Rustic Cabin Camping (09-12)

December 4-6, 2009

Organized by: Dan Trew

This cabin camping trip was in Black Moshannon State Park. The only difficulty of this trip was getting the wood-stove to heat the cabin consistently. It was cold, and it snowed 2 inches during the first night. The cabin was in excellent condition and well maintained with large quantities of wood nearby. There is no running water in the cabin, a small inconvenience but not much more. Many board-games were played as well as card-games. Fun was had by all, no one died. The cabin is moderately priced and well maintained, however it is not suitable for groups larger than 6-7. The cabin is also only available from April until mid-December making Fall semester the only winter option.

Members in Attendance:

Ryan Mullins

Joe Sumereau

Darcy McKinley Lester

Dan Trew

Colorado (09-10)

November 21-29, 2009

Organized by: Adam Scheletsky

The second Thanksgiving break trip to depart our college campus was a trip to Colorado State Forrest State Park [sic]. The trip consisted of snowshoeing form yurt-to-yurt (Montgomery Pass >> Ruby Jewel >> North Fork Yurt). The difficulty being mainly due to snow-depth and elevation. The weather on the trip was cold with 2 ft of snow, it is 10,000 ft after-all, but the yurts were toasty. Many layers of bacon and clothes made this trip awesome. MSR lightning ascent snowshoes are super bomber, Adam is buying a pair when he gets the money. Adam also forgot the back of the report sheet. As such we have no idea if everyone got along or if there are any dangers, but with no pending lawsuits we assume everyone survived and had a good time.

Members in Attendance:

Adam Scheletsky
Brandon Scherzberg
Rosemarie Scherzberg
James Basham
Toma Zikatanov

Everglades (09-09)

November 20-28, 2009

Organized by: Kelly McFadden, Joe Moran

The first Thanksgiving Break trip to depart, this trip explored the wonders of the Everglades National Park. The trip had varying degrees of difficulty depending on the current. As would be expected the weather was warm (80 degrees) and sunny, however it being Florida the weather was also unpredictable at times (high winds and downpours). All the perishable food perished within the first 3 days and large dry-bags were required to keep water-sensitive equipment safe and dry. The trip went smoothly. Note: many notes to follow.

• Long-term weather forecasts are unreliable for Florida
• it is suggested that perishable food be purchased in Florida to minimize spoilage
• lots of bugs
• bare feet = cut feet
• sun = sun burn
• Campsites in Everglades National Park must be reserved in person at the visitor center less than 24 hours before arrival at camp

Members in Attendance:

Nick Clabbers
Adam Cota
Brian Kocher
Pamela Lin
Thaddeus Line
Kelly McFadden
Joe Moran
Ed Wilson-Ewing

North Carolina (09-11)

November 20-25, 2009

Organized by: Zach Haas, Jake Catt

The third Thanksgiving trip of Fall 2009 was to Mount Mitchell and areas around it. The trip was originally planned to be ridge hiking, however wintery weather made traversing the mount dangerous and it was decided to change plans and go to Linville Gorge. The gorge was grossly underestimated and proved very challenging at points, most notably a long climb at nearly a 200% grade. The area was plagued by thick clouds, fog, drizzle, rain, and utter dampness. Fortunately all the gear was adequate and no emergencies arose. Other than falling off a cliff in the fog, or getting lost at night, or getting lost during the day in the fog, or trying to cross a freezing river in the rain, or... it was tricky. The group rolled with the challenges and turned out a terrific trip despite setbacks.

Members in Attendance:

Zach Haas

Jake Catt

Tony Hemming

Tyler Haas

Dave Alleman

Kaitlin Pope

Dan Trew

Milton Rock Gym (09-08)

November 8, 2009

Organized by: Kelly McFadden

This was the second official climbing trip to the Milton Rock Gym. There was much climbing to be had indoors. So far as we know, no one died, everyone had a good time.

Members in Attendance:

Attendance data is not available, if you have the trip roster please enter it here

WILD (09-07)

October 24-25, 2009

Organized by: Nick Clabbers, Kelly McFadden, Zach Haas, Danielle Gruen, Dan Trew

WILD (Wilderness Instructional Leadership Development) was reorganized this year, but was held in the same spirit as always. Those in attendance participated in sharing their backcountry knowledge, including both soft and hard skill sets. The weather was dead set to wash-out all of us, heavy flooding turned many trails into streams ankle-deep or more. The group was awesome and after opening up flourished. Many games were played and delayed departure for a few hours. Large groups are unwieldy and it is recommended that they be broken up for easier handling.

Members in attendance:

Nick Clabbers

Kelly McFadden

Zach Haas

Dan Trew

Zach Orban

Rebecca Baker

Kerry Brunner

Scott Campbell

Colin Carey

Jake Catt

Alex Devaux

Chris Grigas

Rachel Hoh

Noura Jebara

Helena Kotala

Pamela Lin

Nick Loew

Chris McCartney

Anne Sheldrake

Justin Shultz

Alie Treciak

Julia Vadas

ACA Canoe/Kayak Collegiate Championship (09-06)

October 9-11, 2009

Organized by: Brian Brosius

This was the second annual attendance of the Penn State Outing Club at the ACAC/KCC. PSOC placed 5th, and not out of 5. We received a certificate which is "on file" with The President. The trip was easy and requires no experience. The weather misbehaved and decided to be everywhere from 35-80 degrees with some sun and some rain. Overall the trip was a good time, no one died, everyone got along. Food of note: Apple Cinnamon Bagels with Hamburgers. Next year's race will be in Western North Carolina.

Members in Attendance:
Brian Brosius
Rohit Gandrakota
Darcy McKinley Lester
Stephen Meckler
Megan Murphy
Rich Schatz
Kurt Smithgall