Contents
Annual Report 2002
Directorate Reports
President
The 2001-2002 year granted ample opportunity for change, growth, and improvement. Kathy Doherty, Julie Clemons, and Don Cutter replaced Earl Jette and David Hooke in the Outdoor Programs Office (OPO). This resulted in a loss of continuity, knowledge, and tradition, but an influx of new ideas and energy. Participation, membership, and activity grew within the core clubs of the DOC, but each club encountered the same problem: an issue of space.
Perhaps, the 15-passenger van issue best encapsulates this past year. The DOC’s fleet of four 15-seat vans was stripped to 8-seat vans due to safety concerns. The College hopes to gradually phase these vans out. The temporary solution is microbuses that hold 15 passengers, but require a significant training period. During the interim, OPO hired buses and minivans so as to ensure no club suffered from the college’s mandate. The DOC is not content with the microbuses as a permanent solution and feels as if the college has failed to listen to student input. This issue symbolizes the struggles of the past year because it shows how the DOC lacks on-campus activity space and how administration is continually stripping current resources away from the DOC.
For most DOC clubs, Robinson Hall is no longer adequate. The meeting space in the basement of Robinson Hall is too small for Cabin and Trail and Ledyard Canoe Club’s weekly meetings. Many students must stand in the hallways because the meeting room is filled to capacity. In addition, this meeting space no longer belongs to the DOC. It is now a college social space that one must reserve from Collis reservations. Room 118, another DOC meeting space, has been transformed into an office. The only on-site DOC community space is the DOC office in room 13. This is not sufficient for the largest student club at Dartmouth. This lack of space has made it impossible to build a general DOC community that has a formidable presence on campus. Rather, the DOC is composed of 7-9 isolated clubs. The DOC is a model organization for the campus, exemplifying many of the traits that the Trustees felt were necessary in Dartmouth’s’ social life and hope to achieve with the SLI. Suggestions: The DOC has the potential to play an important, active role on the Dartmouth campus, but it lacks community and cohesion. The DOC needs a social space that is not a public lounge or a meeting room. It needs a social space that is conducive to actual social life and that is inviting to those on the periphery of the DOC—living quarters, a kitchen, the DOC house, a fraternity house. The bottom line: The DOC directorate must continue to work with OPO and the Advisory Council so as to foster amicable relationships with Dean Larimore, Dean Nelson, President Wright, and others that allocate resources.
The Directorate questioned the role of Basic Leader Training (BLT) as an avenue to learn the ins and outs of the DOC and as a tool to develop club leadership. Alan Washington ’03, Pat Leslie 01, Ryan Owens ’01, and Jaime Musnicki ’01 led this program in the ’01 spring. They felt the structure of the current program did not achieve the stated goals. Alan Washington ’01 worked with Julie Clemons and Brian Kunz to reorganize BLT. Common concerns: (1) Does BLT adequately train leaders? (2) What is the place of these leaders within the DOC- they lack the hardskills necessary for leadership roles in the DMC, C&T, and Ledyard.
The DOCTours program was the hallmark of the Directorate for the past year. Kristen Romberg ’01 assembled a core group of students that each worked two hour shifts, Sunday-Thursday, 2-6 PM. The directorate used DOCTours to maintain the DOC blitz account and blitz bulletin, organize sign-ups for activities, and to make publicity posters. Creative ideas for DOCTours: can serve as DOC secretary, treasurer, SA rep, and update the leader database.
Go-Out!, or Group organized outings, had difficulties this past year. Leadership changed hands every quarter and continuity was last. Dionne Simmons is a residential life intern that works for the College. Part of her job is to work with OPO ten hours a week. She is excited about Go-Out and may be a great candidate for providing continuity between terms. Leaders of Go-Out in 2001-2002: Katie Simon ’02, Eileen Carey ’04, Cat McManus ’04, Freddie Ghesquiere ’04, and Robin Deliso ’04. They felt that Go-Out needed to be recreated, maybe change its name. For future questions, Dan Greninger ’02 is a great contact.
In the spring, Ben Weaver ’03 served as VP and John Cedar was treasurer. These two helped me organize All-DOC day and Spring Weekend. For All-DOC day, the DOC worked with the Mass Row clusters to set up a gala on Mass Row. Each DOC club had an activity station. Cabin and Trailers had a chopping contest, Ledyardites paddled in a plastic-pool, DMC walked a tight-line, the Cycling Club jumped up and over and on top of wooden platforms, and Winter Sports dreamt of snow and ice. We received funding from Programming Board, ’02 Class council, and the Mass Row Cluster. With this money, we hired DJ Twix and Daybreak (a bluegrass band) to play. We also served ice cream sundays (the ice cream was from Ice Cream 4-U in West Lebanon—great prices because the owner is an alumnus). That night in Collis Commongrounds, we showed an outdoor movie festival. A few weeks later, we organized the annual Spring Weekend at Moosilauke, providing free entertainment and transportation to all (funding from Programming Board and Bigger, Better, Later).
In the fall, Kiva Wilson ’04 served as Vice President and helped me organize Fall Weekend. Brad Marden ’04, J.P. Connelly, and Owen Brennan ’04 spearheaded the 50-mile hike. The response for participation and support, like previous years, was overwhelming. Emily Lewis ’02 organized The Moose hike and DMC, C&T, and the Cycling Club all had trips that culminated at the Ravine Lodge. We had record participation—over 200 people for dinner Saturday night. Lamont Smooth (buddhaluv@msn.com), a band from Concord, played Saturday night. Programming Board, Bigger Better Later, ’02 Class Council, and the ’04 Class Council funded this event. For Halloween, we organized a Haunted Forest in Pine Park. We had a pumpkin-carving contest in front of Robinson Hall the previous day and used these jack-o-lanterns to light up Pine Park. Future suggestions: try and involve as many clubs in the Haunted Forest as possible. Think beyond the DOC and motivate Greeks and class councils to participate. Also, don’t wait until the last minute to order pumpkins or buy Halloween supplies. We bought supplies on Oct. 29th and most stores were sold out of Halloween costumes and decorations.
The winter quarter was a trying period for the DOC. Lack of snow and sheer abundance of boilerplate ice limited activities and enthusiasm. Winter Weekend fun was organized by Brad Leneis ’03 but dismantled by Mother Nature’s decision to give us 70° weather and then rain. The DOC established some precedents concerning funding and voting. The DOC directorate and board can charge OPO with the duty of funding student expeditions. The DOC awarded Pete Bohler ’03 and Pete Brewitt ’03 $2000 to go to Scandinavia and Russia and trace the steps of John Ledyard. See their updates at: <http://www.dartmouth.edu/~doc/activities/ledyardtrek.html> During the DOC presidential elections, voting was conducted over blitz and in person. Concerns: Does this create a popularity contest? Can members cast an informed vote since they are not present for the candidate’s speech or for the question and answer period that follows?
I owe tremendous thanks to all of the club leaders. They are the people who make the DOC stronger and fun. Without their support and energy, the DOC would not be the biggest and best outdoor club in the nation.
Adam Sepulveda ’02, DOC President
General Manager
I am very pleased to be sitting down to write my first General Manager report. I began employment at Dartmouth on July 18, 2001, by attending a three-hour meeting about fifteen-passenger vans. I am thrilled to say that despite this very inauspicious first day, I love my new job and I want to thank you all for your confidence in me. I consider it a welcome challenge to live up to it.
In particular I would like to thank Chris Carbone ’97 and David Hooke ’84. Chris was hired temporarily to fill in the gap between David Hooke and whomever was to follow him. When I did arrive, we shared Room 117 in Robinson for my first month on the job. Chris is incredibly knowledgeable about Dartmouth, the DOC and the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge (as well as architecture, bluegrass, photography, baking, and Filemaker). My gratitude for his generosity and friendship is immense.
The first time I met David, appropriately enough, was on the side of Quinttown Road where I was meeting him to check out a trail relocation on the side of Mt. Cube. All I knew about David was that he must be very tall, as my feet didn’t touch the ground when sitting in his desk chair, and all the “important” books and files in the office were at least eight inches above my eye level. I soon learned that in addition to being very tall, he is a man who truly loves the Dartmouth Outing Club in general and the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge in particular. Two of his labors of love, Reaching that Peak and An Unlikely Cathedral, have been among the most useful research tools I have had here. I have since learned that he is a generous man of strong heart. Having worked in my previous position for six years, I know how hard it is to let go of something you’ve nurtured for a long time. David is always there (still!) to answer my questions and ponder alternatives with me, but in the end his message is, “Use your own judgement”, and for that trust I am very grateful.
One of the most important aspects of being the General Manager of the DOC is serving as the club’s “institutional memory”. As fervently as I have wished for a Vulcan Mind Meld with Chris, David, former DOC Presidents such as Eli Diament and Adam Sepulveda, office mastermind Kathy Decato, and sages Put Blodgett, Will Brown, and Bernie Waugh, it has never happened and it’s not likely to. (I might not survive it.) As a consequence, instead of giving out the right information at the right time, I hit upon the tactic of cleverly creating a vacuum by NOT doing various tasks. Now some may have thought that this was because I was unaware of those tasks. Okay, it was, but it also had the effect of triggering the memory of others and reversing the flow of information, so that it flowed INTO my brain rather than out of it. Thanks to everyone who has participated in this way in my on-the-job training.
Dartmouth Outing Club
Under the able leadership of Adam Sepulveda ’02, the Dartmouth Outing Club had a banner year. Reports from each club are contained within this document and I hope that you will enjoy reading the news of the year “from the horse’s mouth” as it were.
I’d like to acknowledge the appointed members of the DOC Advisory Committee: Dan Nelson, Gail Zimmermann, Randy Spydell, JT Horn, Terry Osborne, Karl Furstenberg, Michael Hanitchak, Bernard Haskell, and Stuart Lord. They are some terrific people who are always ready to supply some good advice or a helping hand.
One big issue for the Club this year has been making the transition away from 15-passenger vans with roof racks, to other forms of transportation. This is a nationwide issue that began some years back with the publication by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of a study showing that 15 passenger vans enjoyed higher rates of rollover when they had ten or more people in them. If you are interested, you can get more information at these links: <http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/nhtsa/announce/press/pressdisplay.cfm?year=2002&fileid=pr27-02.html> and <http://www.outdoored.com/Articles/Article.asp?ArticleID=142>.
Making the change away from 15-passenger vans to several other modes of transport (15 passenger vans with half the seats out, minivans, microbuses, coach buses, and personal cars have been some semi-satisfactory solutions) has been putting a wrench in the works. Thanks to all for dealing patiently with the changes (and more changes), and gamely participating in new training, to enable more people to drive the microbuses. This too shall pass.
In the spring Brad Leneis (say it “LEN-ice”) ’03 was elected president, Eleanor Alexander’04 vice-president, and Lindsay Reardon ’03 vice-vice president (i.e. she will act as vice president when Eleanor or Brad are on off-terms.) I have really enjoyed working with Eleanor and Lindsay and look forward to working with Brad when he returns from spring and summer seasons working at the Ravine Lodge.
Appalachian Trail
We are currently in the second year of a Challenge Cost Share Agreement with the WMNF to do very extensive work on the north side of Smarts. Larry Hathorn and the Trail Crew, as well as Beth Rabbitt’s Trailwork PE class, ALDHA volunteers, and many others, have done a great job on this project and we hope to finish the rest in two big pushes this summer.
In 2001 the DOC applied for and received money from the Appalachian Trail Conference to support the Moose Mountain Shelter Project and also to purchase additional equipment to use with the Griphoist. In 2002 we have received money from the ATC to purchase a new chainsaw.
The Moose Mountain Shelter Project continues on hold as the White Mountain National Forest Rangers struggle to find personnel to do the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) review. It is a wonderful new site and I have high hopes that we will be building by next spring. There are so many enthusiastic Chubbers on hand, and a big project like this is always good for morale. I relish the idea of this first “big project” under my watch.
I have inherited the responsibility to create a comprehensive, effective, and palatable “Large Group Policy” and will be working on this in the year to come. Much good work has already been done by many concerned students, staff, and advisory council members. Currently I am seeking to understand the impact that such a policy would have (both positive and negative) on the various users of DOC trails. One possible direction for the future would be to educate more members of the Dartmouth community on the principles of Leave No Trace, and base our policy on them. It remains to be seen what will work the best.
A goal of mine is to build strong relationships with the coordinators of the Adopter and Monitor Programs. These volunteers do terrific work helping us keep the Trail open, beautiful and protected. I think I have made some progress and look forward to making more. This plan includes hiking the DOC’s section and spending a night at each shelter this summer.
