Hang Up and Hang Out
By Eva Neumann, Yarmouth High School Senior
There’s no better way to spend a beautiful mid-October weekend than out in nature, soaking in the crisp fall air before the cold winter months to come. Last weekend, my school’s outing club went camping at Camden Hills State Park through a program put on by Teens to Trails. Yarmouth High School was one of seven schools across the state that camped. Some schools drove as much as five hours to be in Camden. It was neat to connect with students from across the state. Teens to Trails had asked all attendees to refrain from using their phones and engage with nature. Yarmouth Outing Club’s (YOC) motto “Hang up and hang out” set the stage for the weekend. With certainty, I can say that everyone did just that.
We arrived at the campsite late Friday afternoon. After setting up camp and preparing a pasta dinner, Teens to Trails had some s’mores going, and we listened to Maine Search and Rescue talk about training search dogs. It started to get chilly when the sun set, but nothing a few layers couldn’t help. Yarmouth Outing Club wandered to an open field and laid down to stargaze. The moon was so bright that it was hard to see the stars. Still, we saw constellations and planets.
The next morning, we got up bright and early to do some community service for the Park. We gathered with the other schools in the center of the camp and introduced ourselves. Teens to Trails explained the plan for the day. Then each school did a skit about their ideal outing club adventure. One school turned into a human raft and acted out rafting down a river. YOC pretended to go skiing and then stargazing, where we carried a club member and turned him into a shooting star. Another school pretended to summit mountains in the Presidential range. My school won the competition, and we got a disposable film camera, hot pink sunglasses, and bubbles— all of which were put to good use throughout the weekend.
Riding high from our improv victory, we spent the next few hours helping the park rangers with yard work. YOC turned raking leaves into an energized and silly morning. After a few too many jumps into leaf piles, we ate lunch and set out for our hike. This was the highlight of the weekend for me. The foliage was in full swing, and it was perfect hiking weather. We paused at an outlook to look across Penobscot Bay, seeing past Mount Desert Island. Two bald eagles flew over. As we hiked up, we sang songs and told riddles. It was refreshing to be disconnected from my phone and connect with nature and my peers; my phone was still at the campsite, and as we hiked, I couldn’t remember the last time I hadn’t brought my phone somewhere with me. Everyone was in awe when we reached the vista point of the trail. If you’re ever up in Camden, I highly recommend hiking Mt. Megunticook.
In the evening, Maine Search and Rescue gave an interactive demonstration of rescue strategies, and one of my classmates was carried around in a rescue litter - we did the caterpillar too, showing us just how hard it is to rescue someone from a challenging environment like a steep rocky slope. We all tried to get into our sleeping bags early because the next day was a sunrise hike. All the groups met in the dark Sunday morning before the sun rose, and we began our hike up Mt. Battie. The group sat on the rocks overlooking Penobscot Bay, and slowly, the sky turned from night to day. Everyone was babbling, but when the sun peeked out from the horizon, a hush fell over each person, and we soaked in the most spectacular sunrise.
We had a pancake breakfast, ending the weekend on a sweet note. As we broke down the campsite, our phrase of “hang up and hang out” rang in my head. In my day-to-day life, my phone is like a safety net. During any awkward silence or lull in the conversation, I resort to my phone like many of my peers. But my camping trip reminded me everything is sweeter if you just go outside. If it weren’t for Teens to Trails and my school’s outing club, I wouldn’t have gone camping this fall, met different students from across the state, or gotten to know students in my own school. I’m so grateful that organizations like Teens to Trails and outdoor clubs exist so all high schoolers can unplug and connect with Maine’s great outdoors.
