If a spot opens on the shuttle for the class, you can attend a one-time clinic. Check with College Outdoors for available space.

INTRO TO AVALANCHE FIELD CLINIC #2

Saturday, March 6
Signup Begins: Friday, February 12
Pre-Trip Class (PTM): Tuesday, March 2, 5-6:30 PM

CROSS-COUNTRY/SKATE SKI CLASS

Sunday, March 7

If a spot opens on the shuttle for the class, you can attend a one-time clinic. Check with College Outdoors for available space.

SPRING BREAK TRIP: HIKING AND KAYAKING REDWOOD NATIONAL PARK

Friday, March 19 to Saturday, March 27
Signup Begins: Tuesday, December 1
Pre-Trip Meeting (PTM): Tuesday, March 9, 5 PM

Come stay at a lodge and cabins in Redwood National Park for Spring Break! We’ll spend the week doing hikes through huge redwood forests, and an overnight backpack trip to a beach on the stunning Pacific Ocean. We’ll also be able to spend part of the trip learning how to handle a kayak on the bays and lagoons adjacent to the ocean. It’s the start of spring in these spectacular forests, so the wildflowers will be blooming. The main lodge we’re renting has a huge kitchen for cooking meals, great resources for learning about redwood ecology, and has hot showers, too! Redwoods are the tallest living things in the world, don’t miss this opportunity to live among them for a week! You can get one credit in PE/A 142, “Wilderness Leadership” for two class meetings before, and participation during, this trip. This class counts as an activity credit for graduation. Be sure to sign up by the end of the add/drop period Friday, Jan. 29, 2010 if you want credit.

SPRING BREAK TRIP: CALIFORNIA SURF CLINIC

Friday, March 19 to Saturday, March 27
Signup Begins: Tuesday, December 1
Pre-Trip Meeting (PTM): Tuesday, March 9, 6 PM

Learn to surf! Camp on bluffs just above the crashing Pacific Ocean surf on the central California coast. This course is designed for beginner surfers, yet more experienced surfers are welcome to take the classes and improve upon their skills. This week of surf training covers all the basics. Learn to read the surf conditions, choose the safest entry and exit point of the surf break, also paddling and wave catching techniques, standing up, turning and surfing etiquette. Get the best tips and coaching from the excellent surfing staff from UC Santa Cruz. All you need is your swimsuit, reasonable swimming ability, and a desire to hit the surf. We provide the rest. Spectacular trails are there to explore after your surf sessions each day. On top of that, the intriguing city of Santa Cruz and its world famous boardwalk are nearby. Trip fee includes transportation, food, camping, surf instructors, and all the equipment (including surfboards and wetsuits, and any camping gear) you’ll need!

SWIFTWATER RESCUE CLINIC

Full Clinic Includes All of These Sessions:

Friday, April 2 (Class)

Saturday, April 3 (Field)

Friday, April 9 (Class)

Saturday, April 10 (Field)

Signup Begins: Friday, February 26
Pre-Trip Meeting (PTM): Tuesday, March 30, 5 PM

This advanced class covers a variety of techniques to employ if you or the people you are with get into a predicament on a river. Paddling skills are only part of the education you need to do watersports safely, and knowing what to do in an emergency can save your life or the lives of the people in your party. Similar clinics cost $400 or more! This one trip is spread over two weekends so you can have Sundays free. The Friday evening classes (Apr. 2 & 9 from 4:30-6:30 PM) are followed by Saturday field sessions (Apr. 3 & 10).

HIKE HARDESTY RIDGE

Saturday, April 4
Signup Begins: Friday, March 5
Pre-Trip Meeting (PTM): Tuesday, March 30, 5:30 PM

Join us for this great hike along a newly completed trail in the western Columbia Gorge! On this somewhat strenuous hike, we’ll follow a route through alder and Douglas-fir forests, climbing up to amazing views of the Gorge. This hike is in close proximity to the iconic Beacon Rock. We expect to hike about seven miles and gain 2100 feet in elevation, but the payoff is definitely worth the effort.

