UNC has many outdoorsy student organizations that aim to bring students together while enjoying the outdoors. Cheney Gardner, a senior journalism major and co-director of UNC’s Tramping Club, said being outdoors is an important part of her college experience.
“It’s been an incredibly important part of my experience, and, if nothing else, you get to meet people who like the same things as you,” she said.
The Tramping Club focuses on sharing gear, information and skills to provide students with whatever they need for an outdoor adventure. They also receive donations from Townsend Bertram & Company, an outfitter in Carrboro.
“They donate the gear that we rent,” Gardner said. “So anyone can come on the trip, and it doesn’t matter how much experience they have or how much gear they have. That’s where we come in as a unique student organization — we want everyone to have access to the outdoors.”
Gardner said one of the wildest memories she has of the club is their hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail.
“That was when the bear hunting season opened, and it was crazy because we woke up one morning and there were gun shots,” she said.
UNC’s Surf Club is also no stranger to danger. Junior and president Alex Mitchell, said the club, called “Mo’i” after the Hawaiian word for king, has a certain preference for the waves they ride.
“We’re mostly chasing hurricanes and trying to get good swells — like a pretty nice, chill little category three or four,” Mitchell said. “It’d be really stormy conditions sometimes, but basically you wait for the hurricane to send a ton of waves.”
