Are You Ready to be Eco-Challenged?
Move over, Rottblatt; Carleton’s got a new quirky tradition. Since 2002, the Carleton Association of Nature and Outdoor Enthusiasts (CANOE) has offered a day-long, multifaceted obstacle course for teams of three willing adventurers. Demanding quick thinking, teamwork, exuberance, and a love of zany escapades—in short, common characteristics of Carleton students—CANOE has created the perfect adventure course for ambitious and slightly crazy Carls: the annual Eco-Challenge.
Move over, Rottblatt; Carleton’s got a new quirky tradition. Since 2002, the Carleton Association of Nature and Outdoor Enthusiasts (CANOE) has offered a day-long, multifaceted obstacle course for teams of three willing adventurers. Demanding quick thinking, teamwork, exuberance, and a love of zany escapades—in short, common characteristics of Carleton students—CANOE has created the perfect adventure course for ambitious and slightly crazy Carls: the annual Eco-Challenge.
Ross Mitchell ‘07 (New Fairfield, Conn.) sums up the event. “I think the magnitude of the scope of Eco-Challenge is what is ultimately impressive,” he said. “Over the course of an entire day nearly 50 participants explore the entire expanse of the Carleton campus, engaging in feats of strength, stamina, logic and, overall cooperative perseverance.” Seventeen teams participated in this year’s Eco-Challenge, held May 13. Each team faced eight challenges located at different stations around campus. The teams had to successfully complete each challenge in order to receive directions to the next station.
In addition to canoeing the Cannon River for the entire length of the Arb, teams were faced with such obstacles as swimming across Lyman Lakes while holding a lit torch and consuming—collectively—a shot of olive oil, an egg, an onion, and a clove of garlic. At that particular station, teams had the option of cooking the food, but “most ate it raw,” admits Elizabeth Lienesch ’08 (Chapel Hill, N.C.). “It was awesomely disgusting. You should see Jessica Goad [’07 (Golden, Colo.)] take a shot of olive oil and eat a raw egg. It’s a sight to behold, let me tell you.”
At Matt Dettinger’s [’08 (Washington, Pa.)] station, teams were required to move a pile of four tires of decreasing size—a seemingly straightforward task until he added the additional restrictions that the tires could not touch the ground more than twice, no tire could be placed atop a smaller tire, and teammates were donned with sleeping bags that limited either their vision or their dexterity. “This led to many humorous incidents,” he reports. “And unlike mere feats of strength, this stop took some real thinking and a lot of teamwork.”
Ultimately, Eco-Challenge is a chance for Carleton students to celebrate the beginning of summer and rejoice in their collective sense of humor, the sunshine, and Carleton’s incredible arboretum. While the sense of competition was alive and well—Mark Dyson ‘07 (Cannon Falls, Minn.) and Jake Gold ’07 (West Chester, Penn.) finished in just one hour and 24 minutes with only a team of two!—most teams enjoyed the sense of camaraderie and open-air folly. French language assistant Clemence Cavoli, German language assistant Tobi Grünthal, and Cailey Gibson ’07 (Shrewsbury, Vt.) did not set any speed records, but as Team Smoking Rabbits—complete with full ears and tails—they took top honors in the costume competition.
Bessie Schwarz ’08 (South Orange, N.J.), who participated for her second time this year and took second place overall, says, “Eco-Challenge is definitely in my top five best days at Carleton.” The day finished with a black bean burger barbeque at the CANOE honor house, along with a rowdy retelling of hilarious moments from the day. As the year comes to a close and students get swamped with finals, what better way to celebrate than spending a few hours in a swamped canoe?