PSU Has a Beutiful Campus

This post for my passion blog will be significantly different than what my past ones have been.  Instead of focusing on my personnel experience/activities over the weekend or even the school week, I will focus on a more communal experience, which is the fall season hear at Penn States and Central Pennsylvania, because it is defiantly something to be enjoyed hear at Penn State.

It is that time of year, the later part of the fall season at Penn State is a new experience for me, and maybe many of you as well.  I come from Eastern North Carolina were the majority of the trees are evergreen (some sort of fir/pine tree).   To say the least there is minimal indications that the fall season is approaching.  There are a few trees whose leafs change colors; it is a completely different story in Pa. 

As you all have experienced in your daily walks from class to class or were ever you may be heading, the environment is inspiring.  At this time the coloration of the leafs has completely changed and are beginning to fall off the trees.

I see many landscaping crews spending each day gathering leaves into large piles.  I was even walking back from a class I had in the forum building in front of Old Main, when I saw a group of students jump into a pile of leaves.  This act of child playfulness caused me to remember my early childhood, growing up in the state College Area.  Being at my grandparent’s house playing in the leaves under their big oak trees with my twin sister. 

These piles of leaf scattered about the campus really give it a sense of homeliness.  The campus itself is always changing and expressing the emotions of the seasons.  In the short time I have been a student at Penn State I have fallen in love with the campus.  In my free time on a Saturday or Sunday I will simply walk around campus taking it all in.  Walking for fun is a lot different experience then the constant rush from class to class during the school week.  It changes the way you can look at the campus, by just slowing down and looking up and all around, not having tunnel vision.

I have really loved this experience so far and look forward to seeing how the campus changes as we roll right into winter, in the coming months.  It may not have the same the ascetic appeal as the fall season, but is sure to be a great experience. 

I hope everyone has enjoyed the scenery and environment as much as I have recently.  If you have not, just remember to slow down in one of your busy days and take in the experience and enjoy it. 

Running at ShingleTown

I have always enjoyed running.  Maybe it is because the sport I played all my life, soccer, revolves around running.  So on the 17th of October my friend, Ransom, and I woke up at 7:00am to go for a nice run.  Only thing is we were not just running down the street, I decided to go trailing running at a location called ShingleTown, located just outside of State College.

To get to Shingle town you have to know where it is, because along the road there are no signs or indications, that show a location for hiking is there.  Even though it is an unmarked location it is a popular place.  On most Saturday mornings the small parking area is packed, but not this Saturday.  Maybe most people though it was too cold to go for a hike that morning.  They may have been the smart ones.  My friend and I went anyway. 


If you guys have not noticed the State College area is beautiful, all year round, but its beauty is highlighted during this time of year.  The patchwork quilt of color that the surrounding mountains become, during the fall, is the height of the natural beauty in State College.  This natural beauty if one reasons that running at shingle town to me is so fun.  I have run their many times but always in the summer and never during the fall season it was a really neat experience. 

Usually running along the trails at shingle town possesses a challenge because of the treacherous ground that must be traversed, there are roots sticking up, rocks big small lose, and even areas were the trail in nothing but rocks.  Since it is fall the leaves on the trees have fallen down all along the trail.  This makes it hard to identify the true shape and location of the roots and rocks that are sticking up whose only purpose in life is to trip you up. 

The challenge of traversing the rocky laden trails I have always considered a game.  You have to plan where each foot is going to land as well as plan ahead to keep a decent running pace.  The challenge this present always creates a vary engaging run.  Another great side effect the constant concentration of carefully placing each step draws the brains attention away from the fact that you are running and it is kind of hard.  Especially when running up hill. 


My favorite section of trail to run at Shingle town, is a trail that is about a mile long, the catch is that it is all up hill.  This is the “Bald Knob Ridge Trail.”  It begins in the draw between the two parallel ridges and is a pretty direct ascension up the ridge that is closer to the State College area.  When you look out your dorm window to the South the Mountain/Ridge line you see is the one I run up at shingle town.  The fact that it is all up hill makes it the most intense exercise I will commonly do.  I timed myself and it took a little over ten minutes to run up without stopping for a break. 
Once at the top of the ridge if you go to left down the trail there will be a little clearing that opens up.  This is the location I took the background picture for all my passion blogs.  I is a great view of all of State College.  IN total if all you do if run to the lookout point of the top of the ridge and back it is a little over four miles.  While four miles normally on flat ground is not a vary long run.  Four miles that are littered with rocks, roots and elevation change can be challenging. 

The challenge is worth it though, as it is a good break from the monotony of running along the road or track for miles and miles.  I suggest a trip out to Shingle Town even if it is not for a run.  It is beautiful trail that can be admired and enjoy at a leisurely walk as well.   

 

Homecoming Parade

One of the traditions of the NROTC program at Penn State is that ever year the freshman march in the Homecoming parade.  Friday October 13^th I was part of that tradition.

This is not an event that we take lightly.  Since one week before school started this fall the freshman midshipman (Naval ROTC) have been practicing twice a week at 5:30-7:00am, at the Wagner building.  Unlike the other ROTC programs, Army and Air Force, it is only freshman in this parade, meaning we had to start from scratch.  The other programs upper class-men, who have been exposed to drill march in this parade.

To become proficient at drill it takes hundred of hours, unfortunately (but also fortunately) we did not have that much practice.  In total we may have practiced approximately 20-30hours.  That time was spent practicing turning left and right (Colum left/right) and marching in a straight line.  It is much harder that one would think.  You have to stay aligned with the person in front of you, to the side, make sure your steps are right, while never looking anywhere but straight ahead.  And hold a M16-A2.

On parade day the weather predicted rain... the weather was holding in till around 1pm it started pouring.  I was thinking to myself this is going to be awful marching in but lucky by the time I had to report to the Wagner building (by the IM building) the rain had subsided and the Sun had come out.

The parade was scheduled to start at 6:00pm but we arrived at Wagner and got in formation at 4:30pm. Honestly, the worst part was just waiting for the parade to begin.  Once it did it was super neat.  I will admit I peaked around some at the packed sidewalks along the parade route (I am never supposed to look anywhere but straight ahead while in formation), to just take in how many people wear their.

The route was down Curtin, starting at the IM building, take a left onto Bigler, then right on Pollock, left on Shortlidge, right onto college, and ended after we took a right off college onto Burrows.  The whole route was packed but there was one place that stood out. 

It is another tradition that all the NROTC upper-class midshipman wait at café 210 on college for us to march by.  When we do they go crazy, I have never heard human voices reach the volume they did.  That was a special moment for all of us freshman, that highlighted the Homecoming Parade.

In typical NROTC fashion while we were waiting at Wagner to put the M16-A2 back we had a drill contest.  Which included rifle Manuel, which is wear you manipulate the rifle from the ground to different positions at the whim of the caller.  This contest was intense.  I would never have though two months ago that I would have enjoyed a drill contest but I can honestly say I did. 

Now us freshman get a break from drill for two weeks, but then it starts back up.  We will be back on the 5:30am schedule as we prepare for the Villanova Military Excellence Competition, which is at the end of the spring semester.