During Spring Break, from Mon. Feb. 28 to  Sat. Mar. 5, students became immersed in nature and embarked on a Basecamp camping trip to Bishop, CA. The trip, consisting of both beginner and experienced campers, was an adventure of a lifetime, visiting multiple locations in Death Valley, Mammoth Mountain, Convict Lake, Lake Sabrina, Inyo National Forest, Ancient Bristlecone Pines, natural hot springs, Alabama Hills and more. 

Campers packed up on Monday to set up camp in Bishop. From this location, the group traveled during the day to scenic locations around the camp, allowing room for both a camping experience with a comfortable ‘home’ location and the opportunity to travel somewhere new each day. Campers took turns cooking, sitting by the fire, and playing card games after long days of exploring, adding comradery and camping skills to the experience; with the exception of a few sit-down dinners in nearby towns!

Michael Ottenad, Director of Outdoor Recreation, organized the trip, alongside help from Alexander Lange, Assistant Director of the Moon International Center. “I wanted to provide an unforgettable Spring Break getaway for students staying on campus or wanting to experience nature with new friends. When else will you ever get an experience like this one again?” Ottenad said. 

Ottenad commented on how refreshing it was for students to enjoy the space they were in, without realizing they had been disconnected from their phones for two hours. “These trips are great opportunities to branch out and leave with camping skills and good memories” he stated, “I don’t know when I will ever be in a place so remote that you don’t see cars, [or] that you hike down to a little valley where one side has no snow and you turn, and the other side is covered in it. I don’t know when I will ever be in that position or space again.”

Death Valley was a bucket-list item for camper and Graphic Design major Emma Magnuson. “Death Valley was my favorite location, because it was the last California National Park I needed to go to,” she said, “I was excited to go, and I felt I could actually enjoy it without it being incredibly hot outside.”

The breathtaking locations and memorable experiences were not the only highlights of the trip, as close quarters create bonding with both current friends and (former) strangers. “I heard a student say, ‘I wish it was this easy to make friends back home,’” replied Ottenad, “When you are out there, it doesn’t matter what class or major you are. You say ‘Well, I’m sharing a tent with you now, so we might as well get to know each other’. Everyone is there to simply explore and make friends, and this experience takes the label away to leave students with an awesome trip to look back on.”

“I always like going on these trips because I don’t feel like I always know a ton of people,” stated Magnuson, “and it’s a great way to get to know everyone. Everyone who goes wants to be in the outdoors like me, so it is nice to know that all these people have something in common with me.” 

Ottenad hopes that in future trips, students who are comfortable creating an experience can plan trips of their own. “I think it would cool down the road for students to be able to plan their own trips; I see that as a huge success. I love it when students are the captains of their own ships instead of waiting for a current to take them somewhere,” he said. 

A future trip will take place in May of this year to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, in a partnership with Hume Lake Christian Camps. Students will stay in a cabin; an ideal opportunity for students who may be wary of the full camping experience and still want to spend time in nature. 

For more information about trips or other recreational activities, contact Michael Ottenad at michael.ottenad@cui.edu. 

Tags: community, Spring Break, intramurals

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About Adyson Casteel

Adyson Casteel is a senior undergraduate student at Concordia University Irvine, studying Mass Communications. Adyson works as the Campus Editor for the university’s student-led newspaper, the Concordia Courier. Adyson is from Minden, NV, about 20 minutes from South Lake Tahoe, where she has the unique pleasure of both living on a ranch and spending time on the lake. 

In Adyson’s current role as Campus Editor, she writes her own articles for each edition, and oversees other campus articles from her peers. Adyson investigates the latest happenings on campus and student life, and turns them into newsworthy articles for Concordia community to enjoy. She conducts interviews from various campus sources, strengthening her articles with credibility and connecting her to many diverse individuals in the community. 

Adyson believes that everyone should step out of their comfort zone, and go the extra mile to grow in whatever you love to do. She strives to gain experience from many different fields within communications and marketing, including her work experience at Weidinger Public Relations, the firm that puts on the largest media-covered event in Tahoe; the American Century Championship Celebrity Golf Tournament.   

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