Ecuador, Kenya, & Nepal

Ecuador

Over winter break, HOC ventures further a field to international destinations. The Outing Club has visited Ecuador over winter break to trek, explore rural life, climb glaciated peaks, and chase monkeys around the rainforest. Ecuador, land of ecosystems, surprising fruit, and the nicest people you'll ever meet. We've done five trips there, made many friends and climbed many mountains. Some of the nicest people we've met are live in the village of Pinon, a place with a desperate past but a bright future.

Kenya

HOC expanded its international destinations and, in 2011-12, offered its first trip to Kenya!  We climbed Mount Kenya, visited Lake Nakuru, stared into the cradle of humanity, went on safari in the Masai Mara, and danced while roasting a goat with native Maasai villagers. We saw the best Africa had to offer including stunning landscapes, culturally rich people, diverse animals, and plenty of impromptu adventures on Africa roadways.

Nepal

In 2017, Hamilton ran it's first spring break trip to the Annapurna region of Nepal as an optional part of Professor Maurice Isserman's History of Himalayan Mountaineering course. Students and staff stayed in tea houses and trekked with local guides and porters. The groups enjoyed sweeping views of the Annapurna massif, Dhaulagiri, and Machapuchare. Highlights include seeing first-hand the terrain featured in written accounts of Himalayan expeditions, interacting with Nepali people in Kathmandu, Pokhara, and during the trek, and growing closer as a group through interactions on trail and during group discussions.