Hi, I'm Youmi from China and Japan and I'm majoring in CS and minoring in Human-Centered Design. I love playing tennis, taking peaceful morning walks around Occom Pond, and relaxing by the river with friends. Dartmouth feels like a patchwork of people and places that constantly surprise me, and I'm excited to share those little discoveries with you through my blogs and photos.
Dartmouth'sFirst-Year Trips(FYT) are probably the most iconic Dartmouth tradition. In fact, I remember talking to an alumni who graduated in the 1980s and how they could still vividly recall every detail from their FYT. I finally understood the hype behind this tradition after I went on my own moderately-strenuous hiking trip with 4 other amazing trippees and 2 trip leaders (TLs).
I was stoked for the four-day nature-and-bonding retreat, and it turns out the trip was even better than I had imagined. Other than moderately hiking, everyone on the trip bonded over small things like setting up our camping site together, playing card games under our tarp-house, improvising dishes from ingredients we brought from campus, sharing traditions from our own cultures, stargazing, etc. etc.
Our trip wasn't all sunshine and rainbows—literally. Nature welcomed us on our first day with an entire night of rainfall. Unfortunately, we realized that there was water leaking all over our feet right before sleeping. But we improvised and used cutting boards to scrape the rain puddle off of the platform.
Having lived in the cities for my whole life, I didn't have much hiking/outdoor camping experience prior to coming to Dartmouth. I definitely felt challenged at many points during the hike up Mt. Cardigan, but as cliché as it may sound, all the tiredness and muscle pain went away once I saw the view at the summit. I've never considered joining the Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC)—but my opinions have changed after FYT.
Having lived in the cities for my whole life, I didn't have much hiking/outdoor camping experience prior to coming to Dartmouth. I definitely felt challenged at many points during the hike up Mt. Cardigan, but as cliché as it may sound, all the tiredness and muscle pain went away once I saw the view at the summit. I've never considered joining the Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC)—but my opinions have changed after FYT.
Even though this trip was only 4 days long, this is definitely a memory that I will forever hold dear. I loved every single part of this journey, from the late-night chats and bonding activities to my fellow trippees and lovely TLs. I wouldn't change any part of my experience for the world!
Welcome back to Open Doors—your inside look at life in the Woods! This week, Sarah Getraer '26, a studio art major, showed me around her dorm room, where we discussed Dartmouth residence halls, classes, and campus life.
