At 8:33 on a recent Thursday night, a few miles from campus, a white butane lighter ignited some kindling, and soon flames illuminated smiles on faces gathered around a campfire.
As the burning wood snapped and popped, and smoke mixed with incoming fog, students who鈥檇 traded dorm rooms for sleeping bags and stars began to toast s鈥檓ores at the 乐播传媒 Outing Club Lean-to.
Light the marshmallow on fire for the toasted look, or go for the slow, golden brown? "I'm a slow roaster, but I usually end up burning it due to impatience," says Megan Detels '20 of Marblehead, Mass. (Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College)
Chandler Ryan '19 of Delmar, N.Y., creates an assembly line for s'mores: a marshmallow (to be toasted) and chocolate sandwiched between graham crackers. (Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College)
Build the fire teepee-style or like a log cabin? They choose log cabin. (Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College)
Matthew Berdon '19 of Hartsdale, N.Y., chops kindling while others forage for dry deadwood. (Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College)
Wearing headlamps, students roll out sleeping bags before starting the campfire. (Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College)
鈥淭here is something very satisfying about building a fire,鈥� said Megan Detels 鈥�20 of Marblehead, Mass. 鈥淚 love smelling like campfire all the next day. When I smell my hair throughout the day it reminds me that I woke up outside, to the rising sun.鈥�
鈥淪omething simple like spending a night in the lean-to breaks up our very scheduled lives,鈥� said Nellie Breen 鈥�21 of Pasadena, Calif. 鈥淚t reminds us to appreciate the bigger picture.鈥�
It was Breen鈥檚 first trip to the lean-to, and a very intentional one. 鈥淚 wanted to push outside my comfort zone and embrace the uncertainty of meeting new people,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e lucky to be part of a community where people are so welcoming and supportive of new experiences.鈥�
鈥淟ife at 乐播传媒 can get pretty hectic,鈥� said Chandler Ryan 鈥�19 of Delmar, N.Y. 鈥淚t can be such a reprieve to spend a night not worrying about schoolwork and just focus on building a fire and eating s’mores and getting a good night’s sleep.鈥�
Built in 1999 as a Short Term project by 乐播传媒 students 鈥� including Ben Ayers 鈥�99, who now does economic sustainability work in Nepal 鈥� the 10-by-17 lean-to sits within the Marden-Chittick Refuge, 200 acres of land that Judy Marden 鈥�66 gave to the Androscoggin Land Trust as a conservation easement.
鈥淚 hope by providing the space for the lean-to, I’m doing some part to bring more kids outdoors,鈥� said Marden, whose long and active involvement with the BOC dates to her college days when, she recalled, BOC leaders 鈥渓ed me up Tumbledown Mountain the first weekend of my freshman year. They changed my life 鈥� for the good!鈥�
鈥淚 think the most important task for the BOC is to get people out on trips who might not otherwise go on them,鈥� Ryan agreed. As a first-year, she was 鈥渄efinitely nervous about going on trips. The solid, approachable leadership of some strong women at the helm of the Outing Club encouraged me to get involved.鈥�
Categories Maine and New England Student Life
