First-Year Orientation Trips: Hiking, Canoeing, Mountain Biking, Meditation, and Much More
By Tom PorterA wealth of experiences awaited members of the Class of 2030, as the newest batch of Polar Bears took off on their orientation trips for a few days last week following arrival day.
More than sixty trips took place this year. These included backpacking in the Bigelow preserve, fly fishing in the Lily Bay State Park, hiking part of the Appalachian Trail, whitewater kayaking on the Kennebec, surfing the southern Maine coast, and meditating on a peaceful island.
For members of the Class of 2030, orientation week was their first true Bowdoin experience, where bonds of friendship were forged and incoming students got the chance to meet members of their class and have their questions answered about Bowdoin. For many of them, it was also their first real taste of what Maine has to offer.
The Bowdoin Outing Club organized more than twenty adventures, with each trip comprising a couple of upperclass student leaders and a handful of first-years. “We’re back from another successful round of trips to welcome the class of 2030!” said BOC Associate Director Anna Bastidas. “We explored the mountains, rivers, beaches, and communities across the state before returning to campus for the rest of Orientation and the start of the academic year.”
As well as all the outdoor activities, there were also several opportunities to pursue volunteer work in local Maine communities. The McKeen Center for the Common Good offered a wide selection of community immersion trips, including ones working with rural Maine communities, native communities in Downeast Maine, and island communities. Students were also offered the chance to help underserved populations in the greater Brunswick area and immigrants and refugees in various parts of the state. This year the center offered a total of seventeen such trips.
“We’re incredibly grateful for the student coordinators, support staff, and trip leaders who make this program happen,” said the BOC’s Bastidas.
Check out this slideshow of images from photographer Andrew Estey, who accompanied students on a visit to the historic coastal community of Boothbay, home to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and the Boothbay Sea and Science Center. Participants explored topics such as aquaculture, sustainability, and coastal ecology. They also went boating out into Linekin Bay—once they had “learned the ropes.”
