Adventure Trips

By participating in Adventure Trips, first year students will have the opportunity to:

• Meet classmates and form friendships before classes begin
• Explore California and local states to learn about their natural history
• Learn about sustainability, leadership, nature, and discernment
• Have a facilitated transition into college from Orientation to Welcome Weekend to the start of fall classes
• Learn about the college experience from current students
• Gain backpacking, hiking, camping, and/or other skills

Hi all of you wildings!!! Looking to start your first week of college off right?? Come join Daring Delaney and Hilarious Hallie on the trip of a lifetime through the most beautiful part of California, BIG SUR!!!! On our magnificent 3 day and 2 night adventure, we will begin by leaving campus on Tuesday, September 17th at 9:00 am. From there we will begin driving south with a stop for lunch and a hike in Carmel. Once we reach our campsite,  we will enjoy the rest of the day enjoying time on the beach together and exploring the glorious area. After we wake up and make breakfast, we will embark on a hike and then finish off the rest of the day at the beach spending time together. For our last day, we will have a leisure morning and depending on the group vibe stop for a hike on the way back to campus on Thursday, September 19th. This trip is a beginner car camping trip so there is no prior experience necessary!! Your leaders will take care of the logistics––food, tents, supplies, transportation––all you need to bring is your personal gear (we can provide sleeping bags, sleeping pads, headlamps, backpacks) and a whole lot of fun! We cannot wait to meet you all and hope that you are as excited as we are!!!! Until then, please reach out if you any questions at all. 

Your fearless leaders, 

Delaney and Hallie
dmcmillan2@scu.edu 
hkomessar@scu.edu

Welcome to Santa Clara!! We’re so excited to meet YOU!! Come join Emil, Cam, and Kenzie on an epic, wavy backpacking trip to kick off the year with other adventurous first years! We will spend 3 glorious days and 2 nights camping in Point Reyes National Seashore. This trip is beginner level, so no prior backpacking experience is necessary, but hiking experience is preferred. We will leave campus on Tuesday, September 17th, at 8:30 am and return on Thursday, the 19th, by 2 pm. On the first day, we will arrive at the parking lot around 11 am and hike 5.5 miles with an 1165 ft elevation gain to our campsite. On the second day, we will make breakfast and hike 8.1 miles with a 1220 ft elevation gain to our second campsite. On the last day, we will pack up camp and return to the car with a 6.3-mile hike with 1000 ft elevation gain. Full of beautiful coastal views, we will hike, chill, and stargaze, all while making unforgettable memories with future classmates! We cannot wait to show you around the beautiful place you’ll be calling home for the next 4 years!

Feel free to reach out with any questions.

Your fearless leaders,

Emil, Cam & Kenzie 
echaia@scu.edu
crast@scu.edu
kshill@scu.edu

Hoyaaaa!! We’re going to Sequoia! Are you a first-year adventure-seeker looking to start college off with beautiful trails, good views, and new friends? Come join Jovial Jackson, Ecstatic Erin, and Legendary Leanna, three fearless Into the Wild leaders, on this three-day, two-night intermediate backpacking expedition to Alta Peak in Sequoia National Park. We will be departing on Tuesday, September 17th, and returning on Thursday, September 19th. On this thrilling adventure among the redwoods, we will be hiking a total of 14 miles with 4000 feet in elevation gain. On the second day, we will embark on an intrepid, glorious journey to the summit of Alta Peak which stands at a towering and majestic 11,200 feet. This trip is an INTERMEDIATE backpacking trip and you should be prepared to carry all of your own gear and some group gear, so please only sign up if you have some backpacking experience. While we will be doing some strenuous hiking, there will also be plenty of time for relaxing at camp and getting to know all of our new friends! Your leaders will take care of the logistics––food, tents, supplies, and transportation––all you need to bring is your personal gear (we can provide sleeping bags, sleeping pads, headlamps, backpacks) and a whole lot of enthusiasm! We hope you all can join us, and we can’t wait to meet all of you first-year wildlings!

If you have any questions email any of us at: jldwelle@scu.edu, ecarney@scu.edu, ljcameron@scu.edu  

• Jackson, Erin, and Leanna

Heyyyyyy funky freshers!!! Have you been dreaming of gazing upon beautiful alpine lakes and massive mountains? If so, then you need to join the trip of your life in Tahoe with suave Sander, luxury Liv and QUINtessential Quin! This trip is intermediate 😏,  so we advise some past backpacking and hiking experience. We will be backpacking a total of 20.7 miles with 3,166 ft of elevation gain. On the first day, we will backpack 8 miles to beautiful Gem Lake where we can enjoy a swim 🏊! The next day we will get an early start and backpack 8 miles to Bear Lake where we will spend the night and enjoy all it has to offer ⛰️🏕️. On the last day, we will hike 4 miles back to the trailhead and head back to campus. 🌲

If you have any questions feel free to reach out to:

