Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 2000)
OCp (Jjews jA$id ^Oiews , fPitshensfilnti (Running °WUrf C^Wer With help from the Greenberg Expedition Grant Program, The Outdoor Pro gram makes it’s first descent of North America’s wildest river. Many of the OP extended family know well the power a river has to speak to the soul and resonate energy. The Tatshenshini River is perhaps the most powerful wild river voice in North America. Surrounded by 42,000 square miles of roadless protected wilderness, the river cuts through the heart of the dramatic Mt. St. Elias Range in NW British Columbia, through some of the areas largest glaciers before dropping it's thick sediment load in the waters of Glacier Bay National Park. In all aspects, wildlife, adventure, biodiversity, river running, scenery, geology, wildflowers and more, The Tatshenshini is wild North America at it's very finest. Grizzly bears are common throughout the corridor and even the extremely rare silver blue glacier bear can be found here. In June, a group of eight students and alumni, made the program's first descent of “The Tat”. Itwas truly a magical expedition. Logistics and expenses to the river are certainly intimidating and require a focused, cooperative effort. Because there are no roads from the take-out, a small plane must be chartered to get the group and gear off a dirt runway to the nearest roads home. The charter adds significantly to the cost but also keeps the river all the more inaccessible and rewarding. r The group applied to the OP's Greenberg Expedition Grant Program for assistance and was awarded $500 toward the cost of the plane and $500 of raft rental from the equipment co-op. This amazing trip with an experienced crew included several OP firsts: an all day exploration of a glacier, rowing a gear raft up the calving terminus of a huge glacial wall, rowing among icebergs bigger than the barn, running rapids with with moving ice and around grounded ice, and the first OP kayak seal launch off an iceberg (see cover photo!). If you' re interested in finding out more about the river and the trip, watch for a Tatshenshini slideshow in January. *[fyou 're interested in launchingyour own grand expedition ask us about the Greenberg Grant; applications due Nov. 1st and May 1st. Local Club Focus cJhe (Eugene Obsidians Let’s face it, Eugene is a great place to live and it has an extraordinary number of outdoor clubs, so we’ve decided to focus on one club each term in our newsletter. This month we’ve selected a club with a 73 year history and over 450 members. The Eugene Obsidians hiking and skiing club is not only highly organized and has an excellent safety record, they climb most major peaks of the Cascades each year. They also teach the technical details of safe climbing to the uninitiated and offer a myriad of hiking I and skiing trips yearly to all skill levels. Looking at the club’s newsletter is exhausting as club members report on hikes, trail maintenance projects, trips abroad, tech tips, potlucks, history and more. So, next time your friends bail on you for a hike, check out the Obsidian’s trip calendar (posted in the OP office). For membership information, contact Margee Wright at 683-4174 Kids are welcome on OP trips designed by students and community members with children and folks who know how fun kids can Ik. What better way to instill the OP cooperative philosophy andarespect for wild places in your children than on an OP kid trip? Over the summer we tent camped in the mountains and rented Yurts at die beach. We hiked, swam, jumped in dunes, learned to skim rocks and identify snakes! As with all our trips these adventures are open to ail OP co-op members but die skill level and emphasis is kid-speed. The focus is on fun and meeting others Who love the outdoors and kids. Call Suzanne (346-3730) for information on the latest kid hip and how to launch your own junior adventure. : >‘ The Outdoor Program will once again start the school year with a hang by putting over 200 students out on New Student Orientation trips on the weekend of September 23-24. Every year new students jump at the opportunity to raft, hike, bike, sea kayak, and play at the coast before classes begin. The OP is very proud of this tradition and especially proud of the fact that many new students make lastingfriendship and learn new skills. We want toencourage all new and returning students to take advantageofwhat the OP has to offer all year long. Please stay involved; keepcheckingthe board for new trips and ifyou don't see one you tike, come in and talkto us about postingyour own. Don’tforgettocheckoutour Trip Initiator’s Clinic (see Events Calendar) on Oct 12th and 14th. Welcome.
