All News

Keith Ruggles ’20 is a longtime Hamilton Outing Club leader and officer, Adirondack Adventure orientation leader, and student writer for the Communications office. Here, he tells how the training he’s received as an outdoor leader has been valuable in helping him manage the uncertain current environment.

When classes ended for Fall Recess on Oct. 16, the eager members of the Hamilton community set out to maximize their short respite from classes. The Outing Club (HOC) sponsored several trips out into the wilderness for students looking to experience unique beauty and to push their limits.

Per annual tradition, the Outing Club sent out 18 trips in a bid to put at least one Hamilton community member on the summits of each of the 46 Adirondack High Peaks. The first weekend of October proved to be a fine weekend for this venture as fall foliage was in full glory. The mountains were pockmarked with brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges as complements to the vibrant green – a beautiful sight to see!

The Hamilton Outing Club (HOC) recently welcomed a fresh batch of newly certified leaders to the community. Twenty-two students began their training on the morning of Sept.14 in the Glen House. This past weekend, many of these new leaders completed the second half of their certification with the completion of a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) class. After doing so, they are ready to get out into the wilderness and bring students from all over the community with them.

While the weekend of September 7 may have been an ordinary one for most people, it was anything but for the Marathon Canoe Racing Team. The team of 19 paddlers, led by captains Gus Huiskamp ‘21 and Roger Danilek ‘21, competed in the Adirondack Canoe Classic alongside Director of Outdoor Leadership Andrew Jillings. The race customarily begins in Old Forge on the Friday after Labor Day and snakes its way through a series of lakes and rivers supplemented by portages over the course of three days before ending in Saranac Lake.

Maine Coast, White Mountains, Adirondacks …. The Hamilton Outing Club has been out and about conquering mountains and seas around the Northeast this month. Dedicated leaders, members, and directors of the Outing Club have been savoring the autumn weather.

On Sept. 21 to 23 Hamilton students flooded the Adirondack Park, hungry for the High Peaks. The Outing Club sent out 20 trips to conquer the 46 peaks above 4,000 feet in the Park as marked by the original surveying. The tradition started in 1995 and every year since, Hamilton students have been attempting this feat. This year the club managed to get a student on 40 of the 46 Peaks.

The Hamilton College Marathon Canoe Racing Team did it again! Starting on Friday, Sept. 7, the team of 20 competed in the annual Adirondack Canoe Classic, hosted by Mac’s Canoe Livery. The paddlers woke up before the sun rose for two weeks prior to the race to train on Delta Lake in Rome, NY. Before they knew it, they were lined up in Old Forge on Friday morning poised to start the journey.

The Hamilton Outing Club is proud to welcome 15 to new leaders to the community after last weekend’s leader training session. The participants sacrificed their weekend to learn what it takes to be a leader for the Outing Club. They spent time in and around the Glen House learning the necessary and important skills for leading a successful trip.

The past two weeks have presented a flurry of activities for the Outing Club. On Feb. 3 a group of eight embarked from the Glen House setting course toward Blue Mountain. Blue Mountain boasts a fire tower at its 3,750-ft. summit, one of many in the Adirondacks.