The Outing Club
Get Outdoors!
Named by Money magazine as one of the 10 best colleges for people who love the outdoors, W&L's Outing Club provides opportunities for beginning and veteran adventurers alike.
Students are offered a variety of outdoor activities and classes through the club, including backpacking, back-campus trail exploring, fly fishing, horseback riding, canoeing, kayaking, rafting, rock climbing, mountain biking, caving, skiing and outdoor cooking.
Right in W&L's backyard, the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains provide a scenic playground for hikers, cyclists, climbers, paddlers and fly fishers. W&L students lead most of the activities and are encouraged to suggest their own ideas to plan and partake in. Trips vary in length from day hikes to 10-day trips held during February and Spring break, to international and post-graduation trips. Equipment and trip-planning resources are available to all Outing Club members who want to do their own trips.
Incoming first-year students can choose to hike the nearby Appalachian Trail during a pre-orientation trip — for many, that is the introduction to four years of adventure.
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Campus Life
Adventures Aplenty
Many students' first adventure with the Outing Club happens during their first week on campus — on the Appalachian Adventure trip during pre-orientation.
In the Great Outdoors
The surrounding area provides a scenic playground for hikers, cyclists, climbers, paddlers and fly fishers — and the Outing Club does it all all.
Celebrating Spring: Outing Club’s Top Five Hikes
Spring Term and Alumni Weekend reunions are the perfect times to experience the outdoors that hug Washington and Lee.
Scott’s passion for the environment carries over from the classroom to opportunities on campus and beyond.
The first-year student says the Outing Club and W&L's proximity to great hiking and kayaking spots were a big draw.
Meet a Colleague: Mauricio Betancourt
Mauricio Betancourt is an assistant professor of environmental studies.
Meet a Colleague: Bryan Snyder ’95
Bryan Snyder ’95 is the head volleyball coach and associate director of athletics for finance.
Meet a Colleague: Sascha Goluboff
Sascha Goluboff is a professor of cultural anthropology and serves as director for both the Community-Based Learning program and the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty.
Meet a Colleague: Ryan Connell
Ryan Connell is the athletics broadcaster and athletics multimedia creative specialist.
Susan Wager is the assistant director of the Lenfest Center.
Meet a Colleague: Meghan Ferguson
Meghan Ferguson serves as the financial aid coordinator for the university.