A Group Where the Spirit of Adventure Leads the Way

Over eight decades, Tufts Mountain Club has let students answer the call of the outdoors

 

When nearly 50 newcomers and 20 leaders traveled two hours to hike, swim, and get to know each other at Tufts Mountain Club’s Newcomers’ Weekend last fall, co-organizer Marge Nalen, A27, was, quite literally, in her happy place: the Loj, TMC’s lodge in Woodstock, New Hampshire.

During Newks, as the weekend is known, a particular joy bubbled up for Nalen when “we put out a tarp, a bunch of soap, and buckets of water,” to create a makeshift slip ‘n’ slide, she says. “People were doing all sorts of crazy tricks. It was a very fun, very easy activity to plan—we just threw a tarp down and people had a blast.”

Founded in 1939, TMC is one of Tufts’ oldest student clubs. With 409 members, it is also among the largest, and it continues to evolve from a group of hardcore mountaineers to an inclusive network bound by a sense of adventure and a love of the outdoors. 

TMC’s motto, “Go outside,” hints at its connective tissue. Club activities encompass five areas: biking, hiking, climbing, aquatic activities, and skiing. The Loj, an on-campus office on Chetwynd Road (known as “Chet”), and a dedicated van (all university-owned and club-operated) support the club’s adventures. Any Tufts undergraduate can become a member, says President Xander Orth, A26, who grew up camping and hiking and joined TMC as a first-year student. “Membership is on a sliding scale from nothing to $15,” he adds. 

A line of people in winter outerwear at a trailhead in the snow.

Participants at POCkend in March 2024, a weekend event open to undergrads who identify as people of color. The intent is to “foster a community where POC individuals can connect over a love for the outdoors, a recreational space that has historically been mostly enjoyed by white people in the United States,” says TMC President Xander Orth. Photo: Courtesy Tufts Mountain Club

Membership includes use of club-owned equipment, the Loj, and the vans. TMC supports itself through membership dues, Loj rentals, and occasional fundraisers, rather than through university funding.

The club’s annual Big Weekends at the Loj (Newks is one) feature transportation, food, and events. “Any Tufts undergrad student is encouraged to sign up,” Orth says. Board members also organize on-campus activities such as craft nights at Chet, but regular members plan the bulk of TMC’s outings, generally several each week, all announced via the club’s Slack channel.

This member-driven model suits such a large club, says Patrick Hennessy, E26, director of skaqua (skiing and aqua). “You cant build the same type of community as you can in a small club where the same people come to the same meetings,” he says. “So we took the approach of being an entity that puts on events for people to find community within the club.” 

TMC member Shoshana Daly, A26, appreciates that approach. Her first year she mostly attended club-wide organized events, but “towards the spring of sophomore year, I started doing a lot more stuff with people I had met previously through TMC.” Daly is also a Loj caretaker, one of the TMC members trained during Caretakers Weekend to staff the Loj. The training, which introduced Orth to people he says he otherwise wouldn’t have met, “is learning how to be a good steward of the space, knowing how to work the tricky kitchen stove—all the little ins and outs of the Loj, and making sure the space is inclusive,” he says. 

Inclusivity became a TMC priority about three years ago. “Weve worked pretty hard this past year and really thought about belonging and inclusion,” Orth says. The club has shifted away from a singular focus on intense mountaineering experiences, which could put some people off. Orth also hopes the club will draw more new outdoor enthusiasts from “marginalized communities who may not have had the same access as other groups,” he says. 

“I kind of imagined that TMC was going to be all these crazy backpacking trips, and very clique-y. I have found the opposite; its all these people I didn't expect to meet, who are outdoorsy in very different ways,” Nalen says.

A brief recounting of Loj lore hints at the TMC’s longevity and resilient spirit. “There have been four lodges. Two of them have actually burned down,” says Hennessy. “Then another Loj was relocated because of the building of I-93. So this is Tufts’ fourth Loj.”

A line of people on skis approaches a snowy hill.

Tufts Mountain Club’s more experienced members teach others how to ski during SKIkend, in January 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Mountain Club

TMC also recently began lending the Loj to other Tufts clubs on several off weekends each year. And when Pisgah Climbing School offered TMC members an ice climbing excursion last year, club leaders agreed. “Were hoping to make that happen again this year, a free ice climbing trip,” Orth says. 

That expansive, adventurous ethos spoke to Daly as much as her desire to ski and hike. “I wanted those types of people—the people that were willing to try new things and explore,” she says. New things for Daly have included outdoor rock climbing and polar plunging, while Hennessy and Nalen co-organized a kayak camping trip last year. It was a first for both, and it helped Hennessy understand how much he enjoys leading and sharing his love of the outdoors.

The lessons aren’t just about being outside. “The Loj and TMC have given me a way to learn to take breaks,” Daly says. “Because I am someone who is not very good at taking breaks.” 

For her part, Nalen initially felt somewhat underconfident doing outdoors activities. TMC members changed that, she says, as she began “doing new things and trying them with the most positive and supportive people that you can find on campus.” 

From sliding on a tarp at the Loj to leading a new-to-her activity, Nalen’s TMC memories are infused with “pure feral joy,” she says. Her fellow members are “their authentic selves, and I always feel like I'm my best self when I'm outside leading these trips. I think that contributes to a vibe that is people doing what they love with people that they love.”

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