a river within a jungle. there are big round rocks throughout the river and on the edges, there are thick dense trees. the sky is blue with some clouds on the periphery.

Reece Sharp

Class of 2028

One of Dartmouth's oldest and largest student organizations is the Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC), which encourages students and community members alike to get outdoors and explore the New Hampshire woods. When I was applying to Dartmouth, I was excited to join many student clubs and organizations, but among the few that were not on my not-so-short list was the Dartmouth Outing Club.

I had never, and still don't, consider myself an "outdoorsy" person, so I mistakenly thought that I would never engage with the DOC programming… I was quickly proven wrong.

Within the first few days of my Hanover homecoming, I went on my First-Year Trip (FYT)—an annual program put on by the DOC to introduce new incoming students to the outdoors.

The DOC organizes a variety of First-Year Trip experiences—everything from Ecology trips and Frisbee and Field Day trips that sleep in cabins to campus-based trips that explore Hanover and ones that sleep in tents outside—and I was assigned a trip called "Cabin & Nature Photography". Going into the experience, I didn't really know what to expect because I had never gone cabin camping before and wasn't really a photographer, but I quickly realized that I wasn't alone in my inexperience. My fellow trippees (a term for students on first-year trips) were just as new and inexperienced as me, but we still had a great time. Over the course of three days, we played card games, cooked meals together, got to know one another, and went on (in my opinion) a very strenuous three-mile hike. Oh, and of course, we took photos!

A dark brown cabin with a porch on the left side. A girl is standing on the porch posing for a photo while wearing a green Dartmouth sweatshirt and gray shorts. There is a faint light on in the cabin which you can see from outside. The sky is greyish.

I am standing on the porch of Great Bear Cabin III, a cabin owned and operated by Dartmouth & the DOC.

A girl, wearing a Dartmouth green sweatshirt, is smiling while sitting on the picnic table. In front of her on the table is a pile of used dishes. It is clear the girl has just finished cooking and eating dinner. Behind the girl is a wooden railing.

Big smiles post Annie's Mac and Cheese cabin dinner!

A group of eight people are posing for a photo on a rock in the woods. The trees behind them are full and a dark forest green color. Five people are standing on the rock and three people are sitting down in front of them.

My trippees, minus one, and TLs (trip leaders) after the aforementioned strenuous hike. Photo taken by fellow trippee Nate Armstrong.

By the time it was over, and I was back on campus, I found myself already missing the New Hampshire outdoors. So just a week later, after orientation was over and the classes had begun, I went onto Trailhead—the DOC's platform for scheduling and advertising all outdoor activities and trips—and signed up for another cabin trip. This overnight trip was an excursion to the Harris Cabin, a lodge about a ten-minute drive from campus that is run by the DOC. We left Thursday night at around eight pm and were back in Hanover in time for early classes Friday morning.

A large, two-story, wooden cabin with a balcony on the top and a large porch on the ground floor. The cabin has exposed beams and it is clear it was built from whole wooden logs. There are multiple windows on the cabin walls so the faint lights from insi

The Harris Cabin at night

Once we arrived at the cabin, our makeshift group, comprised of undergrads, exchange students, and graduate students alike, got straight into it as we had limited time. We played card games, ate snacks, went mattress sledding (like in Princess Diaries 2), and generally just got to know one another.

A group of people are standing on a porch entering a wooden cabin. Some people are hidden by the darkness of night while others are illuminated by headlamps and flashlights. The photo is a bit blurry but you can still make out the people standing together

Our group arriving at the Harris Cabin on Thursday night.

A large wooden staircase sits in the middle of the photo. On the staircase itself, three mattresses are lined up covering the stairs. Two people are at the top of the staircase.

The mattress sledding set-up!

A person, wearing a gray sweatshirt and blue jeans, is walking across a wooden bridge. On either side of the bridge, there are thin trees with leaves that are changing colors. The person walking across the bridge is wearing a backpack

A view on the short walk from the cabin back to the car Friday morning.

A white van is parked in a lot surrounded by trees. The leaves on the trees are changing colors. Some are green, some are orange, and others are red or yellow. The trunk of the van is open and a group of at least five people are gathered around the back.

Our group packing the van Friday morning on our way back to campus

I got to meet so many people, from all different corners of Dartmouth on this impromptu trip, and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to go! Most trips on Trailhead are free for all students and very accessible and accommodating.

I have already signed up for my next Trailhead DOC outing, and am counting down the days until I get to go out into the New Hampshire wilderness again! Before coming to Dartmouth, I never thought I would interact with the DOC, yet, here I am, twice in one month and already planning a third! I can't wait

Posted 10/6/2024 at 9:00 AMAll Text Posts