Mountain Day: MHC Students Head for the Hills

Students at the summit of Mount Holyoke (photo by Fred LeBlanc)

On September 28, with a cloudless blue sky overhead and a hint of chill in the air, Mount Holyoke students, together with a handful of faculty and staff, made the trek up the mountain for which the College was named back in 1837. President Joanne V. Creighton and Dean of Students Lee Bowie met the enthusiastic climbers at the Summit House. Dining services was on hand with ice cream for the crowd. Students fanned out across the mountaintop park, enjoying the spectacular views and the College’s oldest tradition.

Creighton, dressed appropriately for the occasion in jeans and a turtleneck sweater, gladly posed with students who clamored to have their photograph snapped with the president. Asked who chose the day this year, Creighton replied, "I called it. I’ll take credit for this one!"

Three seniors, Irina Lisker, Tania Ahmed, and Lindsay Chura, made the trip this year for the first time. "I’m glad I came. I can’t imagine graduating and not being a part of this tradition," said Lisker. Others, including Wendy Chen ’07, have celebrated Mountain Day every year they’ve been at the College.

Perhaps the most ambitious students to make the climb were three members of the College cycling team, Susan Shiland '08, Metzi Anderson '08, and Emily Wheeler '08, who rode their bikes up the mountain. The three were only slightly winded when they reached the top. The cycling team, they explained, uses the mountain for practice. "It’s a great training hill," Anderson said. "It’s so steep." She added, "And now, for some ice cream."

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