Students take extreme 'Outdoor Adventures'

With IU Outdoor Adventures, you can climb high above the earth on a sheer rock face or jump out of an airplane and fall swiftly back toward it. The group takes students on a variety of adventure trips, teaches outdoor adventure skills courses and rents outdoor equipment.\nThe group has adventure trips planned for this summer ranging from a night spent wandering the wilderness and a weekend rock climbing all the way to 15 days hiking and climbing the mountains of Alaska.\nThe Alaskan trip begins July 23 when a plane drops everyone off on a glacier. No experience is necessary to go on the trip. Essential mountaineering techniques like glacier travel, peak ascents and vertical ice climbing will be taught on site, said Kyle Lanoue, one of the trip leaders.\nTwo summers ago, Lanoue hiked 200 miles across the eastern half of the Alaskan range and has climbed to the top of Mount Rainier. \n"I can't tell you how much adventure is really packed into one trip," he said.\nThe deadline to sign up for this trip is May 7.\nIf you are looking for more competition than climbing frozen mountains, the organization offers a "Hoosier Hellbender" adventure race.\nFor the race, markers will be set up in the creeks, lakes, hills and hollows around Bloomington, and racers "take a map and go from point to point to point," said Andy Ballard, assistant program coordinator.\nSome of the markers will be on the sides of bluffs, and racers will have to rappel down some and climb up others to get the marker. Most of the time there will be no trail to follow. They will have to navigate using only a map and compass, he said. \nIf there is a trail, they will either be running down it or in a canoe floating along it.\n"It's up to the participants to prepare themselves," he said. \nHowever, Outdoor Adventures offers courses helping participants prepare. \nThis summer, along with the rest of the year, Outdoor Adventures offers classroom sessions on canoeing, backpacking, rock climbing and other outdoor activities. Students get one credit hour for each class for a $150 fee. To learn more about the classes and Outdoor Adventures, go to the activities desk in the Indiana Memorial Union or call 855-2231.\nThey also allow students to take a trip with some friends. The group will rent outdoor equipment from the smallest item -- socks and rock climbing shoes -- to the biggest -- tents and kayaks.\n"I can't bring all my camping gear from home, but I can just rent it from them," said senior and Eagle Scout Justin Adams.\nBallard said that during college, students have more freedom and will venture out and try new things that are unhealthy, like binge drinking and unprotected sex. \n"Our organization offers the types of adventures that students will want to call home and tell their folks about," he said.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Ben Woodson at bwoodson@indiana.edu.