Four times each year we go “into” the field for three days of camping (sometimes it's “cabin camping”) or hiking or biking or paddling or horseback riding. Orientation is first and departs soon after Registration Day at the beginning of the year. It is followed by three additional OLEs – in the fall, winter, and spring. Orientation trips serve as a time to begin to experience the beauty of the White Mountain National Forest and Great North Woods beyond, and to get to know each other better. All trips combine outdoor learning with outdoor recreation and focus on a variety of topics, including subjects like wildlife habitat, fresh water ecology, geology, natural history, and environmental literature.

This selection of prose was collectively written by the students and faculty on a Franconia Ridge Advanced Backpacking Trip. Just as the unique, personal sections of writing have been joined together to become a unit, the strength of the group and the success of the trip were largely due to the group's cohesiveness:

“Laughter swelling, rising, washing in waves through the night. Swaying trees framing circles of sky. Stars. Watching. Listening. Laughter.”

“The views were spectacular. The ridge was like a divide between two worlds: the clear-cut side scattered with towns and the Pemi-wilderness, an unending carpet of trees.”

“For the second time last night, I fell asleep at peace. Back at home, I never can lie down and sleep. I push until absolute exhaustion and then collapse. But, out here, the stars shine brighter against the blacker sky and the even darker space. Trees frame them all. It calms the mind. The stillness and quiet comforts me into a sweet, dream-filled sleep, which is only broken by a still gray dawn.”