UNIVERSITYOF COLORADO HIKING CLUB FEATURING: wh o wer e ar e wh at we do h ow to get in vol ved MEMBERSHIP GUIDE
INSIDETHIS GUIDE WHAT WEDO PAGE4 Fin d ou t abou t th e var iou s tr ip types an d destin ation s we offer on a week l y basis. WHOWEARE PAGE3 Sin ce 1919, h ik in g cl u b h as h el ped CU stu den ts expl or e th e n atu r e an d wil der n ess of Col or ado. HOWTOGET INVOLVED PAGE6 In ter ested in join in g? You sh ou l d be! Fol l ow th ese easy steps to becom e a m em ber an d star t expl or in g! 2
WHOWEARE Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. John Muir OURGOAL Sin ce its for m ation in 1919, th e H ik in g Cl u b at CU h as dedicated itsel f to on e sim pl e goal : to h el p stu den ts an d staff at CU Bou l der expl or e th e m an y n atu r e an d wil der n ess ar eas th at Col or ado h as to offer. Th e cl u b h as evol ved an d gr own over th e past h u n dr ed year s, an d is n ow on e of th e biggest stu den t gr ou ps on cam pu s! Al th ou gh we ar e n ot a gu ide ser vice, ou r officer s sh ar e a l ove for n atu r e an d h ave a gr eat deal of exper ien ce expl or in g th e ou tdoor s. By or gan izin g week l y day h ik es an d back pack in g tr ips, we h ope to h el p you u n win d fr om cl asses, m ak e n ew fr ien ds, an d go on adven tu r es! W e ar e dedicated to pr ovidin g an open an d acceptin g com m u n ity for peopl e of al l sk il l l evel s; wh eth er you 've sol oed th e PCT or n ever h ik ed a day in you r l ife, we h ave a tr ip for you! At th e star t of ever y sem ester, we or gan ize an in tr o m eetin g wh er e we expl ain th e gen er al wor k in gs of th e cl u b, sh ow ph otos fr om ou r past tr ips, an d an swer qu estion s fr om an yon e in ter ested in join in g. Th is gu ide r epeats th e in for m ation given at ou r in tr o m eetin gs, an d is m ean t to h el p n ew m em ber s fin d ou t m or e abou t H ik in g Cl u b. If you 've got an y qu estion s l eft, pl ease feel fr ee to sh oot u s an em ail or pass by ou r office; you can fin d ou r con tact in for m ation on th e back page of th is gu ide. W e h ope to see you soon on a h ik in g tr ip! the CUH C officer s 3
WHAT WEDO There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness, that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy, and its charm. Theodore Roosevelt OURTRIPS Stayin g tr u e to ou r goal, th e cl u b?s m ain focu s is or gan izin g week l y h ik in g tr ips, r egar dl ess of th e season! At th e star t of each sem ester,ou r officer s m eet u p at a tr ip pl an n in g m eetin g an d fil l ou t th e sem ester?s cal en dar with a var iety of adven tu r es. In th e fal l an d l ate spr in g, we tr y to sen d ou t at l east two tr ips per week en d; in win ter th er e is typical l y on l y on e tr ip per week en d. Al l of th e tr ips ar e an n ou n ced via ou r em ail l ist; m or e in for m ation on th is l ater! DAYHIKES 4 So you ar e eager to get ou tside an d expl or e th e Col or ado wil der n ess, bu t sch ool wor k is con stan tl y l oom in g over you. W e get it. H ow abou t th is: we cr owd togeth er in a few car s, dr ive u p in to th e m ou n tain s, h ik e a few h ou r s, an d m ak e it back h om e by th e en d of th e day? You get you r n atu r e fix, bu t can stil l spen d th e r est of th e week en d on h om ewor k, l u ck y you! Th is is pr ecisel y wh at ou r days h ik es ar e al l abou t. Som e of ou r popu l ar day h ik es in cl u de: Ch au t au qu a Righ t in you r back yar d, Ch au tau qu a offer s a gr eat m ix of begin n er an d advan ced h ik es: fr om a qu ick h ik e u p on e of th e Fl atir on s, to th e 16-m il e sk yl in e tr aver se. Rock y M ou n t ai n N P A m er e h ou r away fr om Bou l der, RM NP con tain s en dl ess tr ail s th at can be en joyed by h ik in g in su m m er an d sn owsh oein g in win ter.
