OAPI club open to all who want to have fun
and a little adventure
By Jon Gulliver
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Have you ever wanted to scale Mount Katahdin, or take to the sky on a zip-line course or even go spelunking with others who know what they are doing, then the Outdoor Adventure Program International club, or OAPI, may be worth checking out.
OAPI, at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, hosts a wide range of events throughout the year. These events range from day trips, overnight camping trips and summer camp for kids. The club is unique in that these events are available to students, faculty, staff, and even members of the community.
Dick Gardiner is the director of Gentile Hall at UMPI and in turn oversees the OAPI program. Kim McCrea is the manager of the group but is out on maternity leave.
“The program has been on campus for quite a while,” said Gardiner. “It was started by a recreation professor for just the students, but now the beauty of it is, community members are welcome to join in the trips and events as well.”
RIVER ADVENTURE 
— Amanda Baker, Nick Johnson, Connor Pillsbury and Jared Monahan prepare to canoe on the St. Croix River thanks to the OAPI club at the UMPI.
Gardiner said one of the most recent outings was a winter ascent of Mount Katahdin.
“That is one of our more popular events over the past few years,” he said. “Our white water rafting trip on the East Branch of the Penobscot at the beginning of the school year is probably the biggest trip attendance wise.”
But not every trip is that extreme. Gardiner said there are intermediate and beginner climbs as well, along with other more relaxed excursions, such as camping.
Amanda Trumenne is the president of UMPI’s chapter of OAPI. The senior recreation major from Mapleton said sometimes the word adventure scares a few people off, but it really shouldn’t.
“Don’t be afraid,” said Trumenne. “We are all really nice and we are not like crazy people who go caving or climbing every weekend. We are just normal people who like having fun and we love having new people come.”
Photo courtesy Amanda Trumenne
IN THE TREES 
— Lenny Cole, left, and Ethan Linders tackle the TreeGo High Ropes Course in New Brunswick. This was one of several trips organized by the Outdoor Adventure Program International club at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
Trumenne said the numbers of people who regularly take part are a little down, which she said is sad considering how fun and relatively inexpensive it is to participate. An upcoming kayak roll clinic at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 9 is free for UMPI students and $7 for non-students. On Saturday, May 12 the group is going to Acadia National Park to do some climbing at Otter Cliffs. The price for that adventure is $40 for students and $60 for non-students.
“I really like our members and we have a really good time,” she said. “I like the activities we do. I have been zip-lining twice and that was really fun.”
The OAPI club has also benefited recreation departments in the region.
“We do some things, particularly in the summer, where we lend our expertise and our students will take the kids out on the water, where we have the equipment and the rec department may not,” said Gardiner.
The club meets on the first and third Thursday of the month at Gentile Hall at 12:30 p.m. and all are welcome to share ideas, get excited about the outdoors and meet new people.
More information on OAPI can be found at www.umpi.edu/gentile-hall/oapi or visit the group’s Facebook page.
