Lakeside and Treetops

By: Chrissy Ludwikowski
As the days become shorter (and the work days seemingly longer), it can be hard for families to make time to be together, and one’s mind doesn’t normally put colder days hand-in-hand with outdoor activities. Fortunately, we live in a city that has opportunities available year-round to invoke our sense of adventure, even during our daily grind (and don’t worry, these adventures will get your blood pumping to keep you mighty warm)!
Thanks to Venture Outdoors and Kayak Pittsburgh, my family has adopted a love for everything that the outdoors has to offer, so much so that outdoor recreation has become my career! In college, my summers were filled with lakeside views and PFD fittings as a Kayak Pittsburgh North Park attendant and supervisor, right alongside my brothers and sister; family is strongly rooted in the Kayak Pittsburgh staff and community!
Upon graduation, with a degree in nutrition and nowhere to put it, I traded in lakes and rivers for treetops at Go Ape North Park, just down the road from my boathouse home. Never heard of it? Go Ape is a 2-3-hour self-guided treetop adventure course where you are challenged, surprised, and excited by dangling obstacles, treetop swings (like Tarzan on his vine-rope!), and ziplines! Though they focus on diverse types of recreation, Go Ape and Venture Outdoors share similar values: to inspire people to get outside and live life adventurously. No one should have to go far to find a great activity to do with friends and family, and Pittsburgh is lucky to have organizations that can make outdoor adventures accessible to everyone.

Making time for outdoor adventure is especially important when we’re stuck in the workaday world. It’s what enlivens our days, breaks up repetition with excitement, and surrounds our lives and our communities with meaning. Venture Outdoors, Kayak Pittsburgh, and Go Ape are all here to not only shake up our cubicle-filled lives, but also, just maybe, instill in us a new sense of family and community.
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This November, challenge, surprise, and excite your workaday life, your friends, and even your family by trading in Black Friday crowds for fun! There’s no better way to stay warm this holiday season than trying something new at a Go Ape ziplining course or at the Venture Outdoors’ Holiday Pie Hike on the 24^th (what’s better than an adventure with pie!?). The holidays are for spending time with loved ones; be the family favorite this year and take your crew outdoors!
*Venture Outdoors members receive 15% off at Go Ape North Park!