SENIOR MOUNT WASHINGTON TRIP
Thirty-two men constituted the group which passed the recent town election week end in the annual Senior Mount Washington Trip. Bill Niss, D. O. C. chairman, Curt Comstock, director of cabins, and Pete McLane '37, junior leader, headed the expedition. Immediately following lunch on Saturday, March seventh, the party headed north from Hanover in heavily laden private cars, with knapsacks, skis, and other impediments strapped to the roofs, running boards, front fenders, and spare tires. The trip made its headquarers and had its morning and evening meals at the Pinkham Notch Huts of the Appalachian Mountain Club, where Joe Dodge, hutmaster and special friend of all visitors from Dartmouth, was host. There has been a great change at the Pinkham Notch establishment. Hot and cold showers are available, the dining room has been enlarged, and, most important of all, a special ski room has been innovated.
On Sunday, Niss and McLane lead eighteen men to the peak via the Carriage Road. By the time they had reached the Half-Way House, icy conditions had necessitated the use o£ crampons. At noon they reached their goal, where they were greeted by a forty-mile gale at the mild temperature of ten degrees above zero. The descent was made by five o'clock in the evening. Those who had not climbed the mountain skied in Tuckerman's Ravine. That evening a five-inch powder snow fell on the fifty-six inch base snow. This prevented climbing the mountain for the men who had planned the ascent on the third day.
Divided into two groups, the skiers spent the third morning on the Wildcat and Ravine Trails. Ideal wind-packed snow covered Tuckerman's. Official senior class ski races were held that afternoon on the upper mile and a half of the Wildcat Trail. Among a field of twelve entrants, Pug Goldthwait won first place while Pete McLane and Dave Putnam tied for second.
As well as in the cinema palace of the near-by town of Berlin, relaxation and social entertainment were found in the beer, poker, songs, and grimly fascinating tales of the Mountains told by Joe Dodge in the evenings. The group left Pinkham Tuesday afternoon in time to arrive in Hanover for an off-the-trail supper in the D. O. C. House at Occom Pond.
Not to be outdone by the class of '36, a junior and sophomore party spent the same week end at Mount Mansfield, the tallest peak in Vermont. The group, led by Will Brown '37, made their base at the Ranch Camp, a renovated logging camp at the foot of the mountain. Here, according to their plans, they met a delegation from the University of Vermont. Outing Club acquaintances from Norwich and Middlebury were also present. Skiing by the light of the full moon proved to be the most entertaining feature of the trip. The Carriage Road, the Bruce Trail, and the NoseDive Trail were used by novice, intermediate, and expert skiers respectively.
