A Long Weekend in Maine!

A few folks from the SMCWP community road-tripped it to Deer Isle, Maine over fall break for some action-packed paddling on the sea!  

A beautiful lunch break in Bermuda?

Making dinner at the campsite after a long, cold day on the water.

Heading towards the sunshine!

Todd showing off his new hat and...his mustache. 

Playing in the current.

Getting some sleep after 3 days of paddling on the long ride back to Saint Mike's.

A great way to get outside for the school break.  Until next time, goodbye salt water!

A Rainy Weekend in the Field

Even though the weather wasn't prime this weekend, the Wilderness Program still ran trips as scheduled. Our student instructors and clients had tons of fun despite the weather!

We ran an anchor building clinic on Saturday at Lower West Bolton. Despite cool temperatures and misty weather, 5 students and 1 faculty member joined senior Andy Hogan and assistant director Eben Widlund for a full day workshop on setting up top rope climbs and safely rappelling down them.  Everyone had fun, stayed warm, and mostly dry.

Scoping out the tree to see if it's strong enough for an anchor.

WP Leader Andy Hogan teaching rappelling.

Coiling rope.

Working on the top of 5.7 Slab.

Thanks to WP Leader Andy Hogan for doing a great job with the clinic!

A group of students headed to Camel's Hump on Saturday and had a jolly good time in the rain.

Taking a break in the rain.

Summiting in the fog.

Is this a kayaking trip or a hiking trip?

There was still a view through the fog!

Celebrations at the summit!

There are still spots left on our trips this weekend! Stop by the Wilderness Office in Aliott 204 to sign up!

Mount Washington Overnight

We run some pretty cool trips with the Wilderness Program, one of the coolest being the Mount Washington overnight trip. A group of students had the opportunity to spend a night in beautiful Mount Washington Valley before driving up to Pinkham Notch early the next morning to hike one of New England's most famous peaks: Mount Washington.

Getting pumped in the parking lot.

Group shot early in the morning.

Taking a break from the grueling hike.

One of many amazing views.

Heading up the Lion's Head Trail.

It's a little known fact that WP Leader Harper Fendler was actually a child model for L.L. Bean

Photo bomb.

Are we there yet?

A chilly morning at the trail head.

Starting up Washington.

Making new friends.

Showing off their brute strength.

Blue steel.

Just getting some extra fiber.

A good looking group in front of a good looking view.

Looking into Tuckerman Ravine.

Ski trails in the background... Is it winter yet?

Aww.

Happy faces after finding an amazing view.

Why yes, the Wilderness Program is the coolest organization on campus.

Don't worry. The WP Leaders are on the case.

Group shot.

Looking into the famous bowl of Tuckerman Ravine.

Celebrating after a successful day in the mountains.

This is just one of the many awesome trips the Wilderness Program runs! Stop by our office in Alliot 204 to sign up today!

55 Students in the Field: That must be a new record.

That's right: this weekend our student instructors brought fifty-five students into the field! These students took part in climbing, kayaking, white water rafting and hiking in Vermont, New Hampshire and New York.

The weekend started out with a bouldering trip on Friday to Smuggler's Notch. Bouldering consists of shorter rock routes on large boulders, located close enough to the ground eliminating the need for a rope. We're lucky enough to have Smuggler's Notch, a prime location for bouldering, right in our back yard!


The Top Out



Reaching for a hold.

Pinching on the start.

Getting the final move.

Working on one of the classic problems in the Notch.

Making the crux move.

Almost at the top!

The crux move.

Smiles all around.

We sent a group of students to the Adirondacks for a day of white water rafting down the Hudson River. Even through the wind and rain, the group still had a great day of rafting!

The group getting outfitted with all the needed gear.

Enjoying the sun in the morning.

Saint Mike's students conquering a rock.

Taking a dip!

Taking a lunch break.

At least there was some good weather!

Thanks to John, our awesome rafting guide for the day!

Whoops...

A great day on the Hudson River!

An all female group of rock climbers went out for the day on Saturday to participate in our annual Women's Rock 101. Even though the group expected rain, it turned out to be a beautiful day at Bolton Valley.

Working her way up the chimney.

Two climbers working on the crux.

Another chimney climber.

Smiling after reaching the top.

Can you spot the climber?

Lunch break!

WP Leader Betsy Manero giving a climber the low down on rappelling.

WP Leader Kat Keane giving a rappelling example.

Getting ready to rappel.

Rappelling past some great foliage.

Rappelling... with an amazing view!

More rappelling...

What's more fun than going up? Coming down!

A great stance... She's ready to go down.

One climber on the corner and one in the face.

Thanks to our awesome guide, Andrea from Petra Cliffs!

A group of paddlers headed out to Lake Champlain on Saturday. Due to some high winds, the kayaker's took refuge in a protected river for the day.

Taking a paddle up the river to avoid the wind.

The typical kayaking shot. Very Artsy.

Kayaker enjoying the protection from the wind. 

Learning some paddling technique from kayaking expert and WP Leader James Coolidge.

Taking a break.

Paddling around some sail boats.

Heading towards the bridge and back out into open water.

Sunday turned out to be a gorgeous day. A group of hikers headed over to Mount Mansfield for an awesome day in nature, even if there was a little wind on the summit!

Stopping for a photo op.

Hiding out in a cave.

A little windy on the summit.

Keeping warm through the wind.

Working their way up to the summit.

Almost at the summit.

Trying to stay out of the wind.

A group of paddlers went out on Sunday to run some rapids. They had a great time on the Lamoile River.

What a great group of kayakers!

Getting ready to launch.

Scoping out the rapids.

Waiting to run the rapids.

Hanging out in an eddy.

Running the rapids!

Getting after it!

Surfing every eddie!

A great job to all the paddlers who came out!

The group after a great day of kayaking.

Thanks to everyone who came out and participated in the program last weekend! Stop by Alliot 204 to sign up for trips! We'll have paddling, hiking and climbing trips all semester!