![Being captain means a lot to Larson, having played basketball for his entire life. When asked about who their biggest competitor was going to be this season, Larson was very confident.
“[We have] No competitors,” Larson said.](https://ballardtalisman.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/brewster-color-1200x800.jpg)
Ballard Outdoor Adventure Club (BOAT) Club was created in 2022 by former Ballard High School students who loved the outdoors.The club is presided over by Ballard seniors Brynn Cziesla, Penelope Neireiter and Lucy Jacqmotte. The club is doing weekly hikes on sunday; before hikes they do stretching circles and talk about the hike ahead. When they come back down from the mountain they do a circle the debriefs the hike and talk about the highlights of the hike. For safety they always have a first aid kit in a leaders bag and they’re always making sure to tell people all the stuff they’ll need before the hike like extra pairs of socks, warm clothes, and water.
However, what is it that drives a group of students to wake up early every weekend to explore the outdoors? To find out, one of the club’s presidents and member shared what makes BOAT so special
Cziesla shared she wanted to become president because she went on a couple hikes last year and enjoyed the community between the hikers.
“I love hiking and loved how we all had fun together even if we had all just met at the beginning of the hike,” Cziesla said. “Being one of the presidents of the club is a great way for me to get to go on a bunch of hikes.”
Cziesla explained the way she chooses the hikes is she usually finds a couple options before the meeting on Tuesday and then shares with everyone.
“I try to get group input either from the people who go to the meetings or from the GroupMe and then we decide on a final hike.”
For her, the most essential equipment for a hike is layers.
“We’ve had some cold rainy hikes where a good raincoat or jacket is super important,” Cziesla said. “I would also say shoes with good traction are important but some people have really slippery shoes and still do fine so it’s actually not super important.”
While equipment is vital to a successful hike, the community is what truly makes it worthwhile.
“I think community is super important, sometimes there’s new people on the hike who I’ve never met before and I try my hardest to talk to them,” Cziesla said.
She also shared that one way the community grew is through carpooling.
“We also have the car ride as a chance to bond together which I think is super unique because [not] a lot of other extracurriculars get to spend as much times together as we do,” Cziesla said. “I think also without community you wouldn’t have people who want to spend their Sunday getting up early and going on a hike.”
Senior Kate Blahous is an active member of BOATClub. Her favorite hike this year was the first hike of the season : Talapus and Olallie Lakes. It’s a perfect introduction to the outdoors for hikers with mountain views and lakes.
“It was so fun and magical,” said Blahous. “At the top of the mountain the lake was beautiful and so blue and clear.”
In her experience, the club is like a family.
“The club is by far the most welcoming atmosphere I have ever been in, in a club environment,” Blahous said. “It has made me closer to a lot of students I wasn’t close with before joining the club.”
The group often stopped during the hikes to observe the scenery and enjoy the view. Boat club is making many memories for the group.
“A memorable experience I had from one of the hikes was when we all sat on a log overlooking the lake embracing all its beauty,” Blahous said.
Finally, Blahous encourages others to join BOAT Club.
“If a student was hesitant about joining BOAT club I would tell them to join with a friend because it really is so much fun and you can make a lot of meaningful memories in the wild.”
2022 by former Ballard High School students who loved the
outdoors. (Courtesy of Penelope Neireiter)
