By Kendrick Brown
Despite its name, the Terrapin Trail Club is not just for hiking but for many outdoor activities, including backpacking, camping, climbing, caving, biking, kayaking, bog enjoying and many others.
Every event for the club is open to all skill levels, with each event ranked in difficulty depending on the amount of effort expected of the participants.
Trips such as the Wawa walk in Washington, D.C., on March 29, where participants will walk between two Wawas and see the cherry blossoms, are considered beginner-level trips. Others, like the upcoming Four State Challenge, which features hiking between West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania in under 24 hours, are considered particularly strenuous.
Trips like these and many others are just part of a long history, according to club president and junior computer science major Kyle Bacon. Eleanor Cooley founded the club in 1937, making the Terrapin Trail Club the oldest active club on campus, according to Bacon. Club members gather to bond and plan these events in the Parren J. Mitchell Art-Sociology Building.
The current club visits many of the same locations that its predecessors did almost 100 years ago. In his former role as historian, Bacon was enamored by how the love and appreciation for all these places have persisted despite how many decades have passed since the club’s founding.
“Many of the locations that club members went to then remain the same to this day. I think this is super cool because it highlights how, even though the world has changed a whole lot since 1937, the beauty of nature has remained unchanged and unwavering,” Bacon said.
Past members also participate in events today.
Miles Drake, who attended the March 23 meeting, joined the club in 1976 despite taking no more than 12 credits at UMD.
Members of the Potomac Speleological Club, many of whom were part of the Terrapin Trail Club as cavers, pointed Drake to the club. Drake, a veteran cave explorer himself, said that joining the club expanded his horizons beyond just caving, where he learned a variety of new skills.
“I learned how to paddle in this club in a canoe,” Drake said. “It was really the first experience for that. I’ve always done backpacking, but I learned a lot back in those days from the people that were here.”
Drake also found a new sense of community by joining the club, making lifelong friends — and even meeting his wife.
“It was a family unit; we all knew each other,” Drake said. “Even to this day, every year about 40 of us my age get together for Thanksgiving dinner.”
Current members, especially international and transfer students, share an experience of finding belonging while trying new things, according to Vianne Hughes, the club’s gear manager and junior psychology and nutrition and food science major.
Many of these foreign students have the opportunity to explore the country beyond College Park by being part of the club, where they form connections and have experiences that will last a lifetime.
“Spending time in nature and disconnecting from the stress of campus life helps members make lifelong friendships, try new things, and get a mental health boost,” Hughes said.
Featured Image: Paint Branch Trail on Nov. 11, 2024. Photo by Miller Rogers-Tetrick.