These are required attendance for executive board members and open for general members to attend but not vote.  Email secretary@hooferouting.org to view the agenda and past meetings' minutes, in the future they will be accessible from the website.

Hey y'all,

Join us every Tuesday night for our general club meeting! These are free to the public, and we meet from 7 to around 7:30 pm in the Mendota Lodge. We will be discussing upcoming trips, telling stories of recent trips, and will have 10-minute fun time at the end of each meeting which will be anything from a mini lesson on knots to a bio on a groudnbreaking outdoor enthustiast. Our meetings are open to all who wish to be involved in the outdoors! See you there!

Come and chat with me in the Leader Lounge about questions, ideas, or concerns you have about the club. If you would like to schedule a meeting outside of these hours, email me at outingpresident@hoofers.org.

What: A weekend of backpacking in Shawnee National Forest, Illinois

https://youtu.be/EsmNT12nlFE?t=123 Looks awesome, right?

When: Friday, Oct. 25th through Sunday, Oct. 27th, 2019

How: Driving 7 hours from the Memorial Union to Shawnee NF

Who: 2 crews of 8 HOC Members (16 total). Per group: 2 leaders, 1 leader-in-training (LIT), 5 participants. 

What's included: Transportation, gas, meals on the trail, camping permits, good vibes

What's not included: Meals when not on Trail

Deposit Required: $50

If you are interested, fill out this (https://forms.gle/UmLCGyRNvA6kJLAn8)

Itinerary:

Fri. Oct 25: Leave MU and drive down to Shawnee NF, camp around Garden of the Gods

Sat. Oct 26: ~10 miles of hiking, camp at Indian Point

Sun. Oct 27: Early start to catch a panoramic sunrise from Indian Point, drive back to MU (hopefully arrive by 6PM)

Questions? Contact Joe Foye: ultimatefoye@gmail.com (414) 628-0538 or Jacob Ng: Jacobng6@gmail.com (414) 477-1257

Feel free to add your name to the waitlist and we'll be sure to send you more info later. 

We'll be meeting up at Mendota Lodge and running through the trails in the Arboretum to soak in all the fall colors! If you can drive a carpool, please let me know at jahill5@wisc.edu. If we are unable to find transportation to the Arboretum we'll venture out to Eagle Heights/Picnic point. We will run at a comfortable pace that is good for chatting and taking in the nature, and we will run for as long as is desired by the group.

Hey y'all,

Join us every Tuesday night for our general club meeting! These are free to the public, and we meet from 7 to around 7:30 pm in the Mendota Lodge. We will be discussing upcoming trips, telling stories of recent trips, and will have 10-minute fun time at the end of each meeting which will be anything from a mini lesson on knots to a bio on a groudnbreaking outdoor enthustiast. Our meetings are open to all who wish to be involved in the outdoors! See you there!

Come and chat with me in the Leader Lounge about questions, ideas, or concerns you have about the club. If you would like to schedule a meeting outside of these hours, email me at outingpresident@hoofers.org.

This is the waitlist event for the 11/3/19 Kayak Pool Session Event. Definitely sign up on the waitlist because people often drop out last minute. If space opens up on the official event, I will manually move you over to the official event and send you an email notifying you. Also in that notification email, I will ask you to pay the $11 for the event. Please be prompt in paying that! Thanks!

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to Jessica Lee (poolsessions@hooferouting.org or jrlee8@wisc.edu)

This is the INSTRUCTOR sign-up for the 11/3/19 kayak pool session at the UW Natatorium Pool. We’ll need leaders for kayak lake lessons and rolling lessons. Additionally, we would need someone (or two) to help administer the swim test for those who need it at the start of the pool session. We’ll have two lifeguards provided by the Nat who can probably help administer swim tests (confirming on that) When signing up, please indicate your preference to teach either kayak lake lesson, rolling lesson, swim test, or a combination.

We will be in the pool from 9:00am - 11:00am, so arrive at 8:00am to the Outdoor UW boathouse and plan to be available until 12:00pm at the latest to account for returning gear.

Thank you for your time, instructors! It is greatly appreciated :)

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to Jessica Lee (poolsessions@hooferouting.org or jrlee8@wisc.edu)

It’s pool session time! And at a location as close as the UW Natatorium?? Wow. Incredible. The Nat swimming pool is warm, clean, and a perfect place to kickstart your paddling journey and endeavors! During this off season, the pool is a great place to learn basic kayak skills and continue practicing your skills. If you want a kayak lake lesson, SK0, SK1, an intro to whitewater boats, learn how to roll, or just come hang out and paddle with us, sign up for this event! This event is open to any and all skill levels. You can also complete your swim test here!

This is the event sign up for PARTICIPANTS. If you are qualified and wish to be an instructor at this pool session, please sign up on the instructor event listing.

Sign-up and Payment: Sessions are $11 to cover the cost of the pool rental. You will be prompted to pay online when you sign-up. Otherwise, you may pay with cash/card in the Outdoor UW office, and they will manually add you to the event. If this event is full, sign up on the Kayak Pool Session - Waitlist event. If a space opens up, I’ll move you over to this event.

Clothing: Bring swimwear, towel, change of clothes, and nose plugs and goggles if you have them (handy when you are upside down). Avoid cotton clothes to your best ability (dri-fit stuff is your best bet). Also, full toe protection is advisable as this is what you would wear when you're paddling on rivers/lakes, but it's not mandatory.

