Hello Golden Eagles! 

We hope you all had a restful spring break and are ready to finish up the semester strong. Wherever you may have gone, we hope it was a time to relax and enjoy a break from schoolwork. 

Some of our students, including myself, had the opportunity to go on the Basecamp Santa Cruz trip through our Outdoor Recreation program, led by Mike Ottenad. Mike runs the Basecamp trips here at Concordia and plans a fall and spring camping trip each semester. This comes at a cheap price of only $100! This includes transportation, food, camping gear and an experience of a lifetime. 

In the past, basecamp trips have been to Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Sedona and other beautiful places nearby. Mike enjoys organizing these trips to get Concordia students off-campus and to explore the beautiful nature around us. Mike said, “I enjoy taking people to places they normally would not have gone to.” Mike also mentioned, “We have a lot of people who join us where it is their first time camping. I like helping them come to the realization on the trip that this is something they have the ability to do.” This is a great way to experience camping, whether you are a first-time camper or an experienced camper! 

This spring break, a group of 27 students and four of our staff members headed north to a campground on the coast of California. This was located in Santa Cruz at Sunset Beach Campgrounds. We set up tents, chairs, kitchen gear and lights to make this the new home for the next four nights. While in Santa Cruz, we explored the beauty around us. Students were able to enjoy a beautiful sunset almost every night on the beach of our campground. 

On the first day, we explored Roaring Camp. This is located in the middle of the Redwoods in the Santa Cruz mountains. We were able to ride a train through the Redwoods, take line dancing lessons and explore the beautiful nature around us. Gina Bertaina, a student who came on the trip, said, “My favorite part was being able to smell the Redwoods while riding the train at Roaring Camp.” It was a refreshing experience to be surrounded by God's nature. 

The next day, we got to explore Pinnacles National Park! This was a beautiful park where we got to hike through caves, climb on rocks and skip rocks on the lake. Dae Lopez, another student on the trip, said, “My favorite part of the trip was going to Pinnacles National Park! This is a newer California National Park so I was excited that Mike was able to get us into the park.” After the national park, we explored the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea. 

The next day, we headed up to San Francisco! We stopped at the California Academy of Sciences. We spent the morning checking out the building's aquarium, planetarium and many other cool features. After this, we headed to the Golden Gate Bridge! We went to Marin Headlands to a lookout point. It was quite windy, but it was fun to see a great view of the bridge! 

We headed back to camp that day. We planned to stay one more night, but due to extreme winds, we had to pack everything up and head back down to Irvine. Luckily, we had a fun group of students and leaders, and we had a fun time no matter what! Even if we had to pack up camp a little early. Mason Dalbeck, another student on the trip, said, “My favorite part is the people. We had lots of good times with good vibes and good people.” Whether hiking through a cave, watching a sunset on the beach or packing up camp a little earlier, it was always a fun time! 

This is one of the many ways to experience something new through a Concordia experience. Keep your eyes open for more trips! This May, Mike is preparing a trip to Hume Lake for just $25. If this is something you might be interested in, come by the CSLD and we can get you connected! 

We are ready for an exciting last push of our semester. We have some exciting events coming up this spring, such as Theme Verse Day, I Heart CUI Day, and many more activities from all student leadership groups. Stay focused for these last few weeks, everyone. We are almost there! 

Until Next Time, 

Your ASCUI Secretary 

Elise Schult

Tags: Alexander Carr

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