I compiled a bucket list of sorts of things I need to do before the end of freshman year. I set the deadline for the end of freshman year and not the end of college, because this is the year in which I can do the most stuff. I'm not doubled up on lab sciences yet, so I still have something resembling a life, and there are three years of school left with which to cushion my GPA. Basically, freshman year is the year to do whatchu want.
Riddled among the things I want to do are the obligatory painting of the cannon and seeing the sunrise from the library roof. Already checked off are eating at least seven separate food items at Dewick containing butternut squash and greeting TUPD in a towel because someone kicked my ID under the door of my neighbors, who just happened to be away that particular weekend (big shout-out to Steven Thompson. You're gonna make it big one day).
But it wasn't until after last weekend that I could feel like a true Jumbo. Because last weekend I went up to the Loj.
Yep, you guessed it. I'm one of those Wilderchildren. I don't get a particular thrill from peeing in the woods and I haven't witnessed a brainstorm that wasn't underwater, but I will be advising each and every prefrosh I meet to sign up for Tufts Wilderness Orientation. There's something about spending a whole night in the wild woods of Maine (thanks a bunch, Irene) that can really bring a group of 10 former strangers together. My Wilderfamily has been almost religious about meeting once a week for dinner, but last weekend we decided to take our familial love to a whole new level by #occupyingtheloj.
The first thing I'll say about the Loj is if you haven't been there yet, get on that. It's in Woodstock, N.H., only a two-hour drive from campus — which is roughly equivalent to the amount it takes to do absolutely nothing because you don't feel like doing work.
I arrived at the Loj too late to join any of the hikes that had left that day, but it wasn't an issue. I went on a beautiful walk with the other fine ladies who drove up with me. We meditated on the banks of a river, probably trespassed on somebody's property and soaked up all of that free New Hampshire air. It's really rather therapeutic.
Then there's the Loj itself. It just radiates every kind of warmth there is, literally and figuratively. It has these awesome drying racks that operate on a pulley system — they are a feat of engineering so great that simply seeing them makes the whole trip worthwhile. There are puzzles and books and board games and "dirty" Jenga. There's a wood-burning stove. There's a Tufts yearbook from 1971 that will blow your mind. And there are beds for you and 46 of the best people you'd ever want to spend a weekend with.
I was at the Loj on a particularly packed night because the Tufts Mountain Club managed to bring in musicians for a 50-person contra dance. Before the revelry began, we all worked together to cook dinner. I love the ease of Dewick, but every now and then a girl's gotta get her hands dirty, especially if it's through kneading a pumpkin-sized glob of sugar, oatmeal, flour and butter. That warm apple crisp was almost as good as the stuff I licked off my fingers while making it.
A night spent eating, do-si-doing, playing Bananagrams and roasting marshmallows is a success indeed. So do yourself a favor and book a trip up to the Loj. You'll thank me when you finally see those drying racks.
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Hannah Furgang is a freshman who has not yet declared a major. She can be reached at Hannah.Furgang@tufts.edu.
