Mountain day, in its forty-second year at Northwood, is one of the school’s oldest traditions. On this day, celebrated in the first weeks of the school year, students and faculty take a break from classes, are grouped together and assigned to climb one of the hundreds of mountains in the Adirondacks.
In a pre-Mountain Day presentation to the Northwood community at school meeting, Mr. Mellor talked about two students who got lost on Whiteface and had to spend the night on the mountain. The story helped students understand the risks associated with hiking in the Adirondacks. All students collected their survival kits before leaving.
Adding the combined miles climbed by all Northwood Mountain Day hikers, the school climbed more than 1,785 miles which, according to Mr. Don Mellor, the event’s organizer, equals to the total distance between Lake Placid and Dallas, Texas.
Many Northwood alumni say they did not like Mountain Day when they were students, but now look back on their Mountain Days fondly. Current Northwood students have varying opinions.
Carson Hall ‘22 didn’t love Mountain Day. “It was pretty annoying. All the mud and stuff just [annoyed] me.” There were a lot of responses like this, but most students reported enjoying this Northwood tradition.
“It was a good opportunity to meet new people and to appreciate the beautiful place where we live in,” said new student Lucas Farias ‘20.
Kevin Quinn ‘19, one of the few 46ers at Northwood, was excited about Mountain Day. “I’ve done a lot of hiking in my life, so it’s something I’m comfortable with,” said Quinn. “A lot of people dread this day, but for me, it’s always something to look forward to,” he added.
Before departing for his long hike up Nippletop and Dial Mountains, new sophomore Brendan Merriman said, “I’m excited to have a new experience and hopefully, this will connect me with my surroundings.” Nearly eight hours later, he returned to campus stained with sweat and mud, smiling. “I am tired,” he said, “but had a great time.”
