With fall break just around the bend, Texas A&M students and Bryan-College Station community members can get away from it all by paddling canoes down the Colorado River with Texas A&M Rec Sports’ Outdoor Adventures.
People are often reluctant to get started in outdoor adventures because they don’t already know a lot of the necessary skills, Todd Grier, Class of 2006 and outdoor adventurer since 2009, said. As program director for Outdoor Adventures, Grier said he started adventuring with his dad at a young age before making it his career.
“A beginner needs to know what they’re in for, and it’s our job to communicate what the expectations are,” Grier said. “We teach people how to cook, use the bathroom in the backcountry and many other skills on this trip.”
The 20-mile trip will start near Bastrop on Oct. 5 and ends Oct. 8. The preregistration deadline to join the trip is Oct. 1 and is available on the Rec Sports website. No experience is necessary, and all food, transportation and equipment are provided by Rec Sports.
The “Paddle Down the Colorado River Fall Break Trip” is open to everyone — students and non-students — and at any skill level. Adventure seekers will have the opportunity to bond with fellow campers while learning outdoor skills in both beginner and advanced experiences.
The trip fee is $190 for students and $220 for the general public, Grier said. This fee goes towards transportation to and from Bastrop, equipment such as tents and sleeping bags and food. The fee also includes detailed instructions and guidance by environmental geoscience senior Emma LeCheminant, who is the Outdoor Adventures leader for the trip.
A large boat trails the paddlers during the trip with everything for the three-day excursion, Grier said. The boat has a kitchen, tents and waterproof bags with food provided on the boat. Tents are set up after dinner on the Colorado River sandbar for overnight camping.
The pre-registration deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 1. Register here or visit recsports.tamu.edu under Programs and “Outdoor Adventures” for more information.
Macey Litterst is a journalism junior and contributed this from JOUR 359, Reporting Sports, to The Battalion.
