Students at UNA have a plethora of options when it comes to outdoor activities.  Those options are provided for free by the Outdoor Adventure Club (OAC) and their treasure trove of gear.

Located on the edge of campus, just below the Wesley Foundation, the OAC houses a large variety of outdoor gear, from kayaks to tents to disc golf discs to backpacks and plenty of other gear that students can check out before heading off to enjoy the outdoors.

McKenzie Martin heads the OAC and has started a push to bring students in to the activities and trips organized by the club.

“We’re just trying to get people involved in activities on campus and in the area,” Martin said.  “A lot of groups like us at other universities take trips out of town but we are able to introduce students to activities they can do on campus or around town.”

Martin said that this area offers so many options for outdoor activities with Cypress Creek, the Tennessee River and various walking and hiking trails nearby.

“There are so many things in this area that students can do to stay active,” Martin said. “So, if you introduce them to local things that are cheap or free, then they are more likely to go on trips with us but also do things on their own time.”

The OAC also offers weekly clinics to teach students skill sessions such as tips for cooking in the outdoors to pottery and soap making.

“Most of our clinics last semester were on Tuesday nights at 7 p.m., and they were originally focused on outdoor stuff like how to pack a backpack, how to cook in the outdoors,” Martin said. “But now we’ve gravitated to more fun activities.  Now we’re doing things like a pottery clinic and soap making and more things along those lines.”

UNA student Nathan Puckett said that he has always been interested in outdoor activities but had no idea what was available.

“I think the kicker that really drew me in to getting involved with the OAC were the free trips,” Puckett said.  “There are so many cool trips that they line up.  It’s awesome.”

Puckett said that he really did not know about the OAC and everything that was offered to students until recently.

“I think that I always saw things about it, and heard about the OAC, but I didn’t really see it until McKenzie got there,” Puckett said. “It seems more welcoming now, especially with the Tuesday night club activities.”

Puckett said that it really helps him out, and probably other students too, since club is more organized and plans out the trips and activities ahead of time.

“I can ask off work ahead of time now,” Puckett said. “If I see that they have a trip scheduled a month from now to go bouldering or hiking or something then I can circle that on my calendar and plan for it.”

The OAC has a list of equipment and gear that is available for rent to students on their website as well as at their campus location. A calendar of upcoming events, including backpacking and skiing trips, is also available.