Get Out There!

cross-country skiing

Emily Preston '19 employs an unusual technique to ward off tumbling classmates. Photo by Carl Socolow '77.

New Outdoor Recreation and Education Room up and running

by Tony Moore 

If you look out your window at the snow and feel like setting out on cross-country skis, but you know with 100 percent certainty that you did not in fact bring skis back to campus after winter break, fear not. Dickinson’s new Outdoor Recreation and Education Room is up and running, and it’s got skis and a ton of other gear to keep you busy outside.

For a sample of early signs of enthusiasm, look no further than Anna McGinn ’14, the Office of Student Life’s coordinator for campus recreational programs.

“Just hearing people come in and say, ‘This is so cool!’ and ‘I'm gonna come in here all the time and go hiking and skiing’—that just makes me so excited," says McGinn. Available for free checkout to the entire Dickinson community, the gear is housed in the lower level of Allison Hall, and it’s a cornucopia of skiing, camping, boating and climbing paraphernalia. The latest addition is a large collection of cross-country skis, courtesy of a ski shop in New Hampshire. McGinn grew up nearby and knew that the shop sold off its like-new rental gear at the end of each season, so she swooped in.

"President Roseman is a big supporter of outdoor education, so when we approached her about purchasing this fleet of cross-country skis, she was all in, making it all possible," McGinn says. The rest was funded by the Outing Club and Office of Student Life, and more than 80 people checked it out in the week following the snowstorm. The Outing Club, with more than 150 members officially on the books, gets a lot of use out of the equipment, and McGinn notes that members of that club worked diligently to secure both the stockpile of gear and the new space.

The new space is just one of the many ways Dickinson takes advantage of its location amidst a host of outdoor recreational opportunities. The surrounding Cumberland Valley region is home to world-class trout streams, spectacular mountain views, state parks and abundant walking and hiking venues. This includes a 13-mile stretch of the Appalachian Trail, a famed hiking path that extends from Georgia to Maine and attracts approximately 2 million visitors each year.

The Appalachian Trail's halfway point is located in Boiling Springs, Pa., a short drive from campus. (Fittingly, the only hiking museum in the nation is located in the nearby Pine Grove Furnace State Park.) Waggoner’s Gap, a must-see for wildlife enthusiasts, is also just minutes away. 

anna mcginn

When the recent snowstorm hit, Anna McGinn '14, coordinator for campus recreational programs, moved a portion of the Emerging Leaders Retreat outdoors, utilizing the gear she keeps in her "part-time office." Photo by Carl Socolow '77.

The new outdoor equipment also is used for large-scale college-sponsored events, such as the Emerging Leaders Retreat and WILD (Wilderness Introduction to Life at Dickinson), one of the college's Pre-Orientation Adventures.

So if the weather looks cooperative, and you’ve got a yen to spend some quality time skiing, rock climbing, camping, caving, canoeing, kayaking or hiking, head down to Allison 5 during the following times:

  • Monday, 2-5 p.m.
  • Tuesday, 1-3 p.m.
  • Wednesday, 2:30-4 p.m.
  • Thursday, 3-5 p.m.
  • Friday, 2-5 p.m.

Learn more

Published February 4, 2016