In Closing
This has been a wonderful beginning to what I hope will be a long and happy association. Here’s a great quote from the 1987 annual report: “Do not fear change…If Fred Harris hadn’t decided to try something different in 1909, we might still be indoors drinking and playing cards all winter.” (F. Jon Kull ’88, C&T Chair)
Yours in the out-of-doors,
Julie Clemons, DOC General Manager
DOC Trips
DOC Trips is one of the most broad-reaching traditions at Dartmouth. Trips has the wonderful opportunity to shape most new students’ first impressions of Dartmouth, while also introducing them to the New Hampshire woods and giving them an exuberant, full-fledged welcome from our student and faculty volunteers. The 2001 Trips program faced some challenges, most notably the attacks on New York and Washington, but things continued to run superbly as the crews and leaders adapted to the situations presented and volunteers from all over the college put in long hours to help the program. Overall, DOC Trips 2001 was extremely successful, as witnessed by much positive feedback from participants, leaders, and crews. The following report gives a brief summary of the program this year and important changes or issues on the horizon.
General Data and Overview
| Number of trip sections | 9 (Sections A-I) |
| Types of trips | Hiking (Leisurely, Easy, Moderate, Strenuous, Advanced) Canoeing Whitewater Kayaking Flatwater Kayaking Nature Photography Fishing Horseback Riding Mountain Biking Road Biking Organic Farming Rock Climbing Trailwork |
| Number of trippees | 948 and 82 cancellations (including fifteen transfer students and three exchange students) |
| Number of trips in total | 110 |
| Cost of Trip | $104 |
| Financial aid | $8,598 distributed among 128 trippees |
| Numbers of leaders | 216 |
| Leader distribution | 42 Class of ’04 62 Class of ’03 96 Class of ’02 8 Class of ’01 1 Class of ’00 2 Dartmouth Med students (both alumni) 6 faculty/staff (including one Class of ’88) |
| Numbers of crew members | 1 Director, 1 Summer Assistant, 2 Leader Trainers, 2 Hanover Safety Crew, 4 Grant Crew, 3 Climbing Crew, 14 Lodge Crew (including Lodge Safety person), 14 Hanover Crew |
The program followed the same basic format as in past years. This year was the DOC’s largest Trips program ever (and would have been considerably larger had not the terrorist attacks prevented a number of students from making the last two sections). More trips were sent out, more leaders recruited, and more trip types offered than in previous years. All of the increases had a specific logic behind them: 1) More trips were planned (11 more than last year) in order to decrease group size, both to comply with White Mountain regulations and to improve the experience for participants. 2) More leaders were recruited (27 more than last year) in order to fill these extra trips and in a conscious effort to reduce single-led trips (only two trips were single-led this year). 3) DOC Trips added a new trip (flatwater kayaking), continued last year’s nature photography trip, and ran more leisurely trips (a total of eight, compared to two last year) to try to provide sufficient options for students who had no previous experience in the outdoors and were not looking to challenge themselves. Overall, it appeared that these measures were successful and many fewer participants felt that they had been thrown in over their heads than in previous years.
Changes to the Program
While there were countless small changes and updates to Trips this year, three stand out as significant:
Online Applications: The Trips Director worked with ASE Thomas (the Outdoor Programs computer guru) and Brian Hughes from the Computing Services department to develop an online registration process for trippees. The leader application, which has been online for several years, was also updated and routed through Computing Services to ease the process of setting it up for future years. The online trippee application was very successful – over 480 students utilized it, and it proved very helpful in speeding the process of registration for students from far away and for late registrants.
Flatwater Kayaking Trip: A flatwater kayaking trip was added this year as an easy/moderate boating option. The trip travels down the Connecticut from Bradford, VT, takes a jaunt up the Ompompanoosuc, and finishes at the Ledyard Canoe Club. One of the two test trips that went out ran into some problems not related to the route, but the other trip finished the route with no trouble and reported that they enjoyed it.
Hanover Crew Changes: This year saw two changes in the way things were run in Hanover. First, a member from the previous year’s Hanover crew stayed on to become chief (in past years, the Assistant Trips Director has filled this position after working on Trips during the summer, with no previous crew experience). This turned out to be a good decision, as the presence of a well-experienced crew-chief left the Director free to deal with problems related to the terrorist attacks. This might be a good model to follow for coming years. Second, the Hanover-crew show was moved out of the Choates to the Collis Commonground. Though a minor change, it helped ease the overcrowding (and blatant disregard of fire codes) in the Choates lounges.
Diversity
Diversity continues to be an issue for DOC Trips. While the leader pool is slowly gaining diversity (this year brought five black leaders, compared to two in ’00 and zero in ’99), the crews were less diverse than usual and the percentage of black ’05 participants fell a bit (see Appendix A for Trips diversity statistics). In ’00, Ben Miller and Wayne Hare re-worked the first mailing to incoming students to make it as unthreatening as possible to minority students and students with no outdoor experience. Perhaps next year’s director should reassess the mailings (emphasizing the availability of easy trips and financial assistance) and more aggressively recruit leaders and crew members from minority groups on campus. In any case, increasing diversity should always be a focus for Trips.
Response to the Terrorist Attacks
DOC Trips 2001 will probably be remembered the most in future years for occurring at the same time as the most extensive terrorist attacks carried out in the United States to date. While it seems probable that terrorist attacks will not be a recurring problem for Trips and it is certainly not a problem that was anticipated, it provided a positive indication of how the program can deal with major crises. What follows is a summary of the situation’s impact on DOC Trips.
Due to the attacks, a total of 32 students were unable to make it to Hanover in time for their trips. Given the fact that all airports were closed for several days starting on the morning of September 11th (the day section H was to arrive and a day before section I was scheduled to arrive), 32 cancellations is an astoundingly low number. This can be attributed to the fact that some students had arrived in Hanover several days early and to the willingness of many a parent to drive their child half way across the country to begin their trip on time.
The biggest challenge for Trips lay in dealing with the trips out in the field. After hearing of the attacks, it was quickly decided that the trips should be notified as soon as possible rather than waiting for them to get to the lodge. On September 11th, three sections were out in the woods – Section E (headed to the lodge that night), Section F (spending their second night in the woods) and Section G (which had left Hanover that morning), for a total of around 420 trippees and leaders. A counselor and a dean were sent to the lodge to meet Section E, and groups were sent out over the next day and a half to reach trips on Sections F and G. The parties sent to notify groups in the field were comprised of volunteers from Outdoor Programs, the Ski Team, Collis, Tucker, and the Athletic Department, as well as students not involved with Trips. Volunteers from Outdoor Programs and Collis also tried to contact the parents of each trippee and trip-leader so that word of their status could be sent out with parties. The groups went out into the woods with a packet including notes from the parental phone calls as well as a script and news briefs. See Appendix B for a summary of all contacts.
The response to the attacks was well received: many students and parents expressed their thanks for the effort to contact trips and pass along messages and information about the attacks. The biggest lesson Trips can take away from this experience is that the DOC/Outdoor Programs cannot and should not deal with similar crises alone. The situation was managed successfully only through the hard work of volunteers from all over campus. The presence of staff from Collis to handle incoming phone calls and other volunteers to contact trip-groups allowed the student leaders and crews for Trips to continue doing their regular jobs without interruption.
Possible Program Changes
DOC Trips faces some major changes in the near future. Several alterations have been discussed in the past year, summarized below. To provide some background, Justin Barnard, Ben Miller, and David Hooke began talks with ORL last Fall about improving the trippee housing situation in Hanover and finding decent accommodations for the Hanover Crew. Two things came out of those discussions: First, ORL can not continue to let Trips sleep students in lounges on their first night (although an exception for this year was made when alternative accommodations had not been found by springtime). Second, it became clear that Trips is a perennial hassle for ORL, due to the demand for interim housing Trips creates as well as complications caused by the considerable length of the program. The following changes were suggested to ease the burden on ORL:
- David Hooke proposed shortening Trips by nearly half (five sections instead of nine). As the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge can not hold more students than are currently on a section, the McLane Skiway lodge would become a second terminus for the trips. This plan, dropped for lack of support, is still worth considering. There would be many benefits to a shorter program, but it would also change the overall feeling of Trips. As this has been thoroughly discussed by the Advisory Council before, it is not necessary to go into more detail. If such a plan were to be adopted, more than a year of lead time would be necessary to find new trip routes and make the needed changes.
- Chris Carbone and Justin Barnard looked into moving the registration and outfitting side of Trips, currently in Hanover, up to the Skiway lodge. There are many benefits to moving Trips' operations to the Skiway, including a generous offer by ORL to defray the costs of moving, but there would also be some clear disadvantages to doing so. Overall, Chris and Justin thought that the Skiway lodge would be a wonderful site at which to greet incoming trippees, but no progress can be made on this proposal until the new Skiway manager takes over and sets the policy for use of McLane Lodge.
- If neither of the above ideas are adopted, it is probable that Trips will move to an alternative setup in Hanover. Options discussed include using an entire dorm or several floors of a dorm to house participants on the first night, allowing participants to sleep in their own dorm rooms, or even coordinating room assignments with trip sections so that all students on a particular section will be assigned to the same dorm. Not much time has been devoted to looking seriously at these options yet.
A Final Few Words…
All in all, DOC Trips continues to improve each year. As the program gets better and more students want to become involved, the pool from which leaders and crew members are selected grows larger and more diverse. This year saw an unprecedented number of appplications: more than 415 students applied to lead a trip, and around 110 applied to join a crew. With this swell in numbers comes a steady improvement in quality for the DOC Trips program.
Despite these improvements, there are always ways in which the program can refine itself and provide an even better experience for incoming students in 2002. Several issues remain for the coming year’s student leaders: along with the problem of diversity and the possible changes discussed above, the budget should be more closely examined and controlled. The OPO staff changes of the past year left some confusion over who should be managing the Trips budget. Some thought that more control over the budget should be given to the Trips Director, while others held that the budget should continue to be closely supervised by the OPO staff advisor to Trips. While this is open for discussion, a concrete policy should be in place by the time the next Trips Director starts work on Trips 2002.
To end on a more personal note, a great number of people deserve thanks for the success of this year’s program. The Assistant Trips Director (Justin White ’03), the crew-chiefs (Zach Goldstein ’02, Sam Burdman ’02, and Lindsay Reardon ’03), and all of the other crew members and leaders put in countless hours to ensure that DOC Trips fulfilled its obligation to Dartmouth and warmly welcomed in the new class. Also deserving of thanks are the OPO staff members (and many others) who stayed late and arrived early many days to help deal with the crisis. This year even more than most, it is clear that DOC Trips is not the product of one person’s effort or even a select group of leader’s effort; its successfulness is a tribute to everyone who put their time and effort into the program.
Justin Barnard ’02, DOC Trips Director
Dartmouth Ski Team
Ski Team Highlights
Dartmouth selected to host the 2003 NCAA Skiing Championships.
Roger Brown '04 2002 National Slalom Champion, Ski Racing College Skier of the Year.
Dartmouth wins first Eastern Carnival (SLU), places 2nd in 4 of 6 Carnivals, 3rd at Eastern Championships, 7th NCAA Championships.
Two All Americans (Roger Brown & Matt Hoisington), twelve All East.
A Season Of Twinkling Highs
Dartmouth skiers kicked off the 2002 season with an impressive Carnival victory at the St. Lawrence Carnival in Lake Placid setting hopes high for the remainder of the year. Dartmouth consistently placed second in overall Carnival scoring for the remaining four Carnivals behind the powerful University of Vermont “cats” and often by the narrowest of margins. Weekend battles raged with each of the disciplines finding it difficult to put it all together on the same day. Of course, the Women’s Cross Country group of Erin Quinn-Hurst, Kate Pearson and Anna Harrington continued where they left off last season by piling in weekend points. The Carnival season ended on a somewhat disappointing note with a third place overall finish at the Eastern Championships in Middlebury. The good news was the constant appearance of Dartmouth skiers in all disciplines consistently finishing with podium finishes from season begin to season end. At first glance, the seventh place overall finish at the NCAA Championships in Anchorage, Alaska appeared to be a continuing disappointment until noticing the head spinning win by Roger Brown who ended the season as National NCAA Slalom Champion and Ski Racing College skier of the year.
