March 8

March 8

I was met with a warm reception by the group, and we had the opportunity to share thoughts and decisions that were made from respective camps. In the end, the group was breaking trail all around the area I left my last footprints near Cedar Gulch Road.

It is hard to explain how close we were to one another, yet how far we were at the same time. They had a trail over Squaw Creek, but the decision that the group wrestled with was not if the trail they carved out was impossible, but was it practical?  The conservative decision won, which was to head back and reconnect as a large group. That decision will allow us to return to this location and others with a greater understanding of commitment and care for others.

In the last few days these students have thrived in this environment. There has been a remarkable transition in watching the students talk about the theory of leadership, care, and ethics, to actually articulate their emotional and mental comprehension of these characteristics. Their behavior and focus has moved away from the self toward the support of the group and the experience, and are demonstrating these behaviors of leadership that far exceed many actions seen in our daily lives.

With that said, the thoughts of Brady Luceno ’09 on the last few days are below.

John Regentin
Assistant Dean of College Life
Director of Experiential Education

 
Brady Luceno ’09:

Being out here, you can’t take anything for granted.

Weather can change in an instant; the sky opens and drops inches of snow in an hour. Trudging waist deep at 9,000 feet suddenly the trail you have been following is no longer visible. One of your senior leaders is sick, and has to walk out. But most of all, we can’t take our group for granted.

All of those things have happened, and together we have persevered over each obstacle. It hasn’t always been pretty. In these freezing temperatures 24 people will sit in a snow pit, willing to stay as long as possible, just so each person’s voice can be heard. At each hurdle, we make the best decisions with the knowledge we have.

Perhaps the most difficult decision was to turn around; we realized we would not be able, due to time and the trail, to make the summit of Mount Shavano.

I don’t know what it would feel like to stand on top of those 14,229 feet and look down at the world below us. What I do know is that I would not trade the honest conversations and group solidarity that each challenge has provided.

Thinking about the wilderness environment- the sheer force of nature, you can’t deny that we need each other.  The summit is not what these 10 days are about; rather it’s the faces that surround me each and every day.

It’s the process, and it’s our journey. We rally, we have epic snowball fights when we are feeling down, and—most of all—we always, always look out for each other. As the sky lights up with Orion and his stars tonight, and our tents fill with laughing and hushed voices. I know I will miss this place.