'52 Trip Sets Mark

IN MID-SEPTEMBER IGS freshmen from 31 states and two foreign countries headed for Hanover to participate in the annual Freshman Trip. Converging on Hanover in addition were 35 upperclass leaders—interested members of the Outing Club who return to Hanover early each year to guide the freshmen over the Moosilauke area and to the cabins stretched along the eighty-odd miles of D. O. C. trail.

Midnight, September 16, Governor Dale proclaimed a woods ban to prevent the tinder-dry woods of New Hampshire from being subjected to the danger of fires such as were experienced last year.

With the trip scheduled to start on Sunday, September 19, and a major change in plans necessary, Henry W. Smith Jr. '46, Freshman Trip chairman; Dean S. Worth '49 and John Rand '3B, director of the D. O. C., spent some anxious hours. But "the show goes on" and so did the Freshman Trip. In those hours before the woods closure became effective and in the two days following, all plans for the Freshman Trip were modified to fit the new conditions—no use whatever of New Hampshire woodland areas.

To provide an interesting and worthwhile introduction to the Outing Club and to Dartmouth, Hank Smith, Dean Worth and John Rand put their heads together and came up with a program which, by all freshman, faculty and Dick's House reports, was the most successful yet.

The 195 freshmen and their leaders began arriving in Hanover on Saturday the 18th. At 10 Sunday morning, the first group of 55 men were headed for Moosilauke and the Ravine Camp. The second contingent of 55 left at 2 in the afternoon. The trip was under way.

For the one hundred men remaining in Hanover, a daytime program of instruction at the Canoe Club by Ross McKenney and Martin Person '5l included tips on canoeing, bait and fiy-casting, axernanship and fire fighting. A bus trip thru D. O. C. country northeast of Hanover was substituted for hiking the trails and visiting the cabins.

Presented on the evening programs were illustrated talks by Dr. Rolf C. Syvertsen '18, Prof. Richard A. Goddard '20, John Rand '38, David C. Nutt '41, Rev. Chester B. Fisk and "Baptiste," alias Ross McKenney.

The major item of daytime activity at the Ravine Camp was the climbing of Moosilauke. By ascending the Gorge Brook Trail the party on Monday remained on D. O. C. land and therefore did not violate the woods closure. In spite of rain during most of Monday, all the hardier members of the trip climbed to the summit. Tuesday night the ban was lifted and the second group was thus able to use most of the trails to the summit and to explore Jobildunc Ravine. Weather conditions again were poor—fog and a high wind.

In the evening, President Dickey, Dean Morse, Mr. Dickerson and Mr. Chamberlain informally welcomed the freshmen to the College. A songfest and the telling of the traditional Moosilauke Ghost Story by Roger S. Brown '45, Ravine Camp manager, brought the evening to a close.

Another evening program at the Ravine Camp was composed of a film, The Peregrine Falcon, by Douglas E. Wade, College Naturalist; a talk on skiing by Walter Prager, Dartmouth ski coach; and an open discussion by the undergraduate officers of the Club. Robert S. Monahan '29, general manager of the D. O. C., initiated this evening program with a survey of activities on the Second College Grant, stressing the values and pleasures that are available to Dartmouth men who choose to make use of this great woodland area.

All the freshmen returned to Hanover by 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 23, leaving Roger Brown and his Ravine Camp crew to recover from the largest Freshman Trip ever brought off. One hundred and ninety-five freshmen received an introduction to Dartmouth and to the D. O. C. for which they rate the envy of their classmates.

NO LONGER JUST NAMES on a stack of application blanks, the Class of 1952 meets Director of Admissions Albert I. Dickerson '3O in the flesh at the Ravine Camp during the Freshman Trip.

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