Let’s get it out of the way — I went to Moab, Utah, for Block Break, which is just maybe the most cliché Colorado College student behavior of all time.
Potentially worsening the confession? This is not my first, not my second, but my third time ending up in Moab on a Block Break. Many, understandably, would say that is three too many trips to Moab. They’ve got a valid point.
Beyond walking around Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and maybe popping into a few shops downtown, there isn’t really that much to do if you are not into extreme sports. The main allure for CC students is really that Moab stays warm longer, making it a good camping destination for the autumn Block Breaks.
So when my dear best friend — and Co-Editor-in-Chief of this paper — Michaela Ocko ‘27 suggested Moab, I immediately shut it down. Michaela, who has somehow, remarkably, managed to avoid a trip to Moab in her three years here, slowly broke me down over the course of multiple weeks. After lots of begging, I ultimately decided that if I was going to sleep on the ground, I was okay sleeping somewhere that wasn’t sub-20 degrees at night.
So, with minimal planning, a somewhat begrudging attitude and a rushed post-class packing spree, I headed off on the six-hour drive to Moab with Michaela and three of our best friends.
We spent our days lounging in the sun, exploring the national parks and doing short hikes. Mornings were spent popping into downtown coffee shops, warming up after a chilly night in a sleeping bag and of course making use of actual bathrooms.
The moment that defined the Block Break for me came on Thursday afternoon, when we finished a hike through Canyonlands much more quickly than expected. It was not even 3 p.m., and we had exhausted our agenda for the day. Instead of scrambling to find some crazy physical activity to fill the gaps, we decided to do something completely unprecedented for a Block Break — nothing at all.
We drove to our campsite, set up our tent and proceeded to spend hours and hours lying around, napping, reading, talking and playing a lot of Bananagrams.
The best moments of the trip were quiet ones like this, where we released ourselves from the intense pressure to do it all, and instead slowed down to just be with each other.
There’s a big lesson to be learned here. As my senior year continues to fly by, I feel immense pressure to make the most out of every single moment, say yes to every plan and meet every single new person possible. And admittedly, that has led me to some memorable experiences.
But the true magic of being here — and what makes the phenomenon of Block Break so special — is the people. It might’ve taken me almost four years to figure out, but Block Break isn’t always about hiking thousands of feet of elevation gain or sleeping four hours and then rope climbing up treacherous outdoor walls for hours on end. (Don’t get me wrong — I love those things too.)
I’ve found that what it is really about is soaking up all of the time I have left with the people I love so dearly, without whom this place would have no meaning at all. So I’ve changed my tune on Moab a little. I would go to Arches National Park a million more times if it meant I got to laugh with my friends on the car ride there.