| NCAA Championships | ||||
| Team Results | ||||
| 1 | Denver University | 708 | ||
| 2 | University of Colorado | 670 | ||
| 3 | University of Utah | 654 | ||
| 5 | University of Vermont | 569 | ||
| 7 | Dartmouth College | 479 | ||
| National Champions | ||||
| 1 | Roger Brown ’04 | Men’s Alpine | ||
| Dartmouth All-Americans | ||||
| First Team | ||||
| 1 | Roger Brown ’04 | Men’s Alpine | ||
| Second Team | ||||
| 7 | Matt Hoisington ’04 | Men’s Alpine | ||
| EISA Championships | ||||
| 1 | University of Vermont | 882 | ||
| 2 | Middlebury College | 860 | ||
| 3 | Dartmouth College | 834 | ||
| EISA All-East and Rankings | ||||
| First Team | ||||
| 1 | Erin Quinn-Hurst ’02 | Women’s XC | ||
| 2 | Brayton Osgood ’03 | Men’s XC | ||
| 2 | Kate Pearson ’02 | Women’s XC | ||
| 3 | Anna Harrington ’02 | Women’s XC | ||
| 7 | Tom Temple ’03 | Men’s XC | ||
| 9 | Allison Keller ’02 | Women’s Alpine | ||
| Second Team | ||||
| 1 | Roger Brown ’04 | Men’s Alpine | ||
| 6 | Chrissy May ’05 | Women’s XC | ||
| 8 | Andy Hunter ’04 | Men’s XC | ||
| 11 | Lindsay Lockhart ’04 | Women’s Alpine | ||
| 12 | Matt Hoisington ’04 | Men’s Alpine | ||
| 13 | Megan Ganong ’01 | Women’s Alpine | ||
| 16 | Emily Copeland ’04 | Women’s Alpine | ||
| Ranked Skiers | ||||
| 15 | Dawson Brown ’02 | Men’s Alpine | ||
| 15 | Sara Donahue ’02 | Women’s XC | ||
| 16 | Andrew Biggs ’04 | Men’s Alpine | ||
| 17 | Elizabeth Harrington ’05 | Women’s XC | ||
| 19 | Eben Sargent ’05 | Men’s XC | ||
| 22 | Eric Reinhardt ’02 | Men’s Alpine | ||
| 25 | Tracy Wilson ’02 | Women’s Alpine | ||
| 28 | G.W. Watts ’02 | Men’s Alpine | ||
Teams
Men’s Alpine
This year’s Men’s Alpine group continued in the footsteps of many of its predecessors by becoming the number one slalom group on the Eastern circuit. Although faltering with falls off and on, when this group was on, they were on! Sophomore and Hanover local Roger Brown led the charge as NCAA Slalom Champion and Ski Racing College Skier of the year. His four of five mid-season slalom wins were icing on the cake. Of course, Matt Hoisington ’04 opened some eyes with a 7th place All-American finish at the NCAA Skiing Championships in Anchorage, Alaska. Seniors Dawson Brown and Eric Reinhardt added seemingly unnecessary depth to a powerful Team. No question, coach Peter Dodge can smile when looking ahead to next year with Roger, Andrew Biggs ’04 and the return of Australian Olympian Brad Wall!
Women’s Cross Country
Picking up where they left off last season, the Women’s Cross Country group literally dominated the Eastern circuit. At year end, Erin Quinn-Hurst ’02, Anna Harrington ’02, Kate Pearson ’02 and Chrissy May ’04 were ranked 1-4 on the final NCAA selection list. To make it even more amazing, Erin, Anna and Kate each scored race wins as the season progressed. Sure can’t beat that kind of record!
This group of Women’s Cross Country standouts, which also include Sara Donahue ’02, Mirte Mallory ’02, Erin Morrissey ’02, Louisa Hunker ’02 and Emily Chenel ’03. It would seem that the loss of seven of this group would prove this group’s undoing. Given the mind-boggling depth involved, next year’s team continues to be in solid shape. Coach Cami Cardenali has much to be proud of.
Women’s Alpine
No other label fits better than “come back kids”. Injuries last year to top skiers and veterans Alison Keller ’02 and Megan Ganong ’02 looked to be the undoing of this group. Both came back with a vengeance. Alison Keller finished a consistent season of racing as First Team All East. She also just missed becoming an All American by finishing 11th in the Women’s GS at the NCAA Championships in Anchorage, Alaska. Oh so close! Megan Ganong rebounded this season with a Second Team All East record. Add upstart Lindsey Lockhart to the All East list and you have a team to count on for consistent scoring from season begin to season end. Of course the exuberance added by Emily Copeland ’04 and Tracy Wilson ’02 provided further support for a more than solid team. Bruce Lingelbach, in his final season with the Team, will have memories of a coaching job well done.
Men’s Cross Country
Brayton Osgood ’03 came in to his own this season leading a hard working men’s cross country team. Brayton scored his first ever Carnival win at the Williams’ Carnival and ended the season as the second ranked skier in the East. Andy Hunter ’04 proved this season that he could ski with the big boys with solid performances at the U.S. National Championships in Bozeman, MT and the NCAA Championships in Anchorage, AK. Both he and tough guy Tom Temple ’03 consistently supported the overall Carnival effort ending with 2nd Team All East standings. All three of these skiers return next year and wait with watering lips for home course NCAA racing at Hanover next season. The success of this group also depends on a committed group of skiers pushing the top guys from the dryland season through the winter season. This group includes Levi Hensel ’03, freshman Eben Sargent, Scott Meek ’04 to name a few.
Development Program
The Dartmouth Ski Team’s development program provides a forum for competitors who share the same enthusiasm for skiing as the varsity athletes. Development athletes, while officially not on the varsity roster, compete at the USSA national, regional, and state level and help to create a momentum, which perennially puts Dartmouth skiers at the top of the results. Development athletes, both alpine and cross country, train with the varsity teams during the fall preparation period and then embark on a separate race schedule during the winter term months. Each of the development teams accommodate up to 15 athletes and follow a competition schedule similar to the varsity’s with races every weekend and training during the week. Dartmouth’s unique development program contributes immensely to the Dartmouth Skiing family. Erik McEwen lead a hard charging group of Cross Country Development skiers this year. This years Alpine Development group stepped up another notch this season under the capable guidance of veteran coach Vince Gross. The results posted by this group of Alpine skiers turned more than a number of heads this season.
Staff
Of course, the success of the entire program rests on the talent and hard work of the current staff. Peter Dodge and Cami Cardenali continue to manage growing households, head innumerable committees, pound more than enough office time while continuing to daily coach top ranking teams. The sad news is Bruce Lingelbach announced his departure as Dartmouth Ski Team Women’s Alpine Skiing Coach at the end of this season. His decision was based entirely on personal reasons. With three little children at home it became more difficult to balance work life and family life in the winter months. In addition, he and wife Cindy have the opportunity to manage Pierces’ Inn in Etna, NH. The Pierces, parents of Cindy, are winding down their involvement with the Inn and were looking to retire and sell the business. No question he will be sorely missed by those working with him over the past several years.
Program
Rather than focusing on an athletic scholarship based program, our Team focuses on providing an environment where top skiers can excel. There’s no question our program is nationally recognized as one where dedicated students and impassioned as skiers can actively pursue their dreams in both areas. At Dartmouth it is possible to combine an education at one of the nation’s top colleges with one of the best ski racing programs in the country. The Dartmouth Ski Team is interested in individuals who are serious about their education and committed to becoming the best ski racers they can.
The Dartmouth Ski Team supports a wide range of individual skiing goals for its members. Dartmouth skiers are presently members of the U.S. Ski Team and have competed on every Olympic Team since skiing became an Olympic event! Others, through a committed approach to skiing, have found the lessons learned through their skiing years equally rewarding. Regardless of individual aspirations, one goal of the Dartmouth Ski Team is constant, and that is the commitment to the continued development and improvement of all our athletes.
The two main components of the program are racing and participation. Our program is composed of four disciplines (Men’s Alpine Skiing, Women’s Alpine Skiing, Men’s Cross Country Skiing, Women’s Cross Country Skiing). Each discipline or team has one head coach. Up to ten people ski on each varsity team.
In addition to the collegiate schedule, Alpine varsity team members also compete in FIS, FIS-University and USSA races while Cross Country varsity skiers compete in FIS, USSA, NENSA and national level races. Dartmouth is one of the few colleges supporting a three season training program for cross country skiers. Members of our Development Team regularly compete in USSA or NENSA racing.
Events, Projects
| Friends of Skiing | |
| Annual Appeal | |
| 2002 | $22,864 |
| 2001 | $27,471 |
| 2000 | $19,864 |
| 1999 | $19,190 |
| 1998 | $16,483 |
| 1997 | $15,288 |
| 1996 | $14,904 |
| 1995 | $14,335 |
Friends of Skiing
Our Friends program has been responsible for the realization of the dreams of literally hundreds of Dartmouth skiers. Our Friends have grown to include over eleven hundred members, whose recent donations have been used for development team vehicles, alpine gates, non-carnival program and cross country grooming equipment. It should be noted that, as this report is being written, funds continue to come in and the reported figure for 2002 is premature. Their knowledge and assistance is also invaluable in running our Carnival races. We remain eternally grateful!
Special Events Program
Through endowment funds created in the name of Al Merrill and Walter Prager, a limited amount of financial resources are available annually to:
- Make available for outstanding Dartmouth skiers new skiing opportunities not covered through the normal budgetary process.
- Make a special skiing experience available for Dartmouth skiers who are not necessarily outstanding but are conscientious and dedicated student athletes who would benefit from such an experience.
As you can see, this fund continues to support a wide range of activity not otherwise possible through normal program planning.
| 2000 Special Events Fund | ||
| Donahue, Sara | US National Championships (Bozeman, MT) | $200.00 |
| May, Chrissy | Junior Olympic Championships (McCall, ID) | $400.00 |
| Pearson, Kate | US National Championships (Bozeman, MT) | $570.00 |
| Hunter, Andy | US National Championships (Bozeman, MT) | $240.00 |
| Damon, Sam | Rocky Mountain Trophy Series (Aspen, CO) | $230.00 |
| Osgood, Brayton | US National Championships (Bozeman, MT) | $225.00 |
| Temple, Tom | US National Championships (Bozeman, MT) | $275.00 |
| Copeland, Emily | National Elite Camp (Mt. Hood, OR) | $300.00 |
| Keller, Alison | Team Summit FIS Prep Camp (Mt Hood, OR) | $500.00 |
| Philip, Jessica | Junior Olympic Championships (McCall, ID) | $600.00 |
| Brown, Roger | US National Championships (Squaw Valley, CA) | $360.00 |
| Reinhardt, Eric | Australian Nationals (Australia) | $800.00 |
| Erbe, Zach | Junior Olympic Championships (Whiteface, NY) | $80.00 |
| Biggs, Andrew | Australian Junior Championships (Australia) | $950.00 |
| Wellford, Jan | Rocky Mountain Trophy Series (Aspen, CO) | $230.00 |
| Total | $5,960.00 | |
Robinson Hall
Renovated in 1995-96, Robinson Hall is the “home” of the Dartmouth Ski Team. Our facilities here include tightly squeezed men’s and women’s locker rooms, a ski room and coaches work rooms as well as our expanded office space. Due to increased equipment needs, we are rapidly outgrowing our ski and workrooms. Most ski team activities radiate out from this centrally located spot on campus.
Last year I included a perspective written by David Hooke which eloquently explains the strong connection between the Outing Club and the Dartmouth Ski Team. Questions continue to crop up regarding this peculiar relationship. I’m including the piece again in an effort to spread its easily forgotten message.
Unique History of Dartmouth Skiing
“The Dartmouth Outing Club was founded by a student who came to Dartmouth with a strong skiing background. In 1909, he gathered about 75 students and faculty and created the club to foster outdoor winter sports. Students learned to ski quickly and in 1911 the Outing Club hosted the first Winter Carnival. Although there were no organized teams at other colleges, individuals representing their respective schools competed against Dartmouth along with members at non-collegiate ski clubs from around northern New England. By the mid-teens, the D.O.C. saw the need for a coach and the club president was authorized to hire one. From that time on until the late 30’s, the ski coach answered to the President of the D.O.C. Despite the lack of ski programs at other colleges and the corresponding lack of any collegiate league, the Dartmouth Ski Team grew in size and prestige. Also, by competing against ski clubs such as the Nansen (Berlin, NH) Ski Club, Lebanon Outing Club, Newport Outing Club, Brattleboro Outing Club, and Lake Placid Outing Club, the DOC was instrumental in creating the Eastern Ski Association, which eventually became the U.S. Ski Association (USSA). From its earliest year, ”club" competition has been the backbone of the Dartmouth Ski Team’s competitive programs.
Gradually, collegiate skiing became organized. It did so at other colleges in the absence of a strong outing club, and therefore, developed as part of the athletic departments. Until the mid 50’s, whatever collegiate competition existed was connected with ESA. Then the NCAA was created and collegiate skiing took on a life of its own. The Dartmouth Ski Team found itself with two competitive outlets: ESA (club) and NCAA (collegiate). It has been that way ever since, continuing to provide and participate in more non-collegiate than collegiate events, but always representing the Dartmouth Outing Club, in which all skiers are members.
This combination of club and collegiate programs makes it unique, both nationally and among sports at Dartmouth. This uniqueness is what draws so many top-level athletes. They know that Dartmouth considers the development of individual skiers through the club program to be as important as maintaining a position of pre-eminence in intercollegiate skiing. The benefit of this two-track approach is that it provides such a wide range of opportunities for Dartmouth students.
