LUCY LENESS ’26
46 Peaks acts as a way for students to experience the Adirondack Mountains near Hamilton College with other students.
Each year, Hamilton Outing Club (HOC) sends out trips of hikers to take on all 46 peaks of the Adirondack mountains, the highest mountain range in New York state, with hopes of having at least one Hamilton student summit each of them in one weekend. This year, 70 student-leaders set out on trips with 158 participants, and for the first time in ten years, HOC completed their goal and summited each peak.
According to HOC officers Sarah Walcott ’26 and Georgie Rigby ’27, this year’s trips drew more interest than years prior, as all trips filled up within the first twenty minutes of selection time, with more than fifty students ending up on the waiting list. “This was by far the most engagement we’ve ever had,” Walcott said. “The energy from the student body is what made this all happen.”
Walcott and Rigby explained that the weekend’s goal was twofold: to get as many people as possible outside and explore the natural world, and if possible, to reach all 46 peaks. With clear skies and temperatures in the 80s, the conditions were nearly perfect, making their goals even more attainable. The weather alone was an improvement over the storms that have disrupted past years’ 46 Peaks weekends.
Planning the 46 Peaks Weekend took months of work and over 100 hours of coordination from the HOC leadership team–the HOC Officers. The team led by Sarah Skoy, Hamilton’s Associate Director of Outdoor Leadership, included Walcott and Rigby, as well as Gwen Sawicki ’28, Grace Fogarty ’28, Cole Conviser ’27, Charlotte, Osgood ’26, Ava Alexander ’26 and Cooper Burn ’27. These officers oversaw trip assignments, gear distribution and safety measures.
Working alongside them were 70 other trip leaders, who guided the participating students up each peak. “All 70 trip leaders packed into the Glen House claiming the trips they wanted to lead. The energy was palpable, they were so excited by the prospect of getting all of the peaks,” Walcott explained.
The excitement and determination lasted all weekend, as the trips went out beginning Friday afternoon and ending on Sunday night. When a few summits were left near the end, the HOC’s made sure to leave a clean-up crew, consisting of three dedicated students Cale Piedmont-Lang ’26, Caroline Boies ’26 and Drew Niewinski ’27, who were willing to hike 15 miles on just a few hours notice to finish the job. Their efforts helped to secure victory for HOC’s most successful 46 Peaks Weekend in the past decade.
Hamilton Outing Club’s mission is to “promote awareness and appreciation for the wilderness that surrounds our campus by making the outdoors more accessible to all in our community.” Walcott states that this year’s turnout shows how true that mission remains.
“46 Peaks Weekend is one of our most physically demanding trips, but it’s also one of the most rewarding,” she said. In one weekend, Hamilton Outing Club accomplished what had not been done in ten years and hiked all 46 peaks.