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USU's outdoors fanatic hikes, bikes, and gave his wife a kayak for their wedding By
Dan Crane At first glance, one could imagine Dave Christensen, with his shoulder-length rusty blond hair and his 3-inch goatee, listening to Grateful Dead and cruising around the country side in a Volkswagen van. Though Dave does have a forest green VW van, he does not spend much time there. You're more likely to find Dave traveling on his mountain bike, or his cross-country skis. Dave, a senior at Utah State University, is an outdoor fanatic -- in fact, he gave his wife a kayak for her wedding gift. "I came here partly because of my scholarship, but mostly because of the great outdoors," said Dave. "Cache Valley has some of the best canyons to ski, hike or camp." Dave, an Idaho Falls native, got hooked on the outdoors practically before he could walk. "I was camping when I was still in diapers," said Dave. "My parents always took my family camping and hiking." Dave spent many summers as a kid with his two brothers and one sister at Red Fish Lake in Idaho. There they would mountain bike, hike and fish. Dave and his family continue to unite to camp and hike. Recently, Dave's family hiked Mt. Boriah, the tallest mountain in Idaho, to celebrate their parents' 25th wedding anniversary. On the way down his mom's legs went out, so he and his brother had to carry her rest of the way. As Dave graduated from diapers and learned walk he continued to explore Mother Nature with the Scout program and his friends. At age 18 he and his best friend worked for the Forest Service as firefighters. "We helped put out four fires that summer," said Dave. "One time they flew us in near Jackson Hole to put one out." When he and his friend weren't wearing their helmets, goggles, green pants and yellow shirts to fight fires, they would cut trails or fix fences at Bridger Teton National Forest. After living two years in Germany as a LDS missionary he spent the next two summers working at Caraboo National Forest near Pocatello. There he was a member of a trail crew that widened trails. Dave has been working at the Outdoor Recreation Center for USU since 1997, and is now the rental manager. Located just east of the football stadium, the ORC is a sporting goods rental shop, partially funded by student fees. "I've always loved the outdoors, so it was only natural that I worked in this environment," said Dave. As general manager of the ORC he is responsible for organizing all the rental operations at the shop. Rentals include: tents, sleeping gear, packs, stoves, cooking gear, skis, snowboards, snowshoes, canoes, kayaks, and climbing gear. All the equipment is rented at reasonable prices. Renting a pair of snowshoes for one day is $6 and renting a sleeping bag for a night is $4. Dave's first experience with the ORC was in 1995 when he helped carry the yurt up to its current location. The yurt is a circular tent with a wooden floor, burning stove, and bunks for eight people. It is located four miles up the Blind Hollow trail in Logan Canyon, where students can rent it to spend the night and have access to excellent backcountry skiing and snowshoeing "Many students love the outdoors, but don't have all the gear to enjoy it," said Dave. Although more women come in than men, Emily Procter, the ORC's public relations specialists, said that 66 percent of students have used the ORC services sometime before they graduate, and 95 percent of those were satisfied with its services. "We are proud of the service we give to the students," said Dave. He spends about 20 hours a week working, and when he's off he most likely will be in the Engineering Building, a secluded canyon or with his new wife. Dave, a married man of 17 months, loves to leave for a couple of days at a time to go hiking and camping with his wife, who had not gotten into the outdoor sports until meeting Dave. Their most memorable trip was backpacking in the Uinta Mountains. They hiked along the Grand Daddy Basin, finding new spots to camp every night by different lakes. Dave has now taught his wife how to love outdoor sports. "Dave bought me a snowboard before he bought me a ring," said Josi Christensen. Dave is more than an outdoor fanatic. He enjoys the theatre, is a mechanic at heart and loves to learn new things. "Our first date was to a Shakespeare play," said Josi. "He is a deep thinker, I guess I fell in love with his brain." Dave will graduate this spring as a mechanical engineer. After graduation he would like to work for a non-profit consulting firm, finding ways to help manufactures produce their products more efficiently. "It is important to conserve the environment. This job would allow me to find ways to conserve energy and reduce pollution," said Dave. "I'm just not interested in those big public companies that make billions, and hire you just to make a billion more. They would dump chemicals down the river just to save some money." Dave is also president of the kayaking club at USU. They have about 60 members who practice skills together in the summer. Some of Christensen's favorite spots to kayak are the Desolation Canyon at the Green River, and the Alpine section of the Snake River. "It's the most primitive way to travel," said Dave about kayaking. "You're thrown into the wild away from mechanical noises." Summer is also a busy time for the ORC because so many people love to kayak and raft down rivers. The ORC rents rafts to student adventurers who often take them to Jackson Hole for a day. Renting outdoor equipment is not the only thing that Dave and his team do at the ORC. They split the center into three groups: rentals, alternative programming and trips. Alternative programs are workshops that are sponsored by the ORC. They include everything from bike maintenance to African drum classes. They teach avalanche and river safety classes and Dave teaches a kayaking class. The trips feature multi-day adventures that include backpacking canoeing, rafting and camping. Dave is also involved with the Utah Conservation Corps. It is a chapter of AmeriCorps, which is run out of the ORC. "It's similar to the Peace Corps. because people dedicate their time for a good cause," said Dave. Students volunteer a summer or a semester to help conserve and better National Parks. This last summer UCC crews worked in Zion and Golden Spike Monument to make trails more accessible for wheelchairs and educate local schools about properly disposing used oil. This program pays the students and the government can also help pay their tuition or pay off student loans. "We had 50 people go from our chapter last summer," said Dave. "It is a great program for the environment." Dave is a very environmentally conscious person who wants everyone to enjoy it. "He's a guy who believes he can make a difference," said Josi. "His only weakness is that he can*t stay up past 8 on a Friday night because he puts all his energy into his week."
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