To join SERC NEWT on our next Peaks of the Bay trip, follow SERC’s instagram where links to sign-up forms are posted twice a semester!
The Peaks of the Bay program introduces and connects the UC Berkeley community to the beautiful mountains of the Bay Area. Each academic year, SERC NEWT facilitates free and accessible trips to four iconic mountains in the Bay Area. These trips focus on merging fun outdoor movement with environmental justice education and healing, and are especially catered to those with limited outdoor experiences. On each trip, students participate in guided hikes and icebreakers, enjoy lunch and social conversation, and receive additional education and identity-based discussion before enjoying dessert and heading back to Berkeley.
While there are a few student organizations and departments that support outdoor recreation on the UC Berkeley campus, SERC NEWT’s Peaks of the Bay offers an additional route for students, specifically students who have experienced barriers to participating in outdoor spaces, to participate.
It is SERC NEWT’s goal that these trips leave students feeling inspired and empowered to return on their own, and help instill a greater sense of connection to the Bay Area and California.
We highly encourage folxs who come from first-generation, low-income, and underserved backgrounds or have simply not had many experiences in the outdoors to sign up. Undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and staff are all eligible to register and are encouraged to come.
SERC NEWT is beyond excited to reveal our brand new design for the Peaks of the Bay program! SERC was lucky enough to work with Kaory Santillan on this thoughtful and intentional design. This design not only represent SERC NEWT’s Peaks of the Bay program, but it will be used as collectible stickers for our participants. If you attend one of our trips, you will get the center piece and corresponding Mountain sticker. You will then need to attend the other trips to get the other stickers and collect them all to complete your design. Additionally, students and community members who make it out to these mountains on their own will also have the chance to get their stickers (https://forms.gle/vgSDnhPdzTkJ9xao6), but we’d love to have you on our trips.
Artist Bio: Kaory (she/they) is an indigenous (Wixarika and Na'ayarite) scholar and transdisciplinary artist with an affinity for ceramics. She was born in Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico before migrating to Los Angeles as a young child. Their art is informed by their cultural background and lived experiences. Their work and research include identity formation, media representation, systems of communication, and environmentalism as they relate to indigenous futurism. They are a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley earning degrees in media studies and art practice in 2022. Her work has been included in various programming by the art department at worth Ryder Gallery. Their work has also been featured at Berkeley Art Center (Berkeley, CA.), Marin Museum of Contemporary Art (Novato, CA), Works/San Jose (San Jose, CA.), Palo Alto Art Center (Palo Alto, CA.) and Opalka Gallery (Albany, NY). They are currently a climate art fellow for the city of San Jose, California, researching sustainable and circular practices in ceramics and developing a series of artworks using alternative techniques. The artist currently resides in unceded Tamien - Muwekma Ohlone Land/ San Jose, California.
Mt. Tamalpais 2024
We began our day by watching a documentary on the history of Mt. Tamalpais. Inspired, we set off to hike a trail of the mountain, where we paused to enjoy delicious bagel sandwiches for lunch amid the misty scenery. After our hike, we gathered at a scenic viewpoint to share snacks and engaging conversations. We ended the day with a sweet treat trip to a local frozen yogurt shop!
Experiences from students:
“Overall enjoyed all aspects of the day, but I especially value opportunities for intentional community building and when we honor the history and significance of the spaces I visit.”
“The hike route was great and challenging enough that I felt that I could do more trails like it. It also reminded me that spaces like this are available not far from Berkeley, and I would like to continue exploring them.”
Mt. Umunhum 2024
Mount Umunhum is one of the highest peaks in the lovely lush Santa Cruz mountains and the second out of four we will be visiting throughout the academic year. During this day of programming, we first met to watch a short video about Mount Umunhum, departed to the nature preserve, and engaged in group games and conversation. After hiking up to the peak, we practiced stillness and reflection through journaling and meditation. After our day on the mountain we headed down to San Jose to get ice cream.
Experiences from students:
“My favorite was basking in the sun with the cold breeze at the top of Mt. Umunhum. Me and a couple other people sat in the prayer circle, reflected on our trip, journaled, played games and took a nap.”
“I feel like being immersed in outdoor environments the way that SERC has facilitated has nurtured confidence in my ability to do it on my own. It seems so much more accessible!”
“It was really nice to get out of berkeley for a bit and forget about all the school stress. I feel/felt more present and more myself.”