By Kyle Kuhn
If you decided to stay in Ellensburg over the summer whether you’re enrolled in summer quarter or you didn’t want to remember what it was like living with your parents again, OPR (Outdoor Pursuits and Rentals) has your entertainment covered. OPR has weekly sunset hikes, planned events, kayaking classes and more to keep you busy.
Tailor made outdoor pursuits
If spending time in the wilderness with strangers isn’t your thing you and your friends can always head into OPR and design your own “custom trip.” They require two weeks notice for a custom trip but their experienced staff members will make the planning easy.
Hiking
You can also go enjoy the many hikes around Ellensburg by yourselves. Inside the OPR office is the “Outdoor Adventures and Camping guide.” This guide shows all of the local hikes, goes over their difficulty level, and even has directions to the trailheads. Better yet, it’s free to use.
Pursuits at a price
Many of the planned OPR events will cost you a little bit of cash, but once again if you’re looking to spice up your summer a little it’s completely worth it. The “Snow Lake: Hike and Paddle trip” will run you around $35 and you will need to bring your own food, water, sunscreen, etc.
The “Weekly sunset hikes” are $10 for non-recreation center member and $5 for CWUmstudents and recreation center members. OPR provides the equipment as well as the guides for the hikes. But as the late Desmond Llewelyn would say: “do try to bring it back in once piece, 007,” because some of the equipment could cost you a pretty penny if you break it.
Just remember, as you’re out having fun pretending to be Meriwether Lewis please respect the wildlife. As the people at OPR like to say “only bring out what you brought in.” Don’t litter, don’t feed the wildlife, and for god’s sake don’t pet the mountain lions.
The objective is to have fun and be safe. If you do go out on your own be sure to let someone know where you are and be properly prepared.
The people at OPR would be more than happy to help you prepare for a solo hike. If you did go home to the Westside for the summer I would advise taking a little weekend trip back to the Burg because we wouldn’t want you missing out on the adventures.
