“Have you ever stood outside Alumni Hall and looked at how high it is?” asked Rosemary DeGrand, assistant athletic director. “Members of Adventures Unlimited climbed rocks that high.”
At an all day event at St. John’s Ledges in Kent, Conn. on April 6, members of Adventures Unlimited scaled rocks that were 80 feet high.
“It was a really cold day; it actually snowed the morning of our trip,” said DeGrand. “But, no one wanted to quit.”
At the rock-climbing site, there are three different degrees of difficulty. Everyone tried all three, although everyone there was a beginner.
“Last week’s rock-climbing trip could be described as nothing else but a success,” said Tom Stehn, Adventures Unlimited president and treasurer. “Learning the knots and technique was not nearly as important as learning to trust your friends. Adventures Unlimited brought strangers to the cliff and brought friends home to QU.”
Adventures Unlimited, a Student Government Association (SGA) sponsored organization, exists to “offer the student body challenging, exhilarating outdoor experiences,” said DeGrand.
Heather McDonough, vice president and secretary of the organization said, “Adventures Unlimited is for many different people. It’s for people that are willing to try new things, to continue the things they love, or for people that just need a break from the stress of school work.”
Past activities of the organization include a ropes course, sailing a schooner, hiking, skiing, whale watching, and a biking trip to Block Island.
DeGrand was so impressed with rock climbing as an activity that it is being added to the PE curriculum for the spring of 2003.