This year, spring break trips sponsored by Whitman offer a twist on the classic, bikini-clad Cancún vacation. The Outdoor Program and the Center for Community Service have planned trips for students who want to get away from campus, learn something new and have fun in the process. All trips are organized and led by Whitman students.

The Outdoor Program will offer two trips this year. The first option is a sea kayaking excursion to Baja, Mexico, led by ’09 alumna Kate Ceronsky and OP Assistant Director Salmon Norgaard-Stroich. The students plan to fly to La Paz, Mexico, rent kayaks and kayak to the remote Isla San José. There they can spend the days paddling and swimming, and the nights fishing and relaxing.

This year’s program is unique, Ceronsky said, because it offers students the opportunity to focus on kayak leadership skills and learn about the conservation issues of Baja. The trip will cost from $1100-$1200 per kayaker, including airfare, kayak rentals and food: relatively cheap, said Ceronsky, compared to similar commercial trips. Students can sign up in the OP Rental Shop in the basement of Reid Campus Center until the trip is filled, and no prior kayak experience is required.

The second Outdoor Program group is headed to the warmth of Southern California’s Death Valley National Park for 10 days of hiking, camping and hot springs. Senior Lilly Dethier and ’09 alumnus Ranger Sciacca chose the location for its natural beauty, location and predictable weather: usually in the 70s this time of year, said Dethier. Hikers will have the chance to cook trail food, stargaze and admire the wildflowers that bloom in March. Students of all experience levels can sign up at the OP Rental Shop until the remaining spots are filled.

The Center for Community Service has designed and planned service-oriented trips for spring break. This is the first year that the Center has organized its own excursions. Junior intern Kelsie Butts spent the fall semester researching organizations, building contacts and organizing logistics for each of the four trips planned for this March.

The students will mainly stay within the Pacific Northwest, with the exception of one group heading to New Orleans. Each group will work with local nonprofits to learn about an issue affecting their area and participate in service projects, including community building in Issaquah, sustainable building in Portland, homelessness in Seattle and disaster relief in New Orleans. Butts said that each trip will include awareness, as well as service.

“Service is important, but the trips will also focus on reflection and education. We want to teach students to take what they’re learning and bring it back to campus,” said Butts.

Although spots for these trips have already been filled, students still have the opportunity to research and plan their own service-oriented trips.