During spring break, Pacific Recreation led a group of 18 students on a camping adventure to Big Sur, one of California’s most famous coastlines. The trip was the third of six Tiger Escapes this year (earlier in the year, students joined Tiger Escapes to Bear Valley for skiing and to Alcatraz Island for a night tour).
Big Sur is located just three hours from Pacific’s Stockton Campus and attracts visitors from around the world to experience its picturesque, rugged coastline and thrilling cliffside hikes.
The Tiger Escapes crew made the most of their off-grid vacation, tent-camping each night and enjoying excursions to surrounding hiking areas and to Monterey during the daytime.
“Pacific is uniquely situated in Northern California because we are within two or three hours, a day trip or a nice weekend trip, of world-class locations that many other people travel from all over the world [for],” Laura Whiteley assistant director of Pacific Recreation said.
The camping trip fostered new friendships and strengthened already established bonds among the students. For sociology major Victoria Martinez ‘25, the experience was a welcome opportunity to connect with new people.
“I didn’t know anybody when I got here, and I didn’t really know what to expect. But I was pleasantly surprised that the people I was sharing a tent with were really nice,” Martinez said. “[It was] my first Tiger Escape, and it’s the most memorable experience I’ve had.”
The trip wasn’t only campfire songs and sunset views from above the water. The group also spent a day learning about life under the sea at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Pacific Recreation is excited for two more Tiger Escapes this year: a day hike among the blooming wildflowers of the Sunol Wilderness Preserve in early April, and a seniors-only sunset trip at Sea Bright State Beach in Santa Cruz at the end of the month.
