GRAB announces climbing, hiking and kayaking trips for students
Hikers pose for a photo at the High Rocks Overlook in Maryland during last month’s pre-orientation Ascent trip for first-year and transfer students (Photo courtesy of Kris Nessler).
By Katie Cheyne, Staff Writer
This fall, the Gettysburg Recreational Adventure Board has put together 15 trips in which students and student facilitators can participate.
Some of the trips are day programs that include hiking, kayaking, or climbing. The first took place this past weekend at Colonel Denning State Park in Newville, Pennsylvania where students and facilitators went hiking.
There is also an extended trip that is taking place over Reading Days and includes kayaking at Assateague Island as well as backpacking at the Shenandoah National Park.
During these overnight trips, the participants stay in tents. The GRAB office also provides any other technical gear or food that students may need. This gear can also be rented from the office at any time during the year for students who are planning trips of their own.
Spots for GRAB trips are very limited.
“Trip size is relatively small, 6-10 participants plus 2-3 facilitators,” said Kris Nessler, Associate Director of Experiential Education. “This allows us to keep a good ratio between participants and facilitators for instruction and safety purposes.”
To become a facilitator, students must submit a written application, along with a resume, and participate in a round of interviews.
Once facilitators are hired, students will take a ten-week classroom-based training seminar and complete several off-campus training expeditions with current members of the GRAB staff. Students will finish the year with medical training in May.
Nessler says that the staff generally encourages first-years, sophomores and juniors to apply since the first year of training is very busy. Between eight and 10 facilitators are hired each year. Applications are now available for the current school year in the GRAB office, located in the basement of Plank Gym.
GRAB trips do not only run during the fall; there is also Winter Fest which occurs over winter break. The trips for Winter Fest are not yet finalized, but there are typically three trips that last seven days.
At this point in time, Nessler says the GRAB office predicts there will be a backpacking trip to Cumberland Island in Georgia, a kayaking trip to Coastal Georgia, possibly at Tybee Island, and a climbing trip to either Texas or Lake Placid, which would include ice climbing and snowshoeing, over the course of the year.
This past summer there were longer excursions, including a trekking trip in Ireland and a mountaineering trip in Peru.
Students can sign up for future trips in the GRAB office. The Student Activities Fee supplements the costs for the trips, so additional costs are relatively low. Each of the trips are open to students of all experience levels.
The next trip is a climbing excursion which will take place on Saturday, Sept. 8 at Schaffer Rock in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania.
