Outcroppings Magazine

OUTCROPPINGS T h e

N e w

H a m p s h i r e

O u t i n g

C l u b

2 The top five reasons to get off campus this semester

4 Running in College Woods: Our favorite routes, tips and wildlife

6 Things you didn’t know about the White Mountains but wish you did

The Top Five Reasons to Get

OFF CAMPUS This Semester…

5.

Your Roommate.

They say that guests, like fish, begin to stink after three days. College roommates, on the other hand, often take a little longer. Despite your roommate’s questionable hygiene and riotous nightlife, it may take a few weeks for you to realize that this person could actually drive you INSANE before thanksgiving break. So instead of leaving passive-­‐aggressive post -­‐it notes, we recommend GETTING OUT OF THERE AND GOING HIKING. RIGHT NOW. When you get back, you and your roommate will be able to start off fresh!

4.

The Freshman 15 For a freshman (or senior, for that matter) sometimes there’s nothing better than going to HoCo and gulping down your waffle fries with a mountain dew for the fourth time in a week. No matter what your diet habits or health goals are, an active lifestyle can help keep the effects of stress, sleep loss and poor eating habits at bay.

3.

The bubble When school is in full swing, it isn’t hard to go for days or weeks at a time without ever leaving campus. Campus is great, but when it starts to feel like a world of its own, it might be time to get out and see what else New Hampshire has to offer.

2.

The Stories Thirty years from now, which college stories will you still be telling? The times you pulled an all-­‐nighter in McConnell? How late you slept in on Sundays? Or will you remember the time you hiked Mt. Washington in the middle of the night, or took a sled down Tuckerman’s ravine? College is like one of those choose-­‐your-­‐own-­‐ adventure novels: you have a limited amount of time and it’s up to you to choose how you spend it. We recommend that you spend it being a badass with us.

1.

It’s pretty much free Thanks to your student activity fee, you can participate in outing club trips for about the same amount you would spend on fries at Wildkitty on a Thursday night. Don’t have a car?

The Outing Club rents them for you and pays for gas! Don’t have outdoors gear? We’ll lend you some! For Free! Being a member of the NHOC gives you the opportunity to get to some of the most beautiful places on earth. So go ahead and make your student activity fee work for you and come join us on an adventure! WE DARE YOU.

2

C A U G H T

C H E E S I N ’

College Woods

4

The first time I went for a run in college woods, I left my dorm room anticipating a short trot on some well-­‐marked trails. I set out into the October afternoon in a pair of beat-­‐up trail runners and a sweatshirt. I found my way to a trailhead behind the SERCs and took off (without checking the trail map). Three hours and several sets of bad directions later, I was hopelessly and wonderfully lost.

The dark and rambling woods were shedding their leaves, and the trails disappeared under the crunching piles. I followed a footpath until it ran into a dead end, and then bushwhacked my way in what I felt was a promising direction. I emerged, muddy and a little worried, just as the sun was setting. I came out behind a farm, flagged down a car to ask directions, and ran three miles back to campus. I went back the next week (with a map) and have been running in college woods ever since.

The name “college woods” doesn’t do this area justice. Far from being just “a bunch of trees”, as my roommate once called it, the 60-­‐acre tract is home to dozens of protected species, cutting edge research sites and serves as an outdoor classroom for many UNH students. The woods also house the Oyster River, which is an important source of water for the Durham area.

The trails in college woods are not well marked, and some (I know from experience) lead absolutely nowhere.

Checking out the map at the trailhead and bringing a cell phone would both be good ideas, if you’re new to the area.

There is plenty to do besides running in college woods. If you’re a dog person (but can’t own one because you’re in college and can barely feed yourself properly, let alone another living thing), sit on one of the benches along the path.

People walk their dogs in college woods all the time, so you’re guaranteed to get your petting fix. The bridge over the Oyster River isn’t a bad date spot, either.

For more information on college woods, and the efforts underway to continue to protect its natural resources, check out the college woods coalition.

-­‐T.O, ‘14

CABIN TIME My watch says that it’s 7:30 in the evening, but if feels like it could be any time –or no time at all. My boots are sitting in the corner, stuffed with newspaper, and I am sitting in a chair by the stove, stuffed with mashed potatoes and hot dogs. As I catch a whiff of the fire, I realize that my clothes are going to smell like smoke for days. My phone is out of batteries, nestled somewhere deep in my pack. Its hold over me, all of its imagined utility and entertainment, is broken tonight. I’m bored, and by God, I’m happy about it.

The cabin window frames a clear night sky. A clear night, I remember, means a cold one. I glance at the figure hunched over a book across the room. No electric blankets out here, just some sleeping bags and body heat and a woodstove to keep us warm. It’s not an unwelcome thought, I realize, as the figure straightens and casts a smile my way. Darkness engulfs the simple room as the moon rises high above our shingles. It feels late but I don’t check my watch, vaguely aware that the gesture might shatter the stillness.

The fire sputters and coughs. Its complaints and the occasional rustle of pages are the only sounds I can hear. Giving into habit, I check my watch. It’s 7:35. I smile, letting myself sink into the back of my chair.

I take off my watch, because I’m on cabin time.

6 GETTING TO KNOW THE WHITE MOUNTAIN N A T I O N A L F O R E S T We all know that the White Mountain National Forest is home to some of the best natural landscapes and summits in New England.

However, many hikers never realize that the White Mountains are also home to some surprising history.

Epic volcanoes, Presidential visits, life-or-death moments and even a few alien visitors pepper the park’s history books.

So the next time you’re stomping up the last leg of Falling Waters, or getting ready to bolt down the Bowl, think about these things that you never knew about the White Mountains (but wish you did).

The Late Jurassic Period: When Mount Washington was formed during the breaking-up of Pangaea, a period of erosion wore down the mountain until it was less than 1,000 feet tall

1600’s: Mt. Chocorua was named for a Native American chief who is said to have cursed the man who shot him on the mountain’s summit.

1784: Dr. Jeremy Belknap named Mt. Washington after George Washington five years before Washington became President. Washington was, at the time, a decorated general.

1911: The White Mountain National Forest was founded in 1911, the same year the New Hampshire Outing Club was established

1961: Betty and Barney Hill claimed to have been abducted by aliens on their way to Franconia Notch. Betty, an alumnus of UNH, became a national celebrity.

The New Hampshire Outing Club, 1930’s

OUT CRO P P I NGS

T h e

N e w H a m p s h i r e O u t i n g C l u b

t h e n h o c @ g m a i l . c o m

Officers Upcoming Events President: Ben Grotton

Vice President: Brian Diezel

Business Mgr: Travis Begin

Publicity: Naomi Odin, Jess Kowalski

Cabins Mgr: Pete Grebowski

Trip Coordinator: Erin Brown, Andy Crowley

Webmaster: Andrew Wood

First Aid Coord: Raelyn Carlyle

Gear Mgr: Ruby Rush, Amanda Makowiecki

Outcroppings: Tegan O’Neill

Freshman Trips: August 18th -­‐22nd

Freshman Jukebox: August 24th, 8pm

Dear Reader, A special thank you to the wonderful members of the New Hampshire Outing Club and to Sophie Burke for her excellent photography!

Your suggestions, comments and submissions are always welcome. Send them our way at thenhoc@gmail.com. Hope to hear from you soon!

Love, Outcroppings.