On Mt. Kearsarge
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Students, faculty and staff gather at the summit of Mt. Kearsarge for the official Mountain Day 2006 photograph. |
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President Galligan, in signature floppy hat, hits the trail. |
Mountain Day 2006
After a week of intermittent rain and clouds, Wednesday, Sept. 27 dawned bright and clear. Bells rang on campus just after 10 a.m. announcing Mountain Day 2006.
With all classes cancelled and offices closed for the annual suprise holiday, students, faculty, staff, families and friends headed to Mt. Kearsarge for the traditional climb to the summit and community picnic.
The site of an old hotel in Winslow State Park served as the base camp. After signing in, those tackling the hiking trails to the top of the mountain were given water bottles, trail mix and special t-shirts.
From Up Here You Can See All Creation
Those who completed the 45-minute hike were rewarded with spectacular views in all directions---to the White Mountains in the north, the Green Mountains of Vermont to the west, and Pleasant Lake and New London to the south. Hikers lingered on the granite ledges around the summit, ground smooth by long-departed glaciers, to enjoy the mild weather and to pose for photos.
Meanwhile, back at base camp, a feast of hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled chicken, potato salad and desserts was waiting.
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Faculty, staff and four-footed friends pause on the way to the top. |
A Long Trail from the Past
Mountain Day began as spring holiday at 19th-century Colby Academy. In those days, horse-drawn wooden carts carried boys and girls to the Winslow Hotel lawns for the climb to the top. The young women of Colby Junior College revived the tradition in the late 1920s.
Eventually Mountain Day moved to the fall, kicking off the first semester each year with a community-wide event, though the precise day remains a closely guarded secret until the bells toll across campus. This year more than 700 college community members participated.
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Students enjoy the view from the summit. |
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Professor Tom Kealy watches as his son Joseph scrambles down the mountain. |
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Mariana Norby, Shari Goldberg, Odalie Bernash and Caterina Hinojosa of the Nursing Department enjoy the day.
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Students pause for a photograph. |
