Thomas Dewey, the 47th Governor of New York is responsible for the title of this blog post. This weekend however, some Syracuse NY residents tried their hand at camping. The state of New York is home to a number of amazing natural attractions. Of course, you have the Finger Lakes, but you also have amazing state parks including Green Lakes, Chimney Bluffs, Watkins Glen, the Adirondacks, and Letchworth State Park, the latter of which is where a few Maxwellians ventured to this weekend.

Midterms are now over and we have a small window of time to relax before getting back to the grind. What I like about camping is that whether you intend to or not, you’re going to get really dirty. Sometimes you’re alone and don’t have to worry about the watchful gaze of others, but most of the time, you’re with good company, they’re just as dirty as you’re, and as a result could not care less (even after being packed together for two nights in an 8 person tent.) I tend to prefer the latter setting. I enjoy the Maxwell program, but I love my cohort because of their likeminded passion for adventure.

We arrived to the campsite Friday afternoon. The first order of business was to set up camp. Thankfully, tent technology has advanced over the years, expediting the tent setting up process and allowing us to take cover from the rain faster than you can say Politics-Administration dichotomy.

The rain eased up after about an hour and we made dinner soon after (over a campfire of course.) That night we managed to both reminisce about classes, family, 80s music, study for Economics and Statistics, and also plan for the next day’s adventure.

The following morning we wined and dined on bacon, eggs, and instant coffee. We then proceeded to emulate Frederick Taylor and put our scientific management skills to the test; we divveyed up sandwich making, map routing, and cleaning obligations accordingly with much success.

From the campsite we drove to the starting point of the park. Letchworth State Park, referred to as the Grand Canyon of the East, is home to a 17-mile-long gorge with breathtaking views and trails overlooking the Genesee River and its three major waterfalls. You can stay on one of the 66 trails or take a small detour in order to avoid the crowds. Whatever you end up doing, know that you’re constantly surrounded by unparalleled beauty, stunning reds, yellows, and oranges wherever you look, and a pleasant omnipresent smell of nature. The weather may have been brisk but that thought was soon quickly forgotten. Seven miles of hiking later, we arrived back at the campsite and noshed on hobo pockets, cheeze-its, and s’mores.

We arrived back to Syracuse Sunday morning. Some of us opted to finish up pending school work, some chose to partake in an intramural soccer game, and others opted instead for a well deserved nap.

Grad school is tough, but odds are good that you’ll get by with the help of your newfound cohort friends. Take solace in the fact that wherever you end up, you can find others that will want to take part in similar extracurricular opportunities whether competing in a Deloitte consulting challenge, white water rafting, knitting, or camping for two nights at the number one ranked state park in the country. Even if the high for both nights is 28 degrees.

*Pictures taken by Kurt Fire, selfie extraordinaire.