While many Sacramento State student jobs involve filing paperwork or providing technical assistance to professors, students working for Peak Adventures are leading white-water rafting, mountain biking and hiking trips at some of Northern California and Nevada’s most scenic outdoor locations.

The Associated Students, Inc. program is located in The Well provides dozens of outdoor treks, a challenging ropes course on campus and a full service-bike shop for Sac State and the surrounding community for an extremely low rate, said Meredith Budlong, operations specialist at Peak Adventures.

All of these services have a number of people working behind the scenes to make them successful.

Budlong, a first year administration management graduate student and University of North Carolina Greensboro alumna, said she entered a phase after graduating where she didn’t have a job and was looking for a career that involved her passion for the outdoors.

“This is what I knew I wanted to do when I decided to major in recreation,” Budlong said. She found that Peak Adventures was the exact job she was looking for because it matched her desire to work with college students in an outdoor environment.

Budlong does a lot of behind the scenes work for the program including organizing and scheduling trips, and while she hasn’t led any trips this year, she has been on some of their trips as a customer.

Recreation, parks and tourism administration senior John Pistotti said he has worked at Peak Adventures for more than three years and said Peak Adventures’ goal is to provide students with a way to enjoy the outdoors without having to spend a fortune.

“I like to think Peak Adventures is all about providing students with the opportunity to do amazing things with their college experience,” Pistotti said. “Because Associated Students Inc. subsidizes Peak Adventures, the costs for students to attend their trips are very low.”

Budlong said many of their trips provide transportation to the destination and provide most of the essential gear such as backpacks, sleeping bags and tents. Some of the food costs for their multiple-day camping and hiking trips are also covered by Peak Adventures.

“This is what I knew I wanted their multiple-day camping and hiking trips are also covered by Peak Adventures.

“Our main purpose is providing this opportunity for students,” Budlong said. “You won’t find it anywhere cheaper.”

Since some of Peak Adventures’ trips take students far into the California and Nevada wilderness, each trip leader is required to go through extensive training to ensure each group member’s safety.

Humboldt State University alumna and Peak Adventures trip leader Jessica Tietjen said the long hiring and training process helps filter out applicants who do not meet the requirements of being a trip leader.

“It’s kind of a big deal if you slack off (or) if your not pulling your own weight,” Tietjen said. “With what you’re doing, you are literally holding the life of other people in your hands.”

Each trip leader is certified in Wilderness First Aid has gone through at least 100 hours of training, according to the Peak Adventures website.

While trip leaders work to make sure the group gets through their trip safely, they still have plenty of time to enjoy the challenge and beauty of their outdoor adventures.

Pistotti said his most memorable trip was a backpacking trip to the Yosemite Half Dome. While the terrain was physically challenging, Pistotti said he enjoyed the experience because it gave members of his trip a chance to enjoy the beauty of Yosemite.

“For some people it’s a once in a lifetime experience that they’ll never forget,” Pistotti said.

Budlong also enjoys backpacking trips, but said her favorite trip was the Flume Trail mountain biking trip near Lake Tahoe.

“(The) first part is challenging, but it’s absolutely beautiful views and downhill the rest of the way,” Budlong said.

Budlong said even though her group had a wide range of skill levels in mountain biking, each member had the chance to go through the trail at their own pace with plenty of time to enjoy the scenery and take pictures as they rode.

One of the biggest trips of the year, Budlong said, will be the Learn to Ski and Snowboard trip on Dec. 15.

The trip will teach students how to ski or snowboard, and provides equipment, lift tickets and transportation to Boreal Mountain Resort in Truckee for $90, Budlong said.

Although Budlong doesn’t lead or attend every trip, she said she still has plenty of opportunities to have fun at Peak Adventures.

“I like that every day is different,” Budlong said. “There are adventures to be had both in the wilderness or in the office.”

Miguel Razo can be reached at [email protected]

William Miles can be reached at [email protected]