Article

With the D.O.C.

October 1943 Tom Dent
Article
With the D.O.C.
October 1943 Tom Dent

MEMBERS ENJOY BUSY SEASON OF CANOEING, FISHING, AND HIKING

DURING THE PERIOD of the intersession when scholastic pressure prohibited extensive operations of outdoor activities, the functions of the D. O. C. were kept alive by a nucleus of Cabin and Trail personnel. Without the services of a General Manager, or any other office personnel, the Club functioned even if its facilities were not so widely used as they are under normal circumstances.

When Dartmouth opened its halls to the largest V-12 Unit in the country, the College administration wisely decided to operate all extra-curricular activities on as nearly a normal basis as possible, and since D. O. C. figures largely in such a program, it was decided to operate the Club and offer to trainees, as well as civilian students, its wide facilities for outdoor recreation. A temporary Manager has been installed for the duration and 22 Robinson Hall again becomes one of the busiest places on the campus, as the men leaving on the many weekend trips muster to get their passes and pack their knapsacks before leaving for the woods and hills of New Hampshire and Vermont.

The equipment of the Ledyard Canoe Club, which had decided to suspend operations for the duration, has been taken over by the D. O. C. and canoeing on the Connecticut River has proven the most popular activity of the summer season. In addition to canoeing on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, several overnight canoe trips have been conducted. Canoeists planning a weekend trip may ship the canoes by train to Woodsville, and leaving Hanover Saturday afternoon also by train, or bus, may put into the River at Wells River on Saturday evening, camp along shore on a sandy beach and reach Hanover on Sunday evening in time for last chow call. A canoe trip on Lake Winnipesauke is planned as a finale to the canoeing season in the near future.

The annual Moosilauke Frolic was a great success this year, and calls have been made for a repeat of this trip. A Mt. Washington trip also proved popular when twenty-five trainees and civilian students made the trip by truck to the Base Station and climbed the mountain before returning to Hanover on Sunday. Trips for coming weekends have been planned far in advance with repeats on Moosilauke and Mt. Washington for those who failed to find a place on earlier trips.

Fishing and hunting* figure largely as popular activities amongst the trainees here at Dartmouth and the questions of "where to go" and "what to use" are daily problems to be worked out in the office. Many successful fishing trips already have been sponsored and the nearby Mascoma River above Lebanon has been whipped with flies of all colors and sizes along its entire course. The State Fish and Game Department has co-operated splendidly in keeping the stream stocked with a plentiful supply of rainbows all season. It appears from the number of requests for fishing trips that D. O. C. could well support a few extra cabins situated on good fishing lakes in New Hampshire.

HUNTING ON PROGRAM

Hunting promises to be as popular in the fall as fishing has proven to be in summer, and already plans are being made for deer-hunting trips into the north country during the next vacation period. Because Navy regulations prohibit the possession of firearms in a dormitory, D. O. C. has taken over the function of a college armory and will store shotguns and deer rifles for those who are planning to hunt upland game or deer when the hunting season opens. The 1943 Legislature of New Hampshire passed a bill enabling the Fish and Game Department to sell a "war-time license" to' members of the armed forces. The fee for such a license, which includes both hunting and fishing, is the same as that which a resident pays for a combination license. The general manager has assumed the duties of license agent and can attest to the popularity of this privilege by the number of licenses sold.

With the approach of the winter season, plans are being discussed for skiing activities. It is unlikely that an extensive program for varsity skiing will be possible because of a Navy ruling which limits absence from college on athletic trips to forty-eight hours, but it will be possible to conduct extensive intra-mural competition.

Lack of free time makes it impossible to send out the usual D. O. C. News Letter to all Outing Club men, but we intend to keep you informed about what is going on through the medium of this column in the ALUMNI MAGAZINE.

UNIFORMED HIKERS ADD NEW NOTE TO OUTING CLUB'S MT. WASHINGTON TRIP.