Get Outdoors With ChathamGo
From left: Megan Poff '26, Madison Long '26, and Samantha Schury '25 kayak on the lake at Keystone State Park in October. (Courtesy of Samantha Schury)
Opportunities for recreation in Western Pennsylvania are nearly endless. You can hike up rolling mountains, kayak down sweeping rivers, or stroll through vast forests. A new student organization at Chatham University wants to help students access those resources: ChathamGo.
Sam Schury ’25, the club’s president, started the club this past spring after spending a summer in Nashville, where she went hiking in half a dozen state parks and explored the outdoors more than she ever had before.
“When I was down there, I just wanted to stay active as much as possible and see everything Tennessee had to offer,” Schury said. “When I came back, when I was starting this club, I was thinking I wanted to see more of the beauty that Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia have to offer.”
She reactivated an old club, the Chatham Outing Club, and gave it a new name. Madison Long ’26, ChathamGo’s vice president, said she joined the club because she’s a big outdoors person.
“We’re interested in promoting outdoor activities, something for people to get away from campus, to enjoy time outdoors,” she said. “It’s a nice way to relax, to help with mental health, and be with people who like doing outdoor activities.”
At the end of September, the club hosted its event, a kayaking trip to Keystone State Park in Westmoreland County. “I had been there many times with my family before, and I think it’s just a great outdoor experience,” Long said.
They’ve also got a fall outing planned to Ohiopyle to see the changing foliage as well as an ice-skating trip planned for December. Schury and Long said they encouraged any students to keep an eye on my.chatham’s Happenings page, follow the club on Instagram (@ChathamGo), and join them on their next event.
“For students that aren’t from Pittsburgh and want to get outside, this is their chance to experience the beauty that Southwestern Pennsylvania has to offer,” Schury said. “Or, if they are looking to make friends that are interested in getting outside, this club would be a great way for them to do that.”
Learn more about Chatham’s student organizations on the Chatham Student Government website.