Currently there are eighty athletes participating at four levels on the Dartmouth Ski Team: development, junior varsity, varsity, and elite. Support for this program is present because Dartmouth believes in it as a crucial part of the culture of this place. Indeed, Dartmouth exploits this special nature of the skiing program in its outreach to the perspective students and to its alumni/ae. The Ski Team never would have developed to this unique level without the D.O.C., and it is difficult to believe that a program of this nature could exist without the continuation of an outing club connection." -David Hooke, Outdoor Programs Office
Dartmouth Skiway
Since 1957, the Skiway has served as home to Dartmouth alpine skiers. Located just fifteen minutes from campus, with varied terrain and FIS approved slalom and giant slalom hills, the Skiway serves as the training site for the Ski Team and plays host to Dartmouth Carnival races as well as FIS and USSA competitions throughout the season. The original Brundage Lodge was built in 1956. Since then the number of annual skier visits has increased from 5,000 to over 50,000 in this record breaking year. The new McLane Family Lodge, at 16,000 square feet, provides for over four times the space of the Brundage Lodge. A leadership gift given by Linda and Andy McLane ’69 of 1.5 million dollars has kicked off the drive to raise the necessary 4 million dollars, which includes 1 million for snowmaking, to complete the project. There’s now room for everyone to find a comfortable seat with a great view of the races during the upcoming 2003 NCAA Championships!
Oak Hill and Silver Fox Cross Country Center
Dartmouth Outdoor Programs, in cooperation with the Hanover Improvement Society, grooms over 25 kilometers of these trails for its programs and to enhance public recreation. Located two miles from campus, the Silver Fox Trails at Oak Hill serve as the site for the Dartmouth Carnival cross country races as well as dry land and on snow practices. The trails are groomed with Pisten Bully and tilling hardware enabling quality skiing throughout the winter. Improvements to the trails continue highlighted by a widening of the departure from the start/finish area in preparation for next year’s mass start NCAA Championships event!
Endowments
Our current budgets and incremental increases are not keeping pace with increasing costs. Without the support of two program-saving endowments we would not be able to maintain our current program. The Alpine Excellence Fund approaches it’s fifth year and according to Peter Dodge:
“Thanks to the Alpine Excellence Fund the Men’s Alpine budget has gone from $10,000 in 1997 to about $16,000, an increase of 60%, yet the program has not changed. Without this funding the Men’s Alpine program faced a 35% cut in program including cutting the team size from 10 to 6, eliminating all funding for non-collegiate racing and cutting back in on-snow training.” -Peter Dodge, Men’s Alpine Coach.
The Ned Gillette Adventure Fund also provides funding desperately needed to meet the rising costs faced in modern racing.
The Ned Gillette Challenge for Excellence Fund (“the Fund”) was established by Janet and Robert Gillette in honor of their son Ned, Class of 1967. Ned became an extreme adventurer and was renowned for many of his unprecedented global expeditions. Part of his love for the outdoor adventures, which made him famous, was nurtured through cross country training and racing. It is hoped that this Fund will also nurture future cross country skiers at Dartmouth and instill in them the pure joy of classical skiing which never left Ned.
The Fund is designed to provide support for student athletes in the sport of cross country skiing, and to enable the ski team to provide the highest level of training and competition possible for a program of this stature. The income from this fund will be used to maintain the size and scope of the cross country program, while improving its quality and reducing the costs to the individual student-athletes. Specifically: “annual racer fees (FIS, USSA, NENSA, etc.), athletic equipment, non-collegiate racing fees, non-collegiate training equipment, team equipment (waxes,…), uniforms” -Gillette Adventure Fund Statement of Understanding (1999)
2003 NCAA Championships
Dartmouth College was selected to host the 2003 NCAA Skiing Championships. Plans are well underway in anticipation of hosting this event. Other than questions revolving around Mother Nature and snow, we’re confident that these events should rival those held to date. The event will take place March 3rd through the 8th, 2003. We will be hosting the events at the Dartmouth Skiway, the Silver Fox Trails at Oak Hill and on campus. We see this as an opportunity to showcase the campus, our facilities, and our programs. It is our goal to run high quality events and to provide an experience that the visiting athletes, coaches, and officials will long remember. To do this we will need to pull together the resources we have—particularly our athletes, members of the Dartmouth community, and our Ski Team Alumni Friends.
Team Responsibility
| Team Responsiblity |
| Code Of Conduct and Mission Statement: Final draft completed by staff this season. |
| Team Alcohol Policy: Policies instituted in areas of team travel and team events. |
| Team Responsibility Meeting: Bi-annual team meeting with Power Point presentation reviewing Dartmouth Handbook, DCAD Handbook, Ski Team Code of Conduct, Ski Team Rules & Policies. |
| NCAA Compliance Meeting: Bi-annual meeting with DCAD Compliance Officer and support staff. NCAA Compliance, Medical Compliance, DCAD Policies, Group Accountability Handout. |
| Alcohol, Hazing, Sexual Harassment Programing: CHAMP’S Life Skill Programming. Possibly additional programming. |
| Individual Team Meetings & Discussions: Meat and potatoes work toward all aspects of Group Responsibility and Mutual Respect. |
This year the coaches and team worked hard in the area of team responsibility and responsible action. A presentation outlining the Principles, Code of Standards and Rules governing student life at Dartmouth was put together. In addition, the role of the Organizational Adjudication Committee was also reviewed. This program is now presented to the entire team on a bi-annual basis. In addition, team members are asked to sign a Statement of Understanding stating their understanding of this information.
More information of this nature is presented during a bi-annual NCAA/DCAD Compliance Meeting. In addition to NCAA Rules & Regulations pertinent to varsity athlete and Medical Forms required by all athletes, copies of the Group Accountability Statement will be distributed. Finally, the staff discussed and agreed on clear-cut policies regarding alcohol and travel to and from sites during team events. These will be enforced at the beginning of each competition season.
Other Projects
- Dartmouth Carnival. Every year the quality of the event continues to improve. Our eyes are beginning to focus on hosting the 2003 NCAA Championships!
- Annual Ski Team Equipment Swap. This event continues to provide valuable funding to supplement our budget in team uniforms and major equipment purchases.
- Annual Moosilauke Time Trial
- Friends of Skiing NCAA Reception
- Annual Awards Banquet
- Annual Press Guide
Issues
Of course every season includes a few areas needing improving. Some of these problems can be knocked off pretty quickly, some serve merely as a “heads up” let’s be aware, and some won’t be solved immediately and will take time:
Cost of Ski Racing
Needless to say, it should come as no surprise that skiing is an expensive sport. It has been for a long time, and it will continue to be so—especially for those who race competitively. Nor should it come as any surprise that Dartmouth expects to provide a quality program for its skiers.
“The dilemma now is twofold: at the institutional level there is the increasing cost of providing quality academic education, and at the ski program level there is the increasing cost of supplies, equipment, travel, and ski area usage. Because it costs more to provide the academic education expected at Dartmouth, there is less money available for the non-academic programs. The Ski Team is being treated fairly and receives its share along with other non-academic programs, but the total amount available is smaller at a time when the skiing program expenses are increasing.” —Earl Jette, Will to Excel Campain, 2000
Currently these rising costs in all areas (housing, travel, entries and equipment) continue to dramatically affect our ability to meet competition expenses. Our current budgets (aside from assistance for Endowment Funds) have changed little over the past several years. This is quickly becoming a major problem.
Alpine Excellence Fund
According to the wishes of the originating donor the Alpine Excellence Fund was set up with two goals, to provide funds for immediate current use and to establish an endowment to ensure the continued support of the alpine skiing programs. A five year commitment was made. Each annual donation was to be split with 60% going to a reserve account for current use and the remaining 40% being applied to an endowment account. Endowment income would be reinvested. At the end of the five year donation commitment, the alpine programs would start to rely on the income generated by the endowment.
While the hope was that the current use funds would be able to help reduce the expenses shouldered by our athletes, such as buying skis, uniforms and helmets, etc, and provide extra funds for the program, in reality they have only enabled us to maintain our established level of programs. After next season we will have to rely on the endowment income and unless we can increase the size of the endowment or attach more current use funding, we will be forced to reduce the scope of our programs or to reduce the number of skiers on our teams.
| Vehicle Summary | ||
| 2001 Budget | ||
| Rentals and Leases | $17,700.00 | Three rental vans |
| Mileage | $10,000.00 | DOC vans ($0.50/mile) |
| New Van Reserve | $5,625.00 | Four DOC vans |
| $33,325.00 | ||
| 2003 Budget | ||
| Rentals and Leases | $47,700.00 | Six minibuses |
| Mileage | $13,500.00 | gasoline |
| $61,200.00 | ||
Vehicles
This season, following nerve wracking meetings, reports and changing plans there occurred a complete transformation of our vehicle program. This was definitely a year of transition as vehicles previously owned by the Outdoor Programs Office will be ultimately transferred to a new motor pool. In addition, all vehicles previously rented through other companies will be rented through the new motor pool. The days of the fifteen passenger van appears to be coming to a close. The solution appears to be a combination of vans whose capacity is now eight passengers and new “minibuses” with a capacity of fifteen. Now the trick is to work on fitting these vehicles in a manner capable of transporting our teams. As you can see, the new program is roughly double the cost of the old one, however, it appears that college commitment to these costs is working out. Finally, issues continue in the area of driver training, student drivers in particular. Decisions in this area may have major impact on Ski Team and OPO programming.
Conclusion
We’ve had another outstanding season packed with the highest of highs and a few lows mixed in. We’re all proud of what we do and appreciate having the opportunity of being part of this program. The athletes on this team are inherently talented and incredibly hard working. There’s nothing greater than seeing the graduate after four years in this program!
Respectfully submitted,
Ruff Patterson, Director of Skiing
Club Reports
Bait and Bullet
After a brief lull in activity, the Bait and Bullet Club (B&B) finds itself amidst a resurgence of student interest. The Club held several organizational meetings with past president Zach Keane ’03 during the fall and winter terms, to gauge interest and put the club back on track. Elections were finally held during the spring term, with Ryan Gorsche ’04 and Harry Camp ’04 named president and vice president. Both students were eager to serve the Club and its twenty-nine members as well as to rebuild an organization friendly to Dartmouth’s hunters and fishermen.
After elections, Bait and Bullet got right to planning several trips during its weekly meetings. Two official fishing trips were held this year. Five B&B members, guided by Nomad Charters of Williston, VT, had an opportunity to head off to Lake Champlain in search of lake trout and salmon. Another eight members with fly rods in hand, ventured out to a local trout club.
More than official trips, B&B functions as a wellspring for members to meet informally and plan their own outings at Dartmouth and abroad during the hunting and fishing seasons. Some addicted Dartmouth hunters, decided to forego sleep, during this year’s turkey season. Fellow students were amazed at the devotion, considering it a rarity to see any college student up by 10am, let alone three in the morning. Harry Camp ’04, maintained that the sleep deprivation and occasional naps in class were a small price to pay for the terrific mornings afield. Harry and Ryan Gorsche ’04 took a trip earlier in the year to the Second College Grant for the grouse season. While they managed to get a few birds, they were more impressed with the bull moose they ran into one day. Brandon Morris ’05 has been spending much of his free time during the spring term, with fly rod in hand, exploring the rivers around the College. Far away in Wyoming, Mick Pryor ’04 just finished training his new enormous bird dog Mo-Mo, who appears more black bear than black lab. On a recent hunt, Mick learned that the hard work paid off. While Mick says the poor dog has no nose for pheasant, but he certainly did a job rounding up plenty of doves. Ryan Gorsche shot his first wild boar this year, topping the scales at 200lbs. While hunting doves on his family’s ranch, Ryan saw the hog from afar, and trading his shotgun for rifle, came back the next morning to bag the animal. Congratulations to all our B&B outdoorsmen.
Bait and Bullet members were found elsewhere besides the woods and water. Don Cutter ’73 gave a few B&B marksmen the opportunity to take skeet-shooting classes for PE credit at the Grafton County Gun Club. Ten Dartmouth students joined the hunting ranks, after graduating from the B&B sponsored Hunter Education Class. New Hampshire, as well as many other states, now requires hunters to complete this type of class before purchasing a hunting license. Also, a few feeds found members gathering to enjoy some delicious wild game and share a few stories about the ones that got away.
Bait and Bullet gives a special thanks to Don Cutter ’73 for his invaluable advice during the club’s renewal. We look forward to another terrific year in the outdoors.
Ryan Gorsche ’04
Cabin and Trail
Chair Report
If there is any one thing that sticks out about my past year as the chair of Cabin and Trail, it is how well the club is flourishing. Our leadership base now consists of twenty-five council members, our e-mail list circulates to almost 650 students and community members, and we consistently offer numerous opportunities to get outside and experience the wonderful wilderness surrounding the College on the Hill. The devotion of Chubbers old and new continues to astound me.
Spring 2001 began amidst excitement and sorrow. Over the course of just a few weeks, we learned that two of our cabins, Harris and Miller, had collapsed under the stresses of heavy winter snow, leaving us three potential (and as yet unstarted) cabin/shelter projects with the site of the new Moose Mountain shelter waiting to be approved. The spring also brought the departure of David Hooke ’84 from his position as DOC General Manager and all-around DOC legend, and we thank him for his years of unbelievable service to the club. However, despite these setbacks, we found ourselves with a wonderful interim replacement, Cami Cardenali (Women’s Nordic Ski Coach), who took the huge learning curve in stride and helped us keep the club thriving. The Forestry team held the 55th Annual Dartmouth Woodsmen’s Weekend in the middle of the green (eliciting whispers from many students of “Dartmouth has a forestry team?”) under the direction of Morgan Heater ’01. We led numerous trips, won our first-ever intramural softball game, and had an active group of Heelers. Although we were sad to see three seniors depart, springtime found Cabin and Trail at its finest.
