To all my shredheads, adventure buffoons, lovers of mighty fine wines and long walks in the woods : this is where it all happens.
I know you feel those fall vibes too (even though it’s still hot as heck). October – aka the best month you’ll ever spend in VA – is finally here! Get hype for the color changes, the cider, the flannels, and those endless days of chilly weather – perfect for playing outside. But what’s the real reason for all my weird excitement???
NEW RIVER GORGE EXTRAVAGAAAAANZAAAAAA 2019!!!
Huh? Excuse me?
Glad you asked. NRGE is THE trip of fall semester. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure, weekend-long camping trip to the New River Gorge in West Virginia. The Gorge is one of the best outdoor recreation destinations in the nation, perhaps world, and is only 3 hours from Cville. The New River itself is 1 of 10 National Wild and Scenic Rivers in the US, and the Gorge and surrounding area (including the Gauley River/Summersville area) host excellent paddling, rafting, mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking/backpacking, and caving for all levels.
While members often make pilgrimages to the Gorge throughout the year, NRGE is an opportunity to get all you goons together – in the same place – at the same time- for a redonkulous weekend of shredding, camaraderie, shredding, exploring, and did I mention shredding? This is some classic ODC fun in its purest form.
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WHEN?
NRGE is set for Friday, Oct 25th — Sunday, Oct 27rd.
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WHERE?
The GORGE duh!…… Just kidding. The Club has booked Ray’s Campground (our other Shred Shack) (http://www.rayscampground.com) – 1199 Sunday Rd, Hico, WV 258534. This will be our hub for the weekend, our central meeting point for all trips and shenanigans around the fire.
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HOW IT WORKS:
At the Gorge, everyone will participate in various, separate adventures in the area. You go out for the day with your trip(s) – shred, shred, shred until you’re dead – and then we all reconvene together at night. We’ll huddle around the fire, jam out, enjoy some hot beverages, share stories, and maybe even meet our best friend (true story bro, that’s how I met mine). 😀
Club members will post trips for NRGE throughout October from Friday to Sunday. Although these trips may only include an adventure for one day, the trip duration will be set for the whole weekend. AKA – you join a trip, you commit to staying for the weekend. Capeesh? This means you may need to join more than one trip to fill up your weekend. Best way to do that: LEAD YOUR OWN TRIP. Seriously. NRGE doesn’t work without a bunch of trips running Friday- Sunday. We need you. Email the officers to find out how to become a Trip Leader – no experience or knowledge of West Virginia necessary! You can also email us for trip ideas or recommendations.
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SIGNING UP:
Cool, you’re on a trip. Or leading your own. Beautiful. Now for the carpool.**YOU MUST BE ON ANOTHER NRGE ADVENTURE TO JOIN THE NRGE 2019: MAIN CARPOOL TRIP ON THE WEBSITE**And not on the waitlist, you must *actually be joined to the adventure* by the Trip Leader. IF YOU ARE GOING TO NRGE – AKA YOU’RE ON ANOTHER NRGE ADVENTURE – YOU MUST, MUST, MUST SIGN UP FOR THE CARPOOL EVEN IF YOU DON’T NEED A RIDE THERE. This is a way for the officers to keep track of drivers & attendees. Most cars will be leaving from the Echols half-brick wall on Friday afternoon at 4:20 PM. You may leave earlier/later depending on what trips you sign up for. Refer to your leader’s trip description to see what the game plan is.*Trip leaders,* if you want an alternative to the 4:20pm departure time on Friday let us know asap in an email. At the end of the weekend (Sunday), cars will head back to Cville at various times throughout the day. This depends on what trips are still going out and when drivers want to leave. Some may even leave on Saturday night. So you can join a Sunday trip or link up with drivers at NRGE to leave earlier.
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WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM ME?
The fee for this megatrip is $10.00. We strongly, strongly recommend Venmoing the Club (@OutdoorsatUVA). You may also pay with cash/check if necessary. You will NOT be added to the main carpool until you have paid for NRGE.
DRIVERS NEEDED! Drivers will be needed for both trips and the main carpool. Drivers get priority off waitlists, gas reimbursed for the whole weekend (drive to WV and daily excursions), + 50% tip (capped at $20).
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WHAT ABOUT GEAR?
Trip leaders and attendees will be responsible for acquiring their adventure-specific gear (e.g. climbing harnesses, caving stuff) from the gear room before NRGE. The club’s entire supply of tents/sleeping bags/pads will be brought to NRGE, but it is a limited supply, so some peeps will need to bring their own camp gear. Once you are off the waitlist for a NRGE trip and you have been added to the main carpool trip, this will be coordinated with you.
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SHOULD I REALLY COME?
Yes. 420% percent. Even if you’ve never been on a trip with the Club before or have no outdoor experience – still come. This is your chance to meet some really awesome people, enjoy the Fall beauty, maybe escape Grounds after the midterm craze, and let us show you why we do what we do.
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As the NRGE weekend approaches, we’ll send out more details to those who will be attending. Hit us up if you have any questions.
Victoria Alvarez : 678-520-3016
Outdoors-officers@virginia.edu