Mooseilauke [sic]

I have just returned from an event filled overnight trip with the DMS clas of 2012 in the woods of northern vermont. Apparently there is a large, huge even, cabin owned by the college, and although it was told to me on at least half a dozen occasions that we were going, I was completely unprepared for the expedition. No sleeping bag, tooth brush, changes of clothes etc. But that, if anything, made it more fun. We arrived on a rickety old yellow school bus that was clearly Un-magical as it almost died topping the hill to the cabin, about 20 miles from Hanover. After dropping our things in the bunk houses, we grouped in the humongous timbered lodge featuring a moose head, stuffed cougar in a cooking apron, and other pieces of Dartmouth Outdoor Club's twisted sense of humor, for further orientation. We then played group games ostensibly intended to foster group feeling through participation, that in reality fostered group feeling through sarcasm. The I joined a pick-up kickball game, which was beautiful. After a banquet style rustic dinner of split pea soup, salad with apples and feta, black bean casserole, and carrot cake slathered with maple syrup icing (all chased with deliciously cold water), we returned to the cabins to change clothes then congregate while eating cheese puffs and drinking cheap beer. An acoustic guitar appeared, followed by more and more empty cans, the eventual result of which was a midnight, spontaneous alpine stream swimming adventure. Afterwards I collapsed into my surprisingly comfortable bed.

This morning we were awoken to the sound of cooking pots being beaten with spoons for a quick breakfast before the hike up Mt. Moose-whatever. Around 40 of us set out at 9, reaching the summit after an hour and a half where we were granted a 360 panoramic view of the clouds and mountains of NH and VT. We returned at noon, having passed about 1100 distinct kinds of extraterrestrial looking mushrooms. The fatigue in my legs became full on pain, the good-spent ache of exertion, as I boarded the bus to sleep away the miles between there and here. And here I am, happy, but badly in need of a shower.

My classmates seem absolutely wonderful. Already they have far surpassed any expectations I had in terms of personality, interesting backgrounds, etc. 77 characters and me, the one normal guy*. (being facetious) I can't wait to know them more deeply, but the brief to intermediate encounters we've had have been just dandy. There's not a one that I get even a single bad vibration from. An auspicious beginning.