Gear Rooms and Other Bits | ODC Newsletter 1/12/2025

HAPPPPPPYYYYY NEW YEAR GRASS GOBLINS!!!

I, Sarah Dirtling, long-distance partner in crime to the one and only fall semester secretary and swagmaster Charlotte, have returned to grace your inboxes with my incoherent ramblings and the occasional announcement this sweet, sweet spring semester.

Did ya miss me? No, don’t even open your mouth. I know you did. (And, wow, Anusha, are those tears filling your eyes as you read this? I’m so glad I mean so much to you.)

Read on along to find out about this week’s gear rooms, a particularly epic trip of the week, and more…

In perpetual stoke,

Sarah “Gassed Up” Dowling

 

P.S.

War looms on the horizon. Instagram war. Stay tuned for more updates.

 

 

NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Gear Rooms 2: The Squeakquel

  • GEAR ROOMS ARE BACK, BABY! Find them in theaters (the gear room) near you (in the same place it’s always been) this week.
  • Find our *TEMPORARY* first week schedule here:
    • Monday @ 1pm — Max T (703-862-7391)
    • Tuesday @ 4pm — John (804-944-1929)
    • Wednesday @ 10am — Max S (617-780-1129)
    • Thursday @ 5:20pm — Parker (540-840-8024)
    • Friday @ 11am — Anusha (571-455-0721)

Did You fill out the Census? 

  • Well, here’s your chance to do it before Parker tracks you down and feeds you to the squirrels on grounds. (I heard they’re pretty hungry this time of year…)
  • Seriously though, the census is an opportunity to share your thoughts, experiences, and input about your time in the club, and it helps us get an idea of who is in the club & how to best serve our club members! Do it please. It’s linked here. (And here too!)

Oh. Also. PATAGONIA MERCH IS IN!

  • Calling all fashionistas. Come pick up your Patagonia ODC merch orders at the Shrack:
    • Wednesday 1/15 10 AM – 12 PM
    • Thursday 1/16 2 PM – 4 PM

 

 

OLD (BUT STILL IMPORTANT) ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Feed (Submit to) ODC’s Baby (The Scrawl)!

  • If you thought those squirrels were hungry, then wait ’til you see The Scrawl. My (our) child/swag-ass annual newsletter is malnourished from a lack of submissions!
  • Help it grow big and strong and beautiful (maybe even as beautiful as Ed) by sending in your photos, trip reports, and general musings (among other things) at this link here!
  • Refer back to this announcement for info about what to submit and this link to see last year’s version.

WOOOAAAHHH ODC Member DISCOUNTS?!

  • You read it right! Anyone who is a member of this lovely club can now get 10% off at High Tor Gear Exchange & Endeavor Cycles here in Charlottesville!
  • We now have a 40% off code to use on as many purchases as you want from Nature Buff! Use code UVA40 on your next purchase.
  • Super cool mountain-wear brand HIMALI has reached out to us with a sick discount code for 40% off all their stuff!! Check them out and use code UVASendIt40.
  • We also have an epic one-use per person promo code with Bedrock Sandals for 20% off online purchases. Use the code “UVAOUTDOOR”!

G-G-Gear Requests *Airhorn*

  • We love buying new equipment for you, but we need you to tell us what you want! Do that here.

#Anonymous Feedback Form

  • Do you have any comments, concerns, or recommendations about/for Outdoors Club? Leave some feedback here!
  • This form is anonymous and can only be viewed by the DEI Chair.

Donations

  • Did you know that you or your parents who want to know what you’ve been up to at UVA or your grandparents who were around when backpacking was invented can DONATE to ODC at any time ?? Donate here!

 

 

GEAR RESOURCES AND POLICY

This Week’s Gear Room Schedule:

*Note that this is not the official, consistent schedule for the semester*

Monday @ 1pm — Max T (703-862-7391)
Tuesday @ 4pm — John (804-944-1929)
Wednesday @ 10am — Max S (617-780-1129)
Thursday @ 5:20pm — Parker (540-840-8024)
Friday @ 11am — Anusha (571-455-0721)

If none of these times work for you, please email the officers outdoors-officers@virginia.edu at least 24 hours in advance to schedule a separate time to be let into the gear room. Please only do this if you really can’t make the gear room times, not just because you don’t feel like it or didn’t plan ahead.

You can stop by the gear room to check out or return gear and be reimbursed at any of the times listed above! Officers remain at the gear room only for as long as people are checking in/out gear (usually about 20-25 minutes). You may also purchase ODC t-shirts, hoo rags, patches, stickers, and more at the gear room!

MISC. GEAR INFO:

  • Before returning gear, refer to the GEAR CLEANING DOC!
    • If you return damaged, dirty, or incomplete gear, you will jeopardize your ability to check out gear in the future. It is your responsibility to return your gear in the condition you received it.
  • Please refer to our reimbursement policy here.
  • You can check our gear inventory here.
  • Want to check out water sports gear or a mountain bike?
    • Please email the officers at outdoors-officers@virginia.edu. They are stored at separate locations. We ask that you give at least 24 hours notice.
  • Gear is due one week from when it is checked out unless renewed by an officer at a gear room. Keeping gear past its due date is a UVA Honor Offense. Club trips have priority access to gear.

