Mountain Biking and Hobo Stew Making

Hey everyone!

Sorry for the recent silence. Like I'm sure it is with you all, school is happening, and it is...happening a lot, recently.

BUT we did have a successful camping trip! Photos should be up soon--all we had was Nicolle's black and white film camera, and she has to develop the photos by hand. So...coming soon.

But we made it through a rather wet and cold night, cooked some absolutely delicious camp food (and I'll list the recipes on a later post, probably), and danced a dance of victory around our fire that was made from wet wood! Good day.



Our next meeting is this Thursday, November 5th, from 5:15-6pm. As before, we'll meet in the Starbucks in the student union. We'll be discussing three things at the meeting.

First, our next trip.

We'll be heading up to Ray's MTB gym in Cleveland. It's an indoor Mountain Biking Gym (the first of its kind, I think) and it will be sure to be a crazy time. I have never gone mountain biking, myself, so there is no fear about looking inexperienced or stupid while we're there: I'll be taking care of that part. At the meeting, we'll decide on the best date for everyone.

Second, more opportunities for service! With the holidays coming up, there are a lot of placed that need people to volunteer their time to help bring Christmas to those who otherwise wouldn't have one. I'll be talking about these opportunities on Thursday as well.

Third, position changes. I am a fifth year senior (AAAH ahha aAH), and I'll finally be student teaching in the Spring. As such, though, I am not going to be able to be the president of the OAC next semester, and we need to find someone who will be willing to take this position.

That's all for now. Thanks, all!

See you later this week,
--Michelle

Conspiring, Camping, and Carting Rusted Steel...

Greetings, everyone!

There's several points of information to pass along, but first! Here are some pictures of National Public Lands Day where we attempt to look Quite Impressive in our reflective vests....




Joe helps move some of the more than 7,000lbs of scrap metal we recovered that day...


...very reflective vests indeed.

And, in truth, I don't know what's going on with my creepy face. I think I was telling a story.

For those of you who weren't able to make it, we had a great time, despite the rain, getting to volunteer with one of our lovely local parks. And, for those of you more TV-savvy than me, keep an eye out for this new documentary: America's Best Idea. We got to watch a preview of it, and aside from being an absolutely beautiful visual display of the wild places of our own country, it's also a story of people, and the land that's a part of who they are. And it's pretty neat to see the CVNP featured in a Big Deal documentary like that.



So, to more business. Our next meeting is THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8th, at 7:00pm. PLEASE NOTE THE TIME CHANGE.

We moved the time down so that those of you who want to go trail-running can still go. Speaking of which, I got to run last week, and it was absolutely beautiful. For more information, check out the SRWC's website, or just run into the OASIS and sign up by noon of the 8th.

At the meeting, we will be discussing our upcoming camping trip, deciding on our food, and other important things. Please try to be there--or at least e-mail me if you cannot.

Also, as a reminder, dues are also due this Thursday.

And that's enough for now. Thanks so much, guys! See you Thursday---

--Michelle

Next Event: National Public Lands Day

http://cvnpa.org/Events/eventdetail.aspx?id=165

This Saturday, September 26th, we will be going to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to volunteer for National Public Lands Day. This is a great way for us to both learn more about our local community and to give back to it as well.

I've been planning with one of the managers at the CVNP, and she's really excited about us coming. The project they've got for us is made possible through a grant just for college students.

Here's the information from the e-mail the coordinator sent me.

"Please meet at Boston Mills Ski Resort, located at 7100 Riverview Road in Peninsula, at 8:30 a.m. to complete waiver forms and get something to eat. Your group is signed-up for the demolition site project in Brecksville to remove scrap metal. We will serve a light breakfast and lunch.

Please wear sturdy boots or shoes, long pants, long sleeves (preferred), hat (preferred), dress for the weather, and bring a small pack with work gloves, sun block, insect repellent, and water."

We start at 8:30am (with a provided breakfast!), work until noon (with a provided lunch!), and then have the option of watching a new documentary there, if we'd like. So it's not too big of a time commitment, there's free food, for goodness sake, and it sounds like we'll have the chance to make a difference. How cool.



More information coming on how we'll carpool/meet to get there, but I hope you're all able to come!

See you all at the meeting this Thursday!
--Michelle

Meeting Minutes from Sept 3, 2009

Greetings!

Huzzah, spiffier-looking website! I'm not done with it all yet, but...it's-a coming.

It was so exciting to see a bunch of new and returning faces yesterday, so thank you all for your support and interest! Here's a summary of what we talked about (because yes, in the midst of all that rambling...we actually did end up saying something, I hope).

