The Environment and Natural Resources Wilderness Festival concluded its final event at the Platte River Wilderness in Saratoga Saturday. Eighteen university students with a background in several different majors bonded over a fire, fajitas and a full moon.
The students engaged in a group hike up the Platte River, when half way through, snow and ice turned the casual hike into a slip-and-slide adventure. “Turns out Chacos were not the proper hiking attire,” Mariah Strike, Vice President of the ENR club said after breaking a toe.
The Platte River Wilderness, a popular white-water rafting destination, is located approximately an hour and a half southwest of Laramie. The U.S. Congress designated the Platte River Wilderness in 1984, and it now encompasses a total of 23,492 acres. Wyoming contains 22,749 acres and shares 743 acres with Colorado.
“Actually getting out to the wilderness can be a bit intimidating without experience or equipment,” Jackson Clarendon, ENR president said. “We were able to bring 18 people and a dog into the wilderness, some of whom had never been, at no cost to the individuals. We need more opportunities for people to get that initial low-cost and low-risk experience, as that’s when folks begin to care.”
Most leadership positions for the Environment and Natural Resources Club will open up Fall 2015, and in order to provide opportunities like these to the university, it is critical to fill these positions. Contact Jackson Clarendon at jclarend@uwyo.edu for more information.