Logistics: Meet at Memorial Union inside the Outdoor UW boathouse at 8:00am. We will then organize which boats/gear we are taking and carry them out to the cars. Once we have all the gear and people packed we will drive to the Nat pool. We will be let into the back door entrance between Dejope and the Nat (closest entrance to the pool) at 9am. The Nat has locker rooms where you can store your stuff and shower (please rinse off before entering the pool). The group is split into groups i.e. “Lake Lesson” “SK0” or “Rolling Lesson”. Some of the more experienced members may practice their skills in the pool on their own. Swim tests will occur at 9:05am (or as soon as possible). We have the pool reserved from 9-11am, so we will aim to start getting out of the water around 10:45am. We can have our boats on the tile next to the pool, but we must all be completely out of the water by 11am. Please plan to stay until 12pm to help packing up gear and getting it back to the boathouse.

I might end up opening the event up to more people if there is demand and we have enough leaders to help teach lessons.

If you have any questions or concerns at all, email Jessica Lee (poolsessions@hooferouting.org or jrlee8@wisc.edu)

Hey y'all,

Join us every Tuesday night for our general club meeting! These are free to the public, and we meet from 7 to around 7:30 pm in the Mendota Lodge. We will be discussing upcoming trips, telling stories of recent trips, and will have 10-minute fun time at the end of each meeting which will be anything from a mini lesson on knots to a bio on a groudnbreaking outdoor enthustiast. Our meetings are open to all who wish to be involved in the outdoors! See you there!

Following the weekly Outing Club meeting, we will hold a meeting of the Water Safety Board. We will be in the Mendota Lodge (same location as the general meeting). 

All Hoofer Outing Club members are allowed to attend this meeting. Only Outing Club members who hold boating leader ratings of at least WW2-OC, WW2, or SKL1 can vote at the meetings. 

At this meeting, we will address some revisions to the Water Safety Code, along with some leader nominations. 

Here is a Work-In-Progress agenda for the meeting: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZHCfxcuPeY-CmcxKKUAk9cWmVysbftE7r0IArxdJq8s/edit?usp=sharing 

No need to sign up; you can just show up. 

Come and chat with me in the Leader Lounge about questions, ideas, or concerns you have about the club. If you would like to schedule a meeting outside of these hours, email me at outingpresident@hoofers.org.

This is a placeholder for now but if you're in need of cheap gear and are an REI member this is the event for you! REI has some great deals on barely used gear that they save specifically for members and people avidly await these days to find some gems. Please email me at fahrens@wisc.edu if you have a car and are interested in going to this event so that we can open it up to people.

For more information about the event visit: https://www.rei.com/events/86150/members-only-garage-sale/255518

Sea Kayak - Learn & Journey Together on Lake Michigan - Sunday November 10

I am planning a one-day leader training day trip on Lake Michigan on Sunday November 10. Depending on conditions, this would be either a Sea Level 1 trip (including SK1 paddlers) or a Sea Level 2 trip (excluding SK1 paddlers).

Maximum group size would be 10 so that there is a high ratio of leaders to paddlers. 

Conditions:

*For a Sea Level 1 trip (including SK1 paddlers), we would be looking for conditions with no greater than 1-2 foot waves, and wind less than 10-12 miles per hour.

*For a Sea Level 2 trip (excluding SK1 paddlers), we would be looking for conditions with no greater than 3 foot waves, and wind less than 18 miles per hour.

The goal is two-fold.

(a) PADDLING EXPERIENCE: For a group of SK2 & SK2p paddlers (and a few skilled SK1 paddlers if conditions permit) to gain more experience paddling in waves on Lake Michigan.

(b) OPPORTUNITY FOR LEADER DEVELOPMENT & PROMOTION: For a few of our sea kayak leaders to develop paddling and leadership skills in assessing and managing a group. This trip also sets the stage for leadership training I will be planning for the next paddling season.

Tentative Float Plan (Weather Permitting): On land and within the protection of the South Shore Break Wall, we would start with simple skills assessment and review of skills and rescue practice for the group, a bit of navigation prior to and during the journey, lunch at our destination, and a few "spontaneous" rescue scenarios along the way.

Tentative Itinerary for the Day (We would load boat & gear the day or so before.)

A. Morning (Depart from Madison at 7:30am): Gather at South Shore Yacht Club. Launch onto the water around 10:00am. Focus on skills review/assessment, rescue practice, and basic navigation within the break wall at South Shore.

B. Mid-Morning: If weather permits, paddle approximately three miles north from South Shore Yacht Club to the Lake Shore State Park.

C. Mid-Day/Afternoon: We would eat lunch at Lake Shore State Park, then paddle approximately three miles back to South Shore to conclude our trip.

D. Late Afternoon/Evening: Debrief over dinner in Milwaukee before heading back to Madison. Return to the Memorial Union Boathouse by 8:00pm to unload boats.

Boats/Gear: Most of the needed boats and gear can be made available through the club. Wetsuits (club) with synthetic underlayers (your own), paddling jacket (club), helmet (club), and other essential club paddling gear of pfd, paddle, spray skirt are required.

Personal Gear: Synthetic under-layers (no cotton), paddling gloves/pogies, thermal or wool stocking cap. Warm synthetic layers to change into.

Water/Lunch/Snacks: 1-2 liters of water, full lunch in a dry bag, snacks for along the way.

Let's journey together on one of our home-state Great Lakes!

Hey y'all,

Join us every Tuesday night for our general club meeting! These are free to the public, and we meet from 7 to around 7:30 pm in the Mendota Lodge. We will be discussing upcoming trips, telling stories of recent trips, and will have 10-minute fun time at the end of each meeting which will be anything from a mini lesson on knots to a bio on a groudnbreaking outdoor enthustiast. Our meetings are open to all who wish to be involved in the outdoors! See you there!

Come and chat with me in the Leader Lounge about questions, ideas, or concerns you have about the club. If you would like to schedule a meeting outside of these hours, email me at outingpresident@hoofers.org.