Adventure Reports
March 6th EScow Winter Sailing Seminar!
A special winter seminar is being held on March 6th at 6:30 in the festival room. Members and racers from the MYC will be there for a meet-and-greet.
Agenda:
- Why race sailboats
- History of E Scows
- Why race and E Scow – A Love Letter
- Spinnaker work
- Mendota Yacht Club
- Racing terms and what to expect.
- Tips for crew
- How to get involved
2024 Sailing Commadore Nominations!
Nominations for Commodore, Vice-Commodore, or Rear Commodore will open February 21st and close the 27th. Be sure to check the Elections page for updates and anything else you might need to know
Winter Break Trip to Puerto Rico
HMC ventured down to Puerto Rico this Winter Break! Some beautiful weather and stellar sport climbing makes for a good couple weeks.
Winter Break Trip to Red Rocks
The club heads out to the Red Rocks area annually for some of the best sport climbing in the country. This year, the group stayed in the Las Vegas area. Two weeks of good times!
Halloween at Red River Gorge
Annual Halloween weekend trip to the Red! HMC camps at the legendary Miguel's Pizza campground every year, and sport climbs some most legendary crags.
Teach Sailing!
Applications for Sailing Instructors for the 2024 season are now opoen! Check out the details on the Teach Sailing page for info.
Lift Out!
Thank you everyone for your help lifting out boats for this year! We only have a few boats left to get out so be sure to check the lessons page for any volunteer opportunities.
Lake Farm Kayaking
A group of Hoofers paddled from Memorial Union, through the lakes, to Lake Farm County park, camped for the night and then paddled back the next day!
Raymer's Cove Sea Kayaking
4 Hoofers paddled from Memorial Union to Raymer's Cove where they relaxed on the beach before paddling back.
Governor Dodge State Park Hike
A group of Hoofers hiked the Lost Canyon Trail (and saw Stephen’s falls) and the Pine Cliff Trail. They also made s’mores when stopping for lunch on Cox Hollow Lake.
Kettle Moraine Hike
A group of Hoofers hiked the Moraine Ridge Trail in Kettle Moraine State Forest- Lapham Peak Unit. Parts of the trail were on the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.
Welcome Weekend 2023
The annual HMC Welcome Weekend makes its return for 2023! Almost 60 folks gathered at Devil's Lake for a stellar day of top rope climbing at the Railroad Amphitheater and Birthday crags on Saturday followed by a good ole fashioned cookout by the lake. A bunch of others stayed for the whole weekend at the club's reserved campgrounds, and got some more climbing in on Sunday!
Summit of Devil's Tower
As the Black Hills trip came to a close, a couple trip leaders traveled out to Devil's Tower! All 6 of them made it to the summit after a day of gnarly multipitch trad climbing!!
Black Hills Trip Leader Training
Up-and-coming trip leaders got up to some leadership training and sport climbing in the Black Hills of South Dakota this May! Stoke was high and folks were crushing it, all while learning incredibly valuable skills as leaders for the club.
Winter Break Trip to Joshua Tree
Mountaineering got out to the beautiful Joshua Tree National Park of California for nearly two weeks this Winter Break. There was bouldering, there was sport climbing, there was camping, it was a lovely time!
Winter Break Trip to Spain
Hoofers trekked all the way to Spain for Winter Break! We spent 2 weeks hitting every crag we could from Margalef to Siurana to Garraf, and more! The focus of the trip was sport climbing.
Lion's Den Gorge Day Hike
A group of Hoofers went on a day hike at Lions Den Gorge, a state natural area in Grafton, WI (just north of Wisconsin). They saw some awesome cliff swallows and got to dip their toes in Lake Michigan.
Hoofer Friday Socials Starting Soon!
The famous Friday socials are starting up May 19th @ 6pm. Come down and enjoy the Nacho bar with your fellow sailors.
Suwannee River Spring Break 2023
A group of Hoofers explored the stunning Suwannee River of northern Florida. They paddled about 45 miles of the river and explored the other scenery that Florida has to offer.
📍Timucua Land
Nantahala National Forest Spring Break 2023
These Hoofers hiked in North Carolina with a major portion of their trip following the Appalachian Trail. Along the way, they had the pleasure of meeting many thru-hikers who started their journey in Georgia and are making their way to Maine! This trip was a LIT trip that focused on teaching the elements and steps required in leading a successful trip.
