OA offers a number of alumni activities every year. We also encourage alumni and friends across the country (and the globe) to continue the tradition of exploring the wilderness through enjoyable outdoor activities with Princetonians through organizing your own activities. OA can help with planning and advertising of events and in some cases provide leaders and equipment. Contact the OA Office for more information on how you can organize events in your area.
All regional OA activities should always be planned with the very highest standards of safety for participants, accessibility for all interested people, and sensitivity and care for the environment through the use of appropriate Leave No Trace techniques.
On February 4, a group of ten headed out for a day of snowshoeing and animal tracking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Participants included Mary Kim ’94, Heidi Greulich ’89, Chris Farrar, Dave Lyon ’71, Emily Oken ’91, Fran Priddy, Lynn Lewis ’88, Tom Cox and of course Keith and Stacy Jackson ’94.
Saturday August 1st was
by all accounts a glorious day. The weather was sunny as can be, a few wispy clouds
decorated the sky, the air was warm, and the humidity was at a low. Veteran hikers know
that with the volatility of mountain weather, a full day of such pleasant conditions is a
blessing. But then, we all know that "God went to Princeton."
Our group of eight alumni awoke bright and early that morning to meet in Cambridge a little after 6am. We piled into a car and van and made good time to our trailhead among the Presidential peaks of the White Mountains. We had the challenging goal of mounting three peaks before dusk - Mts. Pierce, Jackson, and Webster - with a total mileage of about 10 miles and elevation gains nearing 2,000 feet.
After a few stretches and backpack adjustments, we were off! We took Crawford Path from the trailhead up to Mt. Pierce. This trail is considered to be the oldest continuously maintained footpath in America, created in 1819 and still following the original path for most of its length. A short distance up the trail we took a short detour to catch a glimpse of Gibbs Falls and then continued along Gibbs Brook up the mountain. It was a total of about three miles up to our first summit at Mt. Pierce. As we approached the summit, views of Mt. Washington started to become visible among the trees, and before long we had a full 180 degree view not only of the path to Mt. Washington over Mt. Eisenhower, but also of the surrounding valleys and other mountains. Spectacular! It was fairly chilly and windy at the top - as is generally the case on New England mountaintops - so we all donned extra layers to take our first snack break and prepare for our PANE picture.
For the next part of our trip, we had to descend deeply into the col between Mt. Pierce and Mt. Webster. Throughout the trip, Steve Brown '67 kept us entertained and informed of our progress in elevation and mileage with his treasured gadgets: a souped-up pocket GPS and a watch with altimeter. Near the end of our descent, we reached the Mitzpah Springs AMC hut, one of several Appalachian Mountain Club huts in the White Mountains. We took a short break to peek inside the hut before heading to our next destination, Mt. Webster.
By this point, we were on the Webster-Cliff Trail, part of the Appalachian Trail. This trail took us from Mt. Pierce to Mt. Webster, a total of four miles. From the Mitzpah Spring Hut, we followed a ridge up and down, winding through open alpine meadows and scrub. Then we began to climb steeply, reaching the bare face of the mountain and, soon, the summit. The summit of Mt. Jackson is breath-taking, offering views of at least 270 degrees, and mountains and valleys as far as the eye can see. And we had a satisfying view of the path from Mt. Pierce, with the hut poking out far in the distance. The wind was cold and whipping on the southern side of the peak, so we found a sheltered area on the northern side to have lunch, gaze at the view, and nap.
After naptime, we took a vote on whether to press on to Mt. Webster or to descend to the trailhead, and we reached consensus on the more ambitious route. We weren't disappointed. After a steep descent off the cone of Mt. Jackson, we traversed wooded areas and climbed to our final summit of the day. The top of Mt. Webster occupies a much smaller area than that of Mt. Jackson. In fact, our group was just about the right size to fit around the rocky boulders that blocked the way to the steep southern cliff. The view from these boulders was stunning and different from the others due to the proximity of Crawford Notch, a much lower section of rock tucked between steep mountainsides.
Finally we had to pull ourselves away and start our final descent, a steep 2.5 miles along the Webster-Jackson trail. But we had one more delight awaiting us. About half-way down, we came to Silver Cascades - a beautiful waterfall and pool - where we had our final snack break and commune with nature. Then it was on to the trailhead and a short hike on the road back to our cars.
We rounded out the day with dinner at a restaurant called Tavern on the Mill in Lincoln, NH. We ate heartily and enjoyed recounting the day's adventures before heading back home to Boston.
Thanks to everyone who participated: Brad Barber *92, Greg Bronner '97, Carrie Brown '96, Steve Brown '67, Phoebe Lewit '95, and Melissa Markley '96.
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