It's raining out, again. I am sitting in a hot, reeking bar somewhere in Dublin. Smoking, unwashed Europeans are cheering for, of all things, a soccer game. Next to me is a beautiful Polish woman who has mistaken me for someone sober. She asks how I can stand the smell. I laugh and take a pull of my stout. You think this is bad? Try Psi-U in July.
Now I'm homesick. Somewhere thousands of miles away lucky '08s (and a few recalcitrant '07s) are peeling open the Keystones, sunning on the Green and floating in the Connecticut. The sweaters are put away, the sandals have come out and the frats are making heroic attempts to get the rusty motorcycles running. In the distance you can hear the soft pok of social pong and the hooting of streakers in Novack. I lift my pint to you, Dartmouth, and to your finest of terms, sophomore summer.
Sophomore summer is like no other term on campus. Whether you're a Collis Stir-Fry Crunchy or a Fratastic Ragesaur the summer offers whole new ways to get out and have a good time. For starters, it is warmer, a lot warmer. So warm you don't have to spend every night huddled around the steam radiator wondering if the pipes will burst during Orgo Lab (the pipes never burst during Orgo lab). So warm that you will actually jump into the Connecticut, for fun. Thanks to relaxed classes (except for Orgo) you'll have more time than ever to take advantage of the term. It is time for you--yes, you-- to get out, and lucky for you I'm here to help. Out of pure magnanimity (and a very insistent Mirror editor), I have constructed a Sophomore Summer Best of List: A guide to making the most of your summer. Below are some of the hot-spots, the real must-do's on your summer list. I have even included directions. So pull on your shorts, grab the suntan oil and put a case of Stones in the trunk, its time for some summer fun!
Cool Off at the Ledges
A favorite spot of students and locals alike, the Ledges provide one of the most picturesque ways to spend an afternoon. Dozens of little pools, large boulders for sunning, and ample waterfalls make a great escape from the summer heat. Nature's own water park, the Ledges are not to be missed.
Directions: Take RT 10 to West Leb. Take the right fork at the Dunkin Donuts and continue past Walmart. Take a left on Brook Road and drive until the bridge. The Ledges are just below.
Sow Your Wild Oats at the Organic Farm
You know it's there; you see the produce stalls in front of Collis. But what do you really know about the Organic Farm? Resting on the banks of the Connecticut the organic farm is a great excuse to get outside and get your hands dirty. It is only a short drive from the Green or, for the more ambitious, a slightly longer paddle from Ledyard. Take an afternoon and see what all those ENVS majors are up to.
Ledyard Canoe Club
Your new home for the summer. Go swimming (oh, wait, you can't anymore), rent a canoe ... If you haven't figured out Ledyard yet, there's nothing I can do for you.
Increase Administration Liability at the Rope Swing
What is more fun than rope-swinging? Grabbing the knotted rope, throwing yourself off the platform where you plummet screaming down and out and over the water, up into the air where you perform a sloppy back flip and finally landing with a splash in the river. Just off the golf course, the Dartmouth rope swing comes complete with launch platform and ladder. It can be reached on foot or by canoe and provides relatively safe, high speed thrills all day. For an extra rush, grab some friends and go after dark. Safety and Security will cut the rope down at least once a week, but don't let that stop you -- a quick tree climb and all is mended. Release you inner Tarzan today.
Jump Off a Cliff at the Coppermines.
But Mom, everyone is doing it! The Coppermines are one of those amazing things you won't believe until you've been. The flooded mine is like a crystal blue scar set in an eerie Martian landscape. Recently deemed "not deadly," after years spent on the country's 'most toxic sites' list (no joke) the Copper Mines provide a very instructive example of resource mismanagement and just how much fun it is to jump off really high things. A long shoreline of cliffs provides many platforms for diving as well as great places to hang-out and catch some sun. The cliff height varies from moderate, around 15 feet, to extreme, around 60 feet. Though the water is very deep, but beware of submerged boulders and sunken cars (really).
Directions: Take RT 132 to South Stafford. Just before entering town turn sharp left until the pavement ends. After the first building on your right, take the second dirt road on your right and continue up until the parking lot. Follow the path up the hill. You can't miss it.
So there you have it, everything you need for an amazing summer. Go outside, have a blast and the next time you're in the Psi-U basement, have a Keystone for me.
