To Quest or not to quest?

 It was October 23rd, on a cool and cloudy Friday afternoon.  Matthew Stuck, a freshman student here at Bloomsburg University, set off determined and hunched over from the hefty backpack strapped onto his body. His destination was Loyalsock, and he seemed to be quite ready for the weekend journey that most of us would normally find especially arduous. Stuck, was off for a weekend in the wilderness where he and others would hike for three days and camp out for two nights. "It was fun, but a little uncomfortable. We slept in tents, and made our fires with flint and steel kits," stated Matt in a brief interview.

   The backpacking trip in Loyalsock was not the only Quest Outdoor Adventure Stuck had been on, he'd been rocking climbing in Danville, rafting and kayaking on the Lehigh River, and hiking in Rickets Glen. Matt later joked a bit, saying, "I ate rice, cheese, and pepperoni, maaan that pepperoni was good. Oh, and we saw a bear. But don't worry, he was off in the distance, across a field, kinda small, nobody was eaten."

   If you enjoy the outdoors like Matthew Stuck, then perhaps Quest is something you should invest your time in. There are some who haven't heard of the Quest program, but it has been around BU for quite a while. Steve Breset headed the program in 1981, and was fundamentally responsible for finding a full-time director for it and a permanent spot in Student Life. Quest is a Leadership Development program at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, and provides a variety of activities to engage the student body. These activities include both a static and dynamic high ropes course, a low ropes course, climbing tower, a fully portable array of games and initiatives, and workshop modules including leadership, communication and conflict resolution.

   Brett Simpson, executive director of Quest, is new to the position. Although being the recently appointed executive, he's been an associate director here at BU since 2001. With 8 years under his belt at the university, he also has 15 in experimental education. His background is not limited to the United States alone, but includes Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, and Ethiopia. Simpson has a Master's degree in education, and also works a photographer. It would seem that Bloomsburg University is lucky to have such an experienced individual at the helm of such an innovational program.

   The Quest program is a rich experience for anyone who isn't afraid of exerting themselves and taking in what the outdoors has to offer. For those who are interested in joining, the Quest office is located on the ground floor of Simon Hall, formerly a locker room, it's the building located down the hill behind Columbia Hall. While the semester is more than half over, Quest still has a Climbing Festival (Nov. 14-15), another Loyalsock Backpacking trip (Nov. 21-25), a Wilderness First Aid event (Dec. 5-6), and a Rickets Glen Winter Hike (Dec. 6) that seem like they would be fun to attend.

   The trips that Quest go on may seem intimidating, but fear not, most of them do not require any previous training, and equipment is almost always provided for you. All courses require pre-registration either in person, or by mail, phone, or the website. To visit their website, go to www.buquest.org, or to contact them by phone, dial (570).389.4323.