OVERNIGHT On over n igh t tr ips, we ven tu r e a l ittl e fu r th er away an d spen d on e or two n igh ts cam pin g. W h en h ik in g a fou r teen er, we typical l y cam p at th e tr ail h ead on Fr iday n igh t, an d day-h ik e th e m ou n tain. On back pack in g tr ips, we car r y ou r cam pin g gear al on g an d spen d th e n igh t in th e wil der n ess. Th is is a gr eat way of l eavin g th e cr owds beh in d an d su bm er gin g you r sel f in n atu r e. Th e added fl exibil ity of an over n igh t tr ip open s u p destin ation s al l acr oss Col or ado, wh ich in cl u de: Fou r Pass L oop Th is 26-m il e l oop cl im bs fou r 12,000-ft passes an d tr aver ses th e m ost am azin g scen er y in th e M ar oon Bel l s / Sn owm ass wil der n ess ar ea. Fou r t een er s Col or ado is h om e to m or e th an fifty m ou n tain s over 14,000 ft tal l. H ik in g th em is ch al l en gin g bu t fu n! Con u n d r u m H ot Sp r i n gs Th is h ot spr in g is l ocated at 12,000 ft an d abou t 9 m il es in to th e Aspen wil der n ess. Th e spr in g pr ovides a gor geou s view of th e val l ey bel ow! Gr eat San d Du n es N P Th is n ation al par k str addl es th e base of th e San Lu is Val l ey, pr ovides beau tifu l col or con tr asts with th e n eigh bor in g m ou n tain s, an d is per fect for a san d-fr ol ick in g week en d. 5
" WILDERNESS IS NOT A LUXURY BUT A NECESSITY OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT, AND AS VITAL TO OUR LIVES AS W ATERANDGOODBREAD. - EDW ARDABBEY " EXTENDED Fal l an d spr in g br eak ar e th e cl u b's favor ite h ol idays, an d we cel ebr ate th em by or gan izin g week -l on g back pack in g tr ips to Utah an d New M exico. On th ese tr ips, we car r y ou r food an d gear on ou r back s an d th r ou gh th e wil der n ess for u p to five days of h ik in g, cover in g dozen s of m il es of distan ce! Th ese exten ded tr ips ar e th e m ost im m er sive wil der n ess adven tu r es th at th e cl u b offer s, an d wil l h ave you for m a cl ose gr ou p of fr ien ds as you sh ar e th e exper ien ce of th r ou gh -h ik in g th e deser t or m ou n tain s togeth er. SOCIAL In addition to ou tdoor adven tu r es, H ik in g Cl u b al so or gan izes var iou s social even ts. Th e m ost r egu l ar of th ese is ou r week l y h appy h ou r, wh ich 6 h appen s W edn esdays at 9PM at th e Sou th er n Su n. Th is is a gr eat way of con n ectin g with you r fel l ow cl u b m em ber s an d discu ssin g pl an s for adven tu r e. M em ber s an d n on -m em ber s of al l ages ar e wel com e! W e al so ar r an ge a few m ovie n igh ts each sem ester, wh er e we get togeth er in sl eepin g bags an d watch a n atu r e m ovie or docu m en tar y. Ou r m ost popu l ar social even t is th e sem ester l y Ban jo Bil l y, in wh ich dr ess u p as ou r favor ite pr in cess, an im al, or Gam e of Th r on es ch ar acter an d tak e a gh ost tou r on a cou ch -fitted bu s. Al l of ou r social even ts ar e an n ou n ced th r ou gh ou r em ail l ist! GEAR On e of ou r m ost u sefu l m em ber sh ip per k s is fr ee gear r en tal! As a n ew m em ber, you m ay n ot own a ten t, sl eepin g bag, back pack, etc... bu t don 't wor r y! You can r en t ou t al m ost an y h ik in g/ back pack in g gear fr om ou r office for fr ee! Al l we ask is a sm al l deposit th at wil l be given back to you if you r etu r n you r gear in a good an d cl ean con dition. Th e on l y th in g you n eed to own you r sel f is a decen t pair of sh oes!
