Touch the Earth Gets Panthers Into the Great Outdoors
Touch the Earth is Georgia State’s outdoor recreation program. As part of the university’s Recreational Services, Touch the Earth offers a wide variety of trips into the great outdoors for all skill levels. The trips range from day hikes to Cloudland Canyon in northwest Georgia to hang gliding and whitewater rafting adventures to summer break excursions to South Florida to swim with manatees. Touch the Earth also rents all the gear needed for any outdoor and camping needs. Additionally Touch the Earth operates the bouldering cave and climbing wall in the Student Recreation Center and the high ropes course at the Indian Creek Recreation Area.
Learn more about Touch the Earth and the outdoor experiences it offers.
Touch The Earth Gets Panthers Into the Great Outdoors
Touch the Earth is Georgia State’s outdoor recreation program. As part of the university’s Recreational Services, Touch the Earth offers a wide variety of trips into the great outdoors for all skill levels. The trips range from day hikes to Cloudland Canyon in northwest Georgia to hang gliding and whitewater rafting adventures to summer break excursions to South Florida to swim with manatees. Touch the Earth also rents all the gear needed for any outdoor and camping needs. Additionally Touch the Earth operates the bouldering cave and climbing wall in the Student Recreation Center and the high ropes course at the Indian Creek Recreation Area.
Learn more about Touch the Earth and the outdoor experiences it offers.
Take a hike down into Providence Canyon — Georgia’s “Little Grand Canyon" — with Austin and Touch the Earth in this episode of “Adventures with Austin.”
Love hiking, horseback riding or paddleboarding? Register for an incredible outdoor adventure, and rent all of your gear — like tents, stoves and kayaks — without breaking the bank. Watch the video below for next steps.
Take a hike down into Providence Canyon — Georgia’s “Little Grand Canyon" — with Austin and Touch the Earth in this episode of “Adventures with Austin.”
Love hiking, horseback riding or paddleboarding? Register for an incredible outdoor adventure, and rent all of your gear — like tents, stoves and kayaks — without breaking the bank. Watch the video below for next steps.
Q&A with Hailey
Meet Hailey Hester, Outdoor Recreation Coordinator for Touch the Earth.
What is the mission of Touch the Earth?
Our mission is to promote healthy lifestyles through exceptional recreational programs, services and facilities. Those who take part in our programs will gain skills and confidence to engage in outdoor recreation and cultivate interpersonal connections with fellow participants. Also, many who get involved discover that the skills needed in outdoor recreation are the same skills needed to thrive in their academic, professional and personal life.
Tell us about some of the trips offered?
We try to offer adventures that best appeal to the interests of our diverse student body. You can rappel 90 feet down the waterfall at Desoto Falls, take an overnight backpacking trip or a day hike, go on an outdoor climbing excursion, or go whitewater boating or hang-gliding. We also offer beginner and advanced caving that includes rappelling inside the cave. We offer something for everyone, and this year we’re hoping to partner with disability services to have a fully ADA-accessible trip.
What are some of the other services Touch the Earth offers?
We offer gear rentals to outfit almost any outdoor trip — from tents, camping hammocks, stoves, coolers and personal flotation devices to “Shoot the Hooch” safely. Little known fact: We have $1 a day commuter bike rentals, too. Touch the Earth also offers numerous clinics each semester, most of which are free. We teach backcountry cooking, offer rock climbing clinics and certify people in wilderness first aid and as a wilderness first responder. We also have a climbing wall and bouldering cave for drop-in use that’s free for students. Just stop by and we’ll get you climbing.
How does someone get involved with Touch the Earth?
It’s easy! Visit our website for program information, and if you want to register for a trip or clinic, come to the Student Recreation Center or just give us a call. If you want to become a volunteer trip leader and build leadership skills and technical knowledge, then email us at [email protected] to learn more.
