The cool desert nights make getting out of a warm sleeping bag no small task – the air is crisp, our mummy bags drawn in tight. But nevertheless, one-by-one we amass our layers and headlamps and shuffle through the sand to scramble up to the top of the boulders that surround our campsite. Erik Thatcher ’08 – Director of Outdoor Programs – lights the Jetboil, the coyotes begin to howl, and we sit quietly with the promise of warm drinks and warm sunlight.
For five days in January, this was the morning routine for a group of Holderness students.
After a year hiatus due to COVID the annual winter desert trip is back! We planned this trip in the fall when things were looking much brighter. Then, as our departure date neared, so did Omicron. Our COVID Response Team, including the school’s medical director, reviewed guidance and advised us to stay the course – being mostly outside and isolated has proven to be a safe way to gather. And it was.
On New Year's Day a group of students and adults converged in Las Vegas, Nevada for a five-day tour of the Mojave Desert, complete with hiking, climbing, unforgettable sunrises, wildlife viewing, and just all-around, simple fun.
Food, shelter, light and warmth became the central focus of each day. Things like cell coverage or even just a charged battery become pure luxury and blatantly unnecessary. The constant stimulus of living in the 21st-century world was paused. One evening, the students actually gathered around a picnic table to play the card game Magic by headlamp – teens choosing to play cards! This is why outdoor trips for teens are so valuable. We need to unplug, but now two years into a relentless pandemic it seems more than valuable – it feels vital.
In Joshua Tree National Park, we followed a winding trail miles through the sandy desert. Rounding a corner we reach a true desert oasis like an island in the sand with palm trees, birds, water, and beaming with life. Suddenly it seems so obvious. That’s what this trip is: it’s not just a break from Tiktok and test positivity, it’s an oasis.