-- Budgets are tight/nonexistent this semester, so we'll be doing a lot of amazing local trips.
-- So we welcome any suggestions! Feel free to comment below or e-mail us with your ideas.

--Dues are due by October 1st, 2009.

--If you were not able to make it to the meeting, you need to meet with Michelle as soon as possible to get your Health history and Liability forms filled out. She needs to turn these in by September 17th.

--Also, if you have any recommendations/OHMANdon'tbuythis on any outdoor products, movies, books, or places, let us know. We're going to try to build up this website as a resource as well.

--Spread the word about us! We're going to get our name known on campus this year.

--T-shirts are finally coming! AAAH yay.

--Life is beautiful. And an adventure.


* * * * * *


Next meeting: Thursday, September 24, 2009 at 5:30pm. Location TBA
Next Event: National Public Lands Day, September 26th. See link at right (under profile) for details or click here.
Next Trip: Camping at Westbranch State Park, October 9-10th. Again, see the link at right for details or click here.

(if the links aren't active yet, they will be soon.)

Whoo! It's going to be a great semester!

Beginning a New Semester

Greetings, all!

I'm quite excited to start this new semester, as I hope you all are.

Within the next two weeks, this website will be refurbished, updated, and ready to go with relevant information. Whoo! Life! Yes!

Until then, thanks so much for your patience and keep an eye on your inboxes for an e-mail about when our first meetings and trips are.

Take care, everyone, and keep excited.

Talk to you soon--
--Michelle

Orienteering Saturday

The first ever University of Akron campus Orienteering event will be offered Saturday March 28, 11 to 3 PM. Using a map and compass, you'll try to travel the most efficient route between about a dozen marked locations on a detailed campus map. For competitive athletes, you'll be making decisions about the best path from point to point while running hard for 15-30 minutes. The winner won't always be the fastest runner, but the person who can navigate and think clearly at speed. For those who don't want to race, orienteering can also be a relaxing way to add some variety to a leisurely walk, seeing areas you might not visit otherwise. Or try orienteering as a team, working with friends to keep track of where you are and where you're going. Racer or stroller, all are welcome! This is a great and convenient chance to try a new and exciting sport right here on campus.
There will be three courses - Beginner, Short, and Medium. Try one, or do them all! Registration is $5 / map (teams may want more than one map), and will be open March 28 from 11-2 outside the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. Starts can be any time from 11-3 (each entrant's start time is staggered so you don't just follow the person in front of you!). Instruction, maps, compasses to borrow, and information about orienteering in the woods will also be available. Sponsored by Recreation & Wellness Services, Outdoor Adventure and the Northeast Ohio Orienteering Club.

HERE IS THE WEBSITE of the guy who is running it all. It explains Orienteering in more detail.

See you all there!

ALSO: Next Meeting is Monday, March 30th, at 5:30 in the Club Sports Office.

Bake Sale!

OH man, it's bake sale time.

The first week we're back from Spring Break, we're going to be selling delicious and delectable pastries and sweets as a means to gather enough money for our upcoming firebuilding class.

The sale will be taking place from 12-3pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

These are the people who have signed up to be at the tables...

Monday: Leah (12-3) Kurt (1-2) Joe G (2-3)

Wednesday: Leah and Kurt (1-3) Lindsay (Maybe 2-3)

Friday: Lindsay (12-3) Leah (1-3) Melissa (1-3)

I will be at the tables always, attempting to resist the urge to remove certain cookies from existence.

Please remember to bring baked goods, and if you want brownie points (ack, the pun), then bring them already bagged and priced. Also, bring all your outdoorsy-like equipment like climbing gear, lanterns and whatnot to attract interest.

ALSO, if everyone who is interested in going on the Camp Carl retreat or Firebuilding class would please meet me sometime at the bake sale, it would be wonderful. We've got to fill out some additional waivers in order to go.

Alright, I'll see you there! Bring spring break stories to tell!

EDIT : Bake sale has been moved to MARCH 30th-APRIL 3rd.

Hey, guys!

Next meeting is tomorrow, MONDAY, MARCH 9th, at 5:30pm.

We'll be in the Club Sports room again, and we'll be discussing some exciting things. Nicolle and I have been making plans, and we can't wait to share them with you all.

Also, if you have any ideas, feel free to bring them to the table as well.

See you there---

Everything's been updated!

Greetings, everyone!

I've just finished updating the site with relevant information, so be sure to investigate the lovely links to the right of this text window. There you'll find the information for our next trip, the calendar, and more. I'm planning to use this website as a tool to keep up-to-date information at your fingertips, that way you'll always have an idea of what is going on.

