Andrew McDonald

Andrew McDonald has a Masters in Outdoor Recreation from ESF. Andrew is an adjunct professor here at Paul Smith’s College teaching Adventure Education. Andrew is also involved with The Paul Smith's College Outing Program check it ou!.

Adventure Opportunities in the Adirondacks and Beyond

The Name: Let’s put to rest any confusion; The Paul Smith’s College Outing Program is bigger than just the PSC Outing Club! Traditionally, the Outing Club here at PSC (as at most colleges), has been run by a small group of students and faculty interested in getting outside and pursuing outdoor adventures. Trips taken by the Outing Club have included experiences in skiing, rock climbing, canoeing, white-water rafting, backpacking and so forth. Making such outdoor recreation opportunities available to the PSC community remains our primary function in The Outing Program; however, we have now expanded our mission to offer more educational, cultural, and sustainable-tourism experiences, in addition to our purely outdoor endeavors.

The People: Two full-time PSC employees are the general go-to Outing Program people: Kirsten Domas and Andrew McDonald. Our e-mails are the best way to get ahold of us, and are listed below. In addition to faculty, we are very proud to have a group of 12 student leaders as our guides and rides! Erik, Brian, Chris, Izzy, Colleen, Sam, Paige, Cody, Val, Hyla, Tyler, and Todd are experienced expedition leaders who hold WFR (Wilderness First Responder), lifeguard, and van driving certifications. Each of our student leaders brings a unique set of skills to the team. Between our leaders, we have years of education, through the PSC Recreation Major, National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Boy Scouts of America, Outward Bound, and other well renowned adventure-based institutions. In addition to providing first hand “hard skills” advice, it is our leaders’ goal to facilitate safe, fun, and memorable adventures, which are open to all students of all experience levels. Wherever we go, we go as a team!

The Trips: So far, this semester, we have gotten out on some pretty rad trips. In the last five weeks, we have visited Burlington, VT, offering students a chance to shop at the legendary Outdoor Gear Exchange, and explore downtown Burlington; checked out the apple orchards of Peru, NY for some fall-seasonal apple picking fun; led a guided tour of the Adirondack Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC); and we’ve done some epic mountain climbing up the mighty Sawteeth and Ampersand Peaks! Don’t feel bad if you’ve missed out so far. The best is still to come! Our upcoming trips include: horseback riding; a wild and scenic canoeing/camping overnight on Cranberry Lake; more mountain madness in The High Peaks; a trip to New York City, a trip to The Wild Center, and more! There is no obligation to participate in all of the trips. You can join us for one, or for all of them. Note: some trips include costs not covered by PSC, although usually we get a significantly discounted rate.

How do you get involved? Well for one thing, check your e-mail, silly! We have been advertising via e-mail as well as on our state-of-the-art Facebook page: PSC Outing Program, where trip info, leader bios, and sweet pictures from our various trips can be found. Also, our tentative schedule of events can be found hanging throughout the campus, and on little pocket-sized cards that you can trade with your friends. You will also see us representing at campus-wide events, so don’t be shy, we love to talk to new people. Get with the program and join us sometime!

Questions? Contact:

Kirsten Domas: kdomas@paulsmiths.edu

Andrew McDonald: amcdonald2@paulsmiths.edu

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PSC Outing Program

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