It had been raining all day, but that didn’t stop members of NUHOC — the Northeastern University Huskiers and Outing Club — from a day of climbing and an evening braving the elements. At least they didn’t have to travel far: rather than venturing out of the city, they camped out right on Centennial Common.
“It doesn’t matter the weather, we’ll do something outdoors,” said Sean McIntire, the club’s vice president of trips.
The occasion was NUHOC’s annual Camping on the Quad event, held last Thursday. The club brought a 23-foot climbing wall to campus for the afternoon and set up tents on Centennial Common for any Northeastern student to spend the night.
While only a few outside the club left the comfy confines of their dorms or apartments to camp out, the day proved an excellent opportunity to promote the organization, which runs regular trips to various outdoor locations including ski resorts and Northeastern’s own lodge, built in 1971 in the White Mountains by members of the club.
The climbing wall certainly caught students off guard, drawing interest from unsuspecting passersby on their way to or from class on a gray Boston afternoon.
“We see them stop and hesitate, so we’re like, ‘You want to climb the wall, don’t you?’ And unless they absolutely had to get to class, a lot of people did,” said Erica Schlatter, NUHOC’s president.
Along with safety instructions, the group provided climbing shoes for those students wearing rain boots or dress shoes.
“We’re getting to talk to a lot of people about what we do, and we’re finding people are really interested in getting out and going hiking or skiing — just getting out and having fun,” Schlatter said. “Even if they don’t have time to climb because they’re on their way to class, we’re getting to talk to a lot of people who seem really interested.”
NUHOC meetings are held at 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday in 200 Richards Hall. Trips out of Boston are held on a weekly basis.
Students ascend a climbing wall in Centennial Common during NUHOC's "Camping on the Quad" event last Thursday.
