Well, I have to admit, this is not one of my better Over the Hill articles. I don't think it ever made it to the Cairn and it certainly doesn't look finished.
I think I’ve reached a banner year in the Outing Club. There are now several members who are half my age. Ayup. I’m old enough to be you dad in some cases.
I joined the club when I was 17th. That was 1985. Since you are all presumably good at math, I’ll let you figure out the rest.
Let’s just say, this will be my 18th Fall Lake George. Yes, I went to my first FLG before some of you were born. I haven’t missed a year yet. Granted, a few years I’ve been there less than 18 hours, but I’ve made it.
Why? Why not? It’s a lot of fun.
Why am I still involved in the club? It’s a lot of fun.
Seriously. It’s a lot of fun.
Ok, I think I made my point. RPI can be one of the hardest things you’ve done in your life. At least at the time it was for me. The club let me get out of Troy and enjoy myself. I recall my first caving trip and walking along and looking up and seeing the beauty of the night sky. As my dorm room had been in Bray facing Troy High, I had gotten used to the idea of the night sky being dominated by sodium vapor lights.
The person in front of me had grown up in the city. He didn’t understand my exclamation when I first looked up. Then he looked up. In that instant he saw more stars than he had ever seen in his life. He stopped, literally star struck.
In the 18 seasons I’ve been in the club I’ve seen a number of students try a new activity for the first time. There’s often that “aha” moment. When someone faces their first rapids in a canoe or a kayak, takes that deep breath and the goes through it and finishes with the biggest grin in the world, that’s worth the price of admission. Seeing someone make a move on a rock climb that they didn’t think they could make and they shout in excitement, that makes it all worthwhile.
Over the years I’ve lost track of the names and faces of so many students. I’ve seen some come on one trip and then never come back again. I’ve seen others, who like me, can’t seem to get enough. One particular event I’ve enjoyed repeatedly is seeing someone stand before the E-Comm and request leadership in an activity. Often this is a person who as a freshman didn’t know a thing about the activity and even less about being a leader. And yet there they are going for their first leadership. When they do so, they have to convince the E-Comm of two things: One, that they know the activity well enough to practice it safely and lead others safely and Two, that they can be and will be responsible for someone else’s life. I think often times this gets overlooked, but it’s always present. In my 18 seasons I’ve very rarely had to make a life or death decision. But with the training in leadership that the club has given me, I’ve made such decisions and felt comfortable with them.
And you know what, when you enter the real-world and are asked to be a leader on a project at work, that’s easy.
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