College Outdoors
New Student Trips
Trip locations and descriptions are subject to change due to permitting and potential forest fire concerns.
2016 REGISTRATION IS CLOSED
Please call our office at 503-768-7116 or email outdoors@lclark.edu to be added to the waitlist
*Both 1 & 2 must be filled out for your application to be complete. It takes about 5 minutes to fill out the registration. Please complete that first followed by the health & diet questionnaire, which takes about 10 minutes to fill out. We ask that you complete this form thoroughly. This allows us to start planning menus for the trips and know if you have any serious food allergies or special diets we need to take into consideration.
Welcome!
College Outdoors and Student Leadership & Service (SLS) send you greetings from beautiful Portland, Oregon! Every year we offer new students (both first-years and transfers) an opportunity to launch their Lewis & Clark collegiate career in an fun and adventurous way. The Pacific Northwest has a lot to offer and we love sharing what we are lucky enough to call our backyard! New Student Trips (NSTs) happen just before the college-wide New Student Orientation (NSO) held in the fall, so all participants will return in time to participate.
What is the purpose of these trips?
New Student Trips are designed to help students transition to life at Lewis & Clark—whether they are coming from high school or another college. Students have a great opportunity to form a core group of friends before they head into the fast-paced experience of moving into the residence halls and starting classes. First and foremost, we want participants to have FUN on these trips! We also incorporate programs designed to enhance decision making skills, inspire group communication, and spark discussions on issues facing college students. These trips seek to build community, increase an individual’s confidence, and give participants an appreciation for people with diverse backgrounds. Time has shown that these trips truly enrich students’ Lewis & Clark experience starting from day one! Plus, the usual excitement and uncertainty associated with arriving at a new place is much easier to manage after spending some time with a group of new students who may become your best friends!
Every trip we offer is suitable for people with no background in the outdoors or service, in the case of our service projects. The outdoor adventures are led by competent and experienced outdoor leaders and the service projects by strong leaders in those fields. Our backpacking trips are the most physically demanding, and while no prior experience is needed, backpacking necessitates good physical fitness.
These trips fill up fast, so register as soon as possible!
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Where to Start:
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Read about the trips on the specific trip descriptions pages linked in the table below and find a few trips you’re interested in.
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Complete the Online Registration
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Fill out the online Health and Diet Questionnaire
Please note: your registration is not considered complete until you have filled out a health and diet questionnaire. It is critical to fill out the health and diet questionnaire thoroughly indicating all current medications, past injuries, any present conditions, and current health insurance information. For this reason, the questionnaire is due within 48 hours of submitting your trip reservation to hold your place.
The trip fee covers transportation, food, leaders, and all equipment.
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New Student Trip Name Click on the trip name below for details about each trip. |
Departure Date |
Return |
Trip Cost* |
Pre & Post |
|
Backpack the Wallowa Mountains |
Tuesday 8/16 |
Tuesday |
$975 | |
| Wallowa Waters & Wilderness |
Tuesday |
Tuesday |
$775 | |
| Raft the Deschutes River |
Tuesday 8/16 |
Tuesday |
$1350 | |
| Hike & Kayak Waldo Lake |
Wednesday 8/17 |
Tuesday 8/23 |
$1050 | |
| Backpack the Mt. Adams Wilderness |
Wednesday 8/17 |
Tuesday 8/23 |
$850 | |
| Backpack Oregon’s Cascade Mountains |
Thursday 8/18 |
Tuesday 8/23 |
$750 | |
| Beyond Portlandia: Economic Justice |
Wednesday |
Tuesday |
$450 | |
|
Beyond Portlandia: Environmental Action |
Wednesday 8/17 |
Tuesday 8/23 |
$450 | |
|
Hike and Stand Up Paddleboard the Columbia Gorge |
Thursday 8/18 |
Tuesday 8/23 |
$690 | |
| Explore the Temperate Rainforest |
Thursday 8/18 |
Tuesday 8/23 |
$750 | |
| Surf & Hike the Oregon Coast |
Thursday 8/18 |
Tuesday |
$690 |
Not sure where to start? Click here for the trip comparison chart! |
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*This price reflects the full cost of the trip. If you submitted a FAFSA, you may be eligible for a need-based financial scholarship to reduce the trip price listed. Simply check the box regarding financial aid on the New Student Trip Reservation Form. Your financial award will be included in the email with your trip placement. You have no obligation to pay for the trip until you receive an email from College Outdoors informing you of the amount of your financial aid award. You can accept the award or decline the trip with no financial obligation at that time. Plan to add $5/day for vegan, gluten-free, or other specialized diet requests (a vegetarian option is included at no extra charge). Dietary restrictions for medical reasons are exempt from the additional $5/day fee. |
Summer Schedule:
Registration Opens: Tuesday, May 10th, 2016 @ 9 AM Pacific Time
Registration for New Student Trips (NSTs) opens online at this website at 9:00am (PST) on Tuesday, May 10th. Registration is rolling - be sure to get your application in as soon as possible! Last year some trips were fully booked soon after registration opened. Based on several factors and considering that trips fill up quickly, we cannot guarantee your first choice placement on any of our trips; however, do not worry, all trips are amazing opportunities. No matter which trip you go on, you’ll make great friends and learn a lot about the Pacific Northwest! We will send you an email confirming that we have received your registration within a 1-2 business days.
When New Student Trip Placement Assignments Go Out:
Two weeks or less after receiving your application
Within two weeks of registering for a New Student Trip, we will send you an email about your trip placement. We do not require payment until after you have been placed on a trip. After this point, please refer to your individual trip pages for any and all trip information and subsequent due dates.
New Student Trip Balance Due: Monday, June 13th (for students placed on a trip by May 31). Rolling balance due date for later registrations.
Unless you are waiting to be notified about financial aid or trip placement, the balance of your trip is due by 5pm.
Required Forms Due By: Friday, June 24th (unless registering after May 31)
Your individual New Student Trip page (see table above for links to pages) will have access to the 2 forms that are required by this date. Those forms are the equipment you would like to borrow and your travel information. There is no additional charge for any equipment you would like to borrow for your New Student Trip. If you do not have travel plans finalized prior to June 24th due to extenuating circumstances, please contact us; we can extend the deadline.
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Cancellations and Refunds
While we rarely have to cancel a New Student Trip, should it be necessary, we will provide the earliest possible notice and give you a choice of a full refund or an alternate trip.
If you cancel a reservation, the following schedule applies:
On or before June 13th: Full refund.
After June 13th: We can refund the full amount less a $50 cancellation fee if we can fill your spot from the waitlist. If we cannot fill your spot, you may forfeit your payment. (In the case of an emergency situation, we can make an exception, depending on each individual case.)
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Can’t make a New Student Trip?
College Outdoors offers a veritable plethora of activities all year round, from rafting to backpacking and cross-country skiing to sea kayaking. We also offer a very popular Wilderness First Responder course during LC’s winter break. Student Leadership & Service also run alternative fall and spring break service trips along with many smaller weekend trips. So don’t worry! If you can’t make it on one of the NSTs there are other opportunities to get outdoors each semester. Look for more information for our fall trips schedule once you get to campus, or on this website in late August, or come by our office and say hello!
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Do you have any other questions?
Contact us:
Monday – Friday: 9am – 5pm Pacific Time
244 Templeton Campus Center
phone 503-768-7116
email: outdoors@lclark.edu