First-year Stillwater Kayak participants happily arrive at a small island. Photo by Gabriella Nakkab ’25.
Will Strutton ’25 was on the second day of his first-year orientation trip, the Oswegatchie Triple Combo Canoe when his canoe was swept over a waterfall. After tumbling down a short, four-foot drop, Strutton and one of his tripmates, Abraham Ortiz ’25, were forced to jump from their boat and swim towards the shore in an effort to avoid an upcoming, potentially deadly waterfall. “I just couldn’t believe what was happening,” Strutton said.
It was difficult to swim quickly out of the current in pants and shoes, but Strutton’s adrenaline kicked in. He and Ortiz made it out unharmed. “The canoe was not so lucky,” Strutton said. “When we left, it was sitting at the bottom of the waterfall with about 2,000 pounds of water in it, getting pummelled by the current.” The Triple Combo Canoe trip certainly garnered the title of “the spiciest trip,” according to Strutton. But even without dramatic events, most recalled their orientation trips as enjoyable experiences.
This fall, Hamilton students saw a return to many pre-Covid traditions, allowing for a sense of normalcy during orientation. First-years participated in many unique orientation trips, including Adirondack (AA), Exploration (XA) and Outreach (OA) adventures.
First-years Hana Dolan ’25 and Devin Outhavong ’25 took part in an OA trip that centered around refugee populations in Utica. They spent a significant amount of time volunteering with refugees, helping them practice English, and learning about their experiences.
Their trip also allowed plenty of time for students to learn about each other, forming friendships through conversations and games. “Our group spent an absurd amount of time playing mafia,” Dolan said. “We had someone in our group who was such a good storyteller — one person got turned into a human sushi roll.”
Group games were a constant across many orientation trips. Alya MacDonald ’25 enjoyed games of pick-up basketball on her XA. Eve Karmozyn ’25 and her tripmates played a considerable amount of cards, including Blackjack with M&M’s. “None of us were very good at it,” Karmozyn said. “I lost a lot of my M&M’s, and that was really unfortunate.”
Other groups bonded during moments unique to their trips. Ellis Strutton ’23 was an orientation leader on Long Lake Backpack, an AA trip that combined backpacking and canoeing. One of her participants had his birthday while on the trip, which Strutton refers to as one of her favorite memories. “We saved our dessert for that night,” she said. “We made him a little birthday cake, and we all sat around and ate a brownie scramble with candles in it.
The experiences of orientation trips made many first-year students feel more comfortable upon their return to Hamilton. Will Strutton cites his trip experience as an integral factor towards his physical comfort on campus, most notably in his new living arrangements. “There’s nothing that makes my little bed in Dunham feel more like home than being in the woods for five days, sleeping on the ground,” he said.
Adjustment to dorm life aside, Strutton, along with many other first-years, found that the relationships and memories formed on orientation trips had positive social and emotional impacts. “Campus still felt like a whole new place,” MacDonald said. “But you were armed with all these new resources, a group of go-to friends who you could explore campus with.”
The comfort in connecting with peers is not confined to first-year friendships. The bonds many first-years formed with their orientation leaders have made navigating campus and life at college easier. “They’ve gone through so much of the Hamilton life and curriculum already,” Dolan said. “If we ever had questions, we’d just ask them.”
According to several students, these fast-forming relationships were possible due to a return to classic Hamilton orientation trips. The traditional story sharing, lack of technology and distance from campus created an environment conducive to bonding. “You remove all other distractions,” Ellis Strutton said. “So you really have to find entertainment in each other.”
For Tate Pierson ’24, his own first-year orientation trip was confined to campus as a result of the pandemic. Dorms dictated which groups students were in, rather than randomly, and students retained access to technology. “My [orientation leaders] were incredible. We did scavenger hunts, fire pits, and fireworks,” he said. “But it felt like we were cooped up, and that there were walls around us that we couldn’t see.” This year’s return to off-campus trips and lack of distraction allowed students to focus on one another. According to Outhavong, this was a process that made finding friends incredibly easy. “I feel like if I was thrown into a different [orientation group], I could’ve been just as close friends with them,” he said. “You can connect with anyone if you try to put effort into it. I think that’s the coolest thing I realized after the trip.”
Pierson came to Hamilton in part due to his knowledge about first-year orientation trips, and while he was unable to go on one of his own, he appreciated being able to lead a trip this year. “Being able to experience it for the first time, even if it’s from a different perspective, reaffirmed how I felt about this place from the get-go,” he said. “It’s such a good kick start into Hamilton life, and I’m psyched they got to have this experience.”