There couldn’t be more contrast – backpacking in the Tetons in four feet of snow compared to going to various plays and performing arts workshops in the bustling city of Denver. Although the trips were both incredible, the first few tech-filled days I was in Denver, I found myself thinking longingly to my cell-phone-free experience in the Grand Teton National Park; the Ex Ed trip I was on my freshman year.

By the time my first day in the Tetons was complete, our group was singing country songs together at the top of our lungs, and we were already closer than I could have even imagined us being at the end of the trip. At the end of my first day in Denver, I didn’t know the names of about three or four people in my group. In my opinion, the biggest factor in this was that on the car trip to the Tetons, we didn’t have our phones. In the car ride, we talked to each other and sang together for almost ten hours. On the car ride to Denver, which took a little over five hours due to traffic, the primary activities were snapchatting and texting. I could identify the people on my course by their cell phone cases or by their ringtones, but in reality I did not know anything about most of them.

In the actual core of the trips, there is a large difference between trekking mountain trails in circles (thanks Mr. P) and watching a play or a movie with a group of people. There is something about being out in nature with a variety of people without means of communicating with the outside world that is magical. Overcoming struggles such as the cold or physical exhaustion with people creates bonds. Yes, overall, I would say that I enjoy hiking more than theater, and that could make me biased, but  I believe that being in nature does wonders in creating more than just a group. Being in nature hurriedly prompts friendships.

By the end of the Denver trip though, our whole group did end up getting very close, and we had incredible experiences together. Logan was one of the best leaders imaginable, and she made the trip fantastic. However, I would have loved if we could have those three beginning days back to talk to each other instead of our other friends that we are already comfortable with. Although spending much of the time in those first few days on my phone was a choice I made as well, it would have been so much easier to get to this place of friendship if we had been without our phones in hand.

I just find that there is so much of a difference with the group experience depending on whether you are alone together in nature, or in the midst of a bustling city filled with technology. Overcoming obstacles together without the help of a smartphone forces teamwork, which leads to communication and even friendship. When everything is right in front of you – a warm bed, cell phones, Starbucks – it’s harder to find a way to work with people at first and develop the amazing friendships that Ex Ed brings.