This spring break, the Outing Club offered three trips: two in the Ozarks and one in the Appalachia. Thea Galli ’16 and John Juenemann ’16 led students along the Ozark trail, while Hannah Campbell ’14 and Jesse Cutter ’15 led others through the Berryman/Ozark Trail Loop. Jasmine Landry ’15 and Doriyush Ubaydi ’14, meanwhile, led a group down the Pinhoti Trail.

“I wanted to lead because it’s my last year here, and I had a great time on previous Outing Club trips,” Ubaydi said.

Campbell and Cutter, however, had led extended trips through the Outing Club before, and valued the opportunities they provide,

“I had led trips before, and they were always fun. They definitely allow me to meet people whom I wouldn’t have otherwise,” Cutter said.

Each group faced different challenges throughout the trip. Particularly, the Pinhoti group saw some snow and rain throughout the trip.

“Although the weather was not as nice as we had hoped, we made some great memories and bonded with each other,” Landry said.

Both the leaders and participants enjoyed meeting new people and spending time outdoors.

“[The spring break trip] was certainly different, but in a good way. I had never been to the Ozarks, so it was definitely an experience,” Witter said.

Sana Naz ’16, who traveled with Landry and Ubaydi, wrote in an email, “This was my very first time ever backpacking or even camping, and I had a great time.

Galli and Juenemann credited positive spirit with making the trip memorable.

“Thea and I tried and tried to build a campfire…but really couldn’t get anything going…but when the whole group came together to make a huge fire, I knew Thea and I had a great group and I was so confident that our trip would be great,” Juenemann wrote.