📍Cherokee Land
Gila National Forest Spring Break 2023
Soaking up the sun, sand, and scenery of New Mexico! This group explored the amazing views of the Gila Wilderness for spring break!
They spent four days hiking and exploring the grand valleys, stunning mesas, and immense sand dunes of the region. Everyone on this trip experienced amazing opportunities, including sand sledding!
📍Chiricahua Apache Land
2023 Elections
Elections for Commodore, Vice-Commodore, or Rear Commodore will be held between Tuesday, March 21 and Monday, March 27. Information about the canidates will be posted on the website. Be sure to check the Elections page for updates.
Weekly Fat Tire Biking Trips to Quarry Park!
Outing club members have been taking weekly trips to Quarry Park here in Madison to enjoy some all-weather biking on fat tire bikes!
WFR Certification Course
Members of our clubs worked to earn their Wilderness First Responder certification, learning how to perform emergency medicine and how to best take care of their fellow outing members when out in the wilderness!
Winter 2023 Scuba Trip!
This year, the SCUBA club decided to head down to Key Largo, Florida for our first trip since the pandemic. We had an amazing time diving the reefs and wrecks in the area!
Don't Miss the Winter Sailing Seminars!
Our Winter Sailing Seminars are a great way to expand your horizons during the winter months. The seminars are open to the community and no prior sailing experience is required; you do not need to be a current member of the sailing club to attend. Feel free to invite your landlubber friends!
See more here!
Pumpkin Dive 2022
We had our annual pumpkin carving dive! Six brave divers endured the 52° to make some amazing pumpkins! We dove directly off the Memorial Union Terrace. In addition to carving some incredible pumpkins, we also picked up some trash from the lake that was near us!
End of 2022 Season Dates
Hello Hoofer Sailors,
Thanks for a great season of sailing with you all! Below are the dates for the end of season. If you are able, please volunteer for liftouts on Rechub.
- Light Keelboat fleet lift-out: 10/14
- Keelboat lift-out: 10/21(fri) & 29(sat)
- Last day for moorings: 10/30
- Pull Marina Docks: 10/31-11/7 *all hands*
- Last Day for Rentals: 10/23
- Last day for Sailing: 10/30
- Remove Moorings: Week of 10/31-11/4
- Move T-dock: week of 11/7
43rd Annual Commodore's Cup
No Sailing Experience Required!
This year's Commodore's Cup is a 6-day activity taking place during the last full week of August and culminates with a formal ball at the end. This event celebrates both the sailing and social aspects of the club and stems from delightfully wacky traditions formed during the typical doldrums due to lack of wind we experience in July.
Sailing Season has Started!
With a long winter and a wet start to the summer, the sailing season is finally here! Be sure to stop by the lake front to sail, be social, or hop on a lesson.
Backpacking South Carolina
Scenic views, blue skies, and great times abounded on this 4-day trek in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains!
Everglades Spring Break Trip
An adventurous, sun-seeking group of 11 Hoofers drove down to the southernmost tip of Florida for a week of canoeing through the Everglades National Park! We paddled two canoe trails: Hell's Bay, a winding path through dense mangroves slightly inland, and Clubhouse Beach, a shallow paddle in the Florida Bay along the coast. We saw dolphins, many cool birds, and a crocodile. We did morning yoga on the chickee, acquired a real coconut from a real coconut tree, observed exciting low-tide critters, and made lots of memories. We indeed got our fair share of sun, including the prettiest sunrises and sunsets. It was a very exciting trip and nobody got eaten by an alligator... that's what I would call a success!
Pool Certification Class
We had our first pool certification class of the semester! New members, old members, members of the exec board all learned how to SCUBA in the pool at the Nic right on campus. The soon to be certified divers will be completing their open water certification this weekend in a lake Up North!
Red Granite Dive
We had our first successful dive of the year at Red Granite led by our Divemaster, James, and planned by our VP of Local Trips, Anna! The surface was warm, but it was quite cold below ~25 feet. Everyone enjoyed the trip, and the divers had an added bonus of a beautiful sunset drive back to Madison with all the trees changing color.
Sailing Club Job Opportunity
Are you interested in working for the Sailing Club? We have a job opportunity for someone looking to become more involved in the oversight of the club and the club's infrastructure. We're hiring a Hoofer Sailing Club Advisor and Sailing Infrastructure Manager.
