Kelvin Smolenski

Hi Hiking Club Members,

It’s been such a highlight getting to hike, travel, and make lasting friendships with so many of you during our residentials, social events and weekend hikes this year. If we haven’t met yet, I’m Kelvin. A half Kiwi, half Polish undergrad who’s been passionate about outdoor activities like hiking, trail running, and kite surfing for as long as I can remember. This year, it’s been an honour to serve on the sub-committee as Junior Route Officer, working alongside Declan to deliver our weekend hikes, and I’m sure I’m not alone in saying he’ll be greatly missed when he leaves at the end of Term 3.

Looking ahead, my aims will be continuity with a dose of innovation. I want to keep building on what’s working well with our biweekly Discoverer and Explorer hikes, while also pushing the club forward with new and exciting ideas. One of the things I’m most proud of this year is helping develop our extended hikes, with the New Forest as the debut. Next year, I’d love to expand this further by introducing one or two-day weekend trips to some of the UK’s best hiking destinations, think the Peak District, Brecon Beacons, and Jurassic Coast.

I’m already familiar with the club’s internal logistics, route-planning software, and the behind-the-scenes work that makes our hikes run smoothly, which means I can focus on expanding what we offer based on your feedback from day one.