Eight Washington and Lee students embarked on a 50-mile backpacking trip to Joshua Tree National Park over Washington Break. Outing Club fellows Megan Mokriski and Jacob Teer organized and led the trip, using money paid by students and additional funding from the Outing Club.
“The trip was amazing. I’ve never been able to leave the East Coast, so it was amazing that I got to do this through W&L,” said Meaghan Endres, ’26. “Totally worth the 10 blisters I got.”
The trip cost $575 per student, according to Mokriski. It included a round-trip flight, food and camping supplies. Mokriski and Teer planned the logistics, utilizing an additional $2,000 of funding from the outing club.
The trip was popular. Most students waited in line for over two hours to get on the list, Endres said. Students had to have previous backpacking experience, since the trip entailed hiking over 10 miles a day.
Mokriski said she and Teer started planning the trip in September.
“I really wanted to run a trip that would challenge people and let people do something they couldn’t do normally during the year,” she said. “I wanted to do a backpacking trip, because I think those are a great way to, like, get away, take a break, but also keep pushing yourself.”
“Having the opportunity to backpack in Joshua Tree National Park was an amazing experience that I recommend for everyone,” Alexis Teter, ’27, said in an email to the Phi. “The Outing Club always seems to bring together the best group of people that are fun, adventurous, and kind, who make OC trips so memorable.”
“We were able to sleep under the stars for a couple of nights, like we didn’t even need to get in our tents. You could just camp out on the sand, which I thought was really special,” Mokriski said.
Korbin Williams, ’29, lived in New Mexico before coming to Washington and Lee and said the trip lived up to his expectations.
“I thought it would be nice to see the Southwest again and feel its warmer weather,” he said. “I came back with a good tan, a refreshed mind and a ton of amazing memories.”
“It truly made me realize that these seemingly difficult adventures are so easy when you have like-minded and passionate people around you that help make the memories so timeless,” Williams said.
Last year, the Outing Club went to the Everglades over Washington Break. Mokriski said she has already started planning a three-day beginner backpacking trip to Dolly Sods Wilderness, West Virginia, for spring break.
