About OCVT
Virginia Tech's location in the mountains of Southwestern Virginia makes an ideal playground for all things outdoors. With the Appalachian Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway to the west and east respectively, the opportunities for hiking, biking, boating, skiing, sailing, and wide range of other activities are available. The Outdoor Club at Virginia Tech takes full advantage of these opportunities.
While primarily students, the club is open to community members. In addition, due the wide variety of interest within the club, there is opportunity for novices in sports to learn new skills or improve existing ones.
Beyond recreation, the clubs second main focus is the maintenance of a 30-mile section of the Appalachian Trail (we are one of only two student organizations in the nation that do). What looks like a lot of work, is actually great fun. The satisfaction of giving back to the trail we all love is a common bond within the club.
While we are not offically a non-profit organiation, all the officers are volunteers and we do not require members to pay anything to go on trips. All money collected from optional membership dues goes towards club shirts, AT maintenance supplies, promotional materials, or other supplies needed to run the club.
Trips at OCVT
One of the most common questions we get is what types of trips do we have. The answer is anything we have a trip leader for! Dayhikes and campouts are the most common but we have done all sorts of trips:
- Backpacking Trips
- White Water Rafting
- Canoe/Kayaking
- Capture the Flag
- Snowboarding/Skiing
- Biking
- Climbing
- Frisbee
- Scavenger Hunts
- And more..
The list of trip goes on and on, we also organize social events like cookouts and pot lucks to help our members meet new people both inside and outside the club. So If you have a particular interest please lead a trip or tell us about what you want to see so we can get the word out to those who may be looking to lead a trip.
Finding and Joining a Trip
Just head on over to the trips page. There you will find a listing of all our upcoming trips and events. From there it's a simple matter of picking a trip that looks good to you and signing up for it. After signup you will be informed if you are on the attendding roster or on the waiting list. If you do end up on the waiting list don't worry. Often someone will change their mind and a space will open up. You will be automaticlly notified by email if you are taken off the waiting list.
Leading Your Own Trip
While the officers are often dedicated to leading as many trips as they can it's up to everyone to help make the club great. If you have a partcular interest or even just going on a quick hike and want some company please put up a trip so others have the opportunity to join in. The first step is filling out the new trip form. After that is complete you can review your data and publish your trip. All our members will be notified of your trip and it will appear on the trips page for people to join. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact one of the officers and ask them about it.