Directions to the Gear Room:

  • Start at Echols Dorm → go right on McCormick → turn right on Alderman Rd → take a left on Leake Drive → walk to the end of the road (there are several buildings and parking on either side) → pass a picnic table on the right → keep going! → walk straight to the first big maintenance building directly ahead → walk behind the building on the left side (if it feels like you maybe shouldn’t be there, you’re in the right place) → walk up the stairs → End: knock on the door!
  • Map to Gear Room

 

 

ADVENTURE OF THE WEEK!!!

THE ONE AND ONLY ODC WFR COURSE!

From Carson: At long, long last, after over a year of planning and coordination, the ODC Wilderness First Responder course came to fruition. This week, 12 brave souls (Carson, Cam, Jackie, Via, Daniel, Allie, Max, Max, Colin, Abby, Lila, and Susannah) became wilderness first responders. With the first day being cancelled (snow day! Several of us embarked on a day of sledding in mad bowl and XC skiing on o’hill — or, if you will, the Cavalier Wilderness). The WFR course was an 80 hour commitment, between the online modules and the in person days. Monday being cancelled made it all the more intense— going from 8am to 10pm some days! We were barraged with a large amount of medical information between scenarios outside in the snow with scarily realistic fake wounds. Now, 12 of us emerge as wilderness first responders (for free! Hurrah, hours of applying for grants!), ready to tackle medical emergencies wherever our adventures take us— whether that be our future odc trips or our future outdoor professional endeavors. Congratulations, all!

  • How to be featured:
    • Each week we’ll feature a different adventure that happened within the previous 7 days. To be featured, send us (outdoors-officers@virginia.edu) a couple of pictures of you and your pals adventurin’ and a little blurb about what you did!
    • We’re stoked to see what y’all get up to, but PLEASE (please!) do not take pictures of people without their consent (and don’t submit them to us without their consent).
    • Try and submit pictures as .jpeg files if possible! (not .heic live photos!)

Who will be the next ADVENTURE OF THE WEEK???

 

 

TRIP RESOURCES AND REMINDERS

Leading Trips:

To become a trip leader, thoroughly read the Trip Leader Manual (resources page of the website) and send the officers an email (outdoors-officers@virginia.edu) letting them you know you have done so. They will then activate you on the website! Alternatively, come to a Trip Leader Workshop, lead by the officers several times each semester and posted on the website.

As a reminder, climbing, caving, mountain biking, and whitewater trips have special rules to lead! To learn more about types of trips and to become an approved trip leader for the sports listed above, feel free to contact the club’s Sport Advisors:

  • Climbing:
    • Cam Burke (twz5mz@virginia.edu)
    • Ella Mortimer (rzq9wc@virginia.edu)
  • Caving
    • Allie Shelhammer (kvb8gz@virginia.edu)
    • Lillie Ehrmentraut (ubc2ga@virginia.edu)
  • Biking
    • Max Titov (uhg2nv@virginia.edu)
    • Susannah Allen (bay6nh@virginia.edu)
  • Hiking/Backpacking
    • Carson Hopwood (mxz2fc@virginia.edu)
    • Ed Aten (eba4ksx@virginia.edu)
  • Water Sports
    • John Woodward (uce3pa@virginia.edu)
    • Will Lankford (xsc9gq@virginia.edu)

If you have questions about how to lead trips, refer to the Leading Trips pages under Resources on the club website.

Want to lead a trip for an under-represented group in the outdoors? Lead an Affinity Trip! See the link for details and guidelines.

Absences:

  • Please be aware that if you are joined on a trip, and you do not show up, or you drop out at the last minute, you are depriving another member of a spot on that trip.
  • No-shows and last-minute absences not only hurt trip attendance, but they also make logistics more complicated.
  • If a member is reported for two absences, trip leaders are permitted to take this into account when moving people off wait lists.

Incident Reporting:

  • Anything wild or crazy happened on your trips recently, but not in a good way? Fill out this form to let the officers know about incidents or near misses on your ODC trips. Incidents can include but are not limited to: major injuries, extreme/ dangerous weather, or getting lost. We’ll keep it for our records/learning and follow-up if necessary! Here’s the template.
  • Check out this swanky guide, aptly entitled “Incident Reporting Form Cheatsheet,” for a how-to on handling common incidents in the woods, and make sure you’re prepared for your next trip!

Sexual Harassment and Equity Reporting:

  • Outdoors at UVA is committed to providing a safe and welcoming space for everyone to enjoy the outdoors. If you feel you or another have experienced misconduct at the hands of another club member, please report it here. This is including but not limited to misconduct regarding sexuality (including sexual harassment), gender, race, ethnicity, ability, etc.
  • Outdoors at UVA’s Harassment, Discrimination, and Sexual Misconduct policy can be found here. Our club Code of Conduct can be found here.

 

 

ET CETERA.

Social Media:

FB: (https://www.facebook.com/groups/OutdoorsAtUVA/)

Insta: (https://www.instagram.com/uvaoutdoors/)

GroupMe: (https://groupme.com/join_group/68250538/0HmzE2tL)

 

 

Peace, Love, & Dirt,

Sarah and the Officers