By SAMUEL CATHCART, staff reporter
Central Washington University’s Outdoor Pursuits and Rentals has started to gear up for weekly spring adventures, now that the seasons have changed. OPR offers many outdoor activities to students looking to get active and enjoy the sunshine.
“We offer reasonably priced activities to students and take them to places in the area they usually wouldn’t go,” Tom Potter, outdoors trip coordinator said.
Students looking to participate in outdoor activities can find everything they need at OPR, including outdoor pursuits and equipment rentals, along with several other outdoor activities that don’t require equipment, just walking power.
Students can rent everything from inner tubes and kayaks to camping equipment.
With the snow melting on the mountains, kayaking season has begun. OPR offers kayak rentals, lessons and trips to students looking to get out on the river.
OPR kayak sessions will teach new kayakers everything they need to know. The pool sessions run most Sundays between April 5 to May 7, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Aquatic Center. Sessions are open to all skill levels, and no experience is necessary to participate.
“We teach students all the safety measures they should take and we start them out very slowly,” Potter said.
Another opportunity availble to students through OPR is the weekly sunset hike, designed to give students a chance to see the natural beauty surrounding Ellensburg.
Hikes run every Tuesday through May 28. Hikers depart from OPR at 4 p.m. and return at 7 p.m.
“Hiking gives me the chance to get away from my school work and clear my head,” senior finance major Jordan Green said.
OPR also shuttles students and recreation members to Vantage, where climbers get a chance to climb rock surfaces. OPR provides all the equipment and guidance climbers need to scale the rock walls.
The shuttle runs every Thursday from April 11 to May 30. The shuttle costs $8 per trip or $45 for a quarter pass. No experience is necessary.
“Before the climbing trip I have never climbed a really rock wall before, but they made it easy for me to learn,” junior sociology major Kurtis Pitcher said.
Students and Recreation Center members can try their luck on the challenge course this spring. The challenge course will be open on Wednesdays from noon to 5 p.m. starting April 12.
OPR will hold its annual celebration of outdoor activities on April 18 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the SURC East Patio.
This free event will host live music by Red Means Go, mini clinics, vendor booths and barbecue.
To learn more about all the outdoor opportunities OPR has to offer, visit the OPR office outside the SURC or check out their website at www.cwu.edu.rec.
