friends of oa newsletter winter, 2001 the future of outdoor …oa/alumni/ttrails/ttrails11... ·...

The Future of Outdoor ActionThis August I celebrated my twentieth year as Director of

Outdoor Action. When I returned to Princeton in August 1981I didn't have any idea what the future would bring for OA orfor me. That year there were 220 frosh and 44 leaders goingout on 22 trips. This year we sent out 618 frosh and 163 lead-ers on 68 trips. These last twenty years have been a series oftremendous accomplishments for OA.

The benefits of OA for students and for Princeton, as youknow from your own experience, are amazing. When I think ofOA I see a series of images: nervous frosh streaming into DillonGym as exuberant leaders cheer them on; a GORP break onthe trail; people covered with a week’s worth of backcountrygrime climbing off buses with incredible smiles; trainees ontheir leader training trip trying to do the first aid simulationcorrectly; leader trainers pulling out every trick they have toteach people not just how to hike on the trail, but how tolead; students at the climbing wall encouraging each other towork out a new route; a group sitting in a circle after dinnerdebriefing the day; cross-country skiers in the moonlight inVermont. These experiences, these friendships have lastedlong beyond Princeton. The knowledge and confidence of howto teach someone a skill, work with your co-leader, introducesomeone to the joy of the outdoors for the first time, comfortsomeone who’s homesick, and encourage strangers to befriends becomes part of who we are and how we carry our-selves in the world. Now, more than ever, I am convinced thatPrinceton needs such a program, to train leaders for our soci-ety that have a commitment to building community, the abil-ity to teach and facilitate others, and a respect and passionfor the wilderness. This caliber of program, the type of pro-gram that Princeton students and Princeton University de-serve, is not going to be possible without your support. I hopethat you can help us build a secure future for OA by support-ing the program this year.

Rick Curtis ’79Director, Outdoor Action

The OA trip was, by far, both the most relaxing andchallenging way to begin meeting new people andmaking this new place our home…I didn’t want it toend.

- Jonathan Walsh ’05, Catskills-84

The trip was as great as it was hyped up to be. I wasin a group with a real mix of people, some of whomhad hiking experience and others of whom hadn’t.Some of us were loud and some quiet. The point isthat we were all different, but we meshed togetherperfectly. I couldn’t have had more fun with 12 otherpeople.

- Laura Smith ’05, Susquehannock-41

At first I was unsure about an outdoor trip andwondered why anyone went. Now I know. AlthoughI’m not an outdoor girl, I loved the trip. I loved thepeople. I loved the whole experience. Would I do itagain? In a second.

- Nicole Adams ’05, Chuck Keiper-31

OA was harder than I thought it would be, but now…Ikinda feel that I can do anything I put my mind to.

- participant ’05, Catskills-23

OA provided a great foundation for my first fewmonths on campus. It’s more than just having a groupof friends. It’s knowing that you’re involved in anorganization unique to Princeton. I want to continueto be a part of it for the next four years.

- participant ’05, Massachusetts-58

Going all those miles with a backpack on, reaching2,060 ft., seeing heaven-like views, all give one a senseof awe and accomplishment. Before this trip Iwouldn’t have imagined that I could ever do all of this.

- Ceyda Dagdeler ’05, Black Forest-26

Outdoor Adventure group OA81 on the summit of Mt.Tammany in the Delaware Water Gap

Friends of OA Newsletter Winter, 2001

Frosh Trip 2001 in Words & PicturesJohn Lurz '03, an OA Leader from Timonium, Maryland writes for the

Daily Princetonian. This is his OA story.

“Last Friday I had lunch with my friend Emily. We met on my OA FroshTrip almost four years ago. Yesterday I ran into Krissy, one of my co-lead-ers from this past September, and we chatted about our lives while wewaited to get new prox cards. This past Saturday night, I saw Taryn andEmily, two freshman whom I had led this year, out at an eating club. Thefirst thing they said to me? “When are we going to have another OA re-union?”

The bonds I have made participating in and leading Frosh Trip withOutdoor Action are some of the strongest and most important ones that I

have at Princeton. Sure, I have a number of other close friends that I met through my classes, my sports team and otheractivities. I value these friendships and enjoy spending time with these people because we share similar interests. Thesefriends are either in my academic department, in my eating club or in an-other group to which I belong; they are, most times, very similar to me.

