With the Outing Club

Successful Year to Carry On Through the Summer

WITH THIS REPORT, representing the Outing Club director's point of view, another D.O.C. year comes to a close, and a new one starts.

Generally speaking it has been a year of transition from a modified wartime program to the reestablishmerit of pre-war customs and the initiation of new projects. Cabin use throughout the chain has greatly increased and the connecting trails vastly improved. The fall period found many more hunters in the woods with the most popular area being in the vicinity of Smart's Mountain where on weekend nights the D.O.C. cabins—Holts, Hinman, and Clough were in great demand. Under Ross McKenney's leadership student members went farther afield into the College Grant, the College's vast wilderness retreat north of Berlin, New Hampshire.

Although the Ravine Camp was not operating, the Outing Club made use of its existence by a Thanksgiving trip and a major gathering of the Intercollegiate Outing Club Association. Practically every weekend until snow came found groups based at the Ravine Camp for climbing operations on Moosilauke.

The advent of snow shifted the emphasis to Winter Sports and Carnival. Led by Captain Phil Puchner '44 and coached by Walter Prager, the ski team turned in an excellent record of activity throughout the winter, in spite of the concentration of individual champions at the University of New Hampshire and Middlebury. The skating team suffered from lack of ice for practice, and rain caused cancellation of all its meets except the one at Winter Carnival.

Carnival itself reached a new high in achievement. Symbolized by a streamlined figure of a skier as the center of campus project, the February weekend attracted a record attendance reaching nearly 6000 at the Ski Jump. Due to late rains and unpredictable weather, Outdoor Evening was held on the south end of Occom Pond and was entirely a skating show.

Later in the season the Outing Club again sponsored intramural ski competition, and for the first time since 1941, jointly with the Amateur Ski Club of New York, sponsored and ran the famous Edson Race, a controlled downhill on the Taft Trail at Franconia.

Although the skiers seemed dominant, snowshoers were plowing through the woods to the cabins, and the hardy mountaineers under Merrill McLane '42, Associate Director, were trying the art of ice climbing in Huntington Ravine on Mt. Washington.

Heavy late-spring rains slowed up major activity in the Club but did not diminish the ardor of fishermen on May ist, the beginning of this year's season; and the white water canoeists capitalized on the high waters of the White River and the Ammonoosuc.

Annually the month of May marks the period of reelection of officers within the Club, and the reins are now turned over to the capable hands of Roger Brown '45, president and chairman of Cabin & Trail; Dean Worth '49, chairman of Winter Sports; and Harlan Brumsted '46, chairman of Carnival. The appointment of individual department heads is yet to be announced.

It was with regret that the Outing Club leaders this past year had to accept the resignation of Walter Prager, ski coach since 1936, and of Merrill McLane '42, who since 1945 has been assisting in the intangible duties of Director of the D.O.C.

Summer plans are intensive and will find undergraduate crews active throughout the D.O.C. country. Alex McPherson '44 is in charge of the cabin crew with a work program calling for clean-up of trails and cabins and re-equipping of the cabin chain. Phil Shepard '48 will be in command of the Moosilauke Polaks with orders to clean up trails and grounds in the Moosilauke area and clear off the ruins of the old Summit Camp. Roger Brown '45 is hutmaster of the Ravine Camp and will be the official in charge of the first reopening of the Ravine Camp since 1942. The camp will be catering to the outdoor public in a spirit reminiscent of the courtesy, hospitality, and enjoyment of the old Summit Camp.

An important feature of the summer program is to announce now that you young alumni are needed and wanted on our .summer trails crews. Plan to spend your vacation working with us for any period of time you can and get in on the fun. Let me know when you are going to join the crew so that I can do a little prior planning. Incidentally, we will supply the mosquito dope, the axes, the food, the fresh air in fact, everything except your old clothes.

FOR THRILLING SPORT it's hard to beat white-water canoeing on the White River each spring. Two Ledyard Canoe Club members, past president Syd Bowers '44 and Burt Hicock '45, are the experts above.