University of California Berkeley - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Berkeley, CA)

Page 124 text:

Addict of Nature BY LEO KIM ERIC WONG Experienced ellnibers Mallhew Church and Zachary Tourville descend from Mount Whitney ' s Leaning Tower. n a clear Thursday in July, eleven members of Cal Hiking and Outdoor Society climbed a snow- capped Mount Whitney. Bitter cold and tired, they found excitement in the challenges nature had to offer, the location ' s abundant sunshine, and the ladybugs that covered their cups and sleeping bags. They also enjoyed the mischief of their companions, whose antics included doing hand- stands on mountain peaks and drinking whiskey mixed with Jello crystals. The six-day trip ended on Sunday, and they returned to Berkeley refreshed. Nearing its 50th anniver- sary as a cam- pus student organization, the Cal Hik- ing and Out- door Society, Berkeley ' s in- formal out- door recre- ation club, continues to pursue adventure and amusement in the wilderness in the form of rock climbing, back- packing, biking, and skiing. Being an informal club distinguishes CHAOS from other campus adventure groups, as members can organize their own trips and go anywhere, even as fir as Utah and Mexico. Jenn Dieges, a campus employee working at the Survey Research Center, occasionally plans trips to Point Reyes v ith her fellow friends in CHAOS. Being able to plan a trip and lead it gives her a sense of responsibility and leadership that an informal group can provide. I have been responsible for the gear that we lend out, and I have taken Wilderness First Aid and CPR courses so that I might be better prepared to lead and organize trips. That iorced me to learn a lot about everything, including outdoor gear, map-read- ing skills, the permit system of the various parks, and organizing people with different [hiking] skills, said Dieges. Organizing a trip can be as easy as announcing that we want to go on a day hike to Point Reyes and are looking for other interested walkers. It can also be as complicated as making sure of the experience levels of the people who want to come on the more difficult trips and what equipment they have, with the possibility of bringing a car. As a student club that also explores the Bay Area, CHAOS is able to attract many foreign students from campus to participate in its activities. Having many foreign students in their organization brings a dynamic, multicultural element to its informality. Many of our members are international students and others who have arrived in the Bay Area. For this reason, they know few people and want to meet people to do trips with, and they tend to be involved in the club for the duration of their stay. For ex- ample, exchange students v ho have been involved in outdoors activities in their home countries often join for their years in Berkeley. These people often leave, which makes us sad, but there have been CHAOS trips in Sweden, Germany, South America, and Peru and so past members can stay in touch with each other, said Madeleine Schultz, a third- year graduate majoring in chemistry. Because members of CHAOS share such an avid interest in the wilderness with each other, they feel free to be creative in their planning. Each year, for the past ten years, the group has held what it calls the Gourmet Trip. It is the one trip where all the members are free to bring personal luxury items along, like microwaves, guitars, and formal clothing to the beach. Last year, 40 people attended the trip at Point Reyes, dancing to Irish music and eating quail ' s eggs, salmon, and ice cream. Traditionally, members each year try to outdo the previous Gourmet Trip. This year, members set up a portable hot tub, which was built from a stove heated by a car radiator. This was a small challenge as many CHAOS members are engineers. Members enjoyed a view of the sunset while in the warm, bubbling water of the portable hot tub on the beach. As CHAOS continues to grow as a student orga- nization and explore new places for adventure, mem- bers (ind the greatest satisfaction in knowing each other and making friends, even going to clubs and movies together However, the commonality they share will sti ll always be their lo ' c of nature. Dieges said, I have been glad to have the oppor- tunity to lead beginner and all-women trips through CHAOS. I find nothing more rewarding than intro- ducing the outdoors to other people, showing them how easy it is to do arious activities such as rock climbing or backpacking and getting them as ad- dicted to nature as I am 120

Page 123 text:

ORGANIZATIONS Active Intellect encourages un- dergraduate re- search and writ- ing, providing both a peer com- mittee for the evaluation of pa- pers and the op- portunity to pub- lish, and also seeks to Increase interest m gradu- ate research. ■ Linda Charmaraman, La Verne Sheu, Alice Chuang, Meilin Chan American Nuclear Society American Nuclear Society guides students interested in the nuclear technol- ogy field into professional ca- reers. ■ First Helen .Vayntrub, Jim Hawreliak, Ken Wong, Jc hn Mitchell, Darren Bleuel, Chris Bauman, Alex Hui, Prof. Jasmina Vujic Second Changhan Yun, Olubukola Afolayan-Jyeloye, Nathan Stone, Austin Kuhn, Chad Cole, Luca Gratton, Dave Hutchinson 119

Page 125 text:

On July 2nd, Suzanne L,ppen. John Bussell. and Chris Jain hike do n .he Moun,a,nee. .ou,e on Moun, Wh.ne.v a.wlrcht