SPONSORS As a h ik in g cl u b m em ber, you m ay r eceive discou n ts of u p to 30% fr om som e of ou r spon sor s! Su bscr ibe to ou r em ail l ist to fin d ou t m or e abou t th ese discou n ts. 7
HEA HOD WTOGET LIN E IN V O LV ED byauthor It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves. Edmund Hillary EMAIL LIST H as al l th is tal k of expl or in g th e wil der n ess m ade you eager to join u s on on e of ou r tr ips? Gr eat! Th e fir st an d m ost im por tan t th in g for you to do is to su bscr ibe to ou r em ail l ist; al l of ou r tr ips an d even ts ar e an n ou n ced th r ou gh th is l ist. To su bscr ibe, visit ou r website (col or ado.edu / stu den tgr ou ps/ u ch c) an d fol l ow th e in str u ction s on th e?join?page. MEMBERSHIP In or der to go on you r fir st tr ip (an d h opefu l l y m an y m or e!), you m u st r egister as a fu l l h ik in g cl u b m em ber. You can do th is at th e in tr o m eetin g at th e begin n in g of each sem ester, or by passin g by ou r office. W e ask a sm al l m em ber sh ip fee fr om ou r m em ber s: $20 for a fu l l year an d $60 for five year s. In addition, al l m em ber s ar e r equ ir ed to sign a waiver th at 8 excl u des th e h ik in g cl u b an d its officer s fr om an y l iabil ity at cl u b even ts. You m ust sign th is waiver to be abl e to go on cl u b tr ips. GOINGONTRIPS If you r eceive an em ail an n ou n cin g a tr ip th at you ar e in ter ested in, you can appl y by sen din g an appl ication em ail to th e r espective tr ip l eader s. In str u ction s for th is wil l be in cl u ded in th e an n ou n cem en t em ail, an d wil l ask you for som e per son al detail s. Pl ease m ak e su r e to al ways in cl u de an y dietar y r estr iction s, al l er gies, or oth er m edical con dition s - th ese wil l n ot affect you r ch an ces of m ak in g it on tr ips, bu t ar e im por tan t to h el p tr ip l eader s en su r e a safe an d en joyabl e tr ip for ever yon e! W il der n ess r egu l ation s an d pr actical r eason s u su al l y l im it gr ou p sizes to ar ou n d 10 peopl e. Du e to th e popu l ar ity of ou r tr ips, we gen er al l y r eceive m or e appl ication s th an we h ave avail abl e spots, especial l y at th e star t of th e Fal l sem ester. Th er e ar e a few ways to in cr ease you r ch an ces of m ak in g it on to a tr ip: fir st an d for em ost, we su ggest wr itin g a cr eative appl ication em ail! Tel l u s a bit m or e abou t you r sel f, in cl u de a fu n n y stor y, ph otos of m ou n tain goats, poem s, or wh atever you th in k m igh t m otivate th e tr ip l eader s to tak e YOU al on g! Atten din g h appy h ou r an d oth er cl u b even ts h el ps u s get to k n ow you, an d th er efor e al so m ak es you m or e l ik el y to be sel ected for tr ips. Th e cost for a tr ip is u su al l y ar ou n d $10 to $15, wh ich is u sed to pay for gr ou p br eak fast an d din n er th at is br ou gh t by th e tr ip l eader s. You wil l al so be r espon sibl e for sh ar in g th e cost of gas with you r fel l ow tr ip m em ber s; we car pool to th e wil der n ess in or der to m in im ize th is cost. REJECTION Tr ip an n ou n cem en t em ail s ar e u su al l y sen t ou t on M on day of th e week of th e tr ip, with an appl ication deadl in e of W edn esday n igh t. W e th en tr y
