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From the Archives...
select items from our past
Well... It's Happened Again A year ago we reported that 2013-2014 had been the busiest year in Outing Club history, but now we're happy to announce that 2014-2015 has officially claimed that distinction!
Recapping our busiest year ever! What's next?? We're proud to announce that 2013-2014 was the busiest year in Outing Club history! All said and done, we embarked on 46 trips, breaking our old record of 45 in 2011-2012 and easily surprassing last year's total of 35. With 202 unique participants and a combined total attendance of 467 (also new records), a whole bunch of Clarkies had fun getting to know each other on these 46 outings. If that's not enough, a slew of new fall semester records were set this past year as well, including these:
Worcester #2 in Golden Snow Globe rankings We've certainly had excellent snow conditions for our winter trips this year, and with good reason. Worcester finished the season as the #2 city in the country for total snowfall this season. This comes after having held the #1 spot for several weeks. Check it out at the Golden Snow Globe website. More snow? You never know. But we'll settle for springtime and sunshine! (4/5/13)
A new trail is born! After more than 14 years of work, Worcester's East Side Trail is finally whole! You can now hike through the woods 3 1/2 miles from the Shores of Lake Quinsigamond on Worcester's eastern border right into the heart of the city on Shrewsbury Street at East Park. Read more on our special East Side Trail page. (9/27/11)
Exciting news for skiers With support from members of Clark's former Ski and Snowboard Club, the Outing Club has officially expanded its repertoire to include downhill ski and snowboard trips in addition to our current cross country ski trips. Our budget has been increased to accommodate these activities, but we'll be looking for more skiers and snowboarders to help plan them. Watch for further announcements next fall. (5/15/11)
First hikes shatter all records! Response to our announcement for our first hike of the season at Peaked Mountain was phenomenal, shattering all prior records and generating an endless wait list! Our 13 hearty hikers who embarked on the trip were greeted by a sunny and hot summer day as they looped their way up and down the mountain, around ponds and along streams, through dark and spooky pine forests, and across bright meadows on their 5-mile hiking adventure. And our longstanding, 8-year record for largest Outing Club trips was broken the following Sunday at Worcester's Boynton/Cascades Park as we pulled out all the stops and organized our 36 eager participants into 3 separate hikes. If you didn't get to join us, don't despair. There are a whole bunch more crowd-pleasing trips in the works this fall! Watch our upcoming events page for complete listings. (9/10/10)
Ending our year in style As ominous dark clouds and fierce winds gave way to clear skies and shining stars, scores of Outing Clubbers gathered between Goddard Library and and Bullock Hall for our annual end-of-year marshmallow roast, and oh was it celebration to remember! S'mores and marshmallows roased over the fire were enjoyed by all as we rocked to the beat of talented musicians from Great Whiskey Rebellion and other guests! With embers glowing in the night air and music filling the space right up 'til the midnight hour, we cherished the smiling faces of good friends and all the good company as we wrapped up another beautiful year at Clark. (5/15/10)
Wrapping up an epoch fall semester! We pulled out all the stops this semester and it shows! Our 23 club-sponsored fall trips were 50% more than each of the last 3 years, and our total trip attendance of 214 was also a huge gain. Add to that our marshmallow roast, climbing wall on the green, and other on-campus events, and it's no wonder that we're ready for a break. But don't wander off too far; spring semester is right around the corner and we'll be back in full swing soon! (12/20/09) Outing Club chosen Student Organization of the Month! Break out the (non-alcoholic) champagne, because we've been selected as October's Student Organization of the Month by the Student Council Organizational Committee! Thanks to everyone who joined us on our trips and helped make our award possible. It brings us one step closer to our ultimate goal of someday winning the coveted Nobel Outing Prize. (11/17/09)
The Maine attraction We headed north for moose country adventures twice this semester. Our first excursion on Sept. 27th was for our overnight Kennebec River camping and whitewater rafting trip in The Forks, Maine on a rainy, wet and wild weekend. On the river the rain didn't dampen anyone's spirits as we careened over the rapids making our way down the river. Two weeks later we found ourselves back in Maine at Acadia National Park for a 3-day weekend of camping and hiking under warm, sunny skies! It was a truly magnificent experience which none of us wanted to leave, but we somehow managed to pry ourselves away and return to Clark in time to crack open the books again. (10/20/08) We're off to a busy start! 
With our traditional fireside welcome back marshmallow roast displaced this fall by the Goddard Library construction, we
instead chose to kick off the year by hosting a rock climbing wall on the green for last Friday's Student Activities Fair. The wall
was a huge hit! It drew a steady flow of eager participants throughout the afternoon and helped us add an unprecedented 158 new names to our
mailing list so far this fall. Two days later, 17 of us hit the trails of Bigelow Hollow State Park in Connecticut in the wake of tropical
storm Hanna for our first outing of the year. Under bright sunny skies, we had fun crossing overflowing streams and wading through
flooded trails, and even managed to indulge ourselves on a rope swing over Breakneck Pond. It was a little more adventure than we'd planned,
but everyone had a great time.
