Back in Guilford’s small wooded acreage, there remain several abandoned huts, fortresses, lean-tos, or other odd constructions. Molding beer cans, broken glass, and soggy plastic bags accompany these hard to find wastelands. Students have neglected the woods just as much as they have decorated it. The time spent by “Hut Builders” becomes no more than student litter and abandonment.
Off trail, there exists the “Mosaic,” a decorative bonfire pit of beer bottle caps displaying a funky flower design of blue and green. Three years ago the pit had a hut too. Now the hut’s wood has splintered to the ground. On the outskirts of the “Mosaic,” vestiges of good times, Old English bottles and PBR cans, melt into the damp leaves.
“If you build things in the woods,” said Sam Sklover ’09, “maintain the spot.”
For example, a lean-to, not trashed, lives on amid new structural ventures. Covered in cobwebs and next to the old lean-to, a board with four golden commandments scrawled in white tells of how to sustain a well-to-do woods edifice.
“1. Clean up after yourselves 2. Add one positive contribution 3. Don’t burn the rules 4. Don’t let Skipper out after 6pm (the neighbors get testy) Thank you, – Kent C.”
“There have been things built back there that have been standing for years,” said David Petree, director of environmental sustainability. “Though it’s not my call whether things stay or get torn down. I only take away obvious trash.”
However, these getaways like the “Mosaic,” or the more recent “Bar Pit,” can become overused and trashed. At one point the “Bar Pit” had an actual bar counter made from the wood of the old rock climbing wall.
“Places not covered in trash were always my favorite spots,” said Sklover.
Some students spend full afternoons in the woods, building and creating until dark.
“I’m here about every day. Maybe two hours or sometimes six hours,” said sophomore Kyle Silber.
The select students who work weeks as part-time architects do so in order to kick back their overbearing homework and daily stresses. As a result, a bond formulates between the builder and Guilford woods, making it cathartic resort.
“The woods are a gift,” said junior Will Kimmell. “One reason I haven’t transferred is because I have a calming and removed spot. It’s unlike anything else.”
Kimmell created what he calls the “Shire,” and due to student negligence, he took the “Shire” apart and moved it to a new location. The new “Shire” is all the more comfortable. Students or unfamiliar locals cannot attract negative attention to its foregrounds.
“For a liberal art Quaker school, there’s lot of talk about environmentalism, but (students) just don’t clean up after themselves,” said Sklover.
Campus Life notes the litter and safety of structures. As soon as students make an area of the woods awry, Campus Life has no option but to have structures taken down.
“When we notice a safety issue, we will respond,” said Sandy Bowles, director of student judicial affairs. “Adding a bonfire and substance also draws in our attention.”
While the bonfire pits have been shunned and the woods’ constructions have endured carelessness, discussions for a safe and monitored outdoor space on campus has evolved. Sophomores Kelsey Worthy and Rebeca Bonilla have begun to advocate for an area that can be kept clean, relaxing, and free.
“We are in need of a safe place to socialize,” said Worthy. “A place where we can be relaxed or even rowdy and still monitor the space.”
Failing to follow the golden rules found by the ghostly “Lean-to” gives reason for other hut locations to be torn down. Disrespecting the woods’ grounds disables us from the privileges of assembling and customizing our backyard. Our backyard can only tolerate so much of Skipper.