Snowy vistas await: Outdoor Club invite students to camp at Yosemite
January 17, 2016
Instead of watching the big game, join De Anza Outdoor Club in a camping trip to Yosemite National Park during on Feb. 5-7.
During the trip, students can go for night or early morning hikes to viewpoints above the valley, snowshoe walks and photo walks with a professional photographer from the Ansel Adams gallery. Snowboarding, skiing, ice skating and snow sculpturing are some of the other activities students will have the opportunity to participate in.
“I am stoked about this year’s trip because I will reconnect with the amazing vistas and beautiful scenery that I am fond of and only Yosemite can offer,” said Christopher Throm, former De Anza alumnus and anthropology graduate.
Winter is a great time to visit Yosemite and avoid overcrowding and automobile traffic, and this year, the weather phenomenon El Nino is expected to dump four feet of snow.
Throm said in previous trips he has seen wildlife some people only see on nature channels and that he is especially excited about this year trip because it coincides with the full moon that will aglow in the evening sky.
Camaraderie between strangers, which sometimes times leads to friendships, is another great thing about camping, Throm said.
He described the sense of community that pulls people when they gather around the evening campfire and swap stories of the day. At other times, campers spend evenings playing marathon “Risk” matches or listening to someone strumming an acoustic guitar.
One of the prime aims of the Yosemite Snow Camp trips is to offer an opportunity for to those who have never camped in the snow – or never camped at all. Regardless of levels of experience, by the end of the trip students will learn how to pitch a tent in snow and to start a fire.
The Outdoor Club faculty advisor, Mary Donahue, has organized these trips for the past 27 years, and Trevor Cronen, music major, said that she has done it with an overall attention to safety as well as comfort for every camper.
Students can enjoy the outdoors by paying $15 dollars for a year membership in the club and another $15 if they need to rent camping gear.
The last day to register is Jan. 29.
For further information go the event website