Hiking DOC Trip

General Information about Item:

Informant Data:

Sean is a class of 2025 Dartmouth student. He was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. While not spending time in the classroom, Sean plays football for the Big Green. While at home in Seattle, Sean likes to spend time outside with his friends. Only being here for one term, Sean does not know what he wants to do after college.

Contextual Data:

Cultural Context: The first-year freshman trips are outdoor orientations programs led by returning students. They happen every fall – with exception to last year because of the pandemic. Sean was concerned coming into Dartmouth as he moved across the country to a school where he didn’t know anybody. Therefore, he decided it was best for him to gain friends through this program.
Social Context: Coming into Dartmouth, students do not know much about the school and its surrounding nature. To expose it to them, returning students take the freshman on trips so that they can build relationships for their four years as undergrads. Sean did not know what to expect going into it, but he was happy that he experienced the trip.

Item:

The Dartmouth Outing Club, or DOC for short, hosts several outings for incoming undergraduate students. Prior to coming to the school, Sean received a survey asking for his trip preferences. “There were many options… hiking, climbing, and mountain biking to horse riding, farming, and cabin-camping” he said while describing the process. Sean considered himself as outdoorsy throughout high school; so, he picked hiking as his first choice. Attached below is a picture that Sean took at the top of his Mount Moosilauke summit. He had this to say about the hike – “this was the most rewarding hike out of the few that we did because it was the hardest. We navigated to the top with no electronics and navigation… it was quite cool.”

Associated file:

Transcript:

“My freshman trip was fantastic – I strongly recommend that everyone should experience it. I was fortunate enough that the school brought them back this year after not having them last year because of Covid. I really enjoyed my hiking choice, but I also heard that mountain biking was super fun and thrilling. If I were to do it again, I would probably choose something more out of my comfort zone.”

Informant’s Comments:

Sean really enjoyed the trips and suggests that all incoming students go on them. It was a perfect transition from home to school.

Collector’s Comments:

I was unable to go on a trip due to conflicts with football. However, the team made changes since I was a freshman, and the players can now attend these trips. I wish I would have attended a trip because Sean really enjoyed it.

Collector’s Name: Ben Keeter

Dartmouth Folklore Archive