The Outdoor Adventure Program offers students an opportunity to learn outdoor and team skills while taking a break from campus life.

This weekend, the outdoor adventure program went to Devil’s Lake Park, Wis., for a rock climbing adventure. The program hosts trips throughout the year to locations around the country. The trip activities vary but include camping, rock climbing, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking and more.

“[The trip is] about having a great time with lots of fun, but also offers learning experiences so maybe people can have their own adventures in the future,” said trip leader Keith Gortowski.

The trip price includes food, equipment and transportation. The Devil’s Lake Park trip cost $100 for students; for faculty, staff and community members it cost $125.

“The coolest thing about trips is you have a group of people start out as strangers, but by the end of it you can see strong friendships get built by going through that experience together,” Gortowski said.

The Outdoor Adventure Program lets students pick what kind of trip they would like to participate in.

“[My favorite trip was to the] Great Smoky Mountains,” Gortowski said. “It is really cool, bonds you to those people for four or five days with them over Thanksgiving Break. You have a Thanksgiving dinner. It brings you really close.”

The goal of the Outdoor Adventure Club is to get people outdoors by giving them gear to rent or taking them to new spots.

“We also offer programs for groups, and those are tailored towards the group goals, like if it’s communication the program we’d design would have a lot of activities to improve communication,” said program Assistant Director Christine Lagattolla.

The program’s employees rent out snowboards, mountain bikes, snow shoes, footballs and more. Students can rent equipment by paying a fee for the gear; the fee varies based on the days students need it and the type of gear.

“College is all about new experiences and new challenges, so going on a trip is the perfect way to find both of these and also find new friends with common interests,” said junior biology major Larissa Root, a participant.

The trips are open to everyone regardless of skill level.

“[My favorite moment] would be when we all came out of a cave covered in mud with smiles on our faces,” Root said.