Four days in the wilderness had her hanging her clothes out to dry in the sun and licking her dinner plate so bears wouldn’t be attracted to their campground.
Although the first day of kayaking was the shortest, Emily said it was the hardest. “I had just left my parents the day before, and then it rained the entire day,” she says. “It was emotional. My new roommate and I cried a lot and it was like the rain was expressing what we were going through.”
Doing the dishes are usually a chore, however Emily had “a blast” doing them one night with her fellow campers. “It was ‘Aha’ for me,” she says. “I realized that I was going to be friends with them for a long time.”
Ryley Oliver, who kayaked the Apostles in a different group, had a shocking experience. She was visited by a bear. The students were still sleeping when the women leaders started making breakfast. "They walked away from the campsite for a minute and when they turned around, the bear was eating our granola bars," Ryley says. "The bear, who the students named Celeste, was so persistent, the park ranger had to close their campsite.
The bear sighting just added to Ryley's enjoyment. "I liked being unplugged" she says. "It was refreshing to not worry about time."
Ryley is from Glencoe, Minn. and the trip made her thankful. "I hope I never take for granted what I have, like showers and clean running water."
RSOP has been putting on Freshman Outdoor Trips for over thirty years. Trip leaders are made up of students and staff. Although the number of students per trip varies, close to 100 students take one of the trips each fall. National research indicates the social connections students form help to smooth the transition from home-life to college-life. Like Emily and Ryley, other UMD students back up the research with the positive feedback they give the outdoor trips.
Natalie Moriarty, and Jaren Thell contributed to this story.
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