An annual tradition, the Outdoor Recreation (OREC) spring break trip is a five-day excursion on the Rio Grande and through Big Bend National Park. With space for 12 people, getting a spot on the trip is competitive, so when I learned I would be going, I knew I had to write about it.
The journey began with an 8-hour drive through West Texas to Big Bend, right on the United States-Mexico border, followed by a night of camping and stargazing. On day two, the group rose early to prepare for a long hike to the top of Emory Peak. As Liz Surbrook, senior Spanish major, explained, the hike was tough but rewarding.
“I really enjoyed the Emory Peak hike. It was a 10-mile round trip, and I enjoyed the difficulty of it,” Surbrook said. “There was at the end a bit of a scramble where we were almost rock climbing, and that was definitely a bit terrifying but also super rewarding once you got to the peak.”
The next three days of the trip consisted of canoeing 33 miles down the Rio Grande river. The group loaded all belongings, including tents, food and a portable toilet (luggable loo) onto six canoes and began to paddle down the river. Surbrook said the canoeing was full of natural beauty and the exhausted students devoured a mediocre meal of pasta with vigor.
“The rest of the trip has been a canoeing trip, and I’ve enjoyed that because we get to see a lot of the canyon in Big Bend, which has been amazing and extremely beautiful,” Surbrook said. “Since we were so tired from canoeing, I think it was 12 miles that day, I think that was my favorite meal of the trip.”
The OREC trip offered students with all levels of outdoor experience the chance to get out into nature. Sierra Goode, junior physics major, said she had always wanted to go on the OREC trip but had never had a chance until this spring break.
“I’ve been getting OREC emails since freshman year and wanting to go on Thanksgiving and spring break trips, but I always wanted to go home instead,” Goode said. “But I feel like now that I’m a little older, I decided to just go on the trip and sign up for it. And I’m glad I’m here.”
The trip was an affordable and easy opportunity ($80) for students to get into nature. Kaia Karimi, junior biology major and OREC trip leader, explained the importance of having accessible ways to get into nature. Karimi expressed that going to Big Bend with zero cell service or connection to the outside world puts everyday stressors into perspective.
“If I’m super stressed about an exam or a specific homework assignment because I’m at school, it feels like that’s everything,” Karimi said. “When you’re hiking up like a cliff, you’re like, if I make a mistake, it actually has consequences and it makes homework seem not as not as big.”
