You start at the Los Alamos Ice Rink. After a few hours of outdoor skating, the brisk air cooling your nose, you sip on hot cocoa and take a lunch break. Then, you pack up and take a scenic drive with the rest of the group to relax at Jemez Springs Bath House for a soak, or to socialize at Los Ojos pub.
Cristina Miller, a senior nutrition and dietetics major, participated in this Skate and Soak Getaway Adventure, among many others offered by the University.
“I had a Moose Drool Stout and green chile tamales, which made the whole trip seem like the best New Mexican day that ever existed,” she said. “Meanwhile, you see more stars than you do on Central, the air smells better, you feel better.”
UNM’s Getaway Adventures program offers off-campus outdoor and cultural trips for UNM students and faculty, as well as the community. Trip prices range from $20 to $300, depending on the activity; some trips are day trips, others are overnight, and some involve prior instruction, such as SCUBA diving at Blue Hole in Santa Rosa. Every trip price includes a guided tour and transportation.
Laura Montoya, who has been the Getaway Adventures program coordinator for 26 years, said the number of participants designated for each excursion varies depending on the activity.
“For cultural trips, I usually take about 20 (participants),” she said. “For rock climbing, I have to limit to nine so you get quality experience. For hiking, I like to keep those groups small because of environmental impact. For Balloon Fiesta, I have been able to take 100 students or more at a time.”
Roughly 65 Getaway Adventures are offered per year, depending on what is going on across the state. The trips are offered every weekend, and some on weekdays. Miller said she has already attended about 19 trips, including a visit to Ojo Caliente, a snowshoe hike in Red River and a trek through Alabaster Cave. This fall, she plans on attending the TWA Crash Site trip and the Bandelier/Tsakawi hikes.
Miller said she immediately signed up for two trips after hearing about Getaway Adventures at orientation.
“I thought it would be a good way to see things, places I might not otherwise,” she said. “I didn’t know anyone when I moved here, so it was also a way to meet people.”
She also feels that going on the trips with friends is different than going alone, because going alone pushes the participant to socialize with strangers, rather than keeping to themselves. She met one of her closest friends on one of the trips, she said.
“Getaway Adventures allows students to access the best parts of living in New Mexico,” Miller said. “For those of us that moved here from other parts of the U.S. or world, you get to learn and experience cultural traditions, the outdoors and the history in a way you wouldn’t on campus.”
She said she has learned fun facts and information not only from her tour guides, who are often students, but also from her fellow participants.
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Montoya said many who attend UNM may not be aware of what the surrounding area holds, and Getaway Adventures allows them to have a different experience than what they are accustomed to.
“Many students that are from abroad or transfer from another state benefit from seeing the sights of New Mexico and also meeting other students,” Montoya said. “Many New Mexican students are not aware of all that New Mexico has to offer culturally and all the outdoor opportunities until they find the program. Faculty and staff now have tuition remission benefit with my program.”
Miller encourages participants to ask questions and listen to everyone. She also suggests sitting in the back of the group van if participants are planning on sleeping on the way to or from the trip site.
“Somewhere right after we are going to arrive back to campus, the guide might throw in a little stop on the way back to town showing their secret tamale or taco spot or show you something you didn’t know about,” she said. “So don’t make plans for right after. Those are often the most exciting days.”
Montoya encourages participants to sign up early for trips in either Johnson Center at Recreational Services or online at recservices.unm.edu, as spots are limited.
Elizabeth Sanchez is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com.
