For just the second time in 20 years, approximately 150 students at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY successfully summited all 46 peaks of the Adirondacks.

The yearly 3-day challenge, which is known university wide as 46 Peaks Weekend, is sponsored by the Hamilton Outing Club, a student-run outdoor leadership and adventure organization on campus. Under the guidance of the Outing Club’s 9 student officers, participants have Friday through Sunday to plot, plan, and strategize how to summit every peak in the Adirondack range.

The Outing Club’s first successful attempt at conquering the Adirondacks took 18 years to achieve for reasons of inclement weather, unexpectedly difficult trips, and inexperienced climbers. The club’s student officers attribute both this year and last year’s triumphs to beautiful weather, an absence of injuries, and meticulously curated itineraries. Said Andrew Jillings, Director of Outdoor Leadership and the club’s faculty advisor, the excitement from attaining the goal was overflowing.

“The kids were silly giddy,” said Jillings. “We celebrated with crackers and 46 different cheeses.”

The trips up the various mountains fluctuate in difficulty; there are easy ones, hard ones, and ones in between. And while the choice of trip is ultimately up to the climber his or herself, the student officers, who run the sign-ups, try and provide some assistance in matching level of intensity to a student’s ability, said Charlie Ross, one of the Outing Club’s junior student officers.

“When kids come in they see trips they think they can do, but it’s probably not a good idea because they don’t have enough experience,” said Ross. “So we have to guide students towards trips that would be a better fit for them.”

 

Andrew Jillings, Director of Outdoor Leadership and faculty advisor for the Outing Club, said the best hikers are assigned to the most backbreaking trips.

“Some people go up for one day and just do one peak, while others are up there for 2 nights doing 10 peaks,” he added.

Climbing all 46 is no easy feat, said Jillings, and a lot of behind the scenes preparation and planning by the dedicated student officer team makes the entire weekend possible.

These diligent preparations arise from the officers’ self-appointed responsibility of keeping the 3-day weekend as incident free as possible, said Laura Kwasnoski, a sophomore on the student officer team.

“We have to make sure everyone is staying as sane and healthy and safe as you can be on the mountains. If anyone has a problem, we’ve got their backs,” she said.

Arrangements for the event begin two weeks prior to the start date, said Lindsay Pattison, a senior student officer. First, officers organize the trip leaders and create detailed itineraries of where each trip is headed and when.

“We make itineraries, go over them, organize transportation for each trip, get gear and food ready…basically all of the logistics,” said Pattison.

Then, the following week, a horde of eager students lines up outside the Glen House, the Outing Club’s headquarters. Ross said spots for the trip went pretty fast this year and filled up within 17 minutes.

“People love it. And often, more people want to do it than can fit,” added Jillings.

While the advertised goal of 46 Peaks Weekend is to get a Hamilton student on every one of the peaks in the Adirondacks, all of the student officers agreed that for the 20 years it’s been happening, the true goal of the weekend is simply to get students outside.

“It’s just a crazy awesome time that gives people the chance to climb some mountains,” said Kwasnoski. “It’s also a way for new students to be brought in and just have an amazing weekend.”

Published on October 7, 2015 at 10:31 pm

Contact Brigid: brkenned@syr.edu