As a snowfall blanketed Clemson and Friday afternoon classes were canceled, campus saw hundreds of students flock to revel in the snow. While the weather was rare — it’s been three years since Clemson students last experienced snowflakes on campus — the opportunities we had to enjoy it aren’t restricted just to winter weather.
Clemson wasn’t the only campus to receive a few inches this past weekend. Other colleges across the southeast — including the University of Georgia, Alabama and Ole Miss — were also hit by the winter storm. After sharing videos of me sledding down the Dikes, all my friends from home agreed: Clemson’s snow day was by far the best. What made Clemson’s Friday special, though, was our campus’s perfect location.
Bowman Field, with its large, open space, was filled with students building snowmen, sledding down the hills and throwing snowballs at each other. And, it goes without saying, the Dikes made an amazing sledding course.
On Friday, we all came together to enjoy the natural beauty of our campus. While this area doesn’t experience snow often, the Clemson community utilized its resourcefulness to fully experience the weather. I witnessed sleds made out of cardboard boxes, trash cans, trash bags, plastic bins, air mattresses and grocery carts. I used an old truck bed and piled in it with five of my friends to fly down the Dikes.
The memories I made this past weekend will carry far beyond my time here, but they don’t need to be the only ones. Though many of us took this opportunity to utilize our campus’s natural scenery, it shouldn’t take a snowstorm to make it happen. I, too, am guilty of this. The last time I went out to Bowman before the snow? My freshman year. I only went to the Dikes one other time this school year.
This year, let’s take more time to truly experience and appreciate the incredible campus we’ve chosen. Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, there are plenty of stunning hikes a short distance away. Glassy Mountain is less than 45 minutes from campus, and the view from the top will take your breath away — but the hike itself won’t. I still think of when I completed it over a year ago.
Our campus’s backyard has a lake, and the Andy Quattlebaum Outdoor Education Center has plenty of equipment available for rent. If watersports aren’t your cup of tea, bring a book and some friends and enjoy the water from a distance. The Dikes and Bowman are still there without the snow. Go for a sunset walk along the Dikes, or grab some friends for a quick game on Bowman.
There are so many opportunities to get outside and enjoy the natural world at and around Clemson. Don’t let the snow day be the only time you took advantage of the outdoors this semester.
Caroline Block is a senior English major from Mobile, Alabama. Caroline can be reached at [email protected]