COLUMBIA GORGE OFF-TRAIL BACKPACK/NAVIGATION CLINIC

Saturday, April 10 to Sunday, April 11
Signup Begins: Friday, March 5
Pre-Trip Meeting (PTM): Tuesday, April 6, 5:30 PM

Leave campus on Saturday, and be back Sunday afternoon to study! This trip traverses the meadows and oak woodlands in the drier part of the Columbia Gorge. Much of the route is off-trail, as there are no maintained trails in most of this area. We’ll teach map and compass skills. Spring is in full bloom in the Gorge by this time in April, with wildflowers popping up all over. There are some ticks, poison oak, and the occasional rattlesnake to watch out for, but folks who tackle the elevation gain of this hike do so among some absolutely spectacular scenery. Since the rainfall this far east is minimal, plenty of sunny skies are expected.

WATERFALLS & WILDFLOWERS OF THE COLUMBIA GORGE #1

Saturday, April 10
Signup Begins: Friday, March 12
Pre-Trip Meeting (PTM): Tuesday, April 6, 5 PM

Join us to see some of the most spectacular wildflower displays in the Northwest and some of the Gorge’s lesser-known waterfalls! Spring is in full gear by this time in April, so the wildflowers are really out in full force and the falls will be much more impressive than they were during this dry summer and fall! Amazing vistas, fabulous scenery, spectacular wildflowers and waterfalls reward folks who tackle this hike.

SEA KAYAK THE GILBERT RIVER

Saturday, April 17
Signup Begins: Friday, March 12
Pre-Trip Meeting (PTM): Tuesday, April 13, 5:30 PM

Follow the herons through the Everglades-like wetlands of the Gilbert River on Sauvie Island at the confluence of the Willamette and the Columbia River, only 30 miles from Portland. It’s a wildlife refuge, complete with all that a wildlife refuge should have. Come paddle with us and check out the flocks of migrating geese, swans, and cranes and all the spring flowers!

WATERFALLS & WILDFLOWERS OF THE COLUMBIA GORGE #2

Sunday, April 18
Signup Begins: Friday, April 2
Pre-Trip Meeting (PTM): Tuesday, April 13, 5:30 PM

If you missed the first round, then here’s another chance to come see some of the most spectacular wildflower displays in the Northwest and some of the Gorge’s lesser-known waterfalls! See the description above for more info.

DESCHUTES RAFTING

Sunday, April 25
Signup Begins: Friday, April 2
Pre-Trip Meeting (PTM): Tuesday, April 20, 5 PM

Central Oregon’s Deschutes River features seven major rapids in twelve miles, making this one of the premier rafting rivers in the state. You will get wet, and you need to paddle hard! This trip is not recommended for non-swimmers, although you’ll be led by experienced guides and everyone has to wear a PFD on the river. If you like whitewater--this is an awesome time!

WILDERNESS FIRST RESPONDER COURSE

Tuesday, May 11 to Wednesday, May 19
Signup Begins: Tuesday, December 1

This ten-day, intensive seminar on wilderness medicine is becoming the standard training for Outward Bound instructors, National Outdoor Leadership School instructors, and other outdoor professionals. Improve your résumé for that ideal summer job, and be ready for any emergency that might happen to you and your friends in the outdoors. To assist LC students with the cost of certification, we’ve subsidized the price for current LC students. The workshop is taught by NOLS/Wilderness Medicine Institute. We apologize, but this course is not available for credit unless you register for summer school.

If you have any questions please call our main office at 503-768-7116 or email us.

Contact Us

The College Outdoors program is located in Templeton Campus Center.

email outdoors@lclark.edu

voice 503-768-7116
fax 503-768-7876

Director Joe Yuska

College Outdoors program
0615 S.W. Palatine Hill Road, MSC 188
Portland, Oregon 97219