The prospect of showering once or twice per week for 10 weeks at a time may sound like torture to many Dartmouth students. The members of the Dartmouth Outing Club's Summer Crew, however, do not mind the idea. "I didn't want to be inside all summer," Deirdre Sutula '10, a member of the Summer Crew, said. "I wanted to challenge myself."
The group is comprised of several smaller groups that work on various projects for the DOC, including the reconstruction of Harris Cabin, trailwork and the construction of several projects at Dartmouth's Organic Farm along with ongoing maintenance of the DOC's chain of cabins.
"This summer is the most we've tried to do at once in a long time," said Julie Clemons, the assistant director of the Outdoor Programs Office, which oversees the projects. However, according to Clemons, building cabins and doing trailwork have been a part of the DOC since its founding in 1909.
In the past, the Summer Crew split into groups that concentrated on one project for the whole summer. This year, for the first time, students will be able to rotate between jobs as the term progresses.
"Now that we have more projects than usual, there's a lot more going on and a lot more variety," said Chris Polashenski '07, who supervises all of the summer crews. "We wanted to expose people to a wide variety of building techniques and skills."
All of the groups contain current students and recent alumni, who work for roughly $200 per week. Polashenski noted that, for most, the monetary rewards are not the only benefit.
"I really have a lot of fun teaching people how to build things," he said. "I think the summer crew is really important to the DOC and the students."
Although Polashenski is responsible for overseeing each of the projects that the DOC is working on, each project has its own manager.
Sean Mann '05 is in charge of the Harris Cabin project, overseeing safety, planning and supplies for the crew.
The cabin, located at the base of Moose Mountain, is being built on the site of the former Harris Cabin, which was the DOC's first cabin, acquired in 1915.
"This is the biggest construction project done by the DOC since Moosilauke," he said. "Getting to be a part of a project that will be part of Dartmouth and the Dartmouth out-of-doors for years is an exciting opportunity."
In addition, the DOC Trail Crew is working on Beaver Brook trail on Moosilauke. The U.S. National Park Service gave the DOC a grant based on a proposal written by Clemons to fund renovation of parts of the trail. Renovations will include rockwork to create stone steps and the creation of a retaining wall in order to prevent erosion.
As part of Cabin Crew -- which maintains the DOC's string of cabins -- Alix Perez Lawrence '10 helped to build a new porch and privy for Hinman Cabin near Mt. Smarts and worked on removing the rust from the stove in Great Bear Cabin near Mt. Moosilauke. Despite the difficulties of working for 12 hours, five days a week, Perez Lawrence said that she appreciates the change of perspective that working on the crew allows.
"You actually take the time to think about your future in a way that you wouldn't if you were at school," she said. "You get to understand that a simple life is not a bad life."
Sutula agreed that the experience shed new light on her Dartmouth experience.
"I like being away from all the stress you feel living in normal society," she said. "Not having Facebook is amazing."
