The climbing wall inside the Leonard J. Kaplan Wellness Center is a sight to behold, the kind that makes students stop and stare the first time they walk inside. It’s daunting to some and a fun, inspiring challenge to others. Whether viewed from the floor or from one of the wall’s highest footholds, it’s the icon of UNC Greensboro’s Outdoor Adventures.
As UNCG Recreation and Wellness (RecWell) celebrates the Kaplan Center’s 10th anniversary, it also celebrates the tricennial for Outdoor Adventures. Climbing Pilot Mountain, canoeing along Belews Lake, and a quiet afternoon of reading on the shore of Piney Lake are just some of those opportunities for Spartans to try something new, feel the fresh air, and connect with a community that welcomes every experience level.
Outdoor Breather from Academics Brings Students Together
For 30 years, Outdoor Adventures has brought UNCG students on excursions as close to home or as far away as they’d like. They can register for day hikes, overnight excursions, goat yoga, Pilates, backpacking, sea kayaking, indoor or outdoor rock climbing, challenge-course activities, and recreation at Piney Lake. There is room for beginners and experienced adventurers alike.
Sylvie Trainor discovered Outdoor Adventures on her way to class when she passed a flyer for a sea kayaking trip in Florida. She saw a chance to meet students with similar interests.
“It was awesome! I was a little bit nervous at first,” she says. “I didn’t know anyone on the trip, but that’s also what drew me to it; I wanted to meet more outdoors-y people. Everyone was super welcoming.”
Trainor’s story speaks to why Outdoor Adventures has grown since it started in 1966 as the Outing Club at UNCG. The student-organized trips became so successful that, in 1996, the Department of Campus Recreation officially formed Outdoor Adventures, creating even more offerings with adventure trips and equipment rentals.
Trainor had so much fun, she took a student job with Outdoor Adventures and is now a trip leader. The job lets her pair favorite activities like kayaking, hiking, backpacking, and rock climbing with opportunities to help other students. This spring, she expects to complete her Wilderness First Aid certification.
Outdoor Adventures gave her a newfound sense of community. She had lived off campus during her first semester majoring in social work and had not felt very involved. She says she was considering transferring, but after finding Outdoor Adventures, she felt more at home. “I felt like I had a place at UNCG. I had found my people,” she says.
A Climb into a New Role in the Great Outdoors
Jalen Pearson’s introduction to Outdoor Adventures began with the climbing wall, which she noticed on her way to a workout. As a first-year media studies major, she admits she felt a little hesitation about joining. But the following year, while looking for an on-campus job, Pearson remembered how much fun students seemed to be having at the wall.
She says, “I was like, ‘I want to have some fun too.’ So, that’s what brought me here.”
Pearson started as an Outdoor Adventures assistant at the Kaplan Center, but RecWell occasionally sent her to work weekends at Piney Lake.
Piney Lake was one of OA’s biggest expansions after doubling its staff and programs with the opening of the Kaplan Center in 2016. The lake reopened in 2018 for informal recreation and relaxation for the whole UNCG community. Its biggest events and free activities in the fresh air regularly attract hundreds of people.
Pearson advanced to challenge-course facilitator and supervisor. Now, she is a Piney Lake program assistant. She helps coordinate operations and larger events, checks visitors in, and hooks them up with equipment. The duck paddleboat is one of students’ favorites, she says.
It’s a welcome respite from her classwork. “I’m just out there, just chilling, playing music,” she says. “You can just go there, have fun, and you leave whenever you’re ready.”
Like Trainor, Outdoor Adventures helped Pearson overcome those feelings of isolation and uncertainty that many first-year college students deal with. Working at Piney Lake is a way to give back. “I like to make them feel welcome, because at one point, I also didn’t know where to go to find that community,” she says. “Even if I didn’t take on this role of program assistant, I would still feel that sense of community here.”
Upcoming Trips
- SPCA Dog Hike: Sept. 25 at Piney Lake ($10)
- Moonlight Canoeing: Sept. 26 at Belews Lake ($10)
- Lake Kayaking: Oct. 3 at Philpott Lake, VA ($25)
- Waterfall Day Hike: Oct. 4 at Boone, NC ($25)
- Fall Break Waterfall Exploration: Oct. 9-13 in Western NC ($160)
An Adventure for Any Student, From Beginner to Expert
Trainor and Pearson urge everyone to give Outdoor Adventures a try. Both say the program meets participants at their level of experience. They can learn camping skills on a trip or simply relax. They can begin with an easy climbing route at the Kaplan Center or take a day hike before moving up to more challenging activities.
“You don’t have to be a pro at, say, zip lining,” Pearson says. “It honestly requires no experience. It really just depends on your own comfortability.”
For students who don’t know what activities would suit them, Trainor encourages them to stop by and talk to someone. “You may surprise yourself by trying something new, and you might end up making a really special connection,” she says. “We will always welcome you!”
Story by Janet Imrick, University Communications
Photography by Sean Norona and Jefferson Castillo, University Communications; and courtesy of Outdoor Adventures
