By: Ben Leschensky
Pacific Lutheran University’s Outdoor Rec club (OR) has a new home. The outdoor adventure group on campus has relocated from the basement of Harstad Hall to the lower level of the Columbia Center, taking over the space previously known as Tahoma Cafe. According to Rob Thompson, Assistant Athletic Director for Recreation, the cafe shut down due to financial reasons and a lack of consistent business.
The move of the club from Harstad last spring was a decision couple years in the making. While in Harstad, the club didn’t get much visibility and Lutes often times had trouble finding the space.
According to Thompson, as well as trip leaders within the club, OR had outgrown the space and needed an upgrade. When the lower level of the Columbia Center became available, Thompson and the student directors of OR made the decision to move the club to a new location.
With their new space, OR has much more room to store all of their equipment used on trips. In addition to leading outdoor trips every weekend, the club rents out a wide assortment of gear to students, ranging from sleeping bags and tents to climbing shoes and hiking poles. Students can stop by the new space (office hours are currently being finalized) or email outdoor@plu.edu to rent out gear.
Outdoor Rec recently completed its first ever “New Lute Expedition,” a new program that takes a handful of first-year Lutes on a backpacking trip prior to New Student Orientation weekend. According to senior student and current OR Director, Isaiah Scheel, the primary goals of the program are to introduce first-year Lutes to Outdoor Rec, give them a positive first experience at PLU, and allow them a chance to build strong friendships with those on the trip. This year’s trip took a crew of five new Lutes to the North Cascades region for three days where they backpacked to a lake, camped out, and went on a day hike.
For first-year student Owen Brummel, the trip was a memorable moment for him. “It was a fantastic experience, and a great way to start my first year at PLU,” Brummel said.
OR Director Scheel hopes this program will continue to grow in size and popularity in future years.
For first-year students and returners, getting involved in the club is simple. Students can sign up for weekend trips on IMLeagues.com or the new PLU Rec app (available on the App Store and Google Play store). In addition to offering weekend excursions, the club also takes week-long trips over j-term break and spring break, with locations including Montana and California. The next time you consider exploring the beautiful nature of the Pacific Northwest, consider doing it with Outdoor Rec.
