IU Outdoor Adventures will take two trips over spring break: one to the Ozarks in Arkansas and one to the Rio Grande.
The Rio Grande adventure trip will be a 10-day excursion canoeing along the rapids of the river in Texas, while the Ozarks adventure will be a 9-day trip spent climbing and backpacking.
The trips also emphasize community building, graduate assistant Sam Iatarola said.
The organization aims to connect students to themselves, the outdoors, the world and others, Iatarola said while walking through IUOA’s headquarters in Eigenmann Residence Hall.
The space is filled with whitewater kayaks, recreational canoes, paddleboards, bikes, skiis and many other kinds of outdoor gear. There is a kitchen where trip leaders pack food for their trips, a wall with a whiteboard detailing IUOA’s programs and listing upcoming academic and non-academic courses, an 11-foot bouldering wall where students can climb and a classroom for teaching and trip meetings.
“We do a lot of education through different experiential activities that promote fun, learning and/or growth through all of them,” Iatarola said.
IUOA leads outdoor trips that range from one day excursions to Lake Lemon, a reservoir about 10 miles from Bloomington, to weeklong excursions to California to climb Yosemite, White said. Many trips are created to be beginner-friendly, though each entails mental and physical challenges students should be aware of when registering, according to the IUOA website.
The organization also offers rentals for students who want to adventure on their own, facilitates team-building activities for student and staff groups on campus, organizes workshops and teaches academic classes.
“IUOA does a lot to support students in leadership development and community development,” White said. “Since I joined IU Outdoor Adventures, I’ve learned so much about not just the outdoors but about myself.”
Iatarola also spoke of IUOA’s leadership opportunities. He has been involved with IUOA for five years, since he was a freshman.
“There’s so many different benefits, experiences and learnings that can happen through this program in so many different ways,” he said.
His favorite activity is whitewater kayaking, but IUOA offers dozens of activities.
“IU Outdoor Adventures has something for everyone, regardless of your experience or background,” he said. “We are completely open to every single student.”
IUOA seeks to bring people together, Iatarola said.
“This program is really more of a family,” said trip leader and senior Keirsten White. She spoke of how close members become after participating, especially during the adventure trips.
Assistant program coordinator Tyler Kivland said discovering new places and skills is his favorite part.
“I’m a teacher at heart, so I love seeing somebody discover something new for themselves,” Kivland said.
IUOA’s courses and adventure trips are set up as experiential learning, Kivland said. This type of learning promotes hands-on instruction.
“Seeing someone being in an environment where they didn’t think they could accomplish the challenges ahead, and seeing them do that and seeing the lessons they learn along the way is priceless,” Kivland said.
Watching the trip leaders help others learn and learn themselves is part of that concept, he said.
“The bond that the students make with each other by the end is amazing because the friendships that people make on these trips often carry outside of the trips,” trip leader Cassie Holtel said. “For myself, I found some of my most genuine friendships through being in Outdoor Adventures.”
