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| June 11, 2003 Why bring Fred along? Here’s how the idea of traveling with Fred originated. When I climbed Cotopaxi, I wished I had something from Centre (Cotopaxi is the second tallest mountain in Ecuador, and I climbed it in January instead of taking part in CentreTerm). I was thinking about getting something like a banner or flag for Chimborazo (the tallest mountain in Ecuador, that I’m going to climb soon) as well as  various places in Europe. Moreover, when talking about my two trips, at the time I didn’t have anyone to travel with. Some of my buddies jokingly said that Fred would make a good traveling companion and the idea kind of stuck.What does bringing Fred mean to me? Well, all of us Phi Delts take the “Dead Fred” tradition very seriously. It’s one of my favorite traditions of our chapter and of Centre as a whole. So the fact that I can extend the Dead Fred tradition by taking him with me pleases me greatly. I guess I would like it to be known that the real Dead Fred portrait is at home safe in the Phi Delt house, but the spirit of the tradition is traveling on my back in his own protective tube throughout Europe, and soon South America. What makes Fred a good traveling partner? For starters, for not ever saying a word, you would be surprised how many conversations Fred has started. Also, having Fred with me gives me some responsibility and keeps me accountable to see all of the notable sights in a particular city simply because I want to get a picture of Fred and me at the site. Fred doesn’t care if I get cranky every once in awhile, as anyone does living out of a backpack for a month and staying in youth hostels with not much money. Hasta, |
