The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-01-06
v. A. MOUNTAIN CLUB,
Activities Of Organizations Connected
With saxtons River School.


More and more there comes TO the no.
tioe Of the Mountaineer of the Boston
Transcript the widespread interest that Is
lspringing WI 30 rapidly all over the coun.
ty in outdoor life and amusements. OF
course climbing forms but one little corn
er of this vast field, but this IN itself Is
interesting TO study and 10 follow. Not o
few are there among the country schools
aud academies that give place IN their
sports TO real mountain work. An espe'
cialy good example of this Is in the Yer
mont academy at Saxtons River, VI,
where mountain climbing and walking
form so important a portion OF the out
door sports that there is mountain club,
and distinguished letters are awarded FOR
certain pedestrian feats. The situation OF
the academy is fortunate, in that il has a
circle OF mountains in its grand campus"
as il is called by the students, II lies
back from the river west of Bellows Falls,
and is in touch with Ascutney, Equinox,
Stmtton Mountain and Killington Peak.
At greater distance are Monadnock, Suna.
pee, Haystack in Wilmington, Lincoln in
| Middlebury and Cancels Hump. The de-
grees of the mountain club OF the academy
are not all OF them for mountains, and
some OF them sound very interesting. The
degree A is conferred for three ascents in
one year, two OF Aseutney and one OF
MOnadnock, or vice versa, The CameIs
Hump gets degree c; Mount Equinox and
Mother Myrick, count as J.; while climb
ing Signal Rock IL times in 30 eonsecu.
tive days entities the ambitious young
man TO the letter G.. Kilington or Pico
confer on their conqueror degree X, and
Lincoln, l.; Mansfield, NJ; while he who
ascends Washington and two other peaks
in the Presidential range may wear the
W. The whole alphabet in thus used in
literary degrees y indicating that its
recipient can cook napjacks coffee, bacon,
and hasty pudding; Y includes venison
and corn bread or biscuit in the menu,
while u commentaries the crossing OF the
state OF Vermont on foot
Such a region invites and compels the
boy TO become participant in active out
of-door exercises as well as those of a
scholar. These trips are taken between
days of study and in the long vacation |
more ambitious excursions are the rule. |
In September last five of the Vermont
Academy Mountain club members started /
to walk from the Crawford House to the |
A. NJ c. hut at Madison spring and back. /
On the top of Clinton the rain came on
and camp was made for the night, which |
heightened into two since the rain never
ceased to descend in torrents. Provisions |
were cached here and at length the party
started along the range, following the |
path past Pleasant, Franklin and Mon
roe, attacking Washington on the Boot
Spur side. The night was passed at the
summit in the old stage house attic. Next
day in storm the party set out along
the range to the north, walk not alto
gether without its dangers, but reaching
the hut before noon. Here the night was
and tba uayt Jou Saturday ha
party returned to the summit and dropped
down into Tuckerman ravine to the
A. VI. c.. camp, where the night was
spent. On Sunday the summit was gained
again, the path to Clinton followed and
one grand feast was had of the provisions
that had been hidden. This feat earned .
for these trampers the w degree in the
club. In August Cancels Hump was climb
ed by members of the club and one of the
boys assembled TO the top of Jay Peak.
This has been an active fall for the stu
dents, who have done some excellent
walking. Two have crossed the state CIV .
and half-a-dozen others have taken other
letters A party of % walked one even.
II miles. In September there were I'M
tiations into the club, in connection with
which the boys enjoyed hilltop funk
to which all the students were invited
At this the initiates were obliged to do all
the hard work, carrying wood, water,
building fires, etc, the scene of the
"tunk" being Warner ridge a mile and
half from the academy The club is at
the present time emulating Chelsea and
other cities. being in the hands of a com.
mission The constitution provides that
no officer can serve who shall have less
than seven degrees, and the president and
vce-president must have at least 10 EACH
and since no member of the club has as
yet more than seven degrees, the commits
sion is necessary.