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College Outdoors

Programs

 

View the College Outdoors Trip Calendar
to see what is coming up, and to register online!

 

Welcome! For fall semester 2020 College Outdoors is offering a wide variety of Micro Adventures right around campus, as well as outdoor Skills Workshops for those who want to get involved with College Outdoors Leadership. There is something for everyone!

COVID-19: Currently College Outdoors is offering programming in the Fall 2020 term, with modifications in accordance with LC’s reopening plans. Trips are on or near campus (we are not driving in enclosed vans), groups sizes are limited, and participants will need to maintain physical distancing, and wear masks whenever indoors or when 6 ft. of physical distance is not practical.

 

Skills Workshops

These events focus on some of the 10 skill areas required for becoming a Trip Leader for College Outdoors, and are especially useful for anyone interested in pursuing College Outdoors leadership. There are no pre-requisites (unless listed), and everyone is welcome! 

  • Students sauté red peppers in a pan over a camp stove outdoors.

    Oct 3

    Saturday
     3:00pm - 4:30pm: Backcountry Cooking Clinic
    Grab your friends, or come make new friends, and learn how to use a backcountry stove right from campus!
  • Image of a green mug with the words “Hot Drinks & Hot Topics” written on it

    Oct 7

    Wednesday
     All Day: Open House: Hot Drinks & Hot Topics
    Join these bi-weekly Open House sessions to practice using camp stoves to make yourself a hot drink, then sit down for a discussion on hot topics in the outdoors.
  • Wilderness First Responder patient demonstrates an improvised leg splint

    Nov 14

    Saturday
     8:00am: Wilderness First Responder Recertification

    This course may be used to re-certify current Wilderness First Responder certifications. Due to covid-19 mitigation requirements, this course is only open to current LC students who are part of the on-campus community during fall term 2020.

 

Micro Adventures

These events are all about getting outside right in our own backyard! There are many different trip types, so there is something for everyone! Have an idea for a trip you’d like to see here? Email us at outdoors@lclark.edu

  • A person with brown hair and a blue shirt looks excitedly at the camera. They are holding their p...

    Oct 2

    Friday
     3:15pm - 4:45pm: Natural Foods Harvesting Workshop
    Grab your friends, or come make new friends, and learn what tasty berries,  nuts, natural teas, and fruits are available right on campus and in Riverview Natural Area!
  • Black Student Union logo

    Oct 3

    Saturday
     11:00am - 1:00pm: Black Student Union Day Hike
    Grab your friends, or come make new friends, to go on an awesome day hike lead by the Black Student Union!
  • Person giving a thumbs up while backpacking.

    Oct 9

    Friday
     5:00pm: Leave No Trace (LNT) Backpacking Skills

    On this overnight camping trip, you’ll learn about the seven principles of Leave No Trace (LNT), and all the ways you can can employ these low impact strategies outdoors. Some LNT techniques are really pretty amazing; you’ll wonder why you never thought of them on your earlier trips!

  • A cast iron Dutch Oven cooks in a campfire

    Oct 10

    Saturday
     1:00pm - 3:00pm: Cast Iron Chef: Cooking over campfire coals in Dutch Ovens
    Grab your friends, or come make new friends, and learn how to use a Dutch Oven to bake amazing food using a campfire and coals!
  • View through a binocular lens of a deer in the forest

    Oct 11

    Sunday
     12:00pm - 1:30pm: Photography Through Binoculars Clinic
    Grab your “pod” mates, and learn how to use your smartphone and a pair of binoculars (we provide the binoculars) to take great pictures of distant animals and views! 
  • Image Shows silhouette of Douglas Fir tree with Trans flag in the background.

