Now that Mother Nature is finally done toying with our sensitivity to extreme cold in late… Now that Mother Nature is finally done toying with our sensitivity to extreme cold in late spring, we can finally believe that this summer could be a toasty one.

Football players can toss the pigskin around the park, sorority sisters can catch some rays on the Soldiers ‘ Sailors lawn and Venture Outdoors can unleash their activities in full swing.

Students still residing off campus, stuck in summer classes or spending their time in the dull working world, can take part in some of the organization’s scheduled activities, ranging from kayaking to a wine and cheese hike – a little something for everyone’s taste, so to speak.

While most of the activities are open to all of Pittsburgh, some are exclusive to Venture Outdoors members – a nominal yearly fee of $12 for students and $24 for individuals, with deals on dual- and full-house packages for the family. The memberships offer up to 50 percent in discounts for trips, merchandise and activities for all ages and levels of expertise – so don’t try the old “I don’t know how to do that” excuse.

“All the activities are focused on introducing people to new activities like fly fishing and kayaking,” said Erik Lingren, executive director for Venture Outdoors. “There are also a lot of themed events like [the] wine and cheese hike, and in the fall there’s a soup of the month hike.”

Many events revolve around biking, kayaking and hiking, showing Pittsburghers that the steel city is more than meets the eye. Some events, like the South Side Slopes New Moon Hike, test endurance while showing off the city. Participants can snake their way across six miles of steep stairs and terrain along the Slopes, guided by the light of the new moon – romantic, no?

Lingren noted that the annual Kayak Pittsburgh event sees its fair share of rowdy Pitt students enjoying a leisurely paddle.

“Pitt is one of the largest groups who came out for kayak Pittsburgh. Over 100 attended, the largest group of any school,” said Lingren.

Another popular event is a community bike ride on October 4, which is one of the largest group bike rides in the country.

“We anticipate six to eight thousand people. We’ll be following the same path Washington took through Pittsburgh. He came with a force of seven thousand men, so our hope’s for seven thousand people to join us for the Great Allegheny Run.”

The event happens to be on the same night as the Festival of Lights. The Great Allegheny Run will have ended just in time for the lights to brighten, and Lingren teases that it is something to really look forward to.

While the official start of summer might still be a couple weeks away, the heat is already on. Venture Outdoors invites you to get out into the wild blue yonder and explore all that Pittsburgh has to offer. Even if you’ve been in the city all your life, it doesn’t hurt to turn away from the daily grind and bask with the now tame Mother Nature.