Photo Courtesy of Grace Passannante ‘20
46 Peaks Weekend has come and gone. It was a magical weekend for the Outing Club; some would even say it was the weekend of the year. The tradition of attempting to have a Hamilton student step foot on each of the 46 High Peaks in the Adirondacks began in 1995. It has been successful several times since then, most recently in 2015, but unfortunately not this year. This year the club was able to conquer 40 of the 46 High Peaks, with the other six not achieved for a variety of unforeseen circumstances.
“While the superficial goal of the weekend is to get all 46 of the peaks and while we weren’t able to do that this year, the real goal of the weekend, getting as many students as possible in the Adirondacks, was successful as it always is,” said Claudia Morse ’19. Morse is one of the nine Outing Club Officers who facilitated the weekend. She took lead in organizing the event this year, spending extensive time working out logistics and organizing itineraries. Sarah Weis Jillings also played a huge role in orchestrating the weekend, overseeing much of the transportation logistics.
This year the club sent out 19 trips and had approximately 85 student participants, who were led by 36 student leaders certified through either Adirondack Adventure or the Outing Club’s leadership training. These students got to take a break from the usual weekend festivities to enjoy crisp mountain air and beautiful views across the Adirondacks.
Adirondack trails are notorious for steep rocky climbs and the occasional muddy slog, but the changing foliage makes it all worth it. Saturday and Sunday gifted the groups clear skies throughout the Park and made the climbing that much more rewarding. Faith White ’19 commented on the experience saying, “I’m not really sure what about the trip made this happen, but my heart just feels warm! I feel rejuvenated by the mountains and seriously am questioning why I don’t do this every weekend.” White has a great question, and maybe you should ask yourself too. Why not escape from the Hill for a little while and clear your mind, body, and soul in the Adirondacks?
“It’s so important that we take time off from the stress of school and go out to do something fun and exciting. It’s really fulfilling and even cathartic” said Rachel Zuckerman ’19. It is true, spending time in nature actually helps with your mood and energy. You will notice it even just by walking outside from whatever building you are studying in and taking a second to appreciate any nature that is around you. Take a deep breath, close your eyes and embrace the environment and then let it out. Now imagine doing the same thing on top of a mountain with aching legs and a view of the changing leaves in front of you. So again, why not escape from the Hill for a little while and feel alive in the Adirondacks?
