The Mountaineers Club at Ohio State allows students to travel and spend time outdoors. The club meets every other Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Ohio Union. Credit: Courtesy of Meredith Whistler.
The Mountaineers Club at Ohio State has become one of campus’s largest student organizations, drawing in hundreds of students who give up their weekends for forest trails, hiking and long drives to national parks.
Meredith Whistler, a fourth-year in natural resource management and vice president of the club, said they now have around 300 members, ranging from experienced hikers to students who have never been on a trail before.
“We do anything from hiking and climbing to whitewater rafting and caving,” Whistler said. “Everyone is super friendly and outgoing, and there’s always a friend.”
Trips are the heart of the Mountaineers Club, according to Gracie Hensley, a fourth-year in microbiology and the club’s trip coordinator. They said they work very closely with trip leaders to organize routes, safety plans and gear.
“I act as a liaison for trip leaders,” Hensley said. “I help with planning and logistics, especially during fall and spring break.”
Hensley said members of the club are able to take trips almost every weekend, whether it’s a short hike near Columbus or a multi-day excursion across the country. Previous fall break trips include Acadia National Park in Maine, Voyagers National Park in Minnesota and Red River Gorge in Kentucky.
“Our biggest times are fall break and spring break, but people lead trips almost every weekend,” Hensley said. “Those trips give people time to slow down, learn new skills and build stronger connections with each other.”
The Mountaineers Club at Ohio State allows students to travel and spend time outdoors. The club meets every other Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Ohio Union. Credit: Courtesy of Meredith Whistler.
The Mountaineers Club has planned to travel to Big Bend National Park in Texas and go climbing in Utah and Arizona for this year’s spring break. Whistler said students who want to participate won’t need a large budget to do so. She said members split costs evenly along with incentives from those who help run the trip.
“If you lead a trip, you go free,” Whistler said. “If you drive, you get half-off. The rest is split between participants. For smaller budgets or time constraints, we always have local outings. You don’t need to be an expert. You just have to be willing to learn.”
For some of the pricier excursions, the club uses its budget to offer anonymous scholarships for students who can’t afford the trip, but still want to be a part of it.
“The goal is to make the outdoors accessible, not exclusive,” Whistler said.
One of the club’s biggest trips this past fall, called the “hoopla” trip, was to New River Gorge in West Virginia and had almost 80 students in attendance.
“It poured rain the entire time, but everyone stayed positive,” Whistler said. “We were sharing tight tents and leaky sleeping bags, but people bonded so fast. Friends who’d never spoken before were hanging out by the fire.”
Hensley said the club also has skills clinics throughout the year to help new members feel ready for upcoming trips.They include backpacking basics and climbing belay training at the gym.
“We want to break down barriers,” Hensley said. “Trips shouldn’t be only for outdoorsy people, they should be for anyone curious enough to try.”
Whistler said the club has a goal of giving students more than just fun outdoor experiences.
“The outdoors is for grounding,” Whistler said. “It gives us a break from campus stress. A weekend outside resets everything.”
Hensley said leading trips has helped them grow personally as well.
“It builds confidence,” Hensley said. “It gives you a sense of responsibility and trust.”
The Mountaineers Club meets every other Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Ohio Union. Their meetings are open to all students, regardless of their experience outdoors.
Whistler said for many students who join the club, it has become a place to grow, try new things and find community beyond the trails.
“You show up thinking you’re just going on a hike,” Whistler said. “But you end up finding people who change your whole college experience.”
