Category Archives: Hike!

BFT 2019

TO-DO: Sign up with this form.

WHAT: weekend camping trip to the Southern Adirondacks. Primary hiking choices: (Choice 1, adv) rock climbing ,  (Choice 2, med) day hikes ~15 miles. , and (Choice 3, beg) day hikes ~10 miles.

WHEN: fri-sun, Nov. 1-3, 2019.

WHERE:  Lake George So. Adirondacks.  Base Camp: Moreau Lake Campground site #20.  Satellite camp: Dacy Clearing. 

HOW: Use the form to sign up and select your transportation. Transportation options will be added to the spreadsheet as needed.

WHY:  Fellowship, views, and experience.

PRICE: $40/person

Hiking Specifics to come: map

We’d like to camp near Dacy Clearing, but it is first come first serve and there’s no cell-service there.  From Dacy clearing, there is no driving necessary and much hiking starts from the camp location. At base camp in Moreau Lake Park, there is also some hiking that starts at the camp.  Groups will be made the first night and each will have a hiking plan provided to them by me (but like, if you have plan feel free to do it.) Hikes around Dacy ClearingHikes around Lake Moreau.

 

NEED to Bring: 

Sleeping bag / pad

Backpack

Water Bottle

Flashlight / headlamp

Towel

jacket (may freeze at night)

Recommended items:

snacks

camping chair

swim wear

hat/sunscreen

hiking shoes

Bug spray

campfire instrument

non-cotton clothes

Provided equipment

Tents

Food

 

Provided Meals

Sat Breakfast

Sat Lunch – (packable)

Sat Dinner

Sun Lunch – (packable)

Sun Breakfast

 

Other:

If you’re interested in helping out by

helping with cooking,

leading a hike,

driving, or

providing equipment.

Then please email linkpatrick@princeton.edu.

 

 

 

Big Fall Trip 2018

TO-DO: Sign up with this form.

WHAT: weekend camping trip to the Delaware Water Gap. Primary hiking choices: (Choice 1, adv) rock climbing ,  (Choice 2, med) day hikes around the gap ~15 miles. , and (Choice 3, beg) day hikes around the gap ~10 miles.

WHEN: fri-sun, October 26-28, 2018.

WHERE:  Delaware Water Gap. Will be camping at Valley View Campground. (it has bathrooms!)

HOW: Use the form to sign up and select your transportation. Transportation options will be added to the spreadsheet as needed.

WHY:  Fellowship, views, and experience.

PRICE: $30/person

Hiking Info: click here

NEED to Bring: 

Sleeping bag / pad

Backpack

Water Bottle

Flashlight / headlamp

Towel

jacket (may freeze at night)

Recommended items:

snacks

camping chair

swim wear

hat/sunscreen

hiking shoes

Bug spray

campfire instrument

non-cotton clothes

Provided equipment

Tents

Food

 

Provided Meals

Sat Breakfast

Sat Lunch – (packable)

Sat Dinner

Sun Lunch – (packable)

Sun Breakfast

 

Other:

If you’re interested in helping out by

helping with cooking,

leading a hike,

driving, or

providing equipment.

Then please email linkpatrick@princeton.edu.

 

 

 

Big Fall Trip 2017

TO-DO: Sign up with this form.

WHAT: weekend camping trip to the Adirondacks. Primary hiking choices on Saturday: 5.5 775′ climb with harness Regular Route (adv), 4th class 2000′ climb Trap Dike (med), and Mount Colden via Avalanche Pass 13.5 mile hike (beg).

WHEN: fri-sun, October 6-8, 2017.

WHERE:  Adirondack Mountains. Will be camping at Draper’s Acres campground at Lake Placid. (it has bathrooms, even showers!)

HOW: Use the form to sign up and select your transportation. Transportation options will be added to the spreadsheet as needed.

WHY:  Fellowship, views, and experience.

 

NEED to Bring: 

Sleeping bag / pad

Backpack

Water Bottle

Flashlight / headlamp

Towel

jacket (may freeze at night)

Recommended items:

snacks

camping chair

swim wear

hat/sunscreen

hiking shoes

Bug spray

campfire instrument

non-cotton clothes

Provided equipment

Tents

Food

 

Meals

Sat Breakfast

Sat Lunch -(Trail Snacks)

Sat Dinner

Sun Lunch – (Trail Snacks)

Sun Breakfast

 

Other:

If you’re interested in helping out by

helping with cooking,

leading a hike,

driving, or

providing equipment.

