The Outdoor Action 25th Anniversary Mt. Princeton Climb July 16, 1999

• Mt. Princeton Climb 1999 Information or Adobe Acrobat version
• Registration Form 1999 - Adobe Acrobat 3.0
• Application Form 1999 - sent to you after we have received your Registration Form and payment.
• The Mountain
• Map of Mt. Princeton - shows route and checkpoints (GIF)
• Mt. Princeton Trip Description
• Mt. Princeton Equipment List
• OA Guide to High Altitude Acclimatization & Illness
• The 1997 Mt. Princeton Climb for Princeton's 250th Anniversary - text and photos from 1997

The Mountain

Mt. Princeton is part of the Collegiate Range in the southern Rocky Mountains. Located near Nathrop, Colorado along the Arkansas River Valley, the peak rises majestically from the valley floor at 7,059 feet to 14,197 feet. As you can see from the map, Mt. Princeton rises by itself from the valley floor, unconnected to other peaks or ridgelines giving it it's stately appearance. The views from the trail on the way up and from the summit are spectacular.

The mountain was originally named Chalk Mountain for the "chalk cliff formations." By 1873 the name Mt. Princeton was in use and it is suspected that Henry Gannett of the Hayden geological survey renamed the mountain in keeping with the other names in the Collegiate Peaks. Several silver mines were discovered on the mountain in the early 1870's and miners were climbing the slopes. The first recorded climb to the summit was made by William Libbey (class year unknown), a Princeton student on a mapping field trip in Colorado on July 17, 1877, 120 years and one day before our historic 250th Anniversary climb in 1997. Libbey later became a professor of Geography at Princeton.1

What's Next?

Based on the tremendous success of this program it is clear that Outdoor Action will offer Mt. Princeton climbs in the future. One idea is to combine the climb with some trail restoration work as part of a volunteer effort with the U.S. Forest Service. For those who climbed up the trail-less scree slope you know how much that section needs a developed trail. The Forest Service is working to improve the conditions on the mountain both for safer travel and to reduce the impact of hikers traveling willy-nilly up the scree which causes damage to fragile alpine vegetation and leads to erosion. We hope that Princeton and Outdoor Action can establish a working partnership with the Forest Service to help protect Mt. Princeton for generations to come.

Outdoor Action will also continue to offer outdoor programs for alumni and their families as we have since 1985. This particular trip was incredibly successful. We will continue to look for other similar venues and hope that you can join us.

If you are interested in future OA Alumni Trips, please check out the OA Web Site for more information.

The information provided here is designed for educational use only and is not a substitute for specific training or experience. Princeton University and the author assume no liability for any individual's use of or reliance upon any material contained or referenced herein. When going into outdoors it is your responsibility to have the proper knowledge, experience, and equipment to travel safely. The material contained at the Web Site may not be the most current. This material may be freely distributed for nonprofit educational use. However, if included in publications, written or electronic, attributions must be made to the author. Commercial use of this material is prohibited without express written permission from the author. Copyright © 1998, all rights reserved, Rick Curtis, Outdoor Action Program, Princeton University.