With each step, a crunch sound echoed off the nearby building as a group of students made their way around the Beverly J. Warren Student Recreation and Wellness Center Wednesday afternoon in large spiked footwear known as snowshoes. 

A snowshoe hike was hosted by the Kent State Adventure Center, which is a division of Recreational Services. The center offers a variety of events including rock climbing, disc golf and biking on campus. 

Snowshoeing is a type of hiking in which a person walks on top of snow with the assistance of special footwear. The footwear allows for weight to be evenly distributed across a larger area, said Chris Lukas, assistant director of Outdoor Adventure, which is a division of the Kent State Rec.

The snowshoe hike began at the Recreation and Wellness center on the Kent State main campus and was led by two trip leaders who work for the Adventure Center. The program took students on an hour-long hike around the center with snowshoes provided by the Adventure Center.

The trip had a total of six students, with varying majors and class levels, along with the two trip leaders who taught the students how to put the shoes on, walk in them and how to walk up hills. 

Lukas said the program had a maximum number of participants, all of whom  pre-registered for the event, in order to ensure proper social distancing and safety for participants.

“The Adventure Center is here to provide unique experiences and excitement to students. We are happy to provide the opportunity to meet new people and destress during this time with the snowshoe walk,” Lukas said.

The campus snowshoe hike was set up as a preparation for the national park snowshoe hike the Adventure Center will hold on Feb. 27 at Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Rachel Karas, an assigning editor, contributed to this story. 

Kenzie Johnston covers health and fitness. Contact her at [email protected].