Breathing fresh air; Club hosts fun outdoor trips

Lizzie Catrambone, IDR Editor

The Outdoors Club has been a great way for students go get outside and explore nature for many years now.  The club, run by Deputy Blottenberger uses Sheriff’s department transportation and normally two officers (including Blottenberger) and eight students can fit on one trip; no school faculty is involved.

The deputy introduced this club to get students outdoors and reduce their stress, “I started the Outdoors Club because the outdoors can provide a great avenue for stress reduction and appeals to many different people.”

Blottenberger also says that the outdoors are great because some people like to challenge themselves when stressed and others like to just sit and nature watch.  Either way, nature is helping to reduce stress.  Blottenberger also says nature can be used to “relax and unplug” from our increasingly technology run society.

At various times during the year, the deputy and several students will take trips to new places and explore.  In order to appeal to different people, Blottenberger tries to both water related trips and hiking trips, so that everyone can get to do what they enjoy.

The club just went kayaking, and this winter, they are planning on hiking the Appalachian trail.  This spring, the deputy is interested in going white-water rafting again, but has not officially set a trip yet, because he “ like(s) to take input from what a lot of people want to do.”  Many students have put in requests for their own interests, such as sailing or horseback riding.  students have expressed the desire to learn how to do either of these activities, and the deputy is looking into both of them, determining the cost the outfitters will require.

The deputy, knowing the importance of school and sports, makes the trips as available as possible to a majority of students.  The trips are on Saturdays, and last all day.  On their last trip, the club left at six in the morning, and did not return until seven at night.  The deputy also says that students who go on the trips have either never been to the location before, and some end up going back with their families after the trip, wanting to explore more.

In order to advertise the club, Blottenberger will go into classrooms and speak about the club to the students.  He will also be on the morning announcements, sometimes,  and will do advertisements for upcoming trips.