With nice weather just around the corner, the Outdoor Enthusiasts Club is gearing up for what they hope will be an exciting season.

The club was created in the fall of 2012 and got off to what its founder, senior Laura Williams, describes as a “slow start.”

“We had a cookout and went on two hikes in New Hampshire at the Presidential Mountains,” Williams said.

This season Williams plans to establish the club more concretely.

“We are trying to make the club more consistent, providing planned weekly activities and weekend trips. Ideally, we really want to get a group of people going locally or to New England heights every weekend or every other weekend doing outdoor activities,” Williams said.

A whitewater rafting trip in Maine is already planned for the summer, and the club is looking to attract more participants.

“We plan to do the Kennebec River. It’s $99 a person, which includes two nights of logging, wetsuit rental, and lunch on the river. If we can get a group of 10-12 people, the company will give us the cabin. It’s a really good deal and if people start saving now, it’s totally possible,” Williams said.

There are also plans for a camping trip in Western MA., though the details are still being figured out with talks of a potential snowshoeing trip.

“The use of group discounts and student rates make everything affordable,” Williams said.

Williams has also set up a deal with Metro Rock, an indoor rock climbing facility in Everett, MA.

“Together we’ve established a discounted student membership. For three months, it’s $160, which is a little pricey, but it’s the best deal that the Boston area has to offer. Thus far, we’ve had only one person commit, so we are trying to get the word out there,” Williams said.

As an environmental science major, Williams knows the benefits of being outdoors.

“I had a professor tell us last semester that studies have proven that spending time outside is more beneficial for reducing stress and anxiety than any prescription medications. As college students, it’s important for us to unwind, and this is a great way to do it,” Williams said.

Williams is an avid nature-lover and sees Boston’s location as ideal for accessing outdoor adventures.

“Boston is reasonably close to New Hampshire, Maine, and there’s even Western Massachusetts. All these places have great hiking trails, and although the club is not sponsored by the university, if we all pitch in for gas, it’s so cheap,” Williams said.

Williams wants the club to evolve into something larger in the future and is taking steps to achieve that goal.

“I’ve gotten in touch with the president of the outdoor club at Northeastern University – which has been around for like 50 years – and she told me she just went to a meeting recently at Tufts, and there’s a whole bunch of Boston colleges that are trying to get the clubs connected, and make a network,” Williams said.

There is a Facebook group for the Outdoor Enthusiasts Club. You can join the Outdoor Enthusiasts Club by going on the SA groups website (http://umb.collegiatelink.net/) or by contacting Laura Williams via email at [email protected].

“At a school like UMass Boston, where a lot of people just go to class and leave, this is a great opportunity to bond with your fellow classmates in a laid-back setting,” Williams said.