News

The Hamilton Outdoor Leadership Center took to the water last week but it wasn't raging rapids or a massive Adirondack lake.

Every fall for the past 19 years, Hamilton students have flocked to the Adirondacks for 46 Peaks Weekend. Their goal – to have a Hamilton student summit every peak above 4,000 feet in the Adirondacks in the span of a weekend. From September 26-28, beautiful weather aligned with a talented group of leaders and scores of strong participants and for the first time ever, they succeeded – a Hamilton student stood atop every one of the 46 over the course of the weekend.

Hamilton’s climbing wall is well-known among students and many climb there frequently. Less recognized is the excellent outdoor climbing that can be found just a short drive from campus in the town of Little Falls. Situated on an island in the Erie Canal, these cliffs offer everything from exciting routes perfect for introducing beginners to the sport to harder climbs that challenge even the most seasoned veteran.

Professional alpine climber and mountain guide Emilie Drinkwater visited Hamilton on March 3 to coach climbers on the rock wall and share her stories.  She works in the Adirondacks, the Tetons in Wyoming and Mount McKinley in Alaska.

Hamilton College will host the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, a collection of short films about mountain sports and culture, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m., in the Bradford Auditorium in the Kirner-Johnson Building.

Over winter break, members of the Hamilton Outing Club joined Director Andrew Jillings in Ecuador for three weeks of trekking, hiking, waiting out the rain and exploring the rainforest. Clair Stover ’14, Hanna Kingston ’15, Lindsey Luker ’15, Annie Emanuels ’16, Alex Doig ’16 and Jillings began the trip with a five-day trek around Piñan, a remote village tucked among the Andes.

It started with six Hamilton students, one psychologist, and a wilderness expert. Together, they initiated a one-of-its-kind “Wilderness Adventure Quest” promoting self-reflection, self-acceptance and an exploration of Hamilton’s motto “Know Thyself.”

On Friday, Sept. 20, the Hamilton Outing Club launched the annual 46 Peaks Weekend for the campus community, as different groups of students, staff and faculty members attempted to summit all of the Adirondack High Peaks by Sunday, Sept. 22.

During spring break five Hamilton students summited Mt. Washington, New England’s highest peak, as the culmination of a week-long introduction to mountaineering course. Hamilton’s Outing Club (HOC) sponsored the six-day course taught by HOC officer David Morgan ’15. The Mt. Washington ascent came after 4 days snowshoeing deep in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

Students in Janelle Schwartz’s Reading the Extreme in World Adventure Narratives class are doing a lot more than reading this semester. Schwartz, a 1997 Hamilton graduate and visiting assistant professor of comparative literature, has teamed up with The Hamilton Outing Club (HOC) to bring experiential learning to her students.