NEXT MEETING: 5:30pm on Tuesday, February 24th.

That's all for now. I can't wait to go tobogganing with you all!

OAC Calendar, Fall 2009

Here is the first draft of this year's calendar. I'm sure that more things will be added as our plans for this year are solidified, and I will e-mail you all if I find out any changes. If anyone discovers something they'd like us to do, please feel free to recommend it to me!

For now, though, you can at least get an idea of what we're planning. Click on the image to enlarge it.

Tobogganing Trip Info

No longer will you be jealous of the chilly cheeriness of these people, for you will get to live the tobogganing dream on Friday, February 27. It will be the stuff of legends.

We will meet outside the OASIS office on Friday, and we'll leave by 5:15 pm. (please e-mail me if this is a bad time and we can leave later). We will carpool to the Cleveland Metroparks Toboggan Chutes, and stay there until they close at 10:30pm, if we're into it. There is also a nearby chalet with fireplaces and cocoa, for all those who will need a warm respite.

If you want to go on this trip, I need to have your waiver information, emergency contact info, student ID# and phone number by the meeting on Tuesday, Feb 24th (at 5:30 in the Club Sports Office). You can e-mail me at mjl22@uakron.edu if I don't have this information already.

You are required to wear hats and gloves in order to sled, and I'd really recommend that you bundle up well. Regardless of the weather, the chutes are refrigerated, and you will have a numb butt by the end of the night unless you're prepared.

Can't wait to see you all there!

Frequently Asked Questions (Mostly)

How do I join?

Just contact any of the officers listed here. We always welcome new adventurers at any time throughout the semester, and we will answer any questions you have. Our semesterly dues are $15, and you must sign a liability waiver and health form before you go on any of our trips.

Do I have to be like Les Stroud to be a member?

No worries--there is no prior experience needed to be a member of the OAC. Part of our mission is to get educated about all the countless facets of outdoor adventuring, so we're all learning! ...Though if you do have Survivorman skills, you have my utmost respect.

What exactly do we do?

The OAC does all things outdoorsy and adventurey--kayaking, white water rafting, rock climbing, hiking, winter backpacking, camping, fire-building, wilderness survival-learning, raccoon-battling, outdoor cooking...a lot of fun, in other words. In addition to our trips, we also attend seminars, lectures, and demonstrations to broaden our scope and enhance our ever-growing knowledge of the outdoors.

This semester's calendar of events can be found here, and for information about our next trip, click here.

Are all trips free?

We will do the best we can to make all OAC trips as easy on your college-student wallets as possible, but we have little funding this year, so this is hard to say.

If we have some dedicated fundraisers, however, dues will probably be the only thing you'll have to worry about.

What is the difference between Outdoor Adventure and the Outdoor Adventure Club?

Outdoor Adventure is not the same as the Outdoor Adventure Club. We're a club sport, and they're a service through the SRWC. They offer seminars, trips, gear rental, and training, and we generally take all of our big trips through them--it's just safer that way, for one, and we can rent equipment from them too. (for more information, click on the "Outdoor Adventure" tab on the left side of the university website).

Am I allowed to bring alcoholic beverages, drugs, weapons, or general stupidity to any gathering of the OAC?

HAha--No. Wherever we are, we are an acting representative of the University of Akron, and we will act with the respect and decency that we would expect from anyone else. Please do not violate this element of our constitution.

Welcome to UA's Outdood Adventure Club Website!

I hope you're ready to get Outdoorsy and Adventurey. This website is the internet home for the University of Akron's Outdoor Adventure Club. We're just getting started up here, but be expecting pictures, useful links, and much more soon!If you have any questions concerning the club, please contact UAOutdoorAdventure@yahoo.com.

Officers and their Contacts

For general questions and concerns, please e-mail our collective e-mail address, UAoutdooradventure@yahoo (dot) com

Some Photos! (updated)

Spring 2009's Matchless Fire Building Clinic with the Midwest Native Skills Institute

Joe sharpens his spindle on a bow-drill setup.

Michelle eyes the two ridiculous turkeys WHO SERIOUSLY WOULD NOT LEAVE.

* * *

Fall 2009 Camping at Westbranch State Park in Ravenna, OH



Food, glorious, food. Made even better when you have to fight raccoons for it.


Ohio has some absolutely lovely places.


We are completely serious here. No fun allowed.


I feel like Amanda's shirt is going to eat someone.

Always trust Mike with directions.