By Aakash Koduru ’20 NEWS Reporter
As a performance group activity (PGA), Mercersburg Outdoor Education
often gets lost in the conversation at Mercersburg Academy. The MOE
program allows students to explore options beyond what traditional sports offer. One of the most popular activities in MOE is climbing. Students are afforded the opportunity to climb in many natural areas nearby and some that are farther away from campus. Even on campus, they have access to rock-climbing and bouldering walls in the Masinter Outdoor Education Center, affectionately known as “the barn.” With so many options, it only makes sense that everyone has a favorite place to climb.
Pete Gunkelman, who leads the MOE program, has the clearest perspective on the opportunities because of his many years associated with MOE climbing. Gunkelman said, “My favorite experiences have been watching Clare Wilkinson ‘13 and Michele Skuba Gray ‘12, sister of Dorothy ‘23 get first ascents on routes down in the New River Gorge in back-to-back years. These routes wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible generosity of Gene Kistler P’14 and ‘15. He’s a legendary first ascensionist down in my favorite place to climb, the New River Gorge.”
Maggie Betkowski ’21, who has climbed in both the fall and spring terms, agrees. “New River Gorge is the best climbing trip of the year. We climb all day in perfect weather with the most gorgeous view, then we all go out to eat at one of the many iconic restaurants in the small town [Fayetteville, WV] close to the walls. We’re all so tired afterwards but content with the variety of climbs and just the overall fun of the weekend in which the whole group gets so close.”
School-sponsored adventure sports are rare in high schools, and experiences like these are what makes MOE so sought-after. Each term, interest in the program is high due to the one-of-kind opportunities it provides.