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Volume CXXXII, Number 18 |
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BOC back from break
CECILY UPTON
COLUMNIST
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| One of the many breathtaking Costa Rica views. (Courtesy of Cecily Upton) |
Even though the Bowdoin Outing Club took a two-week break from sending out official trips, Outing Club members were out in force, all over the globe, adventuring on their own. Steve Popper, our very own treasurer, traveled to the Gaspe Peninsula, where he back-country skied on "the most unbelievable snow ever."
Laurel Jones, '06, was out in Colorado during the massive snowstorm of the second week of break. "We got 96 inches of snow in less than 3 days!," she explains, "it was AWESOME!!!! The most snow recorded in one time in one place in the lower 48 states...ever! We were snowed in. To get out we put our bags on the front loader of a tractor and walked behind it... until it died. Then I trudged out in waist deep snow (it was compacted) and hitched a ride to town to get some diesel for the tractor."
Other members of the Outing Club headed south, way south, of the border for a little sun and surf, as well as community service.
As part of the Costa Rica contingent, I can account for the absolute beauty of the place. There was a large Bowdoin contingent in and around the country; we calculated that at least 2 percent of the student body was enjoying the Costa Rica sunshine for break. Mostly we spent our time on the beach, surfing and swimming, although quite a few ventured to the rainforests of Monteverde and the active volcano, Arenal. Monkeys and crocodiles were also spotted, as well as a plethora of beautifully plumaged birds.
Another southern trip populated by members of the Outing Club was the service trip to Peru. As Eliot Wright reports, "in the end we had painted the park benches, laid stone gravel in the walkways, transplanted grass to the area, re-stained the altar and playground, constructed a cement curb for the park, and planted many more trees! It was an amazing amount of work achieved by such a small a dedicated group. But we certainly could not have done it all without the help of the kids, the directors of the park, and of course our bus driver Willy. You see, Willy is an opera singing, racecar driving, cement mixing, wild guy that just attracts kids like a magnet. Willy was one of the most incredible bus drivers I have ever met."
It sounds as if all there planning and fund-raising were well worth the trip. Make sure to stop by the Outing Club next Monday night, March 31, at 7:00 p.m., where you can see an amazing slide show of these and other great trips from break. There will also be an ice cream social for the whole Bowdoin community following the show. Also mark your calendars now for April 28, when Backpacker Magazine will be coming to Bowdoin as a part of the Get Out More! campaign.
Representatives from the magazine will be on hand to offer advice and information about backpacking and general outdoor living. In the meantime, stop by the Outdoor Leadership Center to pick-up a new spring schedule. Trips include hiking, backpacking, white-water kayaking, rafting, canoeing, and more!
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