But the great thing about my “OA friends” is that they aren’t always likeme. Unlike some of my other good friends, I’m not sure I would have metthem if I hadn’t participated in OA. The people I have met through OA havea diverse range of interests and getting together with them broadens andchallenges my view of the world. In my opinion, this is exactly what collegeis all about.

Princeton is a wonderful place. But we are so busy here that it is hard,many times, to get out of our set routines and social groups to meet newpeople and garner new experiences. OA Frosh Trip provides what, in myopinion, is the perfect setting for an exchange of viewpoints. I always noticethat when I’m in the woods with a diverse group of people I am so open todifferent ways of seeing the world. Not that I’m close-minded on campus,but there isn’t always time between classes, activities, papers and reading.

By virtue of being in the woods, all preconceived notions and social structures fall away. You’re dirty, smelly and wearingthe same underwear that you had on two days ago. The walls we put up between ourselves fall down quickly—our smellalone is enough to destroy them. Without these walls, you quickly connect with the people you don’t know. You find out

things you wouldn’t have learned otherwise. But here’s what is most wonderfulabout OA—when you’re back on campus, though you might not see the peoplefrom your trip all the time, when you do see them, those bonds still exist. I canthink of no greater benefit than strong, lasting bonds with people who are unlikeyourself, who give you a new perspective on things, who diversify and spice upyour life.

Freshmen new to Princeton willeasily make friends who are just likethem; they’ll meet in classes, at the‘Street’ or at an extra-curricular activ-ity. But, what’s a little more difficult arethe friends that aren’t like you. I knowthat I really appreciate these friendsI’ve made through OA. I should try andsee them more. In fact, I think I’ll go

and see about planning that OA reunion that Emily and Taryn mentioned."

- John Lurz ’03

Sometimes the 'mighty Delaware' wins - group G14

Catskills group C20 cools off!

Backpacking trip group S41 on theSusquehannock Trail in Pennsylvania

Stream crossing on the Susquehannock Trailwith group S38

Outdoor Action NewsGreg Farrell ’57 to receive theJosh Miner ’43 Award at Alumni Day

Greg Farrell ’57, the President of Expeditionary LearningOutward Bound, has been selected as this year’s recipient ofthe Josh Miner ’43 Experiential Education Award. The awardis presented each year to a Princeton alumnus(a) who hasmade significant contributions to the field of experiential edu-cation as embodied by the contributions of Josh Miner ’43.Greg will serve as the keynote panelist at the Josh Miner Ex-periential Education Panel at Alumni Day on Saturday, Febru-ary 23, 2002 from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM in the Whig Hall SenateChamber. This year’s topic is Expeditionary Learning - ASolution for America's Schools. All alumni, parents andfriends are invited to this informative panel to learn how theExpeditionary Learning model can impact your school's edu-cational approach. Following the panel there will be a recep-tion for Greg and the annual Miner Award in the Whig Halllounge (12:00 - 1:00 PM).

The Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound model(ELOB) was introduced to American secondary education in1993. ELOB was chosen by the U.S. Congress as one of fifteenprojects to create school reform that yields significant im-provement in student achievement. The mission of ELOB isto transform whole schools into places of challenge and com-passion where teachers and students focus on academicallyrigorous long-range studies called learning expeditions. Greghas guided the expansion of the ELOB program to 93 differentschools across the country. More information on ELOB is avail-able at www.elob.org.

Josh Miner ’43 Leadership FundOutdoor and experiential education in the United States,

and of course Outdoor Action, owe a huge debt to Josh Miner’43, who as a founding trustee of Outward Bound USA wasinstrumental in starting the first Outward Bound school inthis country. The idea for a freshmen year wilderness orien-tation experience grew out of the Outward Bound model whichJosh has nutured for over forty years.

Over the years Josh has been a strong supporter of theOA program. Josh has given a significant gift to the OutdoorAction to create a permanent fund to support leadership de-velopment and education. This fund will be known as the JoshMiner ’43 Leadership Fund and will be used to support theOA Leader Training Program.

