Lying totally flat on the luge, junior Carly Smith slid down the ice track. As she reached a bend in the course, Smith banked a hard turn, steering with her feet and slamming into the walls but managing not to flip the sled.

Going on adventures is not an unusual occurrence for Smith. Instead of staying in, lounging around and watching Netflix, Smith said she spends her weekends exploring the outdoors, going hiking and camping with several of her friends who are in Venture Crew.

Venture Crew is a group of boys and girls between the ages of 14 to 21 who regularly go on outdoor trips The North Shore chapter of  Venture Crew has gone overnight camping in Wisconsin, luging in Michigan, hiking, cross country skiing, snowboarding and rock climbing. Although the group is affiliated with Boy Scouts of America (BSA,) Venture Crew is for both boys and girls. BSA consolidated various Senior Scout programs into a group called Explorer Scouts, which later opened to girls and became Venture Crew.

At the beginning of the year, junior Alexandra Michalak and her mother restarted Venture Crew, which had been inactive in the North Shore area. They recruited Michalak’s friends to join.

“I love going on trips and adventures and stuff,” said Michalak. “Ever since I was really little I’ve always gone camping and stuff with my family. I’ve always done it, so I guess this was just an organization that I could do it with, and all my friends could do it with me.”

Michalak said going on trips is a great way to bond with people, no matter if it is with an old or new friend.

“On longer trips, you have a lot of uninterrupted time to just hang out and talk and really get to know them,” said Michalak. “Also if you’re camping, for example, it’s not your usual setting so you get to see a really different side of people, even if you know them pretty well.”

Smith said one of the benefits of joining a group of people to try outdoor activities safely is gaining experience from different members of the group.

“We do things that are mildly dangerous, like we rappelled off a 20-foot cliff and [no one else] had ever climbed before, only I had,” Smith said.

She said she shouted directions to the other members of Venture Crew on how to safely rock climb and rappel.

  At first, it took a while to get used to and there were a few slips, but everyone eventually caught on and had fun, Smith said.

Even though nothing  too dangerous has happened and no one has gotten hurt, Michalak said the members of Venture Crew consider the inherent risks in everything they do and try to be as safe as possible.

Smith said everyone in the group has different skills, brings new knowledge to the table, has experience in different areas like hiking or camping and knows how to do random activities like rock climbing or snowboarding.

“Anyone can join,” said Smith. Venture Crew meets at St. Norbert’s to plan trips.

Smith said anyone who has not gone on an adventure should start locally and find someone to go on adventures with.

“Go to the forest preserve, go on a bike ride with friends, go hiking,” said Smith. “If you’re planning a camping trip, find someone who has been on one and knows the campsites nearby.”

Michalak said people who want to start going on adventures but do not know where to start should get out of their comfort zone and should try participating in an outdoor activity.

“You never know what it’s like until you’re out there, and a lot of people can do more than they think,” said Michalak. “Even if you’re not outdoorsy just try it, go out there with your friends. It’s not as hard as you think.”

Going on adventures has opened Smith’s eyes to a new aspect of life.

“It’s really cool,” said Smith. “Instead of staying in, you’re going out and doing sometimes exhausting activities, but you’re smiling the whole way through it.”