I’ve compiled below a list of 10 ways to have a fun, do-it-yourself adventure while experiencing the great outdoors this weekend! For my own amusement and your burgeoning appetite for all things outdoorsy, I’ve organized the potential events using the Yosemite Decimal Scale for the grading of the length and seriousness of a rock climb. The scale goes from a Grade I to a Grade V, and provides a subjective idea of how long your intended adventure will last, and to what degree you will need to plan ahead. Here you go:

Rockin’ and rollin’: Guy Ross ’10 and Michael Zupancic ’09 scale the rock wall as they teach others how to rock climb.

Grade I-II adventures (A lackadaisical morning: This is easily done on a whim or hastily planned the night before):

1. Visit the Ithaca Farmers’ Market and embrace your inner crunchiness while sampling an amazing variety of local and ethnic foods, arts and crafts and great live music.

2. Embrace your inner child/current nerdy-ness and visit the Sciencenter’s awesome outdoor jungle gym.

3. Explore Collegetown’s backyard and go adventuring in Six Mile Creek.

4. Scale the Lindseth Rock Climbing Wall. Grab some ice cream from the Dairy Bar afterwards.

5. Play a game of Capture the Flag in the Plantations. Adjourn to a picnic along Fall Creek.

Grade III adventures (A pleasant day outing: Call your friends a few days in advance):

6. Kayak on Cayuga Lake (either you can rent gear from Cornell Outdoor Education or Eastern Mountain Sports or simply go on a trip with the Cornell Outing Club).

7. Hike the trails of Taughannock Falls State Park. Stand in awe at the base of the 215 foot tall Taughannock Falls — the tallest waterfall on the East Coast!

8. Trail-run Monkey Run, a 10 mile loop that takes you out toward Dryden along the picturesque waters and woods of Fall Creek.

Grade IV adventure (sunrise to sunset: You probably want to train for this):

9. Go on an epic bike ride: Either bike a century (100 miles) around Lake Cayuga or mountain bike all of Hammond Hill in a day! Have a friend treat you to dinner at the Boatyard Grill so you can restore all of your lost calories while dining on the shores of Lake Cayuga.

Grade V adventure (Stay out overnight: Definitely plan ahead and prepare, no one wants to forget the tent):

10. Say “screw it” to studying for your first round of prelims and go on an overnight backpacking trip on the Finger Lakes Trail! Many of the local state parks have parts of the FLT leading right through them, and offer public campgrounds with areas for grilling/picnicking.

Of course, feel free to “link-up” any of these activities for a full day (Grade IV) of fun and craziness, or settle for just one Grade I to get you out of bed/the library/your new snuggle-buddy’s arms, even for just a few hours! Whatever you do, have fun out there and start exploring.