Josh Barta
jbarta@uwyo.edu
As an outdoor enthusiast and UW student, I understand why College Values Online made Laramie their top small college town. From rock climbing on boulders that look like giant unicorn feces in Vedauwoo to camping in the Snowies, with wide-open spaces so beautifully dark, the stars are more visible than your hand; Laramie has all I could ever want at only a short distance away. Because of this, when I hear how boring Laramie is, I cannot help but laugh, because it does not take much effort to get lost in Laramie’s beauty.
I, like many other UW students, came to this town because school and cost of living here are wonderfully inexpensive. Yet I see countless students voicing their grievances with living here, saying, “there is nothing to do here,” and “It is too cold during the winter.” Yet I do not know what one could expect from going to a school in a state with less people than cattle and an elevation that rivals mountains. Most of those people require constant stimulation. They sit at home hoping for opportunity to jump at them like a rabbit in an alligator pond. These people are missing what really sets Laramie apart from the rest
Laramie is not a conventional college town. Sure, you have your typical hip coffee shops on every corner and bars that offer free shirts to anyone motivated enough to start drinking earlier than any rational human should on a Saturday. Those are things we have come to expect in a town with a large student population. What makes Laramie unique is proximity to countless beautiful sights.
I remember doing poorly on an anatomy exam last spring and when I got home I decided to go on a quick hiking trip in the mountains to clear my head. A hastily packed a bag and a short car ride later, I was out on the trails within an hour of my exam. I think it is great to have the opportunity to go do something outside and completely disconnect from my typical obligations.
As a UW student, you are expected to go outside. When nature calls, you should have no problem hearing it. Furthermore, if you head its call, feel free to bring a friend! Laramie’s outdoor community is large and even more passionate about this sort of thing than me.
I want to encourage everyone–survival expert and weekend warriors–to go outside. We were ranked top small college town for a reason. You all owe it to yourselves to prove why.
