News from
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
Communications and Publications, Stanhope Hall
Princeton, New Jersey 08544
Tel 609/258-3601; Fax 609/258-1301
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mary Caffrey 609/258-5748
Date: July 11, 1997
200 to Cap Anniversary With Climb
Up Colorado's Mt. PrincetonPrinceton, N.J. -- On July 18, a group of 200 alumni, students and friends of Princeton University will climb Mount Princeton, a 14,197-foot peak located outside Buena Vista, Colo., in a final salute to the University's 250th Anniversary.
The Anniversary Climb will bring together current students and alumni from more than 40 Princeton classes, covering a span of 60 years. The oldest alumnus on the trip will be Alan Waterman '39 of Stanford, Calif., and the youngest is current student Jessica Kipp '99. The Class of 1995 is the best-represented, with nine members registered.
Climbers will come from 26 states and the District of Columbia, and two will come from Switzerland and Saudi Arabia. States with the most climbers registered are California, New York, New Jersey and Colorado. The group includes several father-son and father-daughter alumni "teams."
The climb will begin at a trailhead 8,900 feet up the mountain, which will make for a challenging day. Those who reach the peak will ascend nearly 5,300 feet and cover 12 miles; most groups will make it up the mountain and back in eight to 10 hours. At the top, Princetonians will carry a 250th Anniversary banner, and members of the Class of 1983 will carry a banner marking the start of their 15th reunion year.
Climbers who have less experience or are traveling with children will aim for the South Summit, an eight-mile trip that reaches an elevation of 12,960 feet. "We're not all going to make it to the top," said Rick Curtis '79, director of Outdoor Action at Princeton and coordinator of the trip. What counts, organizers say, is making the journey with other Princetonians. At day's end, climbers and others will relax at a western barbecue at the Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort.
In the days before the climb, Outdoor Action student and alumni guides, as well as guides from local outfitters, will help group members adjust to the altitude by leading shorter hikes, mountain bike rides and horseback and fly-fishing trips. Outdoor Action is a campus organization that trains students to lead outdoor activities throughout the year, including the popular week-long program for incoming freshman.
Mount Princeton, located 120 southwest of Denver, has been described as the most visible and majestic of the "Collegiate Fourteeners" in Colorado. Author Gerry Roach describes the peak this way: "Princeton is a singular mountain. It is a true monarch, as its neighbors are far lower and far away. ... You cannot ignore its gaze."