Mountain Biking DOC Trip

General Information about Item:

Informant Data:

Zack is a male, class of 2022 Dartmouth undergraduate. He was born and raised in New Jersey. His hobbies consist of playing football, watching soccer, and hanging out with friends. He experienced his DOC trip back in 2018F when he was a freshman.

Contextual Data:

Cultural Context: 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. Zack, like many other incoming students, was concerned coming into Dartmouth that he wasn’t going to find many friends. Through this program, Zack found a friend that he is still close with today.
Social Context: Coming into Dartmouth, students have little knowledge 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. Zack received an email prior to arriving to campus and decided to take a risk by going on a DOC trip.

Item:

Zack received a survey asking for trip preferences before arriving to school. He considers himself as an “outdoorsy and brave” person. While talking about the process, Zack said “I chose mountain biking because I never tried it. I would consider myself as an athletic person, therefore I was not worried about falling off the bike.” Unlike some other informants, Zack got his first choice, and he really enjoyed the overall experience. After doing some research on the biking club, I found that “The Mountain Biking Club of the DOC is a great place to learn the ins and outs of mountain biking around Hanover.” Attached below is a picture that Zack sent to me from the website that accurately represents the experience.

Associated file:

Transcript:

“They took our group out to the forest and to my surprise, there were a ton of natural biking paths. I was extremely happy with my choice of mountain biking because it was far out of my comfort zone. As well, I met some classmates that I am still close with today… Overall, I suggest that every incoming freshman goes on a DOC trip.”

Informant’s Comments:

Z.B. said that he “didn’t know what to expect from choosing the mountain biking option.” He was concerned that the paths would be difficult/hard, but he was able to tackle all the paths with ease.

Collector’s Comments:

Zack was the only informant that chose the mountain biking option. I was intrigued at how different this option was compared to the rest – this choice is more for the brave and adventurous.

Collector’s Name: Ben Keeter

Dartmouth Folklore Archive