RecWell Stories
Eric Strickler
What was your role with Campus Recreation/Outdoor Adventures (Climbing Center, Bike Shop, Trips, etc) while at GVSU?
I was the Outdoor Adventure Center assistant/trip coordinator. To be honest I can't remember, but I worked with Kelly Johnson who established the Outdoor Adventures program in 2006 or so and helped with trip planning, advertising to students, and creating new programs.
How long were you employed with Outdoor Adventures?
A year maybe. I more just spent a ton of time at the climbing gym during college. I did use a lot of equipment from Outdoor Adventures for personal trips.
What do you remember most about your experience with Outdoor Adventures?
It provided me with the opportunity to get my friends out on adventures. I went out with 5 friends on a backpacking trip in the Ozarks of Arkansas and a 6 day canoeing trip in North Carolina on the Ronaoke River. I used equipment from Outdoor Adventures for all these adventures for my friends.
Did your experience with the Outdoor Adventures program prepared you or helped you for this?
Yeah, it helped me outfit the adventures I was taking a decade ago and learn the ropes of what was necessary and what was not when planning an expedition.
What made you decide to do this?
There's an allure that draws you to Lake Michigan, especially if you live close to it and see it in its different states that can change so often. Myself and Dan have always wanted to cross the Lake in some way. In college when I was the president of the Sea Kayaking club I tried to coordinate a kayak trip across the lake but it fell through when our chase boat bailed, though we did get a lot of training with our team that was going to take part in the paddle and we ended up raising ~5,000$ for a family services organization in the area. I guess I wanted to prove to myself I could cross the lake using human power and also wanted to get people aboard the wave of excitement it would create to raise some money to support projects that would improve the health of the waters around western MI and our great lakes.
What have you learned through this experience that you didn’t anticipate you would?
I don't like bacon trail mix as much as I thought. I love sharing these epic adventures with people because it forges lasting connections. When you share something that is a once in a lifetime adventure with people (especially our team) the amount of support you feel is incredible and palpable. I felt so loved and supported through our whole expedition by our team and everyone who was involved from our friends taking photos, to the folks I randomly met who agreed to pilot our chase boat, to the MLive meteorologist who advised us on our crossing window.
How did you get involved with Paddle Michigan?
I have worked for the winter sports complex in the past with Dan teaching x-country skiing and luge and helping groom ski trails and build the luge track. They brought me back this year as they had some additional money lying around, and there was momentum for a paddling program in town. I built it from Feb-May 2018 and started running programs May 2018-present
What would be your biggest piece of advice to student staff at Campus Recreation?
Jump into the opportunities that come your way for adventure! There are SOOOO many opportunities at GVSU...more than you'll likely ever have available to you with so much convenience. Don't waste your time watching Netflix and Snapchatting... go on a backpacking trip, a bike ride, or a climbing trip to Las Vegas!
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