In our first edition of our outdoor-adventure blog, Kelly Ann Kelso gives a tour of Porter College’s backyard, with expeditions in Empire Cave and the Karst topography of Cave Gulch.

After a three-day, 27-mile trek up the edge of the northernmost coast of California — aptly called the Lost Coast — during which they were forced to overcome obstacles such as untimely tides, bears, bugs and poison oak, a small group of backpackers found themselves overlooking a beautiful ocean panorama among a sea of black sand and grassy knolls.

This ragtag group of hikers, self-proclaimed on their Web page as UC Santa Cruz’s “best-kept secret,” is a student-organized backpacking group dedicated to exploring the finest parts of nature. Averaging around two to three hikes of varying difficulty each quarter, the backpacking club is known for its free admission and affordable trips, each one costing only $30 per student.