For those who are still looking for something to do this spring break, the Student Recreation Center is offering two spring break trips for students who enjoy outdoor recreation.
“We actually have two spring break trips going this year,” said Lance Haynie, program coordinator of Outdoor Recreation. “There is one to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to go backpacking and the other to Indian Creek, Utah for rock climbing.”
Derek DeBruin, a graduate assistant for Outdoor Recreation, was involved in the trip last year to the Sipsey Wilderness Area, about two hours north of Tuscaloosa in the Bankhead National Forest.
“Last year, we went hiking, canoeing and rock climbing at the wilderness area,” he said.
DeBruin was involved last year as a troop leader and said their trip there lasted about four days.
“I thought it was a great opportunity for students to experience the wilderness in their own state through participation in a variety of activities,” he said.
Haynie said Sipsey offers many different opportunities for adventure and there were six participants who went with last year.
Throughout the year, the Rec offers a host of other trips catering to all interests, and there are more to come this semester.
The next trip is a journey to Rocktown, Ga. to participate in bouldering atop Pigeon Mountain in northwest Georgia. The following one is whitewater paddling in the Nantahala River, N.C., and participating in a rafting class.
Those trips will occur in April and they cost $50 and $100 respectively. The trips are not limited to students. Those who want to bring a friend can do so by paying a fee for non-students.
Haynie said they selected these destinations for the upcoming trips to offer a variety of activities and locations from which to choose.
“We know that not all participants enjoy the same type of spring break experience, so we attempt to be as creative as possible,” he said.
“I anticipate that both of these trips will be opportunities for students to experience the beauty and refreshing simplicity of an excursion to the wild areas of our nation,” he said.
The trip to the mountains will take place from March 13 to 17 and will cost $100 for students and $125 for non-students. The Indian Creek, Utah trip is $250 for students and $275 for non-students. Registration for both trips ends on March 10 and more information about how to sign up can be found by stopping by the Rec or urec.ua.edu.
“Participants can expect to have a great time on both of these trips,” Haynie said. “Participants can expect to come back to the Tuscaloosa community with new friends and great stories.”
