FIUTS: A First-Time American Camping Experience

FIUTS students kicked off the summer with a camping trip to Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest! Read on to hear more about the experiences of 3 FIUTS facilitators!

Kamal:

You never know exactly what you’re going to see when you go camping. Like every other  American style camp, I enjoyed the campfire and barbecue and games, but at midnight, many of  us decided to go down by the river and see the stars. Well, it wasn’t easy to navigate our way  over rocks in the dark to get there, but we made it. I personally didn’t know that I could see  many different stars than I am used to seeing just because we are in the North West. I couldn’t  stop looking at the sky with everyone else. Every once a while, a comet would cut a pretty line  through the tapestry of stars. All of us were trying to get pictures, but I gave up. I thought no  picture would be as amazing as seeing the stars in such a dark place away from the city lights.

The next day we drove to the hiking location. In the car, I started asking a few riddles and  everyone in the car was trying to solve them. They were really good; they spent whole time  trying to solve the riddles. It was like a competition. I should admit that they also asked some  riddles and some of them were difficult to me.

Hiking in the snow is always fun for me when the weather is sunny. Although it sometimes makes it a bit harder to hike, the snow is very beautiful. I couldn’t imagine how beautiful the view of Cascades would be at the top until we got there. It was really gorgeous. And among the beautiful mountains, the perimeter of the Hidden Lake could be seen. I guess we spent about one hour there just enjoying the pretty landscapes. One of the main things that makes me want to go back to Hidden Lake Lookout is sliding over the snow. On our way back down, we slid over the snow on our backs. I would never have thought about that when we started the trip.

Kevin:

“No one will die from stick germs!” I told them, “I’ve been roasting marshmallows with sticks off  the ground all my life. Hasn’t killed nobody yet.” Like every other FIUTS trip I’d ever facilitated,  I’d forgotten the skewers. I feel like it’s a pretty American thing to roast with sticks. I mean, just  the week before I was on a rafting trip that included a fireside BBQ, they didn’t bring skewers,  but nobody hesitated to grab sticks when it came time for s’mores. So bringing the skewers is  just one of those things that I fail to think of every time, but never fails to cause irritation.  Hesitant at first, everyone soon found a suitable stem with which to roast and nothing more was  made of it. I still should have brought the skewers, but a part of me is glad that I didn’t. I don’t  want to impose, but at least I was pushing people outside their comfort zones, right?

I’ve probably spent too much time thinking about that moment, but I really think it represents a  careful balance one must strike as a facilitator on such a trip. On one hand, I want to share my  culture and push people to try new things while they are here. On the other, I don’t want to force  anyone to do something that they really don’t want to, or present my way of doing things as  better than theirs. It’s a dilemma I’ve run into a lot. I can’t possibly know how to handle every  possible situation perfectly, but the aforementioned incident helped me think up a useful rule of  thumb: always encourage people to try roasting with a stick, but don’t forget to bring the  skewers.

Herish:

If you have not done american camping than you should try this at least once. I was facilitating this event, but I was also a firsttime American camper. Part of being a firsttimer is that you will be very enthusiastic and ready to face new situations and adventures. I was really amazed by the way American forest department and people maintain the camp sites. It was really close to river and best part is shallow cold white water (almost melted ice) the best for relieving your stresses after a long drive. I have never dived in such cold water other than once (in the Ganga [Ganges] river Holy river for Indians I did it as a religious ritual), but me and Kevin decided to make it an adventure. This experience was unforgettable and remarkable.

If you know how to make Indian tea, especially when you are camping (chill air, light sunlight, nice people), tea time will make morning golden for you. I made enough for 40 people, still we finished it among 22 (except for Kevin who was so impressed with the cold water dive that he missed the tea for a morning swim!). Tea helped us all wake up in the early morning after a late night of games and star watching and prepared us for the for best hike at Hidden Lake.

Friends and memories are what I got from this camping trip. Only student life can give you these moments, so don't miss opportunities and build stories for the future.

Join FIUTS in our events throughout the year! Check out our Calendar of Events. See you soon!