A Weekend at the Loj
Two weekends ago, I was able to go to the Tufts Mountain Club Loj (pronounced “lodge”) near Woodstock, New Hampshire. I signed up to go to the Loj and a few days later, I found out I was put on the waitlist and would likely not be able to go. Then, on Friday at 7 pm, I got an email asking me if I wanted to go. I’m trying to be more spontaneous, so I said yes.
I arrived early on Saturday morning at 17 Chetwynd Road, the official house for TMC (Tufts Mountain Club), and was greeted by ten smiling strangers. I was a bit nervous to be going into the woods with a bunch of strangers, but as I said, I am trying to be more spontaneous.
When we arrived at the Loj, we made some lunch and played a made-up game of “guess whose middle name this is,” where we each wrote down our middle names and put them into a bowl and each person pulled out a middle name and tried to figure out whose it was. Many laughs were exchanged during this game, especially when the name “McLovin” arose, as someone didn’t have a middle name and decided to make one up.
Despite the -10 degree windchill, we braved the outdoors and took a (brief) walk down to the river. The river was mostly covered with a thick layer of ice, but the rushing water was still semi-visible underneath. It was absolutely beautiful. We stayed by the river for a while, until we couldn’t feel our toes any longer, and then headed back to the Loj, where we played games, read books, and drank hot chocolate together. We then cooked up some tomato soup, grilled cheese, and veggies for dinner. We finished off the night by watching Oceans 8 with a projector someone had brought.
Although only a short 24-hour trip, it was such a wonderful experience and I met so many lovely new people. My trip to the Loj was the perfect reprieve from academic stress and was a great way to get off campus, even if it was just for 24 hours. I was a bit afraid to spend a night in the woods with a bunch of strangers, but I am so happy that I did because now I have ten new friends and some amazing memories. There are so amazing opportunities to meet people at Tufts, and although it may seem daunting at first, putting yourself out there and doing something a bit scary can end up bringing you many new friends and endless memories.