While many college students were packing their swimming suits and flip flops on their way to Panama City Beach for spring break, the Rock Climbing Club at Southeast Missouri State University was gathering its tents and heading west.

Six members of the club spent 10 days traveling through Colorado and Utah at popular rock climbing destinations including Castleton Tower and Ancient Art. Both are located in Utah and are two of the most popular rock climbing locations in the country. Brendon Smith, president and three-year member of the club, said it was the biggest challenge trip the club has ever taken, and he was pleased with the outcome.

"It was our first time taking a trip at that scale, so we wanted to test it out with a smaller group just to see how it would work out," Smith said. "I think it went really well. Everyone that went had fun. A lot of people had never been out west, so that was a good experience for all of them, and it's definitely a good learning experience."

Vice President Brett Mello, has also been a member for three years and said that the trip to Castleton Tower has been his best memory to date with the Rock Climbing Club.

"That was an all-day thing. It took hours and hours, but just the sense of satisfaction standing up at the top of that looking all around you and seeing just beautiful, beautiful countryside is just amazing," Mello said.

While the spring break trip was the farthest the club has ever traveled, the members also travel to climbing destinations around the Southeast Missouri region as well, including Jackson Falls, Shawnee National Forest, Holy Boulders and Giant City.

Members spent many hours either climbing on trips or climbing on the rock climbing wall at the Recreation Center-North, but the club's only goal isn't just reaching the top of everything they climb.

One of the club's main purposes is to raise awareness of rock climbing as a recreational activity and support local climbing areas.

The climbers were in danger of losing access to Holy Boulders, which is located in southern Illinois, due to the sale of the land. The club aided in efforts to keep Holy Boulders accessible with the help of The Access Fund, an organization dedicated to developing and guiding climbing management policies for public and private lands.

"[The Access Fund] actually purchased the land and the climbers were going to lose access, because the owners were going to sell it. So they kind of pulled everyone together and through that support they were able to purchase the land so climbers permanently have access to it," Smith said.

While the club does well at raising the awareness necessary to maintain popular climbing destinations, it also gives members a chance to better themselves. Both Smith and Mello had never climbed before entering college, and now it is an integral part of their lives.

"I was in [the recreation center] one day just during one of the late-night events, and they had [the rock climbing wall] running, so I decided to come try it out," Smith said. "I had wanted to a few times before that but just never got around to it. After I started doing it, I really enjoyed the challenge of it. I ended up coming back pretty much every day since then."

Since joining, Smith has geared his life plans toward being able to continue rock climbing.

"Before being in the climbing club, I would come [to the recreation center], workout, study and that's pretty much all I did, but once I started climbing it gave me something to do," Smith said. "Once I got enough experience, I started going out climbing every weekend and it helped me meet a lot of people. I changed my major to outdoor recreation and now I'm pursuing a career with rock climbing, so I'd definitely say it changed a lot for me and I don't know what I'd be doing right now if not for this club."

For Mello, it is overcoming the challenge of climbing that keeps him motivated to continue.

"Looking back from where I started I am leaps and bounds ahead from where I ever thought I could possibly be and it all comes from the self confidence of pushing yourself," Mello said. "When you get to the top of something, when you look up at something and say, 'I can't do that,' and then you end up right on top of it, that's an amazing feeling and it really does tons for your self esteem, and it just transfers to every part of your life."

Any student has the ability to utilize the rock climbing wall at the recreation center and can pursue membership into the Rock Climbing Club by contacting the organization through its Facebook group "SEMO Rock Climbing Club."