It was nearly an hour before sunrise when Alex Randall ’25 and Colton Cushman ’25 helped Mr. Bob Emery load their climbing gear into Emery’s minivan. It was three hours after sunset when they returned to campus. The three climbed Wallface, the largest backcountry cliff in the East. Their 15-hour day included a 12-mile hike, seven pitches of rock climbing, and 4 rappels. It was an epic day. For NOC, the Northwood Outing Club, such days are becoming more and more common.
Randall and Cushman are dedicated members of NOC. According to Northwood’s website, NOC is a co-curricular program “designed for aspiring outdoor enthusiasts to build a lifelong passion for adventure sports while utilizing world-class venues and unique assets within the Adirondack Park, North America, and internationally. Students will develop soft and hard skills, environmental stewardship, risk management procedures, and leadership skills while working closely and collaborating with faculty, staff, and professional guides.”
Mr. Bobby O’Connor heads the Northwood Outing Club. He and Mr. Bob Emery are the faculty leaders of NOC. O’Connor says Northwood students have something special in NOC. “There are few programs at the high school level that are as immersive in adventure sports as NOC,” O’Connor said. “What really makes the program successful is its unique location within the Adirondack Park. Students are lucky enough to be able to perform these adventure sports at world-class venues, just minutes from campus,” O’Connor added.
According to Northwood’s website, “Several outdoor recreation activities within the disciplines of climbing, paddling, backcountry, and front country skiing, backpacking, wilderness navigation, and outdoor living skills are available under the NOC co-curricular.” NOC has also led climbing trips to Red Rocks in Nevada, avalanche training in Utah, and a guided ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the largest summit in Africa.
One of NOC’s newest offerings is fly fishing with Mr. Aaron Garvey. Mr. Garvey takes students fly fishing almost throughout the Adirondacks and is hosting a LEAP trip this year called Fly fishing in the Adirondacks.
O’Connor and Emery put in place many safety measures to ensure students are safe while exploring the Adirondacks. These skills can translate to any part of your life, whether it’s patience with rock climbing, or learning survival skills for camping. Randall is a student leader of NOC and is a mentor to all students who need help in NOC.
NOC activities are generally inexpensive unless the student decides that they want to become an independent rock climber and wants to buy their own gear. Regardless, Northwood will provide participants with all the gear necessary. Weekly climbs are within an hour’s drive, and there are about 12 different climbing locations with a diverse range of routes within an hour’s drive.