Every summer with a wave of nostalgia, scores of sophomores throw down their books and take off for the wilderness to relive their freshman trip experience.
Sophomore Trips, an annual outdoor program under the auspices of the Outdoor Programs Office, organizes groups of sophomores to venture into the wilds of New Hampshire while getting to know their fellow classmates. The sixth incarnation of STRIPs was organized by co-directors Todd Rabkin Golden and Kelly Michaelsen and involved 22 trip leaders and seven other support staff.
According to Michaelsen, STRIPs were plagued this year by unexpectedly low attendance. Of the 200 students who signed up, only 79 were able to attend.
Michaelsen said that the disparity in attendance was "most likely due to the fact that trips take up the entire weekend and people had a lot of work to do."
Some students who registered for STRIPs ultimately chose not to attend because of schoolwork, physical illness and upcoming job interviews.
The trips ranged from white water kayaking to hiking to yoga. Of the 11 groups, canoeing and kayaking were the most popular, Michaelsen said. The trips left Friday afternoon and reconvened at Moosilauke Ravine Lodge Sunday afternoon for a barbecue, returning to campus later that evening.
Although program founders conceived STRIPs as a way to conjure the atmosphere of the Dartmouth Outing Club sponsored freshman trips, many STRIPs participants indicated that they did not sign up for a trip simply for nostalgic reasons.
Many students said that they chose to go on a STRIP because they felt that the experience offered the opportunity meet new people. Others said that they jumped at the opportunity to participate because they sought a peaceful and quiet time to relax with friends.
"I've always wanted to take advantage of the outdoors in coming to Dartmouth, but unfortunately I never do it on my own, so this was a great opportunity," Benjamin Schwartz '06 said. "Also, the trip was a great opportunity to meet new people or even to get to know people better."
Overwhelmingly, responses to the trips were favorable.
Yoga trippee Vassilia Binensztok '06 said that her experience was "really refreshing."
The group leaders "had so much energy and really loved what they were doing," Binensztok said. "We ended up climbing Moosilauke and that was just really awesome ... I had a great time."
Many students also praised this year's STRIPs for being well organized and for providing comfortable sleeping arrangements, which ranged from beds at the lodge to tents and tarps on the trails.
"We were very well taken care of," Alexis Lanzet '06 said. "As a trip leader, I had very few worries because they took care of all the details and I could relax and just do yoga."
Schwartz echoed a sentiment similar to Lanzet's overall impressions.
"It ran just right." Schwartz said. "I wasn't worried about anything. We did have to wait awhile for our canoes but that was it."
Overall, most students agreed that the STRIP experience was different from their freshman trips in being more low-key.
According to Schwartz, "You didn't have that anxiety of the whole college experience looming over you ... it was very relaxing."
Lanzet agreed: "As a freshman, [the DOC trip] was one of my first experiences at Dartmouth and in being away. My sophomore trip was reminiscent but completely different. It was much more chill," Lanzet said.
Overall, trip organizers declared the weekend a triumph.
"I think the program was successful," Michaelsen said. "No one got seriously hurt and everyone I've talked to had fun, it was a great experience for everyone who came. We really worked to get people outside to try something new with other students they might not have met otherwise and I think we achieved this goal."