Having purchased a number of disposable cameras throughout the spring in order to have pictures of the club, we made the unanimous decision to purchase a digital camera for the club’s use. The camera (and it’s weatherproof bag!) quickly proved to be an essential component for every trip: we take it along just about everywhere we go, we can send the photos to everyone who went on the trip as soon as we return, and we now have an indispensable publicity tool.
The usually relaxed summer term was met with an exuberant bunch of seven sophomore council members. Under the leadership of Kim Iwamoto ’03 and Peter Brewitt ’03, the club took trips to the Presidentials, made its way all the way down to the Adirondacks in New York, and headed up to the Second College Grant for some “canyaking” and “kayooeing” (canoeing with kayak paddles), mountain biking, and excessive blueberry feasting.
As we harnessed the excitement from another amazing year of the DOC Trips program, fall term proved to be an enormous success. We welcomed the appointment of the new DOC General Manager, Julie “the New David Hooke” Clemons, who has been a great friend and who has done a fantastic job of getting to know the ins and outs of the club. As we focused on recruitment and branching out around campus, we poured a large amount of money into publicity, dropped trip prices, and began an advertising campaign. Although the number of people allowed in DOC vans was slowly cut down from fifteen to eight, we chose to take advantage of OPO’s “do whatever you need to make your trips run” policy and rented a bus to head out with thirty people to a corn maze in Vermont, and later took more buses for weekend trailwork seminars. The class of 2005 showed their amazing enthusiasm, and despite the fact that we needed more van drivers for every trip, the CnT council stepped up to help get everyone outside who wanted to go. When midterms came around and attendance slowly began to drop, we offered a trip that was free for anyone who hadn’t gone on a trip since their DOC Trip (got it?) and saw thirty people excited to take advantage of our offer! We sponsored a Trailwork PE class, had two energetic Heelers ascend, and focused on increasing the club membership as much as we could.
We also began a new hiking rideshare list at the beginning of the fall term, as a venue for students to find others interested in going out hiking for a day or weekend while not being an official DOC-sponsored trip. The list has seen a small amount of usage this year and will hopefully become a more valuable resource for the outdoors community in the upcoming years.
Such enthusiasm carried over to the winter, as we found forty-five people wanting to join us on a beginner snowshoeing trip. Thirty people signed up for a beginner’s cross-country ski trip, so we rented another bus and took them out to Lyme, NH. Unfortunately, we weren’t so lucky with our bus experience this time, as the bus got stuck on the rural New Hampshire roads and caused a full-day traffic jam (infuriating locals and creating a “no vans or buses” policy at the ski area) while dedicated Chubbers jumped out of the windows and skied off for the day. Joe Cloyd ’02 and myself led an epical trip to the Second College Grant featuring skiing and snowshoeing all day on the fuel of four giant Cabot cheese blocks and the sauna-esque fire of Stoddard Cabin at night.
The club also offered a number of popular and exciting larger trips, including a Thanksgiving trip to Billings cabin, a week-long, post-finals “Cabin Hopping” trip from Nunnemacher to Moosilauke, and a spring break trip to the desert of Canyonlands and Zion National Parks in Utah.
After two years of being “under construction”, we also completed a website, chock full of pictures from our trips! Check it out at <http://www.dartmouth.edu/~cabtrail/> and send your comments along!
As the club grows, we keep finding ourselves excited about the numbers of people who are excited to get involved with the Outing Club (and specifically, Cabin and Trail). We have been working hard to determine where the fine line should exist between being all-inclusive and keeping strong the inspiring Chubber tradition, and, in my opinion, have made excellent progress toward this goal. The dedicated Cabin and Trail Council deserves a huge pat on the back for their continual efforts to make this club the amazing organization that it is, and I am happy to pass the leadership reins to an excited group of underclassmen. Although eleven seniors will depart come the end of this spring, I am confident that the club will thrive for years to come and that those of us departing will forever feel the Chubber spirit in the hill winds in our veins.
YITOOD,
Zach Goldstein ’02
Heelers
While the Heelers program has suffered this year from a lack of consistent leadership, we’ve still caught some great Heelers. Heelers was led by Jen Butcher ’02, Justin White ’03, and Emily Lesher ’02 in the spring, Emily and I in the fall, and Matt Kemp ’04 and Beth Rabbitt ’04 in the winter.
As usual, the spring was a great term since the first-year Heelers wanted to show off their initiative and impress Council. Tons of Heeler overnights were going on as Eleanor Alexander ’04, Matt, Chelsea Lane-Miller ’04, and Beth pushed toward Council.
Emily and I had very little time for Heelers in the fall. The 2005 class showed up in force to bail us out to some extent with their own enthusiasm. It was of course nice to have returning Heelers Heather Lapin ’04 and Lauren Hendrickson ’04 to lead the way in their final drive for ascension.
The winter had a couple memorable Heeler events such as winter cooking on the snow-covered Bema, and a repeat of the “Find Your Own Dinner” orienteering seminar which Beth and Matt enhanced with by announcing it with their soon to be released song “Orienteering”. Jennie Savoca ’04 ascended after an unmentionably memorable ascension ceremony.
Heelers faced a couple issues this year that should be kept in mind in the future:
- Splitting the position can result in nobody taking true responsibility for the program.
- Consistent leadership for at least the fall and winter would be ideal.
- Ascensions really does work best on the night before the first day of reading period.
- We still haven’t found the balance that we began seeking summer 2000 between Heelers as an instruction program and Heelers as the Cabin and Trail immersion program it once was.
Joe Cloyd ’02
Cabins
The springtime brought tragic realizations about our cabins. We returned to Miller Cabin in the early spring, ready to continue our renovations, but were instead pained to see the cabin flattened by the heavy snow load this winter, the new roof a twisted mess, and all our previous efforts thereby brought to naught.
The old Harris cabin also succumbed to snow this winter and was equally flattened.
In the fall we finished the two-seater privy at Nunnemacher with the tremendous help of OPO’s Larry Hathorn. Go check out the seat covers! As usual we also made a tour of the cabins to turn off the water, bring in the docks, and lock the canoe sheds for the winter.
At the end of the fall fourteen students made real good use of the cabins on the Cabin Hopping trip. We stayed in Nunnemacher, Armington, Great Bear and John Rand cabins on our way from the Skiway to Moosilauke.
Yay cabins!
Dominic Stanculescu ’01
Trails
The club has remained very busy this year maintaining and improving the DOC’s trails system. This fall for the first time ever we kicked off the weekly Trailwork PE class, taught by myself and fellow Chubber Joe Cloyd ’02. The class had an enrollment of 13 and did much treadway, drainage, and brushing work on the north side of Smarts Mountain. While not yet fully completed, the trail has been immensely improved by new waterbars, stepstones, ditches, and bridges. Several weekend seminar/trailwork trips over the fall also focused on this section, with groups as large as 26 members going to work on the trail. Blazing work was done along the Vermont AT, near the South Pomfret and Happy Hill sections last spring. Signage work was also done at our Oak Hill tool shed, and plans are being made to continue installing them as needed and available. A sign inventory is currently in progress on the trail in Vermont.
Beth Rabbitt ’04
Summer Trail Crew
Freshman summer. Some see it as the first opportunity to chill out after an intense introduction to college life, or as the signal to look for resume building internships. Now after struggling through the cold winter of 2000-2001 and trying to keep up meetings and commitments of the spring, I found myself looking to experience Dartmouth New and the outdoors in the most carefree way possible.
Now this might mean someone taking a month long hiking expedition across the Whites or simply weeklong cabin hopping trips. However, these self-initiated/guided trips tend to attract those individuals who are regularly active with the DOC or well acquainted with the outdoors. But as a young African-American woman from the rolling hills of South Carolina, such trips seemed not only far-fetched but also nearly impossible.
Lucky me. Through the DOC blitz bulletin I heard about Trail Crew. Not only an incredible outdoors experiences but also a summer employment opportunity, I jumped at this incredible opportunity. I wasn’t really sure what the job would entail, but the disclosure that applying need not require incredible outdoors experience eased initial worries.
Little did I know that my very first hiking “leisurely” experience with DOC trips would be followed by a 40hr/wk job cutting firewood, clearing the AT, and relocating historical cabins. So much incredible information learned, and so many overwhelming experiences taken. Summer on Trail Crew was challenging yet incredibly fulfilling.
Among the ten weeks we worked, we (a group of six total) spent three weeks at the amazing college grant working with an incredible handywoman Lorraine, her dog Honey, and our man-man Larry (the man who knows it all). We split more firewood than one would ever thing consumable, replaced Peaks’ cabinetry, and even relocated the woodshed of Fish and Game Camp. I know it sounds odd, but there were literally moments where the shed was swinging through the air!
When we weren’t at the grant we spent our days traveling in the big mean green truck from cabin to cabin and various legs of the AT. Sometimes riding to Armington or even Billings there were so many gorgeous morning rides where we could watch the sun rise. But don’t get me wrong; because when the sun arose so did we along with the Husqvarnas and Stihl brush cutters. Hiking Cube and Smarts isn’t a joke, but it certainly wasn’t with a tank of gas and rock bar in hand. Either way there soon developed a tranquil and exploratory routine about every day’s work.
You’d wake up in McKenney cabin at the Lodge, run into the lodge to grab a bowl of cereal, and then hit the road off to the day’s destination. Whether it was on the AT or to the Grant as soon as you arrived, you’d strap on the chaps and grab the chainsaw (for which we were certified users, no worries) and head off for the day’s work. The rumble of the saws and hydraulic splitter never got any quieter, but with every day’s work the outdoors and the energy we put into this Crew became increasingly natural and pleasing. Granted there were rough times, there was and always will be an undeniable learning process we took on everyday. Where the day’s work involved figuring out the most efficient way to shuttle wood to John Rand, how to work with your crew better, or how to work through individual problems a day’s work with Trail Crew never left an idle mind.
There was a challenge in everything we did, but also a peace in knowing that whatever the task were you weren’t doing it alone. So many lessons learned, and they aren’t contained to the operation of a chainsaw or the building of a rock bar. Rather Trail Crew signifies a rejuvenating, exciting, and interactive way of learning about yourself, those around you, and that, which is bigger than you.
Kiva Wilson ’04
Moosilauke Trails Coordinator
The DOC Spring Weekend with trailwork at Moosilauke brought many Chubbers out to work on the trails. This event was followed by the even more successful Fall Weekend work, which sent four groups out onto the Moosilauke trails system doing waterbar and drainage work on the Ridge Trail, brushing on Al Merrill Loop, and treadway work on Snapper. Summer work by the Volunteer Trails Coordinator (me!) and volunteers focused mainly on the rebuilding of Hurricane Trail, now halfway restored. Work focused on drainage, including a mile of ditching, the placement of step stones, waterbars, earthen dips, and a stone staircase. Other work focused on the widening of the Carriage Trail from Glencliff junction to the summit, the building of scree walls at the summit, the re-blazing of the carriage road from Glencliff Junction to the Beaver Brook/Ridge Trail Junction, and treadway work on Lower Ridge Trail. For a full report on the state of Moosilauke Trails, please see Julie Clemons General Manager of OPO.
Beth Rabbitt ’04
Forestry Team
Forestry UGH! This year, a motley crew of Dartmouth woodsfolk continued old traditions and started new ones. We practiced sporadically, hooted and hollered, won few events but lost fewer, taught other teams the Salty Dog Rag, and generally had a grand old time.
Last April, the Dartmouth Woodsmen hosted a very successful 55th Annual Spring meet (described in a separate section of this report). After an uneventful summer, the team regrouped to find itself sparser and a bit less experienced, after losing a few key upperclassmen to graduation, the D-plan, and other causes. We returned to our habitual minimalist approach to practicing and found some enthusiastic freshmen to join us. With a few new members, the team graced the Green with another display of timbersports events—a demo that helped to kick off Homecoming weekend. With team demonstrations and by-stander participation in sawing, chopping, and log-roll, we managed to foment some interest in woodsmen’s skills but were surprised to discover how many students still had no idea that Dartmouth had a woodsmen’s team, even after the spring meet on the Green.
