New clubs are constantly emerging at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), each catering to different interests, stories, and communities. Backcountry Squatters is one of them: a group that gets students outside, involved, and empowered.
Caleigh Mullins, a UNH Environmental Engineering junior who transferred in from St. Lawrence University in New York, wanted to take a piece of her old university to UNH and create her own chapter of the Backcountry Squatters here.
“I got involved with Backcountry Squatters at my previous school, and it was just a lot of fun. Everybody was so welcoming, and it was easy to get involved in,” said Mullins.
The Backcountry Squatters is a non-profit organization that consists of clubs, or chapters, in universities throughout America dedicated to women and gender-queer empowerment through outdoor activities. Chapters of this club continue to thrive, giving them a nationwide presence in leadership, inclusivity, and community.
With chapters at universities such as the University of Maine, Boston University, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Utah, and many more, UNH could become a part of this community of involved and included individuals and groups, thanks to Mullins.
According to Mullins, “Their mission is to build an inclusive outdoor community by providing leadership, personal growth, and professional development opportunities for women and gender-queer individuals. This is accomplished through chapters that offer events for community building, DEI education, and honing technical skills.”
Mullins, as the leader of the Backcountry Squatters at UNH, is going through the process of making this an official UNH club. The executive board she has pulled together includes members such as Abi Bourque, another UNH transfer student with the similar idea of bringing a club from Plymouth University to UNH. UNH’s Backcountry Squatters is expected to be up and running in the Spring of 2026 after many months of preparation.
Activities Mullins expects to administrate through the club include frequent rock climbing, either outdoors or at the Hamel Recreation Center (HRC), skiing, snowboarding, day hikes, backpacking trips, and more.
“We want to do a lot of intro activities, like trying new things for everyone. We want to do beginner skateboarding, come hang out, and see what you can do. There’s also a whitewater park in Franklin, New Hampshire, where you can do whitewater kayaking, and they provide the gear. We all thought that was cool, too,” said Mullins.
Mullins does not expect to receive any funding from UNH and hopes to be able to receive it from the nonprofit itself. And while the process of making the club recognized through UNH has proved harder than Mullins thought, she believes the Backcountry Squatters would make a difference in the community at UNH.