(9/9/08)
Outing Club makes the headlines In case you missed it, it's not too late to read all about us in the November 21st 2006 Worcester Telegram and Gazette. Woo Hoo!! We're thrilled to tell you that the Outing Club won an award for "best website" at the annual Student Council awards banquet Monday night in Tilton Hall. So if you like our site, you'll be happy to know that you're in good company! (4/30/08)
Pink Moooooooooon It was a night to remember, as dozens of us braved the icy trails and toe-numbing temperatures of Moore State Park in Paxton to watch last night's total lunar eclipse. In the wide open field atop Davis Hill, the stars grew brighter and brighter as the moon grew dimmer and dimmer until it was nothing more than a pink glow. Others huddled on campus lawns to watch the spectacle, or viewed it from Clark's rooftop observatory. We hope you were able to enjoy it too, or you'll have to wait another 3 years for your next chance! (2/21/08) 
Climatastic!Thursday evening's ClimatasticFOCUS festival was a huge success, and we were among the many student groups right there in the thick of it! The event, organized by Clark Sustainability Initiative (CSI) to energize students on the issue of climate change, capped off the national Focus the Nation climate change teach-in day at Clark and over 1750 other institutions across the country. Our love of the outdoors and concern for the impact of climate change on our natural environment brought us to ClimatasticFOCUS; all the great entertainment and good company kept us there 'til the very end. (2/3/08) 
We had a great time hanging out with everyone at Thursday's general interest meeting & social in Dana
Commons. Between the familiar faces and the new, we were two dozen strong and managed to talk up quite a storm as we sat there sipping our tea and
enjoying the warmth of the cozy fire! If you missed it, you can still catch a piece of the action by checking out our
fireplace-lighting video. It's highly recommended for anyone who happens to be bored silly or
procrastinating at all costs!
(1/26/08)
Pasta-rrific! Over 60 Outing Clubbers gathered in Dana Commons for an evening of tasty food, live entertainment, good fun, and of course, great company at Thursday's end-of-the-semester Outing Club Pasta Party Palooza. Needless to say, our little party was a huge success! The music of DHP Collective and other talented friends kept the whole place hopping, and our nice toasty fire in the fireplace provided just the right ambiance. We'd like to thank everyone who joined us for our happy event and all who sent their regrets due to labs, exams, and other various obligations. (We'll catch you next time!) (12/2/07) President Bassett signs Climate Commitment On June 14th, Clark joined more than 250 higher education institutions across the country in a pledge to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions on campus and to promote climate neutrality in scholarship and research. The Outing Club was one of several organizations which co-sponsored a resolution calling upon President Bassett to take this step (see news item below). Further details can be found in Clark's press release. (6/25/07)
Outing Club sponsors resolution on a Climate Neutral Clark At our March 26th meeting, we voted to become a co-sponsor of a resolution introduced by the Clark Sustainability Initiative calling upon Clark to become a Charter Signatory and a member of the Leadership Circle of the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). In accordance with the commitment, the resolution outlines a number of steps for Clark to take toward becoming climate neutral. The resolution received 93% approval in a student referendum on April 3rd and was subsequently endorsed by Clark's Undergraduate Student Council. (4/6/07)
"Yep, it was fun." So says Amanda, when asked about last Saturday's whitewater kayaking adventure on the Deerfield River in northern, MA. Dig a little deeper and you'll find that our trio of whitewater paddlers had a lot more than just a little fun on our club's first ever whitewater kayaking trip. Rest assured it won't be our last! (5/11/07) A whopping amount of snow greeted our unsuspecting quartet who tried to go cross country skiing last weekend in New Hampshire's Franconia Notch, only to find themselves mired waist deep in the white stuff! They had an awesome adventure alright, but next time, dear friends, they'll be packing the snowshoes. (2/22/07) We had lots of fun cooking it . . . and plenty of help eating it!
Thanks to volunteers from the Outing Club, WaterWatch, the Columbus Park Neighborhood Association, and Tatnuck Brook Watershed Association, Coes Reservoir was "relieved" of tons of debris on Saturday. Among the items we hauled out were a plastic wading pool, the tub of a washing machine, many dozens of tires, and countless bottles and cans. If you missed this clean-up, watch for more volunteer opportunities on Just Do It Day (Sat. April 1st) and during the citywide Earth Day cleanup on Sat. April 29th. (3/20/06)
Next stop: Olympic Gold
Geared up!
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Got an idea for an upcoming trip? A proposal to include in next year's budget request? A new nomination for our executive board?
Share your wisdom and enthusiasm at our weekly planning meetings, or our relaxed Academic Commons gatherings. New ideas and renewed
leadership are the heartbeat that keeps the Outing Club active and vibrant! So let's hear from you.
We were overwhelmed by the more than 100 happy faces who huddled around the fire with us Sunday night for our annual fall marshmallow roast.
It was one of our strongest turnouts ever! Combined that with 100 more on Wednesday who ascended our climbing wall on the green and 50 who
turned out for our general interest meeting, and it's been a mega-exciting week for us! Thanks to all who stopped by and made it happen.
Team Outing Club was out in force on the morning of April 25th for final laps of Clark's first ever
He's helping the 
We always like to end our year on a high note, and this time we uppped the ante with our first ever slumber sleepover-themed movie night party in
Tilton Hall, co-sponored by the Clark University Film Society. More than 50 friends joined us to watch Into the Wild and enjoy free pizza, popcorn
and good company. Not to be outdone, an even greater number were on hand a few nights later for our traditional end-of-the-year marshmallow roast. We'd like to
thank everyone who took part in all of our events this year, and we'll be looking forward to meeting even more new faces next fall!
What do you get when you take one river, insert a fleet of canoes, and add a bunch of Outing Clubbers? Well, as we discovered last Sunday on the
Blackstone, you get an amazingly successful and fun outing! Be sure to check out all the details on our 
Participants in our kayaking clinics not only learned a lot of valuable kayaking skills, but also had fun paddling around the "tropical"
waters of the Kneller pool. The clinic was taught by instructors from 
Even as upwards of 150 people stopped by to enjoy our annual end of the year marshmallow roast on the final day of the spring semester, plans were
already well underway for a plethora of new and exciting events coming this fall. You can get a sneak peek of them on our
If you haven't been reading STIR Magazine then you've been missing great features such as our own Amanda
Lee relating her month-long Alaska wilderness adventure last summer. You're in luck though, because STIR has allowed us to repost
Amanda's tale right 
