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Winter Outing Club trips are an entirely different beast than any other time of year. With the blankets of snow covering the ground come a set of issues that uniquely challenge leaders. Andrew Jillings, director of Outdoor Leadership, and eight students embarked early on Jan. 27 for a weekend-long training session that would equip them to address these challenges. Jared Mandelbaum ’18, Jack Gumina ’19, Sarah Stigberg ’20, James Southwick ’20, Keith Ruggles ’20, Mike Moubarak ’21, Sean Conroy ’21, and Hans Wydler ’21 joined Jillings for the enriching experience.

The Outing Club punctuated the first weekend of the new semester with a trip to Snowy Mountain on Jan. 20. A group of 15 stood tall against the unforgiving temperature and embraced the brisk mountain air. The summit, 3,898 feet, is the highest in Hamilton County and boasts a fire tower. A winter hike gives brave adventurers a unique chance to get spectacular views from the summit floor, eliminating the need of climbing the tower.

The Outing Club began the semester with a flurry of activity from by engaged leaders and eager participants. The activity did not let up as the leaves began to change and the semester lumbered on. There were canoeing competitions, rock climbing competitions and trips, overnights, and day trips along with two leader training weekends led by experienced officers of the Outing Club.

It was a busy Halloweekend for the Outing Club as the newest batch of leaders was eager to get out into the High Peaks and show what they learned. Many students found that crisp, cool mountain air is the perfect remedy for a mid-semester lull and were able to enjoy the pristine beauty of fall in upstate New York.

Following a tradition that was established in 1995 by the officer corps of that year, the Outing Club recently sent out trips to conquer the 46 Adirondack High Peaks.

Last weekend marked the beginning of a special time of year for the Outing Club -- the initiation of new leaders into the community. The first of two HOC Leader training weekends began Saturday morning in the Glen Haus, the Outing Club’s on-campus headquarters. These training weekends run in conjunction with a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) certification course from SOLO Wilderness Medicine which will take place Oct. 7 and 8. After completing both parts of the certification, the new leaders will be qualified to lead trips for their peers.

Four groups of students participate in backpacking trips, and the College's Marathon Canoe Racing Team takes part in the grueling 90-mile Adirondack Canoe Classic.