Expanding Leader TrainingThe OA Leader Training Program has been one of the most

influential leadership development programs on campus. Overthe years leader training has evolved to provide students withreal life experience to prepare them for their roles as futureleaders on the trail, on the campus, and beyond. The experi-ential aspect of leader training begins with the HEART Wil-derness First Aid Course. Started in mid-eighties by Dan Ronel’86 and Doug Weinberg ’86, the HEART first aid course hasalways been students teaching other students. Hands-on firstaid simulations in class teach leaders how to think on theirfeet and respond calmly to emergency situations.

Experiential learning continues with two workshops onleadership and group facilitation taught by Rick Curtis. Man-aging safety and developing sound judgment has always beenan important skill for OA leaders. Rick's Safety Managementworkshop, which includes some infamous personal stories,teaches leaders how to think critically about safety.

This past spring the Leader Training Committee decidedto expand the Leader Training Trip from five days to six days.This extra day gives leader trainers the ability to lead thegroup for an entire day modeling effective leadership on thetrail. On the remaining days the students serve as leaders-of-the-day and are in charge of the groups activities. Each day,on-the-trail simulations of lost participants, dehydration, spi-nal injuries, and “difficult camper” let students learn how tobe effective leaders and role models.

Building Community on Frosh TripThe Frosh Trip has always been about building friend-

ships, many of which last throughout Princeton. For FroshTrip 2001 OA took another bold step forward towards build-ing a stronger Princeton community. Before the Class of 2005arrived, OA leaders spent a day in a Building CommunityWorkshop working in small groups in discussions, role plays,and experiential activities all focused on the issues of diver-sity at Princeton and how new students can become part ofthe Princeton community. This program has continued toevolve over the past three years, and this year leader train-ers took on the responsibility of facilitating other leaders. Thisprogram is unique among college wilderness orientationtrainings. Leaders reported that it made them remember whata huge transition it was for to come to college and how im-portant the Frosh Trip is in helping new students adjust.

Program Coordinator Darcy WilliamsTurner departs for graduate school

Darcy Williams (now Turner) joined the Outdoor ActionProgram in December, 1998 as the first OA Program Coordi-nator. Over the past two and a half years Darcy made signifi-cant contributions to OA expanding the leader training pro-gram, improving the Frosh Trip, and developing new programinitiatives. She served as a wonderful role model for studentleaders and will be sorely missed. This past June Darcy mar-ried Jay Turner GS. Darcy has moved on to pursue graduatework in higher education at the University of Pennsylvania.We all wish Darcy the best of luck at Penn.

Notes from the TrailheadSend us your latest stories and tidbits for Tiger Trails on

the enclosed membership form.Shira Abeles ’00 returned to Outdoor Action in August to

work for three months and help us get through the Frosh Tripand the busy fall semester. Shira had spent last year in Nepalworking with Princeton-in-Asia. She leaves OA at the end ofNovember and is applying to medical school for next year.

Katie Baum ’01 and Chris Beeson ’99 were married out-side of Portland, Oregon in September. Katie and Chris aretraveling and climbing this fall and searching for a new placeto settle, someplace near good mountains.

Expedition Leaders

Josh Miner ’43Charles Byers ’68Peter Muller ’85Dan Cunningham ’97Julie Kidd P’00Stephen Laserson P’02

Mountain Guides

Laurie Landeau ’79Jim Puzo ’83Thomas Lannamann ’96Alan Stamm P’01Kira Ciardullo P’03

Wilderness Stewards

John Bjorkholm ’61John Godich ’66David Roberts ’72Ann Curtis Parent ’76 ‘79William Katen-Narvell ’76Fred Lambrou ’78Phil Barnett ’79Walt Hallagan ’79Jason Gold ’81Kathy Milton ’81Jacob Sun ’82Elizabeth Cutler ’84Ruthard Murphy ’85Pieter van Zee ’87Arjun Prabhu ’90Wes Go ’91Victoria McMillan ’95Eric Schreiber ’95Melvin Brosterman P’03

Trail Breakers

Allen West ’52Joe Woods ’57Robert Schoene ’68Aline Johnson ’77Bruce Bond ’79Kathryn Burns ’81David Simon ’83Thomas Kissinger ’84Pieter van Zee ’87Elissa Schuler Adair ’88Scott Fulmer ’90Janine McGuire ’92Rosy Thind ’93Michael McGehee ’94Ian Blasco ’95Caryn Voland ’95

Daniel Brown ’97Eliot Kent-Uritam ’98Karen Laakmann ’00Harvey Rosen P’02Thomas Pastorius P’03