Then please email linkpatrick@princeton.edu

 

 

 

Upcoming Vermont Trip (space limited!)

Hi folks,

September 23-25. Let’s head up to Vermont to camp, hike, and tour the Ben and Jerry’s DELICIOUS ICE CREAM factory, which is a mere 6 miles away from the campsite. We’ll leave from Wawa at 9 AM on Friday, returning Sunday evening. If you’re interested, please read the detailed information below, and reply to let me know you’re coming by Sunday, September 18.
Highlights: Two hikes, a nice campground by a swimmable lake, the chance to visit the adorable town of Waterbury, home to the B&J factory, and — if we’re lucky — some early New England fall foliage…
Schedule: On Friday at 9 AM, we’ll depart from Wawa. If traffic isn’t terrible, we should arrive at Little River State Park by 4. After settling in, we have the option of exploring Waterbury, checking out the lake, taking a night hike, or just hanging out. On Saturday, we’ll hike either the Mt. Hunger Waterbury Trail or Mount Worcester (based on group vote), and tour the Ben & Jerry’s factory later in the day. On Sunday morning, early risers can take a short hike to see some cool waterfalls, and we’ll depart around 10 AM to return to campus by dinnertime. I’ve never been to Vermont before, so I’m open to suggestions for other fun activities 🙂
What to bring: Bring a pair of boots or sturdy shoes. One of the proposed hikes involves clambering over rocks — you’ll want traction for this. Please bring a good sleeping bag and plan to dress warmly. Although highs will probably be in the 60s/70s, and lows in the 40s, it could still drop below freezing at night. Other things: sunscreen, a headlamp or flashlight for night hiking/camp business, swimwear (it may or may not be warm enough to take a dip), bug spray (for wusses), a sleeping pad, and whatever other stuff you’d like. We’ll be car camping, so we can load up on gear.
Food and water: Please plan to bring your own food, i.e., enough for 2 dinners, 2 breakfasts, and 3 lunches, plus snacks. NOTE: I don’t have a camp stove, bowls, utensils, or anything, and plan to eat trail mix and jerky with my hands like a caveman for every meal. If you want to cook, you’ll need to bring supplies (sorry!). Drinking water is available at the campground. I’ll be heading to Wegman’s on the Thursday afternoon before we leave to grab food for myself, as well as lots of snacks for the group. You are welcome to join me — text me at 240-315-6168 if you need a ride.
Costs: Plan on tossing me $30 to cover all camping fees, gas, and the factory tour. You may also want to bring some extra cash in case we decide to stop at any stores/restaurants in town or during the car rides.
*********** !! Important !! *********** 
 
Space is limited! My car seats 4 passengers. If more than 4 people sign on, we’ll need a second car. The campsite has enough room for 8 people. Therefore, I will be limiting the size of my group to the first 7 individuals who respond to this email. If more than 7 people are interested, they’ll be responsible for reserving a second campsite and arranging transportation to it.
If you are interested in this trip, please reply to this email no later than Sunday, September 18. Let me know if you have a car and would be willing to drive.
 
If you have any questions (or suggestions for things to do!), you can reach me via email (akriete@princeton.edu).
Cheers,
Alexis

RESCHEDULED: 4th Annual Big Fall Trip to the Catskills!

The PUMC’s 4th annual Big Fall Trip has been rescheduled for this upcoming weekend  (10/23-10/25) and we want you to join us! The colors will be amazing, the weather will be perfect, and the people will be merry, so come on out to enjoy a weekend of camping and hiking in the Catskills in upstate New York!

What’s the plan?
 We’ll head up Friday afternoon and set up camp in a big field near a place called Colgate Lake.  On Saturday, we’ll split up and do big exciting hikes all over the mountains, then return to camp to swap stories and cook up a delicious meal.  On Sunday, we’ll do some shorter hikes and return to Princeton in the evening: exhausted, grubby, with loads of new friends and utterly, utterly psyched to get out into the woods again!!

