Rec 80 is no walk in the park for students

Simple Text

By Joshua D. Scroggin

The course title—Recreation and Leisure Studies 80—shot up from the page.

Actually, it jumped off the computer screen—since there was no printed schedule of courses last semester.

But even so, just the words “recreation” and “leisure” were enough to turn a graduating senior’s eyes into 1,000-watt desk-lamp bulbs. Even though the two words were eventually followed by “studies,” the “80” quickly cancelled that out.

I think Rec. 80 even translates directly into “easy A” in Swedish, but I’m not sure.

Then someone said the requirements: attend two recreational field trips on your leisure time—among other short assignments.

For someone 10 units from graduation, it was like a hand-me-down from the lord. I signed up with so much ferocious cruelty, PeopleSoft is still sorting out the casualties.

But with only two (or is it one?) weeks left in the semester, and Rec. 80 almost over, I’ll tell you this much—Rec. 80 is not an easy A, and that’s a good thing.

On Tuesday, around 90 students from three sections of Rec. 80 made the two-hour trip to Yosemite for a hike to the top of Vernal Falls.

Sounds like a piece of cake. Take Shaw to Highway 41, and two hours later, stop. Then walk around for a while and pose for a picture in front of a waterfall.

If you’re still thinking, “wait, that still qualifies as an easy A,” think about how many of the 90 students reached the top of the falls.

“ I think about half,” professor Justin Butchert said while the victorious few dozen were lunching at the apex of the 315-foot cascade.

Everyone made the easy 10-minute walk from the parking lot to the base of the hike trail, but those with the physical courage to make it to the top withstood a lot more—torrents of splashing snow melt, quadriceps-burning 90-degree inclines up jagged rock stairs, even snakes.

It was the hardest-earned three units of general education this columnist has ever completed—and it was only one assignment.

Never has a 2,000-word research paper seemed so simple in comparison.

Two thousand words? This column is more than 500 words (and it didn’t even take that long to write— really).

Do you know how cold snow melt is?

Imagine scuttling up a wet and slippery slope after more than an hour of intense hiking while the adjacent waterfall’s dashes of splash pound you like the bully in the schoolyard.

Oh, and you’re doing this all while backpacking your lunch, bottles of water and sunscreen. Some even had to lug around all their girlfriends’ munchies.

Don’t forget to factor in the dangers of nature.

“ Whoa, is that a snake?” someone said after doing some kind of awkward leg lift to avoid stepping on the little brown twig.

“ I don’t know. It looks like a twig.”

“ Twigs don’t move, dude.”

That one did. And I’m guessing it would bite if stepped on.

But I wouldn’t trade that near-death experience for one day in any of the other general ed classes I’ve slept away.

The A wasn’t easy. I’m still not sure I got one, but hopefully “Recreation and Leisure Studies 80” still jumps off this page like it did my computer screen.