Pathfinders

James Pugh ’63Jim Merritt ’66Terry Seymour ’66Sandy Williams ’70Dennis Grzezinski ’72Eric Keto ’79Bob Kohn ’79Irene Pasternack ’79Debra Borstein ’80Leila Neel ’80Ted Beatty ’83Mary Burchenal ’83Karen Edgley ’83Andrew Reumann-Moore ’83Monique Villars ’83Thomas Kissinger ’84Sue Wells ’85Pieter van Zee ’87Lynn Heller ’88Claire Kaufman ’88Brian Lavoie ’88Christopher Round ’88Carla Cooper ’90Erin Sills ’90Michael Cantor ’91David Haddock ’91Katie Weber ’91Amy Lieberman ’92Paul Richardson ’92Robert Walsh ’92Thomas Brennan ’93Susan Brown ’93Sara O’Connor ’93Alicia Erdman ’94Blair Johnson ’94Michael McGehee ’94Katherine Stephens ’94Peter Wolanin ’94Amy Gladfelter ’96Colin Livesey ’96Andrew LeCuyer ’98Robert Metcalf ’98Michael Carreno ’99Jordan Furnans ’99Robyn Williams ’99Katherine Byers ’00Andrew Steiner ’00

Friends

Wallace Ruckert ’30Peter Hawryluk ’55Don Laws ’57Adrian Newens ’61William Isherwood ’63Marvin Swartz ’63Philip Hawley ’71 P’00Wallace Good ’72Scott Replogle ’73Susan Schwab ’73Steve Becker ’74David Dichek ’76Martin Feder ’78Robin Minturn ’78Eric Keto ’79Lynn Osborn ’79Josh Greene ’81Doug Howard ’81Peter Ellis ’83Eleanor Hay ’83Judith Pinsker ’83Cort Holland ’84Jotham Stein ’84Joseph Studhome ’84Todd Laurence ’86James Morsink ’86Gail Shuttleworth ’86Jared Silverman ’86Steve Smela ’86John McCaffrey ’87Shannon Rochelle ’87Una Smith ’87Benjamin Freeman ’89Eugenia Gray ’89Martha Leggat ’89Wayne McKinzie ’89Jocelyn Normand ’89Andrew Krivoshik ’90Melanie Tupaj ’90Marcia Witte ’90Brent Blair ’91Emily Burns ’91Rodd Langenhagen ’91Derek Bouchard-Hall ’92Kristen Grubbs ’92Kirk Keil ’92Kristina Kovatch ’92Lianne Kurina ’92Amy Lieberman ’92Mary Phillipuk ’92Amy Polcyn ’92Elizabeth Westfall ’92Jenfu Cheng ’93

Thanks to Everyone who has SupportedOutdoor Action this Year.

Susie Morse ’93Kristen Cowan ’94Sonia Helmy ’94Shane Woolf ’94Kimberly Newell ’94Charles Brankman ’95Edward Bruntrager ’95Gregory Harlan ’95Christina Sebestyen ’95Jud Brewer ’96Holly Haefele ’96Taylor Kimberly ’96Barbara Merz ’96Katherine Prager ’96Daniel Becker ’97Alfredo Cabeza ’97Todd Felix ’97Sean Hartman ’97Patrick Kassen ’97Meredith Bell ’98Amy Betz ’98Tracy Dubovick ’98Jonathon Lurie ’98Bradley Mitchell ’98Peter Prozes ’98Sarah Richardson ’98Caroline Sincerbeaux ’98Gillian Ashenfelter ’99Chris Beeson ’99Philipp Bleek ’99Graham Bullock ’99Elizabeth Chirpich ’99Brooke Collier ’99Virginia Ellsworth ’99Juliana Gamble ’99Andrew Levin ’99Karen Welt ’99Martina Widmann ’99Matthew Abel ’00Laura Certain ’00Sarah Gaines ’00Halden Jensen ’00Jonathan Kent-Uritam ’00Holly Markovitz ’00Bryan Seeley ’00Nicole Silva ’00Lee Arnold P’01Jon Benner P’98 P’00 P’03Kenneth Berg P’01David Richman P’02Valerie Evans Parent ’03Wendell Harkleroad P’03Peter Falencki P’04