Is this 
trip for me? We’ll split into groups for the hiking part of this trip – some will do adventures that are relaxed and chill, some will do adventures that are intense and hard-core.  If you’ve hiked before (even a little bit), you have your own boots and you want to see some sweet mountains and meet some cool people, then this trip is for you!  If you’ve never hiked before and you’re feeling adventurous, this trip may be for you, too!


What do I need?
 We’ll coordinate on things like cars, stoves and tents (let us know if you have any to share!). There are a few things that everyone will need – good boots, a sleeping bag/mat, decent non-cotton clothing, etc.  A complete gear list can be found at the end of this email. Don’t let lack of gear hold you back though!  People on the PUMC list tend to be very generous about lending things out, and it’s also possible to rent from OA and the local EMS.

Sounds great!  How do I sign up? Send an email to Katie (kewolf@princeotn.edu) by Tuesday afternoon, confirming that you can join us!  Let her know in that email if you have a tent or a car you’re willing to use. Space may be limited due to our camping permit – if that happens, spots will go first to new grad students.  On Tuesday 10/20, we’ll have a meeting to sort out cars and tents and timing and such. We are also looking for more trip leaders, so if you are interested in leading or co-leading a hike, also include that in the email.

It is going to be a fun weekend of hiking and camping in the beautiful fall colors! Hope to see you there!

—————————————————————–

Gear List:

List #1: Stuff you absolutely, positively need to come to the Catskills and have a good time (Note: This trip is later than our usual trip, so remember that it will get cold at night)
* Sturdy boots
* Warm wool or synthetic socks
      ~ no cotton
* Non-cotton shirts and pants
       ~ no jeans
* Warm layers
~ Fleeces are good, cotton sweatshirts are bad
* Hat for the cold
* Gloves
* Waterproof raincoat w. hood
* Water bottles
~ At least two liters worth.  Old soda bottles work well
* Nice, comfy pack to carry this stuff in
~ Ideally, this would have a padded hip-belt and adjustable straps
* Flashlight
* Something to eat out of
~ A bowl and spoon will probably cut it
* Sleeping bag
* Sleeping pad
~ Thermarest-style or foam
* Sense of adventure and enthusiasm for life

List #2: Stuff that’s nice to have, but you could get by without
* Hat for the sun
     ~ Baseball caps are good; Indiana Jones’ style are better
* Sunglasses
* Non-cotton underwear
       ~ chafing is no fun…
* Trekking poles
       ~ These will help keep your knees happy
* Something waterproof to put over your pack
~ Black plastic trash bags are good; fancy pack-covers are better

 List #3: Bring it if you have it
* Playing cards
* Camp-friendly musical instruments
* Compass
* Knife
* Water purification
* Matches
* First-Aid kit
* Tent
* Car

Trip Report: Third Annual Big Fall Trip 2014

This Big Fall Trip marked the third year that  a group of eager Princetonians have headed north to the Catskills to enjoy a weekend of hiking, camping, and revelry! This year the trip was generously sponsored by the Graduate Student Government’s Events Board, which allowed the PUMC to supply group food and gas reimbursements at no charge to the attendees. The Big Fall Trip is always geared towards first year graduate students (although all are welcome – even undergrads!) to give them an opportunity to socialize outside of campus and to see the beauty of fall in the mountains in the Northeast. With the support from the GSG, we were able to make this the largest PUMC Big Fall Trip ever!

Leading up to the weekend of the trip (October 3rd-5th), we held a planning meeting and got everyone psyched and organized. We were able to organize a carpool signup, a tent availability signup, and a sign up for the different day hikes for Saturday. We had all 40 slots filled plus a long waiting list, however as the weekend drew closer and the weather forecast calling for rain, people started to drop out. In the end we had as awesome group of 32 people and 2 dogs.

IMG_1757
Charley and Dixie are ready to go!

Each car left Princeton at the time that was convenient for the driver and passengers, some stopping for dinner on the way. As each car arrived we established our tent sites and got everyone settled in. To minimize the impact of having 32 people camping in the wilderness, we established four tent sites in different areas of a field near the trail entrance and did all our socializing in the trail parking lot. We choose an area near Colgate Lake which has worked well for us in the past, and was again perfect for us this time. We went to sleep knowing the rain would hit sometime in the night and we woke up knowing that it would be a long day of hiking in the rain.

