A young man leaves his New England home to attend a western forestry college, confronting separation from his closest friend and the worried but supportive reactions of his parents. Accustomed to solitary study and the familiar woods of his youth, he anticipates hands-on camp work and new academic challenges while navigating the practicalities of finding lodgings and strangers to room with. The narrative follows his preparations, family conversations about vocation and duty, and his growing sense of responsibility and eagerness to trade local knowledge for broader field experience in forestry.