Dartmouth Hall
« All Posts by this Blogger
My trip!

Last Saturday, instead of spending time doing work in Sanborn, spending time on the Green, or hanging out in my fraternity house, I spent most of the day out on the golf course, with a backpack full of supplies for outdoor events. What I was preparing for was the Dartmouth Outing Club's first year trips, a tradition many students, both current and former, can look back at with fond memories as their introduction to Dartmouth.

My First Year Trip, when I was just seventeen years old!
My First Year Trip, when I was just seventeen years old!

 First Year Trips is a week-long outdoor trip that first-year students do before their matriculation in the fall. First-year students are put into a group of about eight other first-year students, as well as two upperclassmen. They then have a variety of trips they might go on as a group, exploring the area they will come to know in their four years here. For example, I lead a first-year trip last year, where we did cabin camping and nature literature. With my '24 co-trip leader, we introduced Dartmouth to the new '25s. We stayed at a cabin, explored the area nearby, and read and discussed literature while looking at the world around us. It was an amazing time, and I loved being a trip leader. So when the application to lead a trip came up again, I gladly said yes.

My Co-trip leader and I getting prepared to meet our "triplings"!
My Co-trip leader and I getting prepared to meet our "triplings"!

 Saturday's events include training for what we might encounter in the upcoming first-year trip. We packed bags with food, cooking supplies, and some tarp as we ventured out to the golf course and traversed the trails to train, whether by putting up tarps, using a Trangia to cook dinner, or doing land navigation with a map. In between, we had q&a sessions where we talked about concerns about trips, and how to handle different situations that might come up.

I am so excited to lead another first-year trip and meet some '26s. It is an amazing time, and I want to help them have great experiences!

Posts You Might Like