Every year, Coronat Scholars are bussed about two and a half hours away from campus to spend a weekend at Oswegatchie Outdoor Education Center in the Adirondack Mountains. For many, this weekend is one of the most special parts of being a Coronat Scholar. Oswegatchie is entirely off the grid, but the lack of cell service and wifi did not stop students from enjoying their weekend in nature. In fact, many commented that unplugging made the experience all the more special.

Students celebrated when they learned that “Camp Coronat” was returning this September. For the juniors and seniors who had been before, going back to camp was the biggest news of the week.

Deeply embedded in the tradition of the Coronat Scholar program, the camping trip brings together students from every class. Students get to know not just the small group of Coronats who came to Syracuse at the same time as them, but also more senior Coronats from other graduating classes.

As students arrived in Oswegatchie on Friday night, they shared a meal in the dining hall before embarking on a night hike. Camp staff relied on the eye’s natural process of adjusting to the darkness and allowed no flashlights to assist as scholars stumbled over roots and navigated forward. This ritual has become a well-known and much-anticipated part of the trip!

As the night hike concluded and the sun was several hours over the horizon, scholars gathered around a campfire for reflection. Seniors shared pieces of advice to the underclassmen, providing words of wisdom on how to make an impact at Syracuse. This year, all of the seniors agreed that their time at Syracuse has flown past. They encouraged young scholars to do what feels right, serves their interests, and brings them joy. The seniors shared that not every day will be the best one yet, but suggested that the group of new college students be kind to themselves while bravely navigating the uncertainty of college.

Even though Friday was a late night that left students smelling of campfire all weekend, they embraced Saturday before much of the world was up. It’s hard to get a college student out of bed in the morning, but nearly every student woke up before the sunrise to jump into kayaks on Long Pond, paddle out to the middle, and watch the sky change through sunrise. Returners to camp commented that this was one of the activities they were most excited about. Out on the calm waters at 6:00 a.m., students clung to each others’ boats to keep their conversations going as they floated around. Sleep deprivation could wait until they were on the bus back to campus.

Following sunrise kayaking and early breakfast, students are challenged to team-build on Oswegatchie’s low ropes course that relies on problem solving, physical strength, endurance, and the ability to meaningfully collaborate. Despite struggling through the course, many scholars walked away sore from the laughter shared as they stumbled off of obstacles or failed to hit the next checkpoint.

The weekend concluded with students breaking for lunch before heading back to the woods to play on the high ropes course. Several younger scholars waited in anticipation for the zipline the entire weekend, and were not disappointed when they were zooming above the trees and water to be received by their peers on the distant shore. For the juniors and seniors, the zipline was a welcome sight. Among other elements high above the ground, students continued to build community. Laughter reverberated through the fall-colored leaves as students plotted an ice cream stop on the bus ride back home.

For Coronat Scholars, this camping trip is more than an opportunity to unplug for a weekend. It is exactly what being a Coronat Scholar represents: community, intellectual development, and support from the highest levels at the University. Each student can confidently say they are walking away with new friends, a bucket of memories much fuller than before, and perhaps a few leaves that they’re still pulling from their hair.

Five seniors, Tyler, Trisha, Spencer, Madeline and Georgia, recreated a photo they took on their first camping trip. The first photo is them in their first year, and the second is them now, as seniors.