Through the Eyes of a Tripper

Diaries and doodles

Many Trippers set aside a few minutes at the end of every day to write about it. We’ve realized that if we don’t, the entire summer sort of blends together as one long trip and it becomes hard to remember the specifics about funny moments, crazy portages, weather horror, food, etc. These journals not only benefit our experience but more importantly they help us improve for the future of the tripping program.

It’s important that we note how say, a Zodiac girl cabin handled a certain route or how a comic boy cabin enjoyed a certain activity. This way, we know what works and what doesn’t and we can eliminate the bad while emphasizing the good.

Last year we turned this routine into a mandatory habit. Every trip must be ‘logged’ upon returning to camp. The trippers must sit down and write about the specifics of the experience… what was good, what went wrong, who ate like a pig, who had trouble adjusting to the food. These logs are evaluated and kept on file for the next summer so that we can cater to a cabins’ and an individual camper’s every need.

Of course there are also the artistically blessed trippers. Alumni Jamie Goodman is famous for his doodles and sketches of people, campsites, and nature on trip. Below are some of his drawings that he scanned to share with you.