20141004_131824
The views were less than ideal…

After devouring several packages of bagels and cream cheese in the morning, we set off in five groups led by our 9 trip leaders to conquer the Catskills: one group did 12 miles on the eastern portion of Devil’s Path (the full path is regarded as one of the toughest hikes on the east coast), another group did a 10 mile hike that included Hunter Mountain (the second highest peak in the Catskills) and Diamond Notch Falls, the third group left along the trail by our campsite and followed 12 miles along the Escarpment Trail, the fourth group hiked past the beautiful Buttermilk Falls to the Kaaterskill High Peak area, and the last group did a shorter hike around the North/South Lake area.

2014-10-04 14.47.11 P1010601

Everyone made it back to camp safe, but exhausted and thoroughly soaked. Some groups even stopped for fresh-made doughnuts at a shop in a nearby town on the way back to camp. The rain miraculously let up in the late afternoon and we were able cook without the wetness getting in the way. Everyone munched on apples and carrots and hummus while most people pitched in preparing dinner.  On the menu was sausages (chicken, garlic, and spicy) and portobello mushrooms (fresh from Davidson’s Exotic Mushrooms
 at the Princeton Farmers’ Market) with beans and rice. Those not helping with dinner, dealt with the aftermath of the rain caused by leaking tents. The day in the rain definitely discouraged some people, so a couple of cars of people decided to depart after dinner instead of waiting until the morning. As for Sunday, it ended up being a beautiful day to do some hiking, so some groups went back to Hunter Mountain to take in the beautiful view of the Catskills that was missed the day before.

2014-10-05 13.00.14

2014-10-05 13.19.47

September Trips Meeting

Welcome climbers, hikers, mountaineers, and general outdoor enthusiasts!

Fall is the perfect time to get outdoors, whether you want to mountain bike, backpack, climb, or just take a leisurely hike. To kick off the Fall semester we will have our first Trips Planning Meeting at 9:00pm on Wednesday, September 24th held in the upstairs study room at the Campus Club. This year we will be holding these meetings consistently on the last Wednesday of the month, so mark your calendars now!

At these meetings, those interested in leading a trip propose their idea and those interested in going on it can then sign up. A lot of times the trips fill up at the meeting and are never advertised on the mailing list, so your best chance to be a part of these awesome adventures is to come to the meetings!

For those interested in leading a trip, but need help forming an idea or maybe want to find someone to co-lead a trip with, come at 8:30 and we will have a couple of PUMC leaders there with maps and suggestions to help make your trip a success.

Hope to see you all there!
~PUMC Committee

Join our Facebook group and attend this event

Welcome to Princeton!

Dear new Princeton students,

We hope you all had a great summer full of adventures! If you want to have an adventurous life even during the school year, then the Princeton University Mountaineering Club is made for you!

We will be presenting the club at the Graduate Student Organization Information Fair  on Monday, September 8th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm under the tent on Alexander Beach, in front of Richardson Auditorium. We will also be at the Student Organization Orientation on Wednesday, September 24th from 12pm to 2pm in the Frist Multipurpose Room B04C. Make sure to stop by to get more info about the PUMC!

Finally, if you would like to subscribe to the mailing list to get all the info about future events directly in your mailbox, go to this page and follow the instructions!

See you soon!

Welcome!

Welcome to the new and improved Mountaineering Club Website!

We have converted over from a static website to a more dynamic blog using WordPress so that other members of the club can contribute posts without needing any sort of programming background. In fact if you want to contribute content to the site, please let us know by filling out the form on the Contact Us page, and we can add you as an editor!

Some other cool features of the new site are forms for subscribing and unsubscribing to the PUMC List-Serv, which is where the club communicates all of the trips and outings that we take. It is pretty informal, but please do not request to be unsubscribed by emailing the whole list. I have created this nifty page to help you with that difficult task.

It would be great to get an up-to-date calendar on the site, and maybe move some of the traffic off our the list-serv and onto the blog. For now our main goal of the site is to announce cool trips and show off some of the fun adventures that we have. Don’t be afraid of giving suggestions or asking to contribute! We are a pretty welcoming bunch.