Looking for a get away? Outdoor Recreation, whose offices are located in the Student Recreation Center, provides students with the opportunity to travel to different locations. Trips range from whitewater rafting to backpacking to mountain biking. Prices for all clinics and trips begin at $10.

“Here at the Student Rec Center, we are all about promoting healthy lifestyle choices,” said Lance Haynie, program coordinator for Outdoor Rec. “Outdoor Rec offers an alternative to all the traditional ways of choosing a healthy lifestyle. When we do these trips we’re going out of town. When [you’re] stressed out and under a lot of strain, actually leaving the place where it comes from is a big deal.”

This semester, participants have traveled to the Ocoee River in Tennessee, Anvil Cave, Flint Creek in Alabama and Oak Mountain State Park. Fall break trips included a backpacking trip at the Bankhead National Forest and a climbing day trip/clinic in Sand Rock, Ala.

The last trip for the semester will be the Christmas break ski tip to Durango, Colo.

Participants will have the chance to spend five nights lodging in condos and four days to ski. The cost of the trip is $850 for students and $950 for non-students. The dates for the trip are Dec. 12-19.

Next semester, Outdoor Rec has six trips and one competition planned. The two separate spring break trips consist of backpacking in the Great Smoky Mountains and a multi-sport trip in North Carolina at the Nantahala River and Pisgah National Forest.

Also planned for next semester is the Tuscaloosa climbing competition in January, as well as a skiing and snowboarding trip in February.

Each organized trip is put together by trip leaders, who are also the guides on the expeditions.

“Being a trip leader is awesome,” guide Linda Taylor said. “It’s one of the coolest jobs I’ve ever had. You take in all aspects of putting a trip together. You get to plan and go on the trips as well. Each aspect makes you a well-rounded leader.”

Members of Outdoor Rec said the trips they offer seem to be beneficial to students in many different ways. Haynie said most trips are conducive for those on the beginner level.

“I think the trips are a really good thing because it gives students, old and new, a chance to go out and explore and meet new people and find new activities to get involved in,” Outdoor Rec employee Catherine Ford said. “The trip leaders plan every detail so they know you’re safe and they know what people’s limits are.”

Haynie continued, “Meeting new people is a great effect of the trips. Also, rise up to a personal challenge [students] may have. Going on one of our trips, we’re going to be completely conscious of safety, that’s our priority. We’re going to try to give them as much information and skill development as we can. Maybe they rise to that personal challenge of theirs and overcome a fear of theirs and have a personal victory. We want people to try new things and meet new people and see if they’re interested in something different they’ve never tried before.”

For students who may not be interested or ready to go on trips, Taylor suggests getting involved in other Outdoor Rec activities first.

“The Outdoor Rec is a great way to get involved on campus and meet new people and try new things,” Taylor said. “If you want to get involved more at the Outdoor Rec just come by sometime, rent gear, and ask questions about the best places to go hiking, biking, canoeing, etc.”

Available rental gear includes sleeping bags, tents, stoves, backpacks, climbing gear, canoeing items, equipment for kayaking, and bikes. Items are rented out for daily, weekly and weekend intervals.

The climbing wall located in the rec center is an outlet for outdoor fitness, only located inside. Each interested person or participant is allowed one free admission to climb the wall.

Outdoor Rec also houses a full service bike shop for student, faculty and staff at discount prices. As listed on the website, the bike shop offers services such as tune ups, brake repairs and hub repairs.

For more information on Outdoor Rec trips visit the office, call the office at 205-348-7045, or email at outdoor.recreation.ua.edu.

“Hopefully more students will get involved with the Outdoor Rec, get to experience something cool that they have never done before and get to meet a fair few cool people along the way,” Taylor said. “I hope people have an excellent time with us and want to come back again and keep trying new things.”