Don’t get me wrong, I love living in New Haven. But every now and then it’s nice to take a few steps outside of the Elm City for a change of scenery. To round out my summer I decided to trade my briefcase and city stoplights for a backpack and starry nights, and joined five other adventurers on the Summer Yale Outdoors Trip: Two States, Two Top Peaks. We set out for a week long trek, aiming to hit the highest peaks in Vermont and Maine and before returning to New Haven for Camp Yale.
First we drove to the beautiful Mt. Mansfield near Stowe, Vermont, where we spent two days hiking and camping out in true alpine habitat.
On the way to our next planned destination we made the impromptu decision to stop in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains to climb Mt. Washington – infamously known as the local with the “worst weather on Earth” – because, why not?
Our final stop was at the northern-most terminus of the Appalachian Trail, Baxter Peak of Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park, Maine. This was by far the most exhilarating trek of the trip, and it included a 1.1 mile ridge-walk along the perilous “Knife’s Edge” Trail.
When all was said and done, we returned to campus with new friends, sore muscles, countless memories, and a fresh nostalgia for the city we call home.