Despite his double electrical and biomedical engineering majors and pre-med track, junior Dan Hechavarria doesn't frequent Tisch Library on the weekends. His course load is hectic but he isn't in his apartment studying on Fridays and Saturdays. Most weekends, he isn't even in Massachusetts.
Hechavarria drives 120 miles north to one of the University's lesser-known properties, the lodge.
The comfortable yet cozy retreat is nested in the White Mountains of New Hamsphire in the small town of Woodstock (population 1,164).
Affectionately called the "Loj" by the Tufts Mountain Club (TMC), the retreat is a gateway to the outdoors. Hechavarria serves as Loj Director for TMC.
"I was up every weekend this summer until I had to take a class during the second [summer] session," Hechavarria said. "Now I go at least every two weeks during the semester. I have an enormous amount of work, but I can never get work done up there, so all the work gets done on Sunday night when I get back."
Any member of the Tufts student body can use the Loj for $10-$15 per night, which includes food. The TMC has detailed guidelines for the building on its Web site (http://ase.tufts.edu/mountainclub).
The Loj is visually appealing, coupling a modern feel with a rustic, all-wood look. It has 26 beds and extra mattresses spread through three bunk rooms which ring a large common room. There are full bathrooms (with plumbing!) and a kitchen.
The Loj has a roomy porch facing east off the common room, which brings sunlight through the large common room window.
"We have bonfires almost every night," TMC vice president Jen Crawford explained. "We also play Frisbee on the lawn, and have a bunch of games in the library."
The Loj's library, while it may be lacking in biochemistry texts, has a selection of board games, popular fiction and activities to keep guests occupied on a rainy Saturday.
"I'm a Scrabble guy, personally," Hechavarria said. "We also play Trivial Pursuit a lot. But you know, usually people like to put their own spins on games."
Hechavarria's favorite is "Mattress Kickball."
"We lay out extra mattresses in the yard, and the rules are that you have to dive or jump onto the mattress to be safe," Hechavarria said.
The Loj is opened nearly every weekend, all four seasons. The building has a fun reputation, especially when Wilderness Pre-Orientation groups invade in August.
"I guess Wilderness is notorious for having a bit of nudity and maybe a little noise," Hechavarria said, laughing a little. "But that's not affiliated with the Mountain Club."
According to Hechavarria, living next to dozens of nudity-prone, alcohol-drinking, fun-loving college students each weekend does not bother the neighbors.
"We actually get along with the locals really well," he said.