The winter saw the return of a few key members of the men’s team and together we continued our minimalist approach to practicing as we prepared for the traditional McGill meet. At the McDonald Campus, we found that while some things had changed, some things always remain the same. The weather was much more pleasant than we remembered and Annie’s helped us warm up for the meet with a Friday night “ladies’ night” special—all you can drink for five dollars CANADIAN. However, the food at MacDonald was still horrendous and the Canadians were still HUGE. After suffering some major crumpage in the days before the meet, the women’s team had picked up several new members, who impressed us with their pluck and enthusiasm as they tried events for the first time at the meet. The team socialized with the woodsmen from Colby and had a fine time overall, on the field and off, including an interview with the Canadian media. Needless to say, the awards ceremony was somewhat boring, as we listened to announcers read the names of other teams over and over. The cute tank tops sported by the NSAC women’s team brought some humor to the gathering with the slogan “I’m a crosscut saw—draw me across your log.”
This spring, we continued to practice amidst some shrinking and swelling of ranks as the men’s team suffered another rash of pre-meet crumping and sought replacements. After the warm winter, we paddled on the Connecticut among fewer icebergs than usual. The wood flowed like water because of a project to widen the Oak Hill ski trails in preparation for next winter’s major ski competition. This past weekend we traveled to Unity Maine for the 56th annual spring meet, where we competed against nine other schools in the usual two days of land and water events. Canoeing went fairly well even without much practicing, resulting in a win in doubles for the women’s team. Land events were hit or miss, with the women placing in the top three for several events and in the bottom half over all. The men had some solid performances in splitting and log roll obstacle course (what WAS that event?) but discovered once again that brawn is always a useful addition to brains, also placing in the bottom half overall. However, both teams helped to keep spectators and competitors alike entertained with yoga, pig piles, loud renditions of Ramblin’ Rover and the Alma Mater, and Salty Dog lessons for Finger Lakes Community College. The second evening of the meet saw the reinstitution of the Piss, Pass and Boot award for the member of the team who displays the highest level of intoxication at the Spring Meet party. When all was said and done, it was clear that even though we didn’t win the meet, we won the party with some good cuttin’ up the rug and stump stomping. Dartmouth Woodsmen greet the lumberjacking world from the hills with a hail of FORESTRY ’TIL DEATH!
Joanna Lisker ’02
Dartmouth Woodsmen’s Weekend
In April of 2001, Dartmouth hosted the 55th Annual Spring Woodsmen’s Weekend. Twenty-five teams from twelve schools traveled to Hanover for a weekend of competition. After months of preparations, especially by meet director Morgan Heater ’01, the weekend came together smoothly despite the best efforts of Mother Nature to get in the way. A long winter meant that Storrs Pond, the traditional site of the canoeing events was still almost completely frozen. A last minute effort to pull chunks of ice out of the water created enough open space for the canoeing course. However, the pond froze over again the night before the competition, and Friday’s events had to be rearranged with land events taking place in the morning and the canoeing events taking place in the afternoon.
On Saturday the woodsmen took over the Green. The action on the Green was intense with axes and saw blades tearing through wood at an incredible rate. The weekend of events finished up with the packboard relay.
When all the axes and saws were cleaned up and put away, the teams gathered at Oak Hill for the awards banquet. Finger Lakes ended up taking home many of the awards including the overall trophies for both the men and the women, though the Dartmouth women came in a close second. The women also walked away with a number of individual awards.
A special thanks to David Hooke ’84, Put Blodgett ’53, Jim “Pork Roll” Taylor ’74, and all the other alums who helped make this meet a success.
Philip Marvin ’03
Trips
This year we hiked all over New Hampshire and Vermont, and expanded our wanderings to the Adirondacks in the summer and to the canyon country of Utah for spring break. We took the classic trip to the Grant every term and many goldy oldy day trips in DOC country. Tracking and natural history seminars with Alcott Smith or Chubber bird expert Matt Kemp ’04 were a hit and the week long Cabin-Hopping trip from Nunnemacher to John Rand gave the trails company after finals in the fall. Anyone who has done these classic trips can identify with these trip report excerpts from winter trips up Moosilauke and to the Grant:
“Stayed at Great Bear and had a fantastic time snowshoeing up and running down, past all the snow laden firs…through the drifts near the top and over the tundra with 40’ visibility and good winds…a wonderful day on everyone’s favorite mountain.”
Tim Bartholomaus ’02
“Skiing, snowshoeing, postholing...Food Coma.”
Beth Rabbitt ’04
We made a big push this year for more day hikes and more publicity for hikes, in a club-wide effort to get more people outside and involved with the DOC. Included in broadening our appeal were fun cultural trips to the Bradford Mud Bog where locals drink heavily and rampage about in any running vehicle in a field of mud until hopelessly stuck, and the Vermont Corn Maze where we almost lost a few Chubbers to the labyrinth. Short nighthikes were very popular for newcomers and for Heelers: especially full moon hikes up Gile or snowshoeing up Velvet Rocks. In the fall, we offered two day hikes free for all new hikers to the DOC that were both a tremendous success. We took 24 students hiking in the Prezzies on the first Saturday of the fall, and another 24 to Camel’s Hump later in the fall. For most of the participants it was their first trip with the DOC since their freshmen trip. In future years, having a Trips Director in the fall whose main job is to organize these great day hikes to attract freshmen and other newcomers would keep more people interested in CnT.
This past March we took a spring break trip—the first one since ’96! Fourteen Dartmouth students drove to Utah to spend three days backpacking in Zion National Park, and five days in Canyonlands National Park. The trip was epic; not only did we experience winter camping conditions in the desert at Zion with inches of snowfall and temperatures in the teens at night, but we also happily survived hot and dry weather in Canyonlands, finding pools of water for drink and gourmet backcountry mole for food. Slot canyons and slickrock, sandstone arches and needles, rock art and Indian ruins…Utah had adventure and merriment for all. When New England is bogged down in ice and mud, the south-west canyons beckon…Future Chubbers heed their call!
See you on the trail,
Erica Close ’02
DinerToure
DinerToure continued to draw hardy morning-folk to breakfast in the region’s best diners this year. Sadly, DinerDude was unable to accompany us on DinerToure due to his new job as a bus driver, but a variety of gung-ho leaders stepped in to fill the void. In addition to a faithful following of regulars, there were always a couple new faces out back of Robo at 6:30 AM. Though we frequented consistent favorites like Doodles Diner in Grantham and the Hungry Bear in Bradford, a new discovery took up a good portion of our morning visits. Eaton’s Sugarhouse in Royalton, VT not only has delicious HUGE pancakes and all-you-can-eat real maple syrup, they’re also located right next to the birthplace of the founder of the Mormon religion. DinerToure is still going strong, and you know that anything that will make a college student get up at 6:30am is a pretty darn good thing.
Jen “DinerQueen” Butcher ’02
Social Events
Although Chubbers are perhaps most typically found sporting Carhartts, flannel jackets, or hiking gear, this past year we’ve also been spotted in some unusual and fun attire in our endless attempts to socialize. CnT feeds occur at the Rock, an off-campus house at least four times per term, giving us the opportunity to connect with fellow Chubbers over a delicious meal (menus have included everything from Greek and Italian themes, such as moussaka or pasta with spicy sauces, to the standard fare of bagel pizzas and of course always too much dessert to handle). The feeds have also served as an excellent way to welcome new members who may be interested in better getting to know our club and its members. We held feeds in the first week of each term specifically for this purpose, as well as to see old friends returning from leave terms and adventures far away and to share pictures and stories from such adventures.
But feeds were only mild gatherings compared to our other social excursions, specifically our field trip to Club Destiny near Mt. Ascutney, and our first-ever club “formal”. The Club Destiny foray included two (at that point fifteen-passenger) vans full of Chubbers decked out in everything from matching leopard skin skirts to the fringed yellow shirt with sparkles worn by a certain unnamed male Chubber (Zach Goldstein ’02). As you can imagine, the dance floor got pretty rowdy when the Chubbers arrived on the scene. Our formal was much more civilized, and it was great fun to see hikers, lumberjills and lumberjacks decked out in tuxedos, old prom dresses, and even old-fashioned ball gowns. After sharing dainty appetizers to jazz at the Rock, we headed over to Poison Ivy for yet another night of fun dancing. All in all, the past year has proven that Chubbers are not only well-versed in hiking and forestry, but are social animals as well.
Hannah Jacobs ’02
Cycling Club
The cycling club enjoyed another fun and exciting year out on the singletrack. Despite heavy snows during the winter and lots of rain in the spring, beginner rides managed to go out most Saturdays after the trails had dried. Dartmouth cyclists participated in local mountain bike races and even hit the slopes at Killington for some extreme downhill action. The heat of summer didn’t slow anyone down, and we continued to ride, crash, and ride some more. Fall brough cooler temperatures, fewer insects, and fresh faces as ’05s joined the ranks of muddied riders. Winter gave us the chance to sit back, relax, watch a few videos, and prepare for a new season. All told, we had a blast, and we can’t wait to get out again soon.
Brad Leneis ’03Cycling Club Chair, Spring and Fall, 2001, and Winter, 2002
Peter Ostendorp took over the chair position of the Cycling Club, replacing Brad Leneis for the summer of 2001.
Three major trips were planned at the beginning of the term. A Killington downhill trip was scheduled for the 3rd of July. An all-DOC trip had been discussed at earlier Directorate meetings, and therefore one weekend in late July was set aside to allow for this trip. Most importantly, an overnight trip to the Northeast Kingdom was planned for mid-July. The purpose of this trip was to explore the Kingdom Trails trail network as an effort to accumulate some knowledge of the area and lay the foundation for future trips. Other plans for the term included beginner rides (held almost every Friday) and clinics (usually held every Tuesday afternoon). Continued work with Jim Lyle on building trails at Oak Hill was also explored. Preliminary walk-throughs were performed to locate an appropriate area for trailbuilding. This trailbuilding was to be carried out in the fall.
The Killington downhill trip was well attended and very successful as usual. It is recommended to continue running this trip whenever possible as it seems to draw a large crowd.
The all-DOC trip did not materialize due to last-minute logistical problems and a lack of leadership in organizing the trip.
The trip to the Northeast Kingdom fell through due to a lack of interest; however, it is still highly recommended to continue to offer this trip as an option. The Northeast Kingdom represents some of the best singletrack riding in the northeast and indeed in the entire USA. It is well within our reach and it is a shame that the DOC does not tap into this valuable resource more effectively.
By far the most successful activities of the term were the beginner rides which occurred most often on Friday afternoons. These rides not only help create a more cohesive Cycling Club and reach out to new members, but it is exactly the kind of activity that is needed to improve the DOC’s own image. Dedicated riders need to devote some of their time to beginner riding in order to expose novices to the sport. It is recommended that the Cycling Club focus more on beginner trips in the future than it does on acquiring funding for more advanced trips. The beginners simply respond better and should be the real target of the Cycling Club. More advanced riders will find other ways to network with their fellow riders, but the beginners always need a venue and a “tour guide” of sorts to introduce them to the trails in the Dartmouth region and to proper rider etiquette, trail advocacy, safety, etc. This should be the main focus of the Cycling Club.
Peter Ostendorp ’03Cycling Club Chair, Summer, 2001
Environmental Studies Division
The Environmental Studies Division (ESD) has focused on building up its educational outreach these last two terms more than anything else. Over the years, ESD has participated off-and-on in educational outreach in the region. Nevertheless, outreach has proved to be a topic of broad interest to many students—in ESD, and outside. By educational outreach a consistent feature of ESD there was the hope that it would have the effect of drawing more students to the group, broaden participating students’ range of experiences, give ESD more structure and focus, and provide a service the community.
Educational Outreach
At our first meetings we decided that working with schools would be one good and effective way to start up our outreach. We brainstormed a number of schools in the area we thought we might be able to work with, such as Hanover High School, Richmond Junior High School (Hanover), the Ray Elementary School (Hanover), and the Marion Cross Elementary School (Norwich). After contacting Hanover High and Richmond Junior High, teachers and administrators there told us that it would be difficult to arrange outreach projects during the school day with the kids, partly due to their tight schedules. They referred us to the elementary schools.
Both the Ray School and the Marion Cross School reacted positively to our offers of helping them with environmental education. Marion Cross, however, already had a program in place and so our volunteer work ended up gravitating toward them and helping with their winter-tracking project. Dartmouth ESD volunteers went to Norwich on Mondays between 12:45 and 2PM, and Fridays between 1:15 and 2PM.
This spring term, ESD members decided to try a new direction with their outreach. One reason the outreach was easiest to set up with the Norwich public elementary school was because it already has an environmental program in place, LEEP (Learning about the Environment through Experimental Educational Projects), and its own environmental education coordinator, Lindsay Putnum. While this is very positive and although the outreach with Marion Cross had gone on with any real problems, ESD members felt that they could make a more important impact elsewhere, by helping kids who did not already have such opportunities. At the moment we are working with Erica Mintzer ’02 who is involved with organizing activities for children at the Templeton housing project in White River Junction, trying to work out some sort of outreach with them.
Issues and Action
In the fall, ESD sold Tupperware to students at discounted prices. Students then used the Tupperware in the dining halls to reduce waste. The fall also brought a slide show, discussion, and letter-writing session on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This event would prove critical to later campus efforts to save the Arctic. With the help of the Upper Valley Sierra Club, ESD co-sponsored a film on tree-sitters that was well attended.
