Group savors nature
Former Butler resident Bob Tait had a simple idea —- gather together a group of local people who enjoy the outdoors and start having fun.
The idea took off, and 12 years later the Butler Outdoor Club is still going strong.
As well as meeting monthly at the Butler YMCA, the group hosts various outdoor events throughout the year.
The club, with more than 100 members, just hosted its 10th annual Outdoor Extravaganza over Memorial Day weekend.
Tait, now of the North Hills area of Allegheny County, said he had belonged to several outdoor clubs in the Pittsburgh area.
"I was traveling from Butler to Pittsburgh, and I thought, 'Why don't we have something like this in Butler?' and I thought I'd give it a shot."
Tait said the initial response was a positive one. The group now offers a slate of outdoor activities ranging from the serene to the extreme. Members also have participated in a variety of community service projects, from hiking trail maintenance to adopting a section of highway.Although member ages often range from the 30s to 80s, children also participate."Most of the time the families will pick the easier thing. We have a lot of picnics besides the outdoor type things. A lot of families come to that," said Joyce Appel of East Brady, who coordinated the Extravaganza."If somebody is interested in learning about the outdoors, it's a good way to get your feet wet," Tait said. "You can attend the meetings and meet people who are interested in the same things and know about it. It makes it easy to get into the outdoors."Jean Adams of Harmony, the club's president, agrees."When a group gathers, we direct our activities so that everyone can enjoy them," she said. "The slowest bike rider doesn't have to feel like they are the slowest. It's not a contest. We're just there to have a good time."Adams, an avid bicyclist, said she's been introduced to several new outdoor activities through club events."I'm a biker and that's my first love," she said, "although I've learned to kayak."Adams said it was her husband Dave, whom she met through the Outdoor Club, who is the kayaker. "For our first wedding anniversary, he gave me a kayak," she said.Through involvement with the club, Adams has also been introduced to such activities as bird watching and caving."We did an all-day bird watching event last month that started at Moraine (State Park) and ended at Lake Erie," she said.During the day, she noted, the group saw more than 50 species of birds, including a bald eagle.
"That was a first for me. I couldn't understand why anyone would do anything like that. I fell in love with it now."Not every new activity has been a hit with Adams, she admits."I've been caving. I never have to cave again in my life," she said with a chuckle.Tait has also tried several new outdoor activities because of the club."I like to bike, kayak and hike," he said, "but whatever the club is doing, I do. It gives me the opportunity to do things I might normally not do."But the club's focus is as much on camaraderie as on the outdoors, members agree. What starts as a mutual interest has turned into more on several occasions, Tait noted."It has always been a thrill for me to see people who have met and ended up getting married," he explained. "Like minds and like interests. Many couples have ended up getting married because of the Butler Outdoor Club.""We welcome new members. People don't have to feel like they are really adept at the outdoors. Everyone's welcome," Adams said.The club opens its activities to the community as well, Adams added. The group's annual Outdoor Extravaganza saw 160 participants choose from a smorgasbord of activities ranging from horseback riding to canoeing to caving during the three-day event."Each year we've had about 20 more people. This year we had 40 more," said Appel, who coordinated the Outdoor Extravaganza with help from Paul Henry of Sharon."We also had more people stay for the whole weekend, rather than for one or two days," said Appel, who has served as coordinator of the event for 10 years.Participants could pick from several different hikes tailored to various levels of experience, from a scenic stroll along portions of the North Country Trail to a strenuous 12-mile excursion through Slippery Rock Gorge in McConnells Mill State Park.The North Country Trail, which runs from Minnesota to New York State, locally runs from the McConnells Mill area to Moraine and up to the Allegheny National Forest.A number of guided bike trips ranged from 16 to 35 miles. Canoe and kayak trips were also offered on Connoquenessing Creek, Slippery Rock Creek, Keystone Lake, French Creek, Lake Wilhelm in Sandy Lake, Geneva Swamp and the Shenango River. Also offered was a caving expedition in Worthington.One of the more popular options was a sailing seminar on Lake Arthur, offered in conjunction with the Moraine Sailing Club. The class was aimed at giving novices a firsthand taste of sailing."We don't try to teach them too much," said instructor John Bridges of Gibsonia. "We just want them to have the thrill of sailing. Depending on the wind, it can be very peaceful or very exciting."He said most participants are surprised at how maneuverable the boats are."Some just enjoy being afloat in a sailboat for the first time. Some ask a lot of questions and we do our best to answer those questions."The sailing club has been offering the course during the Outdoor Extravaganza for the past several years. After a short presentation about safety and sailboat basics, students head for the water with an experienced club member."They want to get on to the water as quickly as possible," Bridges said.Another popular activity during the extravaganza is rock climbing, this year taught by Dale and Pat Vilsack of Mount Lebanon, volunteers with Venture Outdoors of Pittsburgh.
The climbers scale the cliffs along Rim Road at McConnells Mill. Although the 30- to 40-foot cliffs look daunting, Pat Vilsack says a focus on safety puts newcomers at ease."The first thing we teach is safety. That is number one. We teach them how to put on their harness. We teach them how the safety system works," she said. "There are no old, bold climbers."Daryl Davis of Oberlin, Ohio, attended the extravaganza with a group of three friends after reading about the event on a kayaking Web site.Although not quite a novice, Davis said the rock climbing class was "the first time I was in organized rock climbing. We loved it. It was great.""We tried to pick activities that we don't normally get to do. Some of my friends went sailing. A lot of the other things we do all the time anyway. We all did rock climbing," said Davis, adding his group camped through the weekend and attended all three days."You'd have to go three or four years in a row to do everything they have to offer," Davis said. "We're already planning for next year."Other special activities for the extravaganza weekend included a class on global positioning systems (GPS) with a Geocaching event, and a flea market and swap meet for outdoor equipment.One of the more unusual offerings was a llama workshop. Participants learned about llamas and could walk them along a short trail.In addition to the extravaganza weekend, the Butler Outdoor Club hosts events throughout the year, from an annual banquet in November to a New Year's Day cookout, complete with the barbecue grill."We bring out the crock pots and I'm amazed at the number of people who show up," Adams said.The activities are determined by the weather. "If it's warm, people bring their bikes and their hiking shoes."Other club events will include a trip to Presque Isle State Park on Lake Erie for June 17 and a trip to Ohiopyle State Park in Fayette County. Former Butler resident Jim Greenbaum of Whitewater Adventures will be discussing Ohiopyle at the club's meeting on Wednesday."We're just a group of people who like to be outdoors," Adams said. "There's no pressure. You don't have to be an excellent bike rider or experienced backpacker. … It's not real extreme, but it's a lot of fun and I've made some incredibly good friends through the club."
