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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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.

Appalachian Adventure, which takes students on a four-night hike of the Appalachian Trail, is the most popular pre-orientation trip at W&L.

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.

Adventures


Legacy of Outdoor Exploration

The Matelich Endowment enhances Outing Club experiences.

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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.

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Meet Emma Scott ‘26

Scott’s passion for the environment carries over from the classroom to opportunities on campus and beyond.

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Meet Sydney Fleming ’27

The first-year student says the Outing Club and W&L's proximity to great hiking and kayaking spots were a big draw.

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Meet a Colleague: Peter Grajzl

Peter Grajzl is the John F. Hendon Professor of Economics.

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Meet a Colleague: Mauricio Betancourt

Mauricio Betancourt is an assistant professor of environmental studies.

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Meet a Colleague: Michael Rhodes

Michael Rhodes is the manager of copying services.

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Meet a Colleague: Anna Billias

Anna Billias is a lecturer in music and collaborative pianist.

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Meet a Colleague: Bryan Snyder ’95

Bryan Snyder ’95 is the head volleyball coach and associate director of athletics for finance.

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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.

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Meet a Colleague: Ryan Connell

Ryan Connell is the athletics broadcaster and athletics multimedia creative specialist.

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Meet a Colleague: Susan Wager

Susan Wager is the assistant director of the Lenfest Center.

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