Some of this year’s scrambles offer portable restrooms. “You won’t even have to squat in the woods to poop because we’ll carry a portable toilet with a toilet seat to minimize our impact on the river environment!” said the leaders of the rafting scramble on the Lower Salmon River, Season Martin, Gwen Leslie and Jessica Bruhn.

“This year’s scrambles are offering a diverse range of destinations as usual,” said the Outdoor Program (OP) scramble intern Richard Olney. There are 16 scrambles (nine backpacking, two rock climbing, two canoeing and two sea kayaking) and the trip destinations include everywhere from Slocan Lake, Canada, to the Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, to Olympic National Park on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.

Portable toilets for the river scramble won’t be the only change to the scramble program this year.

“Last year we did 15 trips; this year we’re doing 16,” said OP director Brien Sheedy. While the number of trips is limited by the available gear for the scrambles, an additional scramble was made possible by adding a second athletes/debaters scramble and replacing one of the generally seven- or eight-day trips with a shorter six-day trip.

“Equipment from athlete/debate scrambles will be turned right around for the miniature scrambles,” explained Sheedy.

Also new this year is “a sea kayaking scramble off the Gulf Islands. It will be the first time we’ve ever done a saltwater sea kayaking scramble,” said Sheedy

“One of the big things that changed this year was the fierce competition for scramble leaders,” noted Sheedy. “We had to turn down a lot of people who would have led great scrambles.”

“There were fist-fights [over scramble leader spots], I hear, in the alleyways,” said Sam Norgaard-Stroich, assistant OP director.
This summer’s scramblers will also be the first scramblers eligible for need-based scholarships. “There’s some money that came in from an anonymous donor that’s available for a limited number of scholarships,” said Sheedy. The Financial Aid Office will determine the recipients of the 50 percent scholarships.

Scrambles are a money in, money out operation with no budget of their own to allow for extra elements such as scholarships.
Several colleges, such as Hamilton and Dartmouth, offer scramble-like pre-orientation trips at no cost to students.
Scrambles will otherwise be mostly the same as they have in past years.

“Scrambles are a perfect chance for students to end their summer, to make new friends, and most of all, to have great fun,” said first-year Emily Rodriguez.

The new friends and great fun of scrambles shall remain unaltered.