The Great Outdoors, Etc.

We missed the yodeling, but we arrived in time for the pig-chase, the wood chopping, and the dancing. Everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time, as good a time, anyway, as they could have had in any hut in the White Mountains. The members of the International Outdoor Club Association are a hearty and fun-loving lot, and on Saturday they had their hearty and fun-loving annual meeting at Wellesley. Harvard, Yale, M.I.T., Brown and lots of other colleges were represented, and many people looked as though they had just come in from hiking or skiing.

As we ascended the rise to the Wellesley "Rec" (the name of the building where the meeting was held) we could hear the sound of frenzied wood chopping and gleeful shouts. All the good wood choppers had been divided into two teams and were battling to see which team could chop the fastest. A healthy blond girl timed each team, so there would be no disputes. One poor participant on the Blue team stepped up to his log, raised his axe, and buried it six inches in the ground. He said, "I missed," so the crowd around him would not think that he was actually aiming at the ground.

Since the pig hadn't yet arrived, everyone went into the Rec for singing. There were two guitar players, one with a beard and one with a green shirt, but instead of playing songs immediately, someone started a game called "Treasure Island." Apparently this game wiles away long winter evenings. It looks like a great deal of fun, and perhaps its intricacies can be explained here. Number one player says, "I went to Treasure Island and I took a shoe." Then the second player repeats all this and adds another item, like a banana or something wilder. It goes on and on and gets zanier and zanier until everybody is laughing so much they can't remember. Before hysterics began however, the bearded guitar player launched a song. Not everybody knew the words, but those who didn't nodded their heads and looked wistful.

Finally the pig came. We went outside to see it, and everybody was disappointed because it was a baby pig. Some of the girls said how cruel the chase was, but most of the others just wanted to get on with it. The girl who was holding the piglet let it go and it ran a few feet and was caught by eight or ten I.O.C.A.ers. It was let go again and caught again. That was the pig chase.

As if we could enjoy our meal after all the excitement, dinner was announced. It was simple fare, but nourishing: chili and salad served on paper plates by Wellesley girls. There was an atmosphere of merry anticipation all through dinner, because everybody knew that the square dance followed. And not only that, but the Scottish Highland Dancers were going to perform.

At last it was time to walk down to "Alum" and start the evening's entertainment. It began with the Scottish Dancers who did four or five authentic dances. We were very surprised to see how gracefully they tiptoed around and bounced back and forth. When they had finished, the leader walked proudly up to the platform and said, "Well, did you like that? (great applause and shouting) Good! Now let's all dance!"

All the men dutifully grabbed a partner and rushed out onto the floor. The caller yelled, "All right, we'll try a Texas Star, (cries of amazement and bewilderment). "What? You don't know how to do that?" (verification from the floor) "It's easy. We'll run through it without music first. Ready? Okay!

"Balance ... balance ... cross ... balance. All the men form a star! Balance ... cross ... balance ... WALTZ! There! now you've got it. ALLEMANDE RIGHT!" (Music) All the dancers gaily executed the directions, and loved the square dance even if it was confusing when the caller shouted something that made them hunt for a new partner.

Next year we'll come in time for the yodeling.