On a campus within driving distance of an ocean, mountains, forests, and three of the country’s top national parks, Seattle Pacific University students can enjoy an almost limitless number of outdoor activities. A student-run organization called “ORP” is working hard to make sure students of all experience levels take advantage of everything the Pacific Northwest has to offer.
Established in 2012, the Outdoor Recreation Program creates fun and accessible opportunities for students to explore their surroundings. The ORP office, located on the first floor of the Student Union Building, rents sleeping bags, tents, paddle boards, volleyball nets, and other types of outdoor equipment to students at a low cost. The ORP staff also enjoy giving students recommendations for hikes or other fun things to do in the area.
ORP Coordinator Madalynn Stark summarizes the program’s mission. “Our role is just to help people get outside and excited to learn about [it], and then also give them the resources to experience it.”
Stark grew up a few hours from Seattle and remembers most outdoor activities in her family were more sports-related with less of a focus on hiking and camping. When she visited SPU, she was struck by the beauty of the campus and the Seattle area. Stark knew she needed to attend SPU.
Stark always loved science and the outdoors, which is why she began as an ecology major. After taking several classes and having conversations with professors, Stark eventually switched her major to focus on environmental justice.
Once she arrived, Stark began to go on various hikes with friends which led her to join ORP. “I met people that were like, ‘Oh, we’re going hiking, we’re so close to the Cascades, and we can drive over to the Olympics.’ And I was like, ‘Whoa, we can!,” recalls Stark. “I started exploring a lot more, and then I found out about this program and applied for this position.” She says she loves her job because “it got me really into the outdoors and exploring, and camping, and hiking, and all the things like that.”
In addition to gear rentals, ORP plans several outdoor activities every year and focuses on creating various opportunities for all students to participate, regardless of their level of experience.
A few of Stark’s favorite ORP adventures include a hike up Mount Defiance, located in the Cascade mountain range where the group enjoyed the chance to jump in the lake once they reached the summit. Another favorite trip was to Shi Shi Beach and Point of the Arches, both on the Pacific Ocean wilderness coast, where new friendships were made.
“Everyone was just in such a great mood the entire time. We left at 7 a.m. and got back at 10 p.m., and the whole time, people were happy,” said Stark. “We saw an octopus, and it was the most beautiful sunset, and I got way closer with a lot of people and met so many people.” She noted that many freshmen on that trip got to meet students in different majors and different classes.
ORP’s last few adventures in the spring included a kayaking trip at Shilshole Bay, which is only about five miles from campus, and a camping trip to Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands during Memorial Day weekend where the group went hiking, kayaking, and whale watching.
Stark considers the community aspect of ORP its best feature. “I feel like every hike I’ve gone on, you bond with the people that you’re with,” says Stark, “I’ll see people that I went on an adventure with on campus, and I still remember them and they remember me. It just really creates relationships, and that’s my favorite part.”
For more information about ORP and to stay up to date on their next adventure, follow their Instagram page @spu_storp.
