Walden Solo

The Great Introspection

Who am I and how do I fit into this big world?

The Walden solo is reserved for our Junior members. During this weekend of camping, hiking canoeing, and rock climbing, Junior members are encouraged to overcome their fears.

Solo-ers leave main camp around 4 PM Friday evening with only six items: a flashlight, a small tent, sleeping bag, bottle of water, a small bag of gorp, and their journal.

The journal is what they will read and interact with throughout the evening and night. It asks very personal questions that makes the reader analyze their relationship to themselves, their family, their friends and all other's in the world. They spend time writing answers in their journals that only they will ever read, for when they come back the next morning, they hand in their journal which is "put away" in secure location only to be given back at the end of their senior year. Then they will have an opportunity to reflect on their answers.

On Saturday morning, after a night with out books, TV, radios, I-pods, cell phones, etc. they are brought back to the main camp for breakfast feast.

From there, we go to an activity that most likely is something they have never done. Rappelling,  rock climbing, or high ropes course work. Each activity gives the solo-er and opportunity to meet a fear head on and move past it with the encouragement from friends.

All alone in the woods!

Senior officers enjoy a nice camp fire at main camp while juniors are in the woods soloing.

It stormed all night on the solo campers in '09. So Saturday was a wet morning. But nothing like a nice fire (under the shelter) to brighten their day.

Off to the high ropes course we went after a big breakfast.

Some were comfortable up high.... some weren't!

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