to in for m ever yon e th at appl ied of wh eth er or n ot th ey m ade it on to th e tr ip, by Th u r sday m or n in g. If you get r ejected fr om tr ips, don?t give u p an d k eep appl yin g, especial l y at th e star t of th e Fal l! If you h ave been r ejected in th e past, m ak e su r e to m en tion th is in you r appl ication em ail s, as it wil l in cr ease you r ch an ces. M ay th e odds be ever in you r favor! THEOFFICE Ou r office is l ocated in th e Un iver sity M em or ial Cen ter (UM C), r oom 443. You can fin d a l ist of ou r office h ou r s on ou r website. Feel fr ee to pass by with an y qu estion s you m ay h ave, or to r en t ou t gear! If you can n ot fin d a tim e th at wor k s, sh oot u s an em ail an d we wil l tr y to wor k som eth in g ou t. As m en tion ed befor e, ou r m em ber s can r en t ou t gear for fr ee, th ou gh we do ask for a deposit of $15 to $50, depen din g on th e item s you ar e ch eck in g ou t. Al th ou gh you can r en t ou t gear for both cl u b an d per son al tr ips, we r eser ve th e r igh t to r efu se gear r en tal s for per son al tr ips if th e gear is in h igh dem an d for a cl u b tr ip. Du e to th e h igh dem an d for som e gear, you m ay on l y r en t on e of each item. Pl ease r etu r n th e gear in good con dition in or der to get back you r deposit - th is in cl u des wash in g sl eepin g bags an d dr yin g ou t ten ts. TRIPETIQUETTE As n atu r e l over s, ou r cl u b passion atel y su ppor ts th e l eave n o tr ace pr in cipl es, wh ich h el p u s en joy th e ou tdoor s wh il e m in im izin g th e im pact to th e wil der n ess. " Th is in vol ves, am on g oth er th in gs, pack in g ou t al l of ou r tr ash an d bein g r espectfu l of wil dl ife. By fol l owin g th ese pr in cipl es, bein g m in dfu l of you r fel l ow tr ip m em ber s, an d fol l owin g th e in str u ction s of th e tr ip l eader s, you ar e gu ar an teed to h ave a bl ast! OFFICERS Th e h ik in g cl u b is l ed by a gr ou p of en th u siastic officer s th at ar e r espon sibl e for or gan izin g al l tr ips an d cl u b even ts. Addition al l y, th er e ar e th r ee execu tive officer s th at tak e car e of or gan ization al task s an d m ak e su r e th e cl u b fu n ction s pr oper l y. Al l of ou r officer s ar e r equ ir ed to l ead on e day h ik e, on e over n igh t tr ip, an d h ol d on e week l y office h ou r per sem ester. Th e officer s ar e n ot paid an d r u n th e cl u b en tir el y on a vol u n teer in g basis. If you ar e in ter ested in l eadin g tr ips by becom in g an officer you r sel f, pl ease com e an d tal k to u s! " WELCOME! W el com e to th e H ik in g Cl u b! W e h ope th at th is gu ide h as an swer ed m ost of you r qu estion s, an d ar e h appy to an swer an y oth er s you m ay h ave! See you soon on on e of ou r adven tu r es! 9
THEHIKINGCLUBAT CU UM C 443 Bou l der,col or ado u ch c@ col or ado.edu col or ado.edu / stu den tgr ou ps/ u ch c All photos and text in this guidebook ar e the pr oper ty of the H iking Club at CU and/ or its m em ber s and m ay not be r epr oduced without wr itten consent.