SUNY Cortland’s PRIDE Club went on their annual trip to Raquette Lake. We spent the weekend relaxing and just enjoying time away from school.
Every year, the SUNY Cortland Pride club visits Raquette Lake. We went from September 12-14, leaving Friday and coming back Sunday. There were about 14 of us, and we really took the time to relax and get away from our devices. When we first arrived, we took a boat over to where our camp was. We stayed at Camp Huntington in one of the newest cabins.
Most clubs or groups have set activities for when they get here, like lesson planning or team-building exercises. But we didn’t have anything in particular planned, it was mostly a free-for-all. One of the first activities we did was have a campfire. Some students from the English department were there as well, and we all relaxed and had some s’mores. A little later, we took a short hike to an open field where we were able to see the stars. The Adirondacks area has some of the clearest skies in New York State. It was so clear you could see the ISS, and even the Milky Way. I’ve never seen as many stars as I did that night.
Probably one of my favorite activities was the hiking. I love going for walks, so I was always down to go when the offer was up. Where we were on camp Huntington, there weren’t any steep hills, but lots of trails to walk through. Across the peninsula is a church with a bell outside, and we actually got to ring it. The church was beautiful inside too, and they had a little guest where people could sign their names.
Unfortunately it was very windy and cold, so we didn’t go kayaking too much. But we did have that option available. It was definitely too cold to go swimming, but we still had that option on the table.
One of the best parts of Raquette Lake was the food. We had three meals a day, and not a single one missed. Mealtime was the only strict part, where everyone had to show up even if they weren’t going to eat. Breakfast was at 8:00, lunch at 12:00, and dinner was at 6:00. My favorite meal was probably breakfast, because they replaced the salad bar with fresh fruits. I’ve never had so many raspberries in my life. Also, a cup of coffee in a cabin in the Adirondacks with your friends at 8:00am just hits different than in your dorm room.
A couple people had to volunteer for kitchen patrol, or “KP”, for each meal. I helped out with breakfast and lunch, and it wasn’t too difficult. You just had to help set the tables, put out pitchers of water, and help take people’s dishes as they finished.
I was anxious about the sleeping situation, but it was actually pretty nice. We were in the newest cabin on Camp Huntington. There were several rooms, each with two sets of bunk beds. There were several bathrooms with showers included. With four people to a room, it was pretty packed. But it was definitely a cozy vibe.
Cell service was not reliable, so we played a lot of games to pass the time. We went through puzzles, card games, board games, but our favorite game was Werewolf. It’s sort of like Among Us but in real life. The English department joined us and we had a good time. We usually play werewolf around Halloween during a club meeting, so if you’re interested you should definitely give PRIDE club a visit. We definitely couldn’t stream anything but we did have DVDs. We watched Saw II and it was the perfect vibe to watch in a cabin in the middle of the night.
This was my first and probably last trip to Raquette Lake with PRIDE club, but it was so much fun. PRIDE meets every Thursday at 7:00pm in the voice office of Corey Union. If you’d like a place to hang out and make new friends, definitely give us a visit. We also go to New York City in the spring semester, so if you’re interested definitely stop by!