ESD discussed and worked on a number of different issues in 2002. At our January 22nd meeting Laura Garzon ’02 came in to talk to ESD about organic and “free-trade” coffee and the politics, economics, and social ramifications surrounding it. She spent a few months with coffee farmers in Chiapas, Mexico, and is writing her thesis around the topic of organic and “free-trade” coffee. She encouraged us to help promote and support organic and “free-trade” coffee consumption at Dartmouth as our way to help the movement that is good for the environment, encourages democracy, and raises the standard of living of poor coffee farmers, among other things. Other subjects we have worked on include:
Anti-SUV Action
ESD worked for some time developing ideas to promote awareness of the environmentally destructive nature of sport utility vehicles. We designed and distributed informational fliers and came up with tee-shirt designs. We tried to put an SUV on display in front of the Hopkins Center over Winter Carnival and conduct and information session around it, but HOP administrators told us the plaza might not be able to take the weight of the vehicle. (Is this a further comment SUVs?…)
Bottle Redemption
New Hampshire does not have a bottle redemption program despite the many studies proving the success of other states’ programs. I spoke with Dana Bisbee ’74, the State Commissioner of Environmental Services. While we had done research and hoped to act in some way to help encourage the passage of a bottle bill, Commissioner Bisbee and his assistant both told us that it was some what of a “dead issue” in the New Hampshire Legislature, being proposed often and shot down each time (36 times so far). The situation, however, may be changing as Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords, Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, recently proposed a national bottle redemption bill.
National Refuge Action
In coordination with other environmental groups on campus and around the Ivy League, many ESD members participated in a day of action to protest the proposed oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. ESD collected signatures protesting the drilling and sent them to legislators. Since these actions, the Senate has voted down opening the Refuge to drilling.
Sustainable living
Katie Theoharides ’04 first talked to us about the idea of a sustainable living center out by the farm at our February 5th meeting. This followed a information session/dinner put on by the Environmental Conservation Organization (ECO) to talk about the center. While the plan at first was to have the center build out by the organic farm, zoning there appears to make such a development difficult. So the most recent idea is to have the center in town, possibly in one of the buildings recently bough by the College. Having the center in town makes it much more accessible to students and more attractive to professors who might want to use it facilities for conducting classes. Victoria Makol ’02 and Katie along with Jeff Kemnitz ’03 and myself are going to be working to revitalize the project proposal and try to mobilize support among students and faculty.
ECO Stews
Professor Arjun Heimsath of the Earth Sciences Department is coming May 7th to talk to ESD members over a homemade dinner. We are working on bringing other professors in to give further talks on environmental-related issues later in the term.
Miscellaneous Notes
During the first meeting in the winter we had elections and decided on some changes to ESD. I was elected chair and Sue Dubois ’05 was elected secretary; Sue sends me the minutes from each meeting that I combine with my own notes and on the ESD blitz bulletin.
Initiated by the group in 2000-2001, ESD has since had “people with issues”. These people gave brief updates on current environmental issues in the (1) local community and state, (2) nationally, and (3) internationally. This year, however, members voted informally to incorporate these responsibilities in the whole group and people would bring up issues as they brought them to meetings.
At the beginning of the winter term there was an attempt to link up ESD more with the activities of the local Sierra Student Coalition (SSC). This collaboration, as well as collaboration with other campus groups. will be an integral part of ESD’s future.
Adam Tapley ’03, ESD Chair, Winter-Spring, 2002
Ledyard Canoe Club
2001-2002 was another banner year for both paddling and general club activities at the clubhouse down by the river.
Spring 2001 began with big water in New England—as all the late snow began to melt, everything seemed to be in flood. Meanwhile, thanks to the Davis Kirby Adventure Fund, the “Honduders”, Rusty Cheney ’03, Scott Cushman ’03, and Miguel Licona ’03 paddled their way through Honduras and Guatemala, and Alex Monopolis toured the Artic Circle by sea kayak. Allison Forbes managed a hectic Mascoma Slalom race in the snow with poise and grace, rising to the challenge of organizing a second race just two weeks later. Though a smaller trip this year, the class of 2001 continued Ledyard’s oldest tradition, paddling the 216 miles from Hanover to Old Saybrook, CT, under the leadership of Rob Hallenbeck ’01 and Paul Nicklas ’01. The highlight of Spring Term was a combined Dryway and Zoar Gap trip on the Deerfield River in Massachusetts, on which every club whitewater paddle, and nearly every club whitewater kayak, were used, as more than 30 participants clamored at the opportunity to paddle a river with some water in it.
Ledyard kicked off the summer term with another DKAF adventure, this time sending seven students, accompanied by four alumni, to Westwater Canyon of the Colorado River. Beautiful summer weather made for a busy rental business but dry local rivers, so club paddlers instead made trips to Lachine Rapid, the Ottawa, the Rapid River, the Beaver River, and the Black River, among others. Despite the unfortunate scheduling of Tubestock on the same weekend as the Ledyard Classic, the annual marathon canoe race went off without a hitch, thanks to the generous help of Chris Wilson and Marc Lessard. The Class of 2003 brought back the Sophomores From the Source trip, leading a huge group of people down from the headwaters of the Connecticut.
Classes may have let up for most of September, between summer and fall terms, but Ledyard certainly didn’t. While serving as Grant Croo, Andy Schmidt ’02, Jamie Salem ’02, Rusty Cheney, and Kristina Eaton ’04 skewed innocent ’05 trippies’ views of reality with stories of mating moose, the Errol Militia, and jelly-bean recycling programs. At the same time, Dominic Stanculescu ’01 and Brad Marden ’04 journeyed down the beautiful Ashuapmushuan River in northern Quebec by canoe on yet another DKAF adventure. Once DOC Trips wound down, Ledyard folks put together a patchwork Fall Trip, hitting Lachine Rapid in Montreal and the Kennebec and Penobscot Rivers in Maine. Jeff Beardlsey ’04 was the only Ledyardite to complete the entire trip.
Fall term was packed with crowded trips to the usual spots, despite the continued low water levels, as members of the Class of 2005 began to find their niche in Ledyard. Ten dedicated Club members braved the cold weather and water of a late October weekend to receive their Level I Swiftwater Rescue Technician status. As fall term drew to a close, Andy Schmidt, Jamie Salem, and Adam Sepulveda ’02 packed their bags and kayaks for a DKAF expedition to Mexico for nine days of hot sun and beautiful waterfalls.
Ledyardites did their best to keep paddling throughout the winter. In fact, Matt Hood ’00 and Andy Schmidt managed to kayak in the NH/VT region every month of the year. For those less intrepid, the club held four pool sessions per week through the winter, and these were extremely popular (when the lifeguards decided to show up).
Led by Andy Schmidt, Spring Trip 2002 was wildly popular, with 33 participants, 22 of which were Jacketed Members of the Club, 13 of which were whitewater leaders. Our fears of drought were assuaged when heavy rains hit the South right before our departure from Hanover, and we had plenty of water for the entire trip. Sub-freezing temperatures and too much water in Ohiopyle, PA, however, convinced us to return to Hanover two days early, and the trip concluded at Billings Cabin instead.
Between classes and all this time spent paddling, Ledyardites somehow managed to take huge steps toward improving the future of the Club. Ledyard’s instructional program continues to strengthen; beginner whitewater kayaking classes remain very popular, and this spring we instituted two new PE classes, whitewater canoeing and intermediate whitewater kayaking, for a total of six PE classes offered.
The Club continues to update its fleet. This year, we purchased eight cutting edge whitewater kayaks to replace older models, as well as four new rugged canoes suitable for whitewater action. Beginning with a late-Summer meeting, several Club members took a closer look at the Club endowments, deciding to allocate more funds to financial aid, instruction, and physical maintenance and upkeep of the Club facilities.
Sadly, Ledyard suffered a tragic loss this spring, as Davis Kirby, Class of 1932, passed away. Mr. Kirby changed the nature of the club for the past 4 years through the generous creation of the Jay Evans Challenge Fund and the Davis Kirby Adventure Fund. Many Ledyardites have expressed their feeling of honor to have been given the chance to meet this incredible man when he made a surprise visit to Hanover at the end of February for “Mexico Night”, a presentation of the December Mexico trip, during which Mr. Kirby regaled the attending audience with stories of his time at Dartmouth. Every Club member knew of Mr. Kirby’s generosity, but few had known his kindness, humor, and wit until that evening. Everyone who attended will undoubtedly remember the compassionate 92 year-old man who visited that evening, and his memory will be furthermore preserved for future generations of students through the incredible adventures that his generosity will continue to inspire.
Looking to the future, Ledyard looks stronger than ever. Lindsay Reither ’04 is currently taking a Wilderness EMT course in Yosemite on a DKAF trip, and two other DKAF adventures are currently in the planning stages: Eben Sargent ’05 will join a group in the Northwest Territories on a 500+ mile canoe expedition, and Andy Hunter ’04 and Kristina Eaton are spearheading a trip to the Talkeetna River in Alaska at the end of the Summer, accompanied by a large number of recent alumni. Trip to the Sea 2002 looks to regain the glory of years past, as the projected number of participants is in the low twenties. Finally, thanks to the huge amount of help from Chris Wilson and Marc Lessard, the Club continues to prepare for the 2002 USCA Marathon Canoe Nationals, as August quickly approaches. The younger classes are some of the strongest in recent history, and under their leadership, the Club should continue to flourish.
Cohaereamus,
James Salem ’02
Mountaineering Club
50 hours of driving…a town in the middle of nowhere, CA....spring break in Bishop!!! Bishop was a great spring break destination, with world class bouldering next to high quality sport climbing at Owen’s River Gorge. A huge number of people learned to sport climb on this trip and an even bigger number decided that bouldering really is kind of fun. Some alumni came to join us and make sure that we still knew how to party. We’ll make sure to pass the tradition on.
Spring term was remarkably warm and dry the entire time. After an amazing spring break, DMC’ers couldn’t wait to keep the fast and furious pace up back home. Fortunately Earl and Valerie had the same thing in mind, they even kept the bugs in check this year. There were trips going out every weekend to Rumney, the Gunks, Cannon, and Cathedral. UNH even threw a competition into the mix early on in the term down at Pawtuckaway. The rest of spring term saw Rufus Lusk ’04, Bart Paull ’02, and Freddi Wilkinson ’02 tearing it up at Cannon and the sport climbers tearing it up at Rumney. John Joline’s Women’s Group was very popular and helped get many people out to Rumney on a regular basis. Nira Salant ’03, Diana Vernazza ’01, and Jill Haynie ’01 all cranked particularly hard the entire term. The sport climbing highlight of the term was Jesse Kiefer 03’s very ballsy, bolt-skipping redpoint of Butt Bongo 13a on what had to be the most perfect climbing day of the entire term.
Summer term was full of warm days, BBQs, and lots and lots of climbing, both in Hanover and away. Freddi Wilkinson ’02, Rufus Lusk ’04, and Adam Wilson ’02 decided the warmth wasn’t for them and spent a month in the mountains of Peru. Page Kyle ’02 headed out to Yosemite for a month of big walls, where he did some of the most classic routes in the country, including the Salathé Wall on El Cap, the Regular Northwest Face on Half Dome, the Steck-Salathé Wall on the Sentinel, and a bunch of other classics. Back on campus, people were getting out to Rumney three or four times a week and pulling hard. This summer was a time of pushing personal limits, highlighted by Gabriel Martinez ’99 sending Rhythm X 13b/c—likely the hardest route sent by a DMCer to date. Also of note were one-day sends of Bottom Feeder 13a by both Ben Miller ’01 and Michael Golub ’03 and multiple redpoints of Butt Bongo, Tin Monkeys, and Dyno-Soar by the crew.
An amazing addition to our club has been the opening of the new climbing gym. It had been in the works for several years, and over the summer it came to realization as construction really took hold. Shortly into fall term, it was open for business and no one could be happier with it. Tons of people came down to help make it possible. They designed, painted, and added boxes and boxes of new holds.
Fall started off just like any other fall for the Mountaineering Club. There were lots of excited tripees running around and attendance at feeds was high. The energy was through the roof the entire term. DMC trips always had huge responses and filled up really quickly. For trips, we sent out several great beginner excursions to Rumney and Pawtuckaway. Fall Weekend was a big hit and one of the most perfect days of climbing one could ask for. Our Gunks trad trip had to be cancelled, but in typical DMC fashion, people made it out there anyway. We also ran a very successful and fun beginner trad trip to Cannon. The men and women of the ’05 class have put their roots into the DMC and have taken hold, and the momentum continues to build. ’05 women who just started climbing on their freshman trip are already cruising 5.10s at Rumney. James Joslin ’05 set the bar for the freshman guys. He managed to send his first 12 this fall, a flash of Social Outcast. He followed it up the next weekend with his first 13 - Bottom Feeder.
