Harrisburg Inspiring Connections Outdoors (HICO) student outings. Photo courtesy of HICO.
It could be learning how to make a fire in the wilderness. Paddling a canoe for the first time in Swatara Creek. The hissing of a swarm of bicycles as you pedal the Capital Area Greenbelt.
These are the kinds of first experiences offered through Harrisburg Inspiring Connections Outdoors—better known as HICO. It is one of about 50 such organizations nationwide affiliated with the Sierra Club that provide outdoor activities for city youth.
The organization was formed in 1996, then known as Harrisburg Inner City Outings. In 2014, the name was changed as part of a program rebranding.
For the last 12 years, HICO has offered its outings exclusively to students attending Marshall Math Science Academy of the Harrisburg School District. The program is open to students grades 5 through 7, girls and boys alike.
HICO holds one outdoor outing for Marshall students each month of the year. In some months, there are two outings, said Michael Horgan, a volunteer with the organization for more than 20 years.
Students chosen to go on a HICO outing pay nothing, nor is there any charge to their parents or guardian. All the food and supplies the students need for any outing—tents, sleeping bags, footwear, canoes, kayaks and the like—is provided by HICO in partnership with supporting area businesses and nonprofit groups.
Outings take place on weekends, usually on a Saturday. The organization embarks on at least three camping trips a year, most running two nights long.
HICO often combines camping with other outdoor activities. This summer, it will take students to Hickory Run State Park for camping, followed by whitewater rafting. Camping can also be combined with other outdoor activities like orienteering and birding.
This past year, HICO took students on a two-day canoe float trip covering about 15 miles on Swatara Creek. The canoes were provided by Canoe Club of Greater Harrisburg, which also provided volunteers for the event—an example of the essential partnerships HICO has forged with area organizations.
“More than half of these kids had never been on a canoe before,” Horgan said.
Also in 2025, HICO organized a 12-mile backpacking trip along the Appalachian Trail. The students camped out on the trail for two nights.
Each year, HICO takes the Marshall students on a 21-mile-long bicycle ride around the Greenbelt, with bicycles provided by Trips for Kids Harrisburg. Again, it’s a new experience for these kids, even though it’s one that others may take for granted.
“Some of these kids are just learning how to ride a bicycle,” Horgan said. “Half of them don’t even have a bicycle.”
An Incentive
Horgan first became involved with HICO through an employee of the advertising agency he owned. The employee wanted to start a Harrisburg chapter, and Horgan helped develop a video supporting the effort.
As a graduate of Harrisburg schools, Horgan knew how difficult it was for city kids to experience the wonders of the outdoors, just a few miles away. Fortunately, Horgan had been able to do so as a Boy Scout.
“I was always like ‘Wow, when I retire, I want to get involved in this,’” he said. “So, the year I retired over 20 years ago, I signed up and started my payback, putting my effort, my time and my energy into this.”
In the beginning, HICO worked through churches, and anybody could sign a child up for an outing. Over time, the process shifted to a school setting, where students are selected by teachers, a method that Horgan said works much better.
“The teachers are able to choose the students who will benefit from it the most,” Horgan said. “It’s a great vetting process for us too, so that we don’t have kids that are going to be disruptive or pull back from us being successful.”
A HICO outing can be an incentive for a student who is doing well. Teachers will also use a HICO outing as “an extra space” to try and get to know students in a different setting, said Ellen Mearns, a Marshall Math Science Academy teacher who has been involved with HICO for eight years.
The HICO outings provide benefits for students that teachers see translated in the classroom. Mastering hands-on skills outside of school—reading a compass, starting a fire, following a trail or riding the Greenbelt—can provide a student who is struggling academically with the confidence to take on challenging and difficult tasks inside the classroom, Mearns said.
HICO has considered expanding beyond Marshall academy, and other schools in the region have shown interest in the program.
It comes down to the need for more volunteers—and more money. HICO is self-funded, receiving no government assistance. The group spends $7,000 to $10,000 a year on expenses, with most of that covering transportation to outings, which is provided by Susquehanna Outfitters.
Horgan and the other volunteers have their hands full keeping HICO going for Marshall.
“We would be more than happy to lend out our gear (and) our expertise if another group wanted to start up,” he said. “If somebody was interested, they could get in touch with us, and we would help them organize and create this group and support the group.”
For more information on Harrisburg Inspiring Connections Outdoors (HICO), visit www.harrisburgico.org.
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