Liv Andreasen, landreasen@scu.edu 
Sander Moog, smoog@scu.edu 
Quin Doughty, qdoughty@scu.edu 

YOOOOOO!!!! Ready to start college off right? Excited to explore this new state of California? Come join Chuckling Charlie, Silly Shannon, and Ominous Orion and explore the crown jewel of the California national parks, the one and only YOSEMITE!!! If you get a spot on this trip, you’ll be able to move in early. on September 16th, we’ll have a pre-trip meeting with all the trips at 5:30 pm. The next morning, we’ll load up and leave bright and early at 7 am to get to our campsites by 11 am. We’ll then cook lunch and start on our first hike of the trip on Sentinel Dome, hiking 5.1 miles with 1000 feet of elevation change while enjoying a 360-degree view of the park and El Capitan. Once we’ve finished soaking in the views, we’ll head back to camp and cook up some dinner before chilling around a campfire and getting some well-needed rest. The next morning, we’ll head deeper into the park and lead a 9.1-mile hike with 2000 feet of elevation gain on the Panorama trail. It’ll be hard, but the views of the park and Half Dome will be well worth it. Once we return to our campsite and cook dinner, we’ll drive up to Glacier Point to catch the sunset one last time over the park. The next morning, we’ll cook up breakfast and say our goodbyes to Yosemite before heading back to campus and arriving around 3 pm. While camping experience is not required for this trip, this will still be rated as an INTERMEDIATE trip due to the strenuous elevation changes and hikes we’ll be doing, so hiking experience and physical fitness is required for this trip. We will also have gear rentals available for things like sleeping bags and pads, but good and broken-in hiking shoes are necessary. Hope we can welcome you to college in the best way possible! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to any of us at:

Orion: ocook@scu.edu
Charlie: csilver@scu.edu
Shannon: smacdonell@scu.edu

Yo yo YOOOOO incoming Broncos!!! 

Do you want to start your first year meeting some of the coolest and sendy people that could be your new best friends!? Well we have some great news for you! Come join leaders Rowdy River, Alpinist Andre, and Laughable Liana on a super awesome 3 day, 2 night backpacking trip through the stunning Trinity Alps in Northern California. We will leave SCU early on Tuesday, September 17th, to drive up to the trailhead to begin the Four Lakes Loop Trail. The same day we will backpack around 7 miles and ~4,000 ft of elevation to our lakeside campsite. The next day we will hike 6 miles around the loop with spectacular views of the surrounding wilderness. We will also get the opportunity to swim in the chilly but refreshing lakes. On Thursday we will pack up camp and backpack down to the trailhead and head back to campus. If you love frolicking in alpine meadows, cold plunging in crystal clear water, eating more trailmix than you can imagine, and having a blast in the wilderness surrounded by multi-colored granite peaks, this trip is perfect for you! This tour of four stunning alpine lakes would total at around 6,300ft of elevation gain and 22 miles making it an ADVANCED trip. This is not for the faint of heart and it requires previous backpacking experience and high levels of physical fitness. 

Get ready for the trip of a lifetime! We’re so stoked to welcome you and get WILD with you :)

If you have any questions, concerns, or jokes, please don’t hesitate to reach out to ltsou@scu.edu, rkisler@scu.edu, or abrisk@scu.edu.

All trips generally depart from campus on the morning of Tuesday, September 17 and return to campus on either the evening of Thursday, September 19. Early move-in into the residence halls is Monday, September 16.

IMPORTANT:

• Exact times and other trip details will be emailed to confirmed trip participants in late July and August.
• Confirmed trip participants will be eligible to move in early into the residence halls on Monday, September 16 while all other new students (not participating in trips) will move in during the morning of Friday, September 20.
• All new students are encouraged to engage in the many events and activities scheduled in the afternoon and evening of September 20 and during Welcome Weekend (September 21-22).

It is highly recommended that you do not arrange for travel to campus in September until you know for certain that you have a confirmed spot on one of our trips.

IMPORTANT: If you arrange travel to participate in these trips prior to finding out whether or not you got a confirmed spot, then you are responsible for paying any and all expenses you incur such as changes in airfare, lodging, etc. SCU will not reimburse you for any incurred costs.

Students who participate in Adventure Trips will be able to move in early into the residence halls on Monday, September 16. More information about early move-in will be shared with those students who sign up and are confirmed for the trips.

Students who cancel their participation in these programs will get their early move-in privileges revoked and will move into the residence halls on Friday, September 20 instead.

Student trip leaders from Into the Wild will provide a pre-trip meeting at 5:30pm PDT on Monday, September 16. The pre-trip meeting will be a chance for all participants and trip leaders to meet each other. Trip leaders will also review trip basics, answer questions, and help participants pack for the trips.

Into the Wild will provide all of the group gear needed for the trip. Backpacks, headlamps, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads are available to rent through Into the Wild's gear rental system. If you have your own gear, you are encouraged to bring it! Student trip leaders will contact all confirmed trip participants later in August and/or September with details about required equipment for each trip.