I was in the Schoolhouse working with friends when another friend asked if we wanted to go sledding later. It had snowed twice that week, so the first layer was solidified with a fluffy overlay atop it—perfect for sledding! We decided that we would go sledding at 5 p.m. It was 3 o’clock when we decided to do this. So we spent two hours diligently working on our assignments, checking off items on our to-do lists. Once we glanced at the time again, it was 4:45!
The five of us trekked to the dorms through the cold to change into warmer clothes. We said we would meet up in ten minutes. I went to my room and threw on leggings, sweatpants over the leggings, one of my sweatshirts, and a jacket. I found my gloves and my boots and put them on. And just like that, I was ready to go!
We reconvened in the hallway next to one of our dorms. One friend came up with the idea to use storage lid bins for sledding and gathered five—one for each of us. We began the walk down the Circle and onto the fields of snow to our chosen hill. One of us started running, and all the others followed. It’s impressive that none of us fell (well, fell yet).
Once on the hill, we began our first attempts to sled. At first, we were unsuccessful. The lids were sinking into the snow and getting caught, stopping the sliding. Eventually, we realized we had to create “paths” in the snow to help us travel easily. It worked! We were able to pick up speed, especially when given a push.
Then I decided to try snowboarding with the lid, and two friends did, too. I won’t lie: we definitely were not technically successful with snowboarding. No attempts were fully completed, as we all took a couple tumbles into the snow. When we stood up, our clothes were covered in snow!
Then, using our storage lids as beds, we reclined and gazed at the sky, watching the clouds and the moon. We took some funny videos with a gorgeous sunset in the background. And we rolled around in the snow a bit more, making snow angels, and then tried lifting up large pieces of ice from underneath the fluffy snow layer.
The trek back to the dorms was more strenuous because it was uphill, but the hot shower back at the dorm was a great reward! After we had defrosted and changed, we went to the dining hall for dinner.
Our sledding study break was impromptu and spontaneous but so fun! We had a great time. Were we freezing? Yes. Was it worth it? Absolutely!