March 22nd, 2025 | by Scott Barnicle
Today’s Quench’d writer is one of the first people I met on my first day of college on a sunny fall day in Vermont. With the biggest smile and an extended hand, he strode up to my parents, sister, and me, and gave me my first official welcome to the place that would become home for the next four years.
Scott was my Dean at Middlebury College. Scott mentored so many students and, once every few years, he would teach a class during our January Term (J-Term). His class Journeys to the Edge always has the longest waitlist, and anyone who is able to get into his class Journeys to the Edge is the envy of all the others! I hope you all enjoy Scott's story today! - Keaton
Today’s Quench’d writer is one of the first people I met on my first day of college on a sunny fall day in Vermont. With the biggest smile and an extended hand, he strode up to my parents, sister, and me, and gave me my first official welcome to the place that would become home for the next four years.
Scott was my Dean at Middlebury College. Scott mentored so many students and, once every few years, he would teach a class during our January Term (J-Term). His class Journeys to the Edge always has the longest waitlist, and anyone who is able to get into his class Journeys to the Edge is the envy of all the others! I hope you all enjoy Scott's story today! - Keaton
Being alive!
Being awake!
Being on edge!
Touching the match flame to the fuse of the firecracker!
That sense of anticipation and high alert!
Journeys to the Edge is a course that I have taught a number of times at Middlebury College. The essence of the course is looking at the psychology of adventure. Why are there outlier individuals at all times of history who are willing to take high risk to life and limb to see where the edge is whether it’s sailing to the “edge” when humans believed the world was flat and imminent death lay in wait at the “edge” or free soloing El Cap. The sub-text of the course is to challenge high achieving and bright college students to examine the place of risk in their lives and how it can impact their spirit and growth. I am not meaning risk to life and limb but reaching out of the comfort zone where it can create that heightened sense of being alive or to do hard things. How lucky am I to be able to do this – work with college students around the ideas of adventure and see where they light up!? The course is a good bit of work on my part but the returns are innumerable and vicariously light my spirit up! As a part of the class we do a sunrise hike of a local peak in the winter; go ice climbing and take a winter overnight in a nearby primitive cabin. The infectious energy is so amazing to witness.
Being alive!
Being awake!
Being on edge!
Touching the match flame to the fuse of the firecracker!
That sense of anticipation and high alert!
Journeys to the Edge is a course that I have taught a number of times at Middlebury College. The essence of the course is looking at the psychology of adventure. Why are there outlier individuals at all times of history who are willing to take high risk to life and limb to see where the edge is whether it’s sailing to the “edge” when humans believed the world was flat and imminent death lay in wait at the “edge” or free soloing El Cap. The sub-text of the course is to challenge high achieving and bright college students to examine the place of risk in their lives and how it can impact their spirit and growth. I am not meaning risk to life and limb but reaching out of the comfort zone where it can create that heightened sense of being alive or to do hard things. How lucky am I to be able to do this – work with college students around the ideas of adventure and see where they light up!? The course is a good bit of work on my part but the returns are innumerable and vicariously light my spirit up! As a part of the class we do a sunrise hike of a local peak in the winter; go ice climbing and take a winter overnight in a nearby primitive cabin. The infectious energy is so amazing to witness.
The question I hope to leave them with, from the experiences, both physical and in thought, is how do they plan to have the moments that light them up and make them feel they can do more than they thought they were capable of? How can that be a regular part of their life along with finding a career, raising a family (if that is what they choose), and being responsible? And, how do they bring that spirit back to others? As I mentioned, I am the significant beneficiary of watching their enthusiasm during the course and, if there is more of that in the world, well, the sky is the limit.
So off to creating that feel of one's ski tips in the air above the drop of a challenging run; shouldering a backpack at the beginning of a long trail about to head out; hitting send on that email “how about…?” to that select group of friends who are always game; putting on that festive shirt/dress for a party ahead; throwing some cold ones in the cooler getting ready to head out; uncoiling the rope at the bottom of a pitch; meeting at the trailhead; etc….
The question I hope to leave them with, from the experiences, both physical and in thought, is how do they plan to have the moments that light them up and make them feel they can do more than they thought they were capable of? How can that be a regular part of their life along with finding a career, raising a family (if that is what they choose), and being responsible? And, how do they bring that spirit back to others? As I mentioned, I am the significant beneficiary of watching their enthusiasm during the course and, if there is more of that in the world, well, the sky is the limit.
So off to creating that feel of one's ski tips in the air above the drop of a challenging run; shouldering a backpack at the beginning of a long trail about to head out; hitting send on that email “how about…?” to that select group of friends who are always game; putting on that festive shirt/dress for a party ahead; throwing some cold ones in the cooler getting ready to head out; uncoiling the rope at the bottom of a pitch; meeting at the trailhead; etc….
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