Snow week brings exciting activities at cost of comfort

The snow that plagued Portland was both a blessing and a curse upon the Lewis & Clark’s campuses. Though the administration fought as hard as they could, their best attempts were not enough to keep classes from being canceled during the entirety of the first week. Some teachers canceled their classes entirely, while some resorted to Zoom meetings, which were unwelcomingly reminiscent of the COVID-19 era of school. 

During the first day of snow, wandering around the campus was absolutely fantastic. The reflecting pool was completely frozen over, making for a beautiful sight and a thrilling walk across, and snowy hills set up the perfect landscape for sledding. Due to the fact that I value my life, I did not participate in said activities, but it was a wonderful time spent laughing at my friends who were taking turns narrowly dodging a bee hive and crashing into blackberry bushes. 

The campus was truly transformed into a winter wonderland with the snowfall, though you had to ignore all of the fallen trees in order to see it this way. Everything was covered by the snow and, for a while, it seemed like it might have been out of a fairytale. 

Then the freezing rain came and everything changed. The snow was still beautiful, but now, you could not step foot on it without slipping. Venturing outside of your dorm became an extreme sport, and god forbid you attempted the perilous trek to the cafeteria. Absolutely everything was completely covered in ice.

Of course, I immediately tried to get breakfast the morning after the freezing rain. A trip from Platt to Fowler, which normally would have taken five minutes at most, took twenty minutes. 

The majority of which was spent trapped on the tiny hill leading down from Platt’s front door. Though I did not fall, I came very close, and I had to receive assistance from a lovely stranger who was kind enough to come save me and help me down the last five feet of the hill. 

Returning to Platt was surprisingly easier than leaving. There were multiple brushes with the ground, and more than a few creatively worded curses before I found myself safely inside. The following day, there was quite a lot of screaming, as my larger friend group decided to risk the trip to the cafeteria alongside me. 

Overall, the adventure, while risky, terrifying and mildly dangerous, was well worth it. While I would have preferred to keep campus the way it was the very first day, with soft snow that one could actually walk on without risking multiple broken bones, the following days were not quite that bad. This was assuming you had enough food stocked up in your dorm room, or you were willing to brave the ice and make your way to the Bon. 

For some, the unexpected break was lonely, but others took it as a chance to gather their friend groups and do nothing but spend their days binge watching television shows and movies while trying to stay warm. The occasional flickering of the lights and power added to the atmosphere. 

The low temperatures were also an interesting experience, reaching the lowest range so far in the 2023-24 school year. For the first time, I had to wear earmuffs! While I enjoyed the chance to pull out some of my warmer clothing, many of my friends did not share in my enjoyment. Still, I found it exciting, and am growing steadily more and more disappointed with the warming temperatures.

The snow was a fun experience, especially for anyone who has not been around snow much in their life, or simply anyone who is not from Portland. Would I ask for something like it again? Likely not. Would I be overly upset if it made a reappearance? I do not think so.