Winter Break meant a trip out to Hueco Tanks for Ben Miller, Gabriel Martinez, Michael Golub, and James Joslin. We had an amazing time hanging out and climbing like crazy for a couple weeks. For anyone else who has been to Hueco, Alex is still there to make sure you stay in line. We got kicked out of the park for a day...needed the rest day anyway! Everyone climbed really hard, sending a bunch of very classic lines. Michael put away Sex After Death v9 and Something Different v8 while everyone else flashed and sent numerous hard classics including Babyface, King Cobra, Dragonfly, Hobbit in a Blender, and countless others.
Bart Paull, Freddi Wilkinson, Rufus Lusk, and Alex Hamlin ’03 tore it up in Chamonix where they climbed and skied like mad all winter. Among the routes to fall to members of the group were an all free repeat of Beyond Good and Evil—one of Chamonix’s harder modern routes, a one day winter ascent of the Frendo Spur—a 4000 ft. mixed climb on the North Face of the Aiguille du Midi, along with a term’s worth of winter routes in the French Alps. Rumor has it they even have a ski video to show for their trip. There wasn’t much ice winter term back home, but people made the best of it and got out anyway, including a couple beginner trips and an advanced ice clinic by Kelly Cordes. This winter was a pretty active one on the competition scene, both in the local and college competition series. We had top 2 finishes in more comps than not with Michael Golub and Gabriel Martinez alternating 1, 2 in a couple comps. As always, the depth of the DMC showed with consistently strong finishes by everyone. Speaking of comps, Dartmouth hosted our 4th annual intercollegiate comp in the new gym and made everyone else incredibly jealous. Over 90 people attended and couldn’t stop talking about how good the comp and the new gym were for weeks. Coming off of a strong term in the gym and at the comps, nobody could wait for Spring Break ’02 to return to Red Rocks. Vegas Baby, Vegas!!!
Michael Golub ’03
Ski Patrol
The 2001-2002 was quite a successful year for the Dartmouth Ski Patrol. We performed over 6500 hours of community service during winter term alone!!! In a nutshell: new skiway manager, lots of training, new computer, very strong Outdoor Emergency Care skills among the ’04s, lots of new equipment, lots of laughs, no crying, giggling over the radios and zipper checks of course, and lots of fun!
We kicked off fall term with over 75 interested First-Years. After interviews and lots of discussion, we were down to 44 new First-Years. They received CPR training for the Professional as well as the normal BBP course run by Human Resources. In preparation for winter, the club met a number of times to discuss new policies and procedures. In addition, the tradition of a fall cabin party was begun.
Winter rolled around all too quickly. This year we were outfitted with a computer and a patroller miracle occurred. Not only could we now do internet based hours logging, WE COULD CHECK OUR BLITZ AT THE SKIWAY!!! All that is left now is power in the topshacks. Patrol also expanded its space in the new lodge and even received a boot dryer and a number of new lockers. We tried to keep the M&M dispenser stocked throughout the season, however, we broke our budget and had to stop refilling it midway through.
We started off the term with a 6am, not even light yet, lift evacuation where we learned how to use our completely revamped and new equipment. The day continued with an on the hill OEC refresher, the first of its kind here at Dartmouth. This event was overwhelmingly successful as it left many of the ’04 patrollers with a new found sense of confidence in their on-the-hill application of their patroller skills. Our NSP reviewers agreed and informed us that we were on a great track! Training did not stop at this event but continued throughout the term. Focus topics were practiced every week to ensure that each and every patroller’s skills were up to par. Slowly but surely, the ’04 OEC class demonstrated their on-the-hill skills and earned their vest test. In other exciting news, we had a great influx of community patrollers from both Whaleback and Tenney Mountain. Their experience and knowledge about patrol practices made them extremely valuable to our patrol.
Of course there was the normal winter term cabin party and many top of the hill bbqs. The unofficial Tremblant tradition continued and this year, 36 patrollers ventured to the Canadian North to board and ski…. Winter Carnival brought in warm, balmy (HOT) weather as well as a slew of power outages giving patrol a handful of tasks. For the most part though, carnival was uneventful except for the sunburns.
As always, winter must end and the fun at the Dartmouth Skiway must end too. But that definitely did not mean an end to patrol fun. Spring ushered in a completely new panel of officers who will be sure to keep patrol’s success rolling. The term started off with yet another unofficial trip to Tremblant. This time, however, only 18 people went. OEC also started up quickly for the 15 accepted ’05s. This year’s class shows lots of promise, as the ’05s are really picking up on their skills quickly!
Oh yes, and by the way, lest I forget, Winslow is officially and will always be the one and only social mountain at the Dartmouth Skiway!
Overall, 2001-2002 was a great year for patrol. Training is finally approaching a superb and nationally recognized level. Many members in our patrol have taken an interest in the NSP Senior Patroller program which is sure to lead to our successful future.
On a more personal note, I enjoyed my time as Director. It was wonderful to watch patrol and the patrollers change, grow and learn. The entire year would not have been possible without the help and time commitment of my entire officer board, especially, my assistant director, Anna Frantz.
Off the air, and have a great evening,
Eli Diament, DSP Student Director
Snowboarding Club
The Snowboarding Club had another active year, despite a late start on the snow season. We started the year holding meetings to get the club members of the class of 2005 (the newbies) and as many other members as possible hooked up with some new gear. We worked deals with a number of gear manufacturers to get goods for the club at discounted, or sponsor level prices. Club activity peaked during our video premier week. We were able to give out movies, clothes, posters and stickers while watching the year’s top 2 new snowboarding films in a sold out 105 Dartmouth Hall (entrance and raffle were free of charge). Several club members also worked at liaisons for the American Skiing Company selling passes in exchange for a free pass to the mountain for themselves. Club members also took, and instructed snowboard lessons for PE credit or pay at the Dartmouth Skiway. Due to lack of interest or drivers, we took few organized trips together in the fall. Charge of the club was passed on to Chester Areson ’04 for the winter term as other key members of the club were off messing around in other parts of the world. Our club’s strength lies in our members’ devotion to the sport or to having a good time thinking about snow. Despite not taking formal trips in DOC vans, a very high percentage of our members were actively riding together this season in pursuit of the perfect carve, the fastest turns, the deepest pow, the tightest trees, the worst moguls, and of course: the sickest air. On that note, our club has nowhere to go but up for next year. I will close as per our club’s tradition:
*Pray for snow*
Mike August, ’03
OPO Reports
Moosilauke Ravine Lodge
The 2001 season was a very solid one for the Lodge. 3,903 dinners were served and 2,718 person-nights were peacefully slept. After several false starts and technical difficulties on Replacing the Log and Spraying the Lodge, it was decided to put these two projects off until spring 2002. I am pleased to report that Trumbull Nelson has started work on the log replacement and the crew is currently spraying the lodge with a healthy rot-inhibiting wax and linseed oil mixture.
Physical improvements in 2001 included lovely and to-code new railings for both porches masterminded by Chris Carbone ’97, re-glazing and painting all the windows, and building a new deck for the Class of ’65 Bunkhouse.
Eli Burak ’00, with three previous seasons of Lodge experience under his belt, served as Manager for spring, summer and fall seasons. The crews were as follows:
Spring Crew: Eli Burak ’00 (manager), Rachel Goldwasser ’01 (assistant manager), Travis Gardner ’99, Andrew Pierce ’02, Monique Roy ’00
Summer Crew: Eli Burak ’00 (manager), Emily Lesher ’02 (assistant manager), Betsy Super ’02, Maria Curreri ’02, Audra Gatts ’04, Amanda Taplett ’01, Dan Katz ’01
Fall Crew: Eli Burak ’00 (manager), Dan Katz ’01 (assistant manager), Mary Barensfeld ’01, Abby Berniker ’03, Bjorn Erickson ’01
At the end of the fall season, after intense negotiations with Eli’s agent, I was able to secure his services for another year. It is unusual for one person to manage the Lodge for more than a year but I felt that, as a newcomer, I still had a lot to learn and I didn’t want the Lodge to suffer for it. I am glad Eli has agreed to return and look forward to learning a lot (more) from him.
Julie Clemons, OPO Assistant Director
Dartmouth Organic Farm
The tender thin shoots of the spinach reach above the soil, to daylight. Even though it is almost mid-May, the weather forecast is calling for wet snow this afternoon. Regardless of the immediate conditions, the season of spring progresses, at the Dartmouth Organic Farm. So too turn the years, bringing us to the start of the seventh growing season for the farm. This beginning of the new season provides a good opportunity to review the activities of the previous year.
The 2001 growing season was full of the usual activities and events. We hosted four seasonal events outdoors with outdoor activities, food and music. The highlight of this year’s festivals was the fall celebration. Teaming up with Hillel, the farm celebrated the harvest and honored the Jewish holiday of Sukkoth. We built a sukka and learned about the traditional holiday practices as well as shared a wonderful potluck dinner and music around a fire. A number of various groups used the farm as a destination this past year. Two different first year DOC Trips groups came to the farm to lend a hand and explore the site. We also hosted a DOC sophomore trip this past summer. Some of the other college groups bringing folks to the farm this past year included OLE, SEAD, Dartmouth Alliance for Children of Color as well as the DREAM group.
Two new initiatives were begun this past growing season, expanding our food production into the realm of perennials. Krys Nowak, with the help of a Hewlett grant, researched and initiated a mushroom project at the farm. We are hoping to harvest shitake and oyster mushrooms, later this year. Charlie White stayed on through the interim between winter and spring term and tapped and boiled our first harvest of maple syrup, from the Fullington Farm forest. Both of these ventures represent possible components to an expanded agroforestry program, for the wooded portion of the Fullington Farm site. We also had a bumper crop of vegetables, flowers and herbs. The food was sold to the Collis Café and directly to students, staff and faculty, at our weekly farmstand on campus.
Another sign of the farm program’s progress, over the past six years was the 5th year farm reunion that was held this past August. Dartmouth Organic Farm alums gathered for a day or farming and playing. Folks came from as far away as Texas and Ohio. It was very rewarding to reconnect with some of the folks who worked so hard to get the farm started, back in 1996.
The farm was a destination for a number of non-Dartmouth groups, as well. We hosted a workshop and tour for the Hanover High Environmental Earth Day event, with area high school students lending a hand in the fields and getting a general tour of the operation. Three different Outward Bound canoe trips stopped at the farm, as a part of their community service commitment and also to learn about the issues around sustainable agriculture. The farm also participated in the technology department at Hanover High School by sharing the electric pick-up truck that had been leased for the farm with a class of high school students. They were anxious to see a “production model” of the technology.
The past year was a very busy year for farm-related workshops. Three different series were offered. One series focused on sustainable living and took advantage of students, staff and local experts to share information about various technologies and methods of sustainable living. Another set of workshops focused on solar energy and solar design. And the usual farm-related workshops took place, including vermiculture, crop rotation, potting soil and seedlings, food preservation and canning, and compost making.
Various specialized plots were grown this past year including the Native American “Three Sisters” plot, the southern African plot and various experimental plots, used for classwork and research. Linda Maier studied polyculture floriculture with a test plot of interplanted lettuce and cut flowers as a part of her MALS program. The Asian Students at Dartmouth organization grew a wide variety of specialized Asian vegetables and held a number of events at the farm for work and fun. And the DREAM group put in a small garden with the design and installation being completed by the local children that this program serves. The farm was also able to support its first “satellite” garden on campus at the Amarna house. By providing material and informational support, the folks at Amarna were able to grow fresh vegetables for some of their communal meals.
A wonderful “crop” of interns blessed the farm this past growing season. Through their hard work and commitment, the farm flourished, and it is hoped, that the interns flourished, as well. Most of the interns, funded in part by the Kendall family, were part-time due to classes but a number of interns were able to participate more fully through the “leave-term” full time internship program sponsored by the Dartmouth Partners in Community Service. This program allows students to more fully immerse themselves in the day-to-day activities of the farm and provide leadership and direction to fellow students.
Various academic departments used the farm in the past growing season. A number of Environmental Studies classes came out, some on a regular basis and others for one or two visits. Other departments that used the farm include Biology, Religion, Education, Engineering and Geography. These uses ranged from field trips, to field-based projects to independent studies and term-long projects.
All in all, it was a very busy, very productive year. With peas sprouting and the greenhouse bulging, we look forward to starting all over again, in this coming growing season.
Scott Stokoe, Farm Manager
Andrew W. Mellon Grant
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Grant to Dartmouth College supports student-initiated undergraduate research in response to environmental concerns. We are fortunate that the Mellon Foundation appreciates the value of undergraduate research experiences, and has seen fit to support the opportunities in a unique way.
Below is a list of students who are doing wonderful work and have received Mellon Grant support during the past year:
Patrick Leslie ’01, Phosphorus “Hotspot” Determination using N:P Ratios in a Maine Lake, Spring 2001
Dana Schmidt ’02, Environmental Identity: The impact of place on self, Summer 2001
Gina Luciano ’02, Bi-Directional Permeability of Polar Snow Cores at Summit, Greenland, Winter 2002
Kathy Doherty, OPO Director
