With the cold gales of February comes a return few saw coming, as one of the most storied (pun-intended) columns in THN history: the  Boot n’ Paddle! For those previously unaware, the Boot n’ Paddle is a spotlight on students getting sendy, usually with the help of your “Phriendly” Neighborhood Outing Club. There’s a lot of rad trips to be had in the mountains, rivers and underpasses of the North Country, and we want to share these stories with you. In the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald, let’s get after it!

The Boot n’ Paddle isn’t the only thing returning to campus this week—over mid-semester break, a group of eight students ventured off to the harsh tundra of Northern Maine for Icecation. The afternoon of Thursday, Feb. 14, our brave heroes arrived to their first stay, a quiet cabin nestled on the snowy shores of Wood Lake. At a brisk 7a.m.,  the crew bundled up and set out to drilling holes in the ice for some fishing. Using the ice auger was “powerful and empowering.

It felt like riding a motorcycle,” said trip leader Ryan Heuss ’21, a sophomore in the Outing Club. That day, in approximately five feet of snow, three total fish were caught for dinner. Though a pile of burritos staved off hypothermia that night, the fishers were determined on a fully fish-based meal the next day.

Dawn cracked again, and the outdoorswomen and men returned to Wood Lake. This day would be a different day, as yellow perch after yellow perch flopped out of the waters and onto the ice. As the sky dimmed that evening, 12 fish had been selected for dinner. Over the course of the two days, each member of the expedition had caught at least one fish. For some, it was the first they had ever caught. Having packed the fish with the rest of their gear, Icecation journeyed south.

In Rangely, Maine, the crew reached their accommodations, where the Skication trip was waiting. After a brief bout of wrestling, everyone got to work cooking up a sumptuous fried fish feast.

The hearty dinner led to a night of revelry before the eight-hour drive back to campus the next day. Students re-entered the week refreshed for classes and with stomachs full of essential omega fatty acids.

Mid-semester break always flies by too quick, and with it, the adventures we have over it. However, though Icecation 2019 may be over, its spirit lives on.

Every week, Outing Club participants and leaders send trips to all corners of the North Country and sometimes even further afield (if you can believe it). As long as there’s a line, we’ll ski it. As long as there’s a mountain, we’ll hike it. As long as there’s a boot, we’ll paddle it.