As other incoming freshmen suffered stuffy flights and long car rides en route to Dartmouth, Cedar Farwell '17 and his mother, Edie Farwell '83, opted to canoe up the Connecticut River with his college gear, arriving at the docks of Ledyard Canoe Club on Sept. 10.
The trip began in Hartlan a day earlier, where mother and son set off as many families trekking to college do, laden with gifts from neighbors and encumbered by several bags. The first six miles were easy paddling, but unexpected news that the Wilder Dam would release 7,500 cubic feet of water per second as a precaution against flooding much more than the normal flow of 2,000 cubic feet per second turned the trip into a "race against time," Cedar Farwell said.
Once the dam began allowing the extra water to pass through, it became nearly impossible to canoe.
The Farwells were forced to exit the water and drag the canoe three times.
The section between the I-89 and White River Junction bridges called for particularly vigorous paddling and lasted three hours.
"It was as much a mental challenge as a physical one just to keep going, and not give up, and just be like, Come get us in the car I want to drive to college,'" Cedar Farwell said. "That took us as much as it had taken to do six miles just for that one section, and I was paddling as hard as I could and I was like, I can't give anymore.'"
After canoeing the full 12 miles, Cedar and Edie Farwell arrived at Gilman Island, where they were met by Cedar Farwell's brother, Silas Farwell, his father, Jay Mead '82, and their family dog. The family spent the night together in a tent on the island and enjoyed donuts the following morning, brought to them by Edie Farwell and Jay Mead's college friend via canoe.
After breakfast, the family canoed to Ledyard to move Cedar Farwell's luggage to his room in the Choates residential cluster.
The family canoes frequently in Vermont and Michigan, Cedar Farwell said. Edie Farwell and Mead fondly remember Dartmouth as a place where students embrace outdoor opportunities.
When Edie Farwell initially proposed the idea for her son to canoe to school, Cedar Farwell worried he would draw negative attention to himself on his first day of college, he said. Ultimately, he concluded other students' reactions should not shake his resolve.
"I want to start off on my own terms, rather than somebody else's," he said.
Cedar Farwell said canoeing to college allowed him to feel a semblance of control as he underwent an otherwise chaotic period of adjusting to college life.
Because the family enjoyed the experience so much, they may establish a tradition of canoeing to Dartmouth each year. Cedar Farwell could also make more regular canoe trips home, perhaps with his laundry, Edie Farwell joked.
When the whole family stayed in the same tent on Gilman Island, Edie Farwell said she felt especially cognizant that it was family's last night together. She was struck by the "bittersweet" feeling of having enjoyed the canoe journey, but needing to say goodbye to her son soon after.
