Recreational Life
Work hard, play hard at COSMOS with recreational and evening activities!
Photo by Lauren Liu
Roaring Camp Railroads & Henry Cowell State Park
On Saturday, every student that opted to stay for the weekend was dropped off in front of Roaring Camp Railroads. After being informed of the boundaries we had to stay within by the RAs, we were set loose into the wilderness, given permission to wander the place as we pleased.
One of the main attractions people noticed immediately was the pond by the entrance. Just by looking over the edge of the bridge crossing over the pond, people already spotted a wide variety of wildlife, ranging from turtles to frogs to ducks. As people went further into the camp, they came across many historical exhibits, displaying old relics of the 1800s, and also stores, with the main one being the general store. Guests could purchase a small bag of duck food to feed the ducks with, which was enjoyable for those who got to experience it. The store also had many small trinkets up for sale, such as a toy cork gun, which many students had a lot of fun playing around with. Nearby was a gold panning station, where people could imitate the way people panned gold back during the Gold Rush, with real gold being the reward. Further into the camp was the picnic site reserved for COSMOS, where a game of volleyball actively took place for most of the field trip’s duration.
Because Roaring Camp was also connected to Henry Cowell State Park, we were also permitted to take a look at what the state park offered. There were many places of interest for students, including the large cross-section of a fallen redwood tree and the park’s visitor center. There were also several hiking trails, the shortest (and thus most popular) of which was the Redwood Grove Loop Trail - a flat terrain, 0.8 mile trail with an associated guidebook that introduced the reader to various special trees visible from the trail and their history, and also discussed redwoods in general. A short walk away from the visitor center was also a small beach next to the river with a wooden swing, which some students had an incredible amount of fun with.
At 2:15, every student boarded the steam train to see a tour of the redwood forest. The train conductor told us stories about the past of this forest, which, alongside the beautiful scenery, kept many of us well entertained. In addition, some people had a lot of fun high-fiving as many passing hikers as they could, with every successful high-five resulting in a mass of cheering. In the end, everyone left the camp having wandered around the camp for a long time, happy with what they had seen but also more than ready to take a break for the rest of the afternoon.
By Cindy Lu
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Barbenheimer Dance Concludes COSMOS
Disco lights flashed overhead as COSMOS students entered the MPR for our end-of-program dance. The theme of the dance was “Barbenheimer” (Barbie/Oppenheimer) and RA Maddy Bodeur greeted each student at the door with a “Hi Barbie!” as appropriate for outfits.
While some students opted for serious “Oppenheimer” dress with all black attire or formal suits, others went for the “Barbie” aesthetic with pastel colors, floral dresses, and bright makeup.
Orange and black streamers were draped down one wall, contrasting the pink sparkly decorations on the other side of the room. The Oppenheimer side of the room included tables where students could adorn themselves with glow sticks and party hats and other bright accessories, while the Barbie side hosted a photo booth and a snack table where students could munch on gummy worms, candy, and all sorts of other snacks while waiting in line to take pictures with friends.
RAs Jamison Faulkner, Madeline Miller, and Jesus Medina DJed the night with music ranging from “Helpless” from “Hamilton” to “Just Wanna Rock” by Lil Uzi Vert to satisfy all requests. While some students preferred to have small dance circles with their friends, others moshed in the middle, stepping on each other’s shoes and yelling song lyrics at the top of their lungs.
Few students were happy for the dance to end and many continued mini afterparties in their dorms. The party marked a bittersweet end for COSMOS, with many students hyper-aware that this was possibly the last time they were going to see most of their closest COSMOS friends. Even so, the dance was the perfect celebration of the four amazing weeks of COSMOS and a vibrant goodbye to the place where so many of us grew and thrived.
By Lily Schroeder
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