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Volume CXXXIII, Number 3 |
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BOC Notebook: In the Danger Zone
ELLIOT JACOBS
STAFF WRITER
Your raft approaches Big Poppler, the biggest drop on the Dead River. Water is pouring over the sides of the boat and you struggle to hear your raft guide as he shouts commands to you. "All forward!" he yells as you approach the drop. Fortunately, you aren't in any real danger because your raft guide is none other than Jeremy Katzen, an upstanding member of the Bowdoin Outing Club (BOC).
Rafting is one of the biggest adrenaline sports that the BOC sponsors. Led by fellow students, you put on your wetsuit, PFD (personal floatation device), and helmet to blast through whitewater up to Class IV. The water is huge and the thrills are intense.
If that interests you, sign up for this weekend's rafting trip. Past trips to the Dead have proved that it is one of the best rivers to raft in the Northeast. There are huge standing waves, big drops, and sections of calm water to chill out in between.
Enrollment in whitewater trips is pretty limited, but if you can't get out this weekend, never fear, because the BOC leads a number of rafting trips throughout the fall and the spring. You'll definitely get a chance to get out on the water this year!
In the meantime, sign up for a different kind of outing-one that only comes around once a year. Common Good Day trips, which will take place next Saturday, October 4, mark a day when Bowdoin students and faculty join together to do their part for the Brunswick community. Even the adrenaline high of white-water rafting can't match the good feeling you get knowing that you provided a service to those in need. Plus, you get a free shirt.
These popular trips are filling up fast and the last day to sign up is tomorrow! If mulching or bike path maintenance in Brunswick appeals to you, or if cabin deconstruction in Georgetown or trail maintenance in Rockport sound interesting, be sure to sign up. In all seriousness, we spend a lot of our years here enjoying the beautiful state of Maine, so give something back next weekend.
You can recover from your day of do-gooding with a great BOC trip. On Sunday, Alex Harris and Carly Smith (who are both tall and blond) are leading an awesome sea kayaking day trip. They plan to cruise from Bethel Point around Yarmouth Island, stopping around noon to relax in the sun and grab some lunch. There isn't a more mellow way to spend a Sunday.
Also that day, BOC superstars Dan Abraham and Elliot Jacobs (the ambiguously gay duo) will lead a flatwater canoe trip to an undisclosed location. The trip will surely fill up fast, especially with the female first years, so sign up soon.
In other big news, McKay Jenkins, author of The White Death, is set to speak at Bowdoin on October 2. His latest book, The Last Ridge, is the story of the Army's 10th Mountain Division and its part in assaulting Hitler's Europe. The division was comprised of the best skiers, climbers, and outdoorsmen in the United States, and they helped turn the tide of the war for the Allies. Jenkins's book is fantastic and he is an awesome speaker, so you won't want to miss this event (at 7:30 pm in the Outdoor Leadership Center).
Let's recap: 1. Sign up for service trips by tomorrow; 2. Rafting is fun; 3. Don't miss McKay Jenkins.
Finally, even though I am well over the article length that the Orient editors tolerate from me, I would like to introduce a new portion of my weekly column: brief yet infinitely wise tidbits of advice for first-years.
I see many of you walking around these days with your ID card around your neck on the little string-holder-thing. My advice: Get a clue, freshmen! It's not like we're all assistant scientists at a biomedical facility. We know you go here. We could tell by your J.Crew casuals. You use that stupid thing approximately seven times a day, which corresponds almost exactly to the number of times men pee in any given day. We don't keep that equipment out for convenience.
In sum, keep your card in your pants and your head on your shoulders.
And sign up for trips!
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