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James River

Wilderness Orientation Program

Meet Some Great People in the Great Outdoors of Virginia

Before you begin your official Hollins adventure, have an outdoor adventure with HOP, the Hollins Outdoor Program.

Led by HOP director Jon Guy Owens and experienced Hollins students, the five-day wilderness orientation program will take you scaling the high ropes course at Camp Roanoke and canoeing down the James River. You’ll even get to run the rapids of Balcony Falls. You’ll also receive instruction in basic outdoor living skills.

Best of all, you’ll meet other students who just might turn out to be some of your best Hollins friends.

Interested? Act fast. Space is limited to the first 10 students who register and pay.

Who

Any student interested in outdoor adventure, whether she’s a beginning or seasoned outdoorswoman

When

August 24-28, 2013

Cost

$250, which includes travel, food, and T-shirt

What to bring

See packing list below. Hollins provides technical and camping gear.

Schedule

Saturday, August 24: Check in

  • Check in, move into dorm room, confirm payment
  • Team-building activities
  • Pack food and gear

Sunday, August 25: Camp Roanoke

  • High ropes course
  • Instruction in stove operation and tent setup
  • Camp that night at Camp Roanoke

Monday, August 26: James River

  • Buchanan to Arcadia Island
  • Instruction in packing a canoe, river safety, canoe strokes, reading white water

Tuesday, August 27: Arcadia Island to Alpine

  • Practice with eddy turns

Wednesday, August 28: Alpine to Snowden

  • Run the rapids of Balcony Falls
  • Return to campus

What to pack

The Hollins Outdoor Program will provide all technical gear for the river and camping. If you have any of your own gear that you would like to use, please contact HOP director Jon Guy Owens: (540) 362-6456 or jowens@hollins.edu.

Clothing to bring for the river:

  • Board shorts
  • Light top
  • Bathing suit
  • Sun hat

Clothing to bring for camp:

  • Rain jacket (rain pants are great but optional for this trip)
  • 2-3 pairs of shorts
  • 3-4 t-shirts
  • 4- 5 pairs of underwear
  • 4-5 pairs of socks
  • 1 pair of lightweight pants
  • Fleece jacket or top
  • Long underwear bottoms
  • River shoes (old sneakers are fine)
  • Camp shoes (no flip flips)

Items to bring for camp

  • Flashlight or headlamp
  • Insulated mug
  • 2 1-liter water bottles
  • Sunglasses
  • Small daypack
  • Personal medications
  • Toiletries
  • Baby wipes
  • Contact lens solution
  • Camera (waterproof or with appropriate storage)
  • Journal (optional)
  • Sunscreen
  • Bug repellant

How to register

Open the pdf of the brochure, fill out the registration form, and return it with payment to the address indicated. Registration deadline: July 10, 2013.

Trip leaders

Jon Guy Owens

Jon Guy Owens has directed HOP since 2001. He was born and raised in the Great Smoky Mountains near Cherokee, North Carolina, and got his start in adventure recreation as a river guide on the Nantahala River in North Carolina, while earning his undergraduate degree in therapeutic recreation. He is certified as: instructor/trainer from the Wilderness Education Association; wilderness first responder; and single pitch instructor from the American Mountain Guiding Association. He lives on campus with his wife, Anna Copplestone ’06, and son, Henry.

Devon Dovgan Devon Dovgan '16 is a sociology major and gender and women's studies minor. She is from Merritt Island, Florida. Before attending Hollins, she took took a gap-year and worked in an inner city school in Miami through City Year. She went on the wilderness orientation trip as a first-year student and subsequently joined the downriver racing team. She lives on HOP Hall and spends a lot of weekends outdoors with HOP.
Sam Hopkins Sam Hopkins '16 is from Ashland, Virginia and plans to major in international studies with a double minor in psychology and communications. A relative newcomer to the outdoors, her favorite outdoor activities so far are rock climbing and paddling. Sam is working toward furthering her leadership skills through the Batten Leadership Institute and as an aspiring trip leader for HOP. She is also a founding member of the Women of Hollins Outdoor Athletes club (WHOA) and races on the downriver racing team.

For more information:

Jon Guy Owens, Director
Hollins Outdoor Program
jowens@hollins.edu
(540) 362-6456