This spring Coastal Carolina University’s Outdoor Recreation Program prepares for the annual Sugar Mountain Ski Trip, Waties Island stargazing, kayaking under the full moon and more.
While most spring trips are limited to warmer weather, the Sugar Mountain Ski Trip is the exception. Exclusively designed for the beginning of spring semester, the trip is timed perfectly for cold weather without interrupting fall finals or winter break.
Taking place from Jan. 31- Feb. 2, the trip will consist of two nights at the resort Sugar Mountain Resort in North Carolina and a full day of skiing and snowboarding experiences.
Later in the semester as waters warm up, Outdoor Recreation Coordinator Brian Nicosia scheduled a kayaking trip for the night of April 12 under the full moon, known as the spring “pink moon.”
Nicosia also scheduled two Waties Island stargazing trips on March 29 and April 27, both during the new moon lunar phase. The absence of moonlight during the new moon and the lack of artificial lighting on the island allows students to observe the stars at their brightest points.
“It’s really the best place in the immediate vicinity where you can get darker skies. So then doing this also during the new moon, you get a chance to really, actually see some nice constellations and stuff, which is super beautiful,” Nicosia said.
Students speak highly about single day trips the program offers. Freshman chemistry major John Fenton shared his favorite part of an HTC Honors College kayaking trip at Cox Ferry Lake which he participated in last September.
“We did see an alligator actually, in the water, like we would kayak past it,” Fenton said. “I thought that was cool, just to see it out in the water with us.”
Junior Saylor Biggin, a human resource management major and marketing major, works with the program as a senior trip leader.
Although students may be hesitant to participate in trips when trying to balance a busy schedule and heavy course load, Biggin said she finds the trips to work with most student schedules.
“I feel like anyone can really do it if they just plan accordingly, because [the trips] only take a few hours of your time. And a lot of it’s at night, it’s not really in the middle of day where you can’t if you have class or things like that,” Biggin said.
Biggin said she finds the trips to serve as a relaxing break, as well as a learning experience for students.
“I think it’s honestly kind of relieving to get away from campus and just go explore the outdoors, just kind of take your mind off of all the busyness and the rush of school,” Biggin said.
In addition to kayaking, stargazing and skiing, Nicosia said weekly mountain bike trips will begin in March.
Since the timeframe for spring trips is limited, Nicosia advises students and staff to take advantage of the program’s opportunities. He especially advises juniors and seniors to not let the chance get away from them before graduation.
“If you’re not sure if you want to do something, go ahead and do it,” Nicosia said. “…Think to yourself, when is the last time you did something for the first time? And then make a decision based on that.”
