For the first time in WVWC’s history, our freshman pre-orientation plan was put into action. This agenda allowed students to move into their new Wesleyan homes two days early, on Wednesday the 20th of August. After the 46 freshmen participants were situated, they loaded onto a bus and headed for Hico , West Virginia to stay in cabin tents at NARR (North American River Runners). Once they settled in, they soon became involved in intense sand volleyball, basketball, and card games, while they enjoyed home made pizza for dinner. The students went to bed early that night anticipating the exciting day that lay ahead.
On Thursday the students awoke to the lovely sounds of nature all around them. They ate a healthy breakfast preparing for the hard day ahead, for this day was the ropes course and team building section of the journey. The team building commenced when all 46 students formed a large circle and played some icebreaker games. The large group than split into smaller groups and played some new games. The real fun began when the students had to hike into the woods complete many challenging obstacles as a team. Some teams handled these obstacles well, while others had a more difficult time. The students worked on these obstacles until lunchtime.
After a great lunch, the undergraduates got back to work- this time on the ropes courses. Both high and low ropes courses were on the agenda. The students were split into two groups and rotated after they finished each course. For the low ropes course there were two obstacles; a climbing challenge and the Trapeze swing. The obstacle consisted of a series of logs that were progressively further away as they ascended. The students paired up and helped each other reach the top. Many of the students attained the goal even though it was a struggle. As for the Trapeze swing, many students attempted this, but few were successful. To attempt the swing, students had to climb up a 30 ft. tree and try to jump to the trapeze bar. If a student missed they fell 30 feet!
The high ropes course resembled something from Road Rules. The students climbed up a tree and were than faced with a series of obstacles. Some of the hurdles included walking across a tight rope 40 feet in the air, jumping from one platform to another, and swinging Tarzan style from rope to rope. Due to inclement weather, the students were not able to attempt all of the obstacles the high ropes course offered. After the ropes courses, the students went back to camp for a wonderful home cooked meal, and once again played volleyball and basketball. Later on that night, there was a bon fire where the student roasted marshmallows and made smores. Next, the students went to bed to prepare for an extreme day of whitewater rafting; the reason many of the students came on the trip.
On Friday morning the freshmen picked up life jackets, helmets, and paddles and loaded the bus to the river. When we arrived at the flooded New River , we laboriously carried our boats down and got ready to raft. On the beginning of the trip, the rapids appeared fairly calm; this was just an initiation to the rapids that lay ahead. One highlight of the beginning was jump rock, where students enjoyed flips, jumps, and a great dip in the river! Once we got past the beginning rapids, we went through class three, four, and five rapids; like the keenies, double Z, Miller Fooley, and Upper Railroad. We ended our great day on the river by floating under the tallest single steel arc bridge in the world, the New River Gorge Bridge . What a beautiful sight from the water!
