To be honest, I wasn't always an enthusiast of the Dartmouth Outing Club. Nor did I think I was capable of posessing all the energy that other DOC members had. I remember arriving on campus to leave for my freshman trip and then a couple of days later arriving at the Moosilauke lodge: both times I was blown away by the crews and the amount of time and energy they devoted to make my DOC trip a success. I was shocked to find out that someone would sacrifice summer money and sleep to entertain lowly freshmen -- and what was even more surprising was the fact that they had to apply to be sleep and money deprived.
As a freshman I appreciated their devotion but could never see myself wanting to partake in such a grueling and seemingly unsatisfying job. This idea quickly faded once I began planning and executing other trips for the DOC. You get two feelings when you help out with the DOC. First you realize how much work goes into the activities/trips , and second you realize that you had just gave someone the chance to enjoy the outdoors. And that's what inspired me to become DOC president.
I'm always impressed by the number of students who invest their time in teaching outdoor activities, such as kayaking, cycling, climbing, and chopping to the Dartmouth community. At first, all the enthusiasm from the club members is hard to grasp, but once you understand how the clubs thrive on new members, it starts to make more sense. You see the cyclical pattern of instructors and participants and realize that many of the instructors were taught by other patient Dartmouth students and are just returning their favor to new members.
In addition to the teaching and guidance that goes on in the DOC, it has an impressive legacy of first ascents and explorations -- and it's important to keep this spirit of adventure in mind when trying out the club's many facets. It can be intimidating to become involved with the DOC as freshman. But I can reassure you that 99.9 percent of DOC leaders and members will bend over backwards to help ease the process of coming to Dartmouth and enjoying the outdoors.
Furthermore, the DOC encompasses many umbrella clubs from Cabin and Trail to Bait and Bullet, and the impressive range of outdoor opportunties they provide appeal to an equally impressive range of students. It's amazing to me that the DOC can provide activities for anyone who has just the smallest interest in the outdoors. Trips range from the easy " like hiking from campus to Velvet Rocks " to the hard " like hiking from campus to Moosilauke.
Growing up in Alaska, I was always exposed to the outdoors, but there are many other clubs and activities here that I was surprised to become involved in. Dartmouth has a weird way of offering every club or activity imaginable and besides the DOC being really inclusive, it seems like every club is excited to have new members regardless of their experience.
The campus is full of talented students in a wide ranage of activities. Arriving as a freshman, you are awestruck but then realize that most students aren't just driven and talented, they are supportive as well. The support network here really is what drives the amazing research and expeditions that undergrads do.
In fact, I was able to receive grant money to go back to Alaska and research contaminant loading the Arctic snow pack, and I've only been here for two years. This was possible because of encouragement from my advisors and friends.
So what I mean to say is don't come to Dartmouth with expections, come with an open and eager mind and Dartmouth's splendor will unfold for you.