Updated Mask Policy (August 5th, 2021)
In summary, effective tomorrow (Thursday, August 5th), regardless of vaccination status, all individuals will be required to wear masks while in campus buildings. As it pertains to the Sailing Club, this means that whenever one is inside the building (checking out a boat, getting a lifejacket, etc.), they will be required to wear a face covering. Mask will still not be required outdoors.
42nd Annual Commodore's Cup
No Sailing Experience Required!
This year's Commodore's Cup is a 6-day activity taking place during the last full week of August and culminates with a formal ball at the end. This event celebrates both the sailing and social aspects of the club and stems from delightfully wacky traditions formed during the typical doldrums due to lack of wind we experience in July.
Hoofers Sailing Season is Opening this Summer!
The Hoofers sailing season is starting up on July 1st! We know you all have been missing sailing with us and we are so glad to see you again for sailing and socials!
Tenney Park
We are excited to partner with Badger Branch Out for some weekly outing recommendations!
Whether you are looking for a place to have a picnic, play volleyball, watch birds, take a stroll, or kayak, Tenney Park is the place to go. When it's too cold for many of these activities, ice skaters delight in the frozen lagoon during the winter months. Tenney Park has a unique location in Madison. Not only is it on the shore of Lake Mendota, but there you will also find the Yahara River that connects Lake Mendota to Lake Monona. Tenney Park rests between Sherman Avenue and E. Johnson Street and takes about 45 minutes by foot or 15-minutes by bike to get there from the Memorial Union.
Update from Outdoor UW Director - Joe Webb
We are currently navigating unchartered waters, for an update regarding the impact of Covid-19 on Hoofers, the Director of Outdoor UW, Joe Webb has put together the following message.
Ice Climbing in Winona, MN
Hoofer Outing teamed up with Hoofer Mountaineering to climb the 200 foot ice park in Winona, MN!
Cross-Country Skiing in Winona, MN
Hoofers journeyed to Winona, MN for some gorgeous late winter XC skiing featuring a hard-packed ski jump!
Hoofers against Climate Change!
Don Faith took a nice climate photo on the Lake Columbia trip of member and instructor Carl holding a climate protest sign on a freakishly warm solstice day.
Pheasant Branch Conservancy Hike
A couple of Hoofers headed over to Pheasant Branch Conservancy last week for an early winter hike!
Washington AORE-AEE Conference
Our Club Advisor, Adam, and members of the exec board, Evan, Laura, and Ansley, flew out to Washington just over a week ago to attend the AORE-AEE conference. They learned about leadership, equity in the outdoors, risk management, and a variety of other things that they will bring back to the club in the coming months!
Get to know your BOC - Olivia Staruck
Olivia Staruck is this year's 420 Fleet co-Captain and Sailing Team co-Captain. She is a senior and 4 year member of the the Wisco Sailing Team. To learn more about her, see this post!
Get to know your BOC - Kaitlyn Hamers
Kaitlyn Hamers is this year's Laser & Byte Fleet co-Captain. She has been part of the club for 12 years, including time spent as a youth program where she learned to sail! To learn more about her, see this post!
Get to Know your BOC - Hallie Heuser
This week we are featuring, Hallie, our who is our Marketing Chair. See this post to learn more!
Chequamegon-Nicolet Backpacking
"Last weekend, we had 16 Hoofer backpackers ready to drive down to the Shawnee National Forest in Illinois. An hour before departure, we decided a weekend forecast of rain and storms didn't sound so fun. So we changed plans and headed up to the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest to hike the Hidden Lakes loop! There was night-hiking, pancakes, sunshine, old-growth hemlock, missing tents, swamp crossings, a fabulous dog and lots of pretty lakes! On the drive back, we were looking forward to home-made donuts from Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty, but they were closed for the season, so we settled for a very dog-enthusiastic cafe."- Jacob Ng, Trip Leader
Sylvania Wilderness Canoe Trip
"Our crew went up to Sylvania Wilderness for the weekend and were just in time to see some gorgeous fall colors! We experimented with some new food, saw tons of swans, and started a fire in the rain against all odds making this an awesome way to end the paddling season"- Forrest Ahrens, Trip Leader