Jenny Bordo and I led an overnight BOC trip to Lake Umbagog on the New Hampshire/Maine border last weekend to go flatwater canoeing. Rain poured down as we loaded boats onto a trailer in the early morning hours at Farley, but we'd put our faith in the weather report, which reported that the remnants of Hurricane Ivan would clear by midday.
After a two hour drive, with our raincoat hoods tightly cinched, we started paddling across the island-studded lake in search of our campsite. As predicted, the clouds began to part in the late morning as the wind picked up. Our afternoon consisted of setting up camp, napping in sleeping bags, and swimming in the lake in celebration of one of the last few moments of summer.
After a brilliant sunset, we lit a campfire, cooked spaghetti, and drank hot chocolate. Dark clouds threatened rain the next morning, and we paddled back to the take-out on dark rolling water with a strong tailwind pushing us along. Trees along the edge of the lake had changed into their fall hues seemingly overnight.
It may be hard to believe, but getting participants for this trip was a bear! After asking around, we concluded that Bowdoin students are wary of sacrificing their entire weekend to a BOC trip; a day trip is fine, but an overnight is an entirely different matter.
Most of the day trips the BOC has sent out this fall have filled to capacity, and spilled onto a waitlist. Overnight excursions, however, are struggling to be half-full. Perhaps potential overnighters are concerned about not having enough time to do homework over the weekend. Perhaps sports teams leave athletes with only one day to go on a trip. Perhaps (though we hope this is not the case), some are worried about missing the weekend campus-wide.
Some of the most beautiful spots in Maine (and New Hampshire) require an overnight trip to see, and extended trips also incorporate camping skills?such as setting up tents and lighting stoves?that are unnecessary on day trips. Whatever reasons may be hindering overnight participation at the BOC, we sincerely hope that more students will soon start to see that it is worth it to spend a night away from campus.
Next week, the BOC is offering a canoe trip and a hiking trip for students and their parents over Parents' Weekend. Also, representatives from Backpacker Magazine will be giving a presentation at the OLC on Monday night (9/27) at 7:00pm on proper preparation for backpacking trips.