Sunday morning we walked down to the river to witness a great Norwich tradition: the Dog River Run, the culmination of "Rook" week for the new freshman cadets. I have to admit I was a little bemused at first by the whole spectacle at our usually-quiet little river. Gavin wanted to know"Mom, why are there soldiers in our river?" and I wasn't quite sure what explanation would make sense to him. They sloshed their way by us, a few carrying banners and flags, many carrying huge boulders. I was told that if they can make it the whole way with their rocks, they keep them in their dorm rooms all four years of college and beyond.
It looked tough. They had run more than a mile before reaching the river, and crawled through mud pits too. Those rocks were huge. Several in each company were clearly having a hard time. It was inspiring to see them help each other. In the first company we saw, there was a guy clinging to his rock with both hands while his buddies basically carried him down the river. The next group that came by had one cadet carrying two rocks, his own and his friend's. The group after that was moving slowly because one of their cadets was struggling but his company refused to let him fall behind, circling around him and encouraging him.
There is a lot I still don't get about this place, but I think on Sunday I caught a glimpse of why a romp through the river could be such a profound experience for these kids.
An article and pictures from the Burlington Free Press are at http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080826/NEWS01/80825024&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL
