RETREEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAT!

No, we're not running from the enemy. It's camping. The bi-annual event for my fraternity that gets the boys off campus and into nature. With beer and power tools. It's something that I used to do regularly while in college, but haven't had the chance to much since graduation. This year, me and two of my brothers who live local are making the trip to chilly upstate NY to join the undergrads in a weekend of dirty, smelly, drunken fun in the woods. We're going to tear up some nature and burn it.

Actually, the event is also a philanthropic event, as the camp normally functions as a campground for kids. We will be clearing land and building a new trail for the camp, something that has traditionally been a part of the weekend. At various stops for Retreat, we have built bridges (campground-size, not steel trestle), cleared trails, built a deck, destroyed a latrine (THAT was fun), and other campground maintenance.

I think it's good to get away and get back to nature every once in a while. Sometimes I think people are too "jacked-in" to the electronic toys that are so pervasive in today's society. Personally, some of the most fun times I ever had while in college were at these camping trips. That's why I can wait for this weekend.

- kb