Zen and the Art of Chevy Maintenance

As an outdoor enthusiast, one must sooner or later accept reality: You need a car. Or rather, access to a car. Ithaca is well situated for a variety of outdoor activities; however, few can be easily enjoyed without some form of wheeled transportation.

Enter my 2000 Chevy Impala. Too new to be a rapper’s whip, yet too old to be an undercover cop car, this beauty was made with the octogenarian Florida retiree in mind. With about eight inches of clearance and a “traction” function that screams on wet hills, this puppy is hardly the monstrous, rock hopping SUV you see in commercials.

However, I’d wager that more than 90 percent of any route leading to an outdoor destination is paved, and will therefore usually accommodate any type of clunker that gets you from A to B. Whether it be new, used or recently constructed from chop shop parts, a car is your ticket to the tantalizingly close outdoorsy pursuits that beckon us outdoor athletes off the hill.

Let’s analyze some of our options at Cornell, with a car and without:

Climbing: Ithaca is not the best locale for staging a climbing trip. With a car, a minimum of two hours separates you from good rock. However, a weekend trip lands you on the doorstep of the Gunks, the East Coast’s premier traditional rock climbing destination. Don’t have a car? You may not shred your tips on real outside rock, but you can pull down on both plastic and real rock holds at Noyes and Lindseth. For the daring, McGraw Clocktower looks promising…

Paddling: With a car, a weekend destination trip to the play-hole Inner City Strife is right up your ally. Only have an afternoon? Try surfing the Route 3 wave. Without a car: You’re in luck only if you’re a beginner or an expert. Beebe Lake offers mellow canoeing, and Fall Creek boasts Class 5 waterfalls. The ambitious can try walking or biking to Cayuga Lake, but the return trip up the hill is not for the faint of heart.

Hiking: With a car, check out the Adirondacks, which boast Backpacker Magazine’s 3rd hardest day hike in America: the Great Range Traverse. If you’re in it for the long haul, become a 46er and climb all of the mountains in the area that top out at least 4,000 feet above sea level. Without a car, the Finger Lakes Trail is tantalizingly close to campus. Boasting 562.9 miles of trail, sections of the FLT have been designated as part of the North Country National Scenic Trail, which stretches from New York to North Dakota! Access? Parts of the trail are within walking distance of campus (just add the miles to your hike).Mountain Biking: In 2002, Bike Magazine rated Ithaca among the top five places for bikers to live. Popular spots include Shindagin Hollow and Hammond Hill. Access? With a car, these hot spots are a mere half-hour drive. If you don’t have a car, the bike ride there will suffice as your workout.

Although you certainly can manage to go outside and have fun without one, having access to a car opens up a world of adventure pursuits. Don’t have a car? Never fear. The outdoors community at Cornell is all about networking, with social contacts rivaling those of even the most ambitious Hotelie. A variety of listservs advertise weekend destination trips. Good places to start include Cornell Outdoor Education and the Cornell Outing Club. Bikes are a good second option and easy to come by. Or for the brave, just take up running! No one’s ever called a tri-athlete or a marathoner boring …