As a typical, naïve first-year, prior to arriving at Colorado College, I believed I was “outdoorsy.” I went on the occasional day hike; I’d been on rafting trips; I’d been climbing for nearly 10 years (although admittedly, 98 percent of it was in a gym). At the very least, I knew how to set up a tent, which I thought was pretty darn useful. I was born for this school.
Unfortunately, once I got here and met so many talented outdoorsmen and women, I quickly realized that my experiences were very limited and that I had much to learn. I mean, by never having done NOLS, I was in the minority.
I had never been backpacking, didn’t know what slacklining was, and couldn’t tell you the difference between Nordic and downhill skiing. Suffice it to say, I was pretty intimidated about keeping up with all of the outdoorsy kids around me (figuratively and literally—there’s a 5,517 ft. elevation difference between Colorado Springs and my little hometown of Warwick, New York).
I tried to not let this discourage me. Instead of shriveling up knowing that I may never reach the level of outdoor expertise as other folks, I became determined to learn everything I could. On my NSO trip I asked my leaders multitudes of questions about leadership tracks.
The first weekend, I went to Shelf Road with my hall mates and did my first lead climbing outdoors, also learning how to build a proper anchor. I signed up for a Pike’s Peak day trip on Summit and spent the week leading up to it on the treadmill, staring up at “America’s Mountain” in anticipation while also gasping for breath. These actions may not have been huge, but they certainly added to my experience and knowledge in a very short time.
Despite this auspicious start, there have naturally been several challenges and set-backs I’ve encountered in adopting this mentality of jumping on every opportunity. For one thing, I’ve learned how expensive it is to be properly equipped for all of these activities in nature.
Throughout NSO, I found myself freezing in my sleeping bag meant for a 12-year-old slumber party, stumbling around in the dark with no headlamp, and struggling to carry my duffle bag because I had no backpacking pack.
On top of this, though I pride myself on being tough and strong in the face of illness my immune system has taken a beating from college. I ended up getting sick immediately after summiting Pike’s Peak, becoming severely dehydrated on my FOOT trip (forcing me to leave), and developing a head cold that prevented me from going to Indian Creek.
Nevertheless, I maintain that one of the biggest challenges has been getting on one of these trips in the first place. Summit trips fill up in only minutes, making me and everyone else a slave to the computer screen. In addition, casual weekend trips, day trips, and clinics pop up with little notice, and on the block plan you need a significant amount of luck to not have too much work and to have enough time to participate. If you fulfill these two criteria, you have to pounce on whatever available spot you need, whether on Summit or in someone’s car.
I don’t say all of this to complain, but rather to show that, like transitioning into aspects of college life such as extracurriculars, dorm living, and classes, transitioning into the outdoor scene at CC is also a challenge of its own. I don’t think this difficulty is necessarily a problem; on the contrary, I consider myself blessed to be in a place where people are so passionate and knowledgeable about nature and so willing to teach others.
Outdoor Education truly does play a large role here in the liberal arts education, which is why I’ll continue to take advantage of it. I can’t let things like gear and registration deadlines hinder me from getting outside and learning everything I want to know.
With any luck, I’ll slowly invest in all of the equipment I need, build up my immune system, and find some way to master Summit. If I overcome these challenges, I’ll at least be better prepared to get on trips, which is enough for me.
I know I won’t be able to do every trip or clinic, but as a student for three months, I feel pretty optimistic about my future here at CC. By the time I’m a senior, I can see myself and my peers becoming confident leaders in a variety of outdoor pursuits, with skills that we’ve gained or simply improved upon.
From now until then, we’ll undoubtedly become more effective leaders, and we’ll learn from each other—regardless of whether we started out “outdoorsy” or not.
Sarah Laico