“Before we left we were the eight most random people on campus… Now I can’t think of a group that would make more sense together.”
Spending the time and money to travel all the way up to New Jersey seemed less appealing for me this year, so for fall break, I opted for the DO LeConte trip instead. I had never camped, never hiked more than a couple of miles, and never peed in the woods before, so I thought this would be a great time to get out of my comfort zone and do some good, ol’ fashioned self-discovery. I was quite correct; this backpacking trip, albeit short, was as incredible and cathartic as I expected. I guess some of you are already familiar with all the life-changing lessons I’m about to report since many of you had the good sense to go on Odyssey, but before I get there –
A word to those who, like myself, worried about skipping Odyssey and missing a really important college experience: Never fear. Yeah, we might not have had stuff like Odyssey reunions and Odyssey Commons dinners freshman year, but that kind of meaningful, eye-opening experience can happen at any time. Any Davidson Outdoors trip will give you a chance to connect with nature, meet new people, and challenge yourself. Plus, since my group was all upperclassmen, we all had the advantage of being here a while, so questions like “Where are you from? What did you do in high school?” were replaced with “What do you do on campus? What courses are you taking?” It was a much different experience trying to connect with people without those first-year nerves getting in the way.
This kind of experience can also happen at whatever skill level you’re at. Don’t let inexperience stop you for any reason. I definitely had some clumsy moments as I clunked around in my roommate’s size 10 hiking boots on my size 8 feet, gazed helplessly at the parts of a tent, and announced OKAY I’M TAKING MY CLOTHES OFF NOW EVERYBODY LOOK AWAY as I changed my clothes for the first time in the woods, but I can promise that these embarrassing moments will become funny memories and the lessons you learn will become even more important.
Anyway, if I’ve learned anything from this trip, aside from how to squat pee (yes, I did it!), it’s this:
My first impressions of things (people, places, experiences) are good for about 0.002 seconds. After that split second, they no longer serve me.
When you meet someone for the first time, forget what you think you know about them. Whatever you’ve heard about them or seen from a distance is likely largely irrelevant to who they really are. When you look at the weather forecast for your first camping trip, see nothing but rain, and think, this is definitely going to suck, that’s fine. But don’t let it keep you from discovering the satisfaction of a warm, dry tent pitched just in time to fall asleep to the sound of rushing water. Most importantly, whatever you think you know about yourself, take it with a grain of salt. You might find that a simple camping trip can clarify things about yourself that you didn’t think needed clarifying.
Bottom line: this trip was 10/10, would highly recommend to pretty much everyone.