The Outing Club punctuated the first weekend of the new semester with a trip to Snowy Mountain in Hamilton County 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 to climb the tower.
Led by Jared Mandelbaum ’18 and Sarah Stigberg ’20, the group left early in the morning on Saturday to beeline for the snow blanketed Adirondacks and the accompanying pristine beauty. Though the snow made the hike physically challenging on the way up, Mandelbaum reported that they were able to slide down a significant portion of the trail on their rear ends. “Despite some early dips through the ice and into a river, we managed to make it to the summit with temporary pain and everlasting, beautiful memories,” he said.
Participants were Fiona Duckworth ’21, Eric Nahm ’21, Ryan Wall ’20, Mike Moubarak ’21, Sean Conroy ’21, Matthew Reading ’20, Tommy Bowden ’18, Mayte Mendoza ’20, Ellen Chinchilli ’21, Joel Harper ’21, Soha Kawtharani ’21. Oliver Watkins ’21, and Natalia Poremba ’18.
The endeavor took around 10 hours and brought great conversations as well as a great night’s sleep for the weary. “Starting the week with crisp mountain air lingering in my nose is a real difference-maker,” said Stigberg. “Winter hiking is strenuous, but all the more rewarding for it.” Winter hiking brings a completely different set of challenges for HOC leaders, who must adequately prepare to address the effects of the frigid temperature. The importance of layers cannot be stressed enough, and every HOC leader has learned the necessity of extra socks.
The Outing Club looks forward to more trips like this one and encourages students to keep their eyes peeled for future emails.
