Has anyone ever been to those trips? There are actually a lotta trip types to choose from, and I am most certain that all of them would be fun but just to be picky, any favorites?
Your assumption is right - All of them (except the now defunct “psycho hiking”) are going to be fun and awesome.
Only a few have some sort of prerequisite experience needed, and some are tougher to get than others (kayaking/canoeing/climbing).
Figure out your outdoor experience and pick a couple options based on what seems cool since you can’t really go wrong. I’d advise you to pick something somewhat out of your comfort zone though to get the full experience, but not to overly challenge yourself with the top hiking if you only walk a mile a day normally.
You’ll first arrive for your trip where they do orientation and a required safety talk you need to sit through, but after that, you’re turned loose in the woods, or on the water, or up the mountain, or on the farm etc…
I went on Trailwork on mine and loved it. It was nice because we hiked a bit, then camped in the same area for two nights so we could set up a real campsite homey feel, worked on building the foundation and leveling the surrounding areas for either a tentsite or a new cabin on Gile/Smarts/Cube/Moose (can’t recall where it was or which site type it ended up as), then hiked back.
Then I led two moderate hiking trips as an upperclassman, and even though you might think “it’s just hiking, bleh” each trip is designed to go through some pretty awesome places. Some will summit Mt Moosilauke, some will have you climb an old fire tower at the top of Gile Mtn at sunset and others have some really cool cliffside views for lunch.
@Tank07 what was “psycho hiking?” Sounds intriguing
There were 5 levels of hiking when I was there. Easy through Expert levels. Easy hiking would have you do a flat quick hike to a cabin with amenities, then take some day hikes as the trip leaders decided. It was for those just dipping their toes into the hiking/camping world. As you went up in levels, you went from nice cabin to rustic cabin to wooden shelter to tarp coverings, and the hiking distance got longer and steeper.
Expert hiking was essentially summiting a mountain peak each day, steep climbs, and up to 20 miles a day in some cases. Wake up early, hike hike hike summit hike hike hike camp sleep, redo. It was intense, rewarding, but there was no time to relax and talk to each other because you were either breathing heavily, eating, or sleeping. It got the nickname psycho hiking and was dropped because the next-level-down Strenuous Hiking was more aligned with the orientation/enjoyable aspect of what DOC trips are all about.
If you’re truly a pro hiker, you should check out the 50-mile Moosilauke Hike when you get there