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!
Trips varied in intensity and duration, but good times, vibes, and memories were present through all. Most departed from the Glen House in the early morning hours of Saturday and Sunday, but several overnight trips left on Friday afternoon. All in all, 150 students piled into vans and cars and made the drive up to the Adirondack Park for the challenging, but rewarding mountains that lay in wait. Several students on the Hamilton Adirondack program joined for the weekend and tackled some of the mountains on the list as well!
Outing Club officers worked hard in preparation for the weekend, organizing itineraries, food, gear, and transportation for the trips. They hosted interested leaders during Open Hours for a briefing and the opportunity to pick the trips they wanted to lead. Leaders likewise flexed their competency in preparing for the weekend, hosting trip meetings with their participants and studying their itineraries hard to be as prepared as possible. In addition, the participant sign ups, also hosted during Open Hours, saw a line that stretched down the driveway of the Glen House. Eager hikers were permitted entrance to the Glen House and directed to the porch in groups of 10 to select their adventures.
Students this year persevered through biting temperatures, winds, and ice to summit 31 out of 46 peaks. A respectable, if not noteworthy, number indeed considering the adversity posed by the elements, particularly on Sunday when rangers were advising hikers not to summit due to ice and wind. Several trips paid heed to these warnings, an example of trip leaders doing their diligence in risk evaluation!
Regardless of the number of peaks summited, the spirit of tradition and the joy of making an escape from campus to the mountains prevailed as the sentiments of the weekend. Getting students out and into the Adirondacks is always the primary goal of the weekend, and as usual it was a job well done.
