For the second year in a row, East Tennessee State University (ETSU) has been voted the Top Adventure College by Blue Ridge Outdoors’ readers, and for good reason. ETSU is located in the Appalachian highlands, an outdoor lover’s paradise close to Boone Lake, Worley Cave, Cherokee National Forest, and Roan Mountain State Park, and school officials are dedicated to providing adventure opportunities for all students.
“In the late 1990s, the director of campus recreation John Walker had the vision that ETSU with its ideal location in the Appalachian Mountains could have a premier Outdoor Adventure Program in collegiate recreation,” says Kari Osborne Albarado, the school’s current director of campus recreation.
From there the vision was passed onto Dave Mueller who “lead the Outdoor Adventure Program and much of what we see today is a result of the dedication of Mueller,” according to Albarado.
Throughout the 2000s, ETSU’s Outdoor Adventure Program grew with the addition of the Basler Center for Physical Activity and a climbing wall, along with easily accessible gear rental, Buc Bikes, and the Basler Challenge Course. More recently, the school has added new programming with a grant from the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency to introduce fly fishing to students.
As the Outdoor Adventure Program has grown, ETSU staff focus on using it to help students develop during their college years. “We see outdoor programming as having a positive impact on the student’s sense of self, confidence, and problem-solving skills,” Albarado says. “The ability to make time for recreation and physical activity is an important component to the overall well-being of the student.”
Recent graduate Madalyn Herrmann confirms this, saying “Having access to free gear made it possible for me to get out of my apartment on the weekends and enjoy what the Appalachian Mountains have to offer. This kept me from being cooped up increasing my chances of becoming depressed.”
Through ETSU Madayln wasn’t just able to get outdoors during college, she was also able to find a career path that aligned with her love of the wild. “I grew up loving the outdoors but never knew there was a major that could give me the opportunity to work outdoors until I got to ETSU. I was not happy with my first choice and I’m so glad I was able to find a major that matched my passion,” Herrmann shares.
Now Hermann works with Wild South, a nonprofit that aims to preserve wild lands.
Xavier Hurley, a current student at ETSU, credits the university’s Outdoor Adventure Program with developing his love for the outdoors. During his time at ETSU, Hurley has found his favorite hobby, rock climbing, and has been provided with ways to keep both physically and mentally healthy throughout his undergraduate years.
“For me, the Outdoor Adventure program contributed heavily to the upkeep and improvement of both physical and mental health,” says Hurley, who’s also picked up whitewater paddling and backpacking through the program. Through introducing me to brand new outdoor hobbies, I now have fun physically challenging activities to enjoy both on my own and alongside Outdoor Adventure. Without Outdoor Adventure, I would have never learned how to do any of these things and missed out on amazing experiences that I will remember as some of my best memories in college.”
Both Herrmann and Hurley emphasize how the Outdoor Adventure Program doesn’t require students to have prior wilderness knowledge and experience.
Hurley says, “Outdoor Adventure can provide outdoor experiences to both students who have not had the chance to experience the outdoors on their own and students who already have outdoor knowledge, as the location of the university lends itself greatly to most outdoor activities.”
Herrmann supports this, adding “Anyone can go outdoors and enjoy them. Even if you don’t know what you’ll enjoy ETSU has many opportunities including workshops, hiking trips, and group outdoor activities so you can try out different activities that you might have never had the chance to do for free.”
This kind of inclusion creates love for the outdoors across the student body while cultivating relationships that transcend typical college cliques through trips into the wild that unite a diverse group of students through shared outdoor experiences.
“I see it as being a unique experience of bringing students from different backgrounds together to share a common experience in which they will experience challenges as a group,” Albarado adds. “Most trips are around 10-12 students and are led by student trip leaders. Spending a weekend camping, going whitewater rafting, or canoeing with other students is a bonding experience for the group that attends—many of which do not know each other before leaving campus. You see friendships develop as a result of these shared experiences.”
Blue Ridge Outdoors’ annual Top Adventure College contest places 32 colleges and universities against each other in a bracket-style competition. This year, more than 7,000 votes were cast by readers. East Tennessee State University took the first-place title based on academic curricula, outdoor programming, eco-friendly initiatives, and access to adventure. The runner-up was Appalachian State University, and the contest was sponsored by Bridgedale.
Cover photo: Photo courtesy of East Tennessee State University