    Oct 16

    Friday
     5:00pm: Intro to Backpacking for Transgender Folx (Overnight Clinic)
    Whether you are new to backpacking or have been before, join us for a fun and relaxed backpacking trip. This trip is open to all Trans, Non-Binary, and Gender Nonconforming students. Learn the basics in an overnight trip to an area where we have special permission to camp. We’ll leave from campus and hike to a forested location where we’ll teach you how to set up your single person tent (provided). Contact kaetmarston@lclark.edu with any questions and to RSVP!
  • Person with a backpacking pack on a hiking trail in the forest

    Oct 2

    Friday
     5:00pm: Intro to Backpacking (Overnight Clinic)
    Haven’t backpacked before? Learn the basics in an overnight trip to an area where we have special permission to camp. We’ll leave from campus and hike to a forested location where we’ll teach you how to set up your single person tent (provided)
  • Showing off a mushroom

    Oct 3

    Saturday
     12:00pm - 1:30pm: Edible Plants & Ethnobotany
    Grab your “pod” mates, and come learn about the Native American uses of plants, and which ones are good to eat, right here on the L&C campus and in the surrounding natural areas!
  • Two people lean over a campfire and blow air onto it

    Oct 10

    Saturday
     10:00am - 12:00pm: Fire Starting with Bow-Drills
    Grab your “pod” mates, and come learn how to start a fire without matches!
  • Two women wearing backpacking packs give the “peace” sign

    Oct 10

    Saturday
     5:00pm: Backpacking in the Wildest Place in Portland (Advanced Clinic)
    Do you love backpacking?  Want to gain skills using GPS or map and compass? Do you know the different shelters you can rig up to keep you dry in Western Oregon’s fall weather? Want to become a backcountry gourmet chef? Join us for a night outdoors!
  • Showing off a mushroom

    Oct 11

    Sunday
     12:00pm - 1:30pm: Edible Plants & Ethnobotany
    Grab your “pod” mates, and come learn about the Native American uses of plants, and which ones are good to eat, right here on the L&C campus and in the surrounding natural areas!
  • Sunset

    Oct 17

    Saturday
     9:00am - 10:30am: Journey to Self: Walking Nature Meditation
    Decompress, connect with nature, and center yourself during this guided walking nature meditation. This is a welcoming space, and great for those new to meditation or outdoor recreation!
  • Gente Latina Unida

    Oct 3

    Saturday
     10:00am - 2:00pm: Gente Latina Unidos Day Hike and Camp Cooking
    Grab your friends, or come make new friends, to explore some nature and learn how to use a camping stove with GLU!

  • Oct 5

    Monday
     3:30pm - 4:30pm: Trail Running (3ish miles)
    Join us for a casual run/jog along the trails in Tryon Creek State Park!
  • Text reads “Asian Student Union Lewis & Clark”

    Oct 10

    Saturday
     10:00am - 2:00pm: Asian Student Union Hike & Camp Cooking Clinic
    Grab your friends, or come make new friends, to explore some nature and learn how to use a camping stove with ASU!
  • Picture shows the silhouette of a person in a yoga pose

    Oct 11

    Sunday
     10:00am - 10:40am: Yoga on the Lawn
    Start your morning with an energizing and centering yoga session, outdoors!
  • A bright yellow maple leaf lies in the dirt.

    Oct 16

    Friday
     3:30pm - 5:30pm: Fall Foliage: Learn to ID Colorful Trees
    Fall is here at last! Grab your “pod” mates and come learn which types of trees have the most beautiful color changes.
  • Sunset

    Oct 31

    Saturday
     9:00am - 10:30am: Journey to Self: Walking Nature Meditation
    Decompress, connect with nature, and center yourself during this guided walking nature meditation. This is a welcoming space, and great for those new to meditation or outdoor recreation!

 

 

Looking forward to post-covid programming:

College Outdoors runs a wide variety of trips and courses nearly every weekend during the semester, as well as during Fall Break, Spring Break, and Winter Break. We also offer New Student Trips, Wilderness First Responder training, week-day Open House activities, and leadership opportunities. There is something for everyone!