Astrid Hancock ’56 – Mount Holyoke Outing Club Centennial Celebration

Memories from Astrid’s time in the Outing Club…

“I entered MHC Fall 1952, was OC sect soph year, vice president jr year, president senior year.

Should be OC photos in the yearbooks. I went on an OC trip probably every other weekend but it’s hard to separate memories of actual trips and going off with friends. At that time we could not have cars and so the only thing to do was sports play-days with other colleges, OC trips or train to Yale or Dartmouth or Boston, bus over the hill to Amherst, mixers usually with Amherst. So without the OC station wagon we would really have been stuck on campus.

My favorite trip was the fall canoe trip to Lake George – Drive the OC station wagon over to Lake George, rent canoes and canoe out to an island, try to get there early to get a good camp spot. Some people did rock climbing at a nearby island. Days spent canoeing , walking around the island and visiting and meeting others, singing songs. Evenings canoe over to another island for square dancing. Guitars were popular and spent a lot of time by the campfire singing. I am sure I went on this trip my soph , jr, sr years, we did a lot with Yale OC, Dartmouth OC, Williams, RPI. Several weddings were made from OC relationships – Suzie and Bob Stoyer, Ann Cole and Jan Scott (a year ahead of me), active Oc’ers A year behind me ( class 57) – Betty Linton, Barbara Hood (Carpenter) and others who have passed away. Marj Linton (passed away) and Edie Frymoyer (lived near Chicago) class of 54.

Went on ski trips – Stowe was a favorite where we slept in the state dorms. One time coming home in the OC station wagon, we were low on gas – had to go up a steep hill to get to gas station and could not get all the way up and so had to walk up to the gas station and haul gas back in a can, then drive up and fill up.

Often drove up to Mt Snow and another area nearby in Rutland as they were the closest ski areas.

Another trip coming back from Stowe, icy and snowy roads and so slow going coming home on Sunday night. I think we stopped to place a phone call in Brattleboro, Vt and skidded as we tried to park. No cell phones in those days – we had to call in and say we would be late (we had 11 pm curfew) and I think we pulled in to South Hadley about 1 AM.

Trips to Dartmouth and Moosilauke Ravine Lodge – one of my favorites. There were usually several outing clubs invited. I remember a Smith gal and I were dating the same guy at Dartmouth and ended up on the same trip – agh! There were some great guitar players and so went to sleep listening to them with sleeping bags spread out on the floor.

Trip to North Conway and staying in hostel there. Skiing Tuckerman’s Ravine and square dancing at night.

I did go on the Marcy trip in the Adirondacks before college started in the fall. I was amazed that my parents let me have the car to drive up from NJ – not sure who else was with me. We slept on church pews the night before we packed in.

Ski trip to Bromley with OC, it was all icy. Fell and broke my skis, Was afraid to call home, but parents were just glad I had not broken a bone.

Must have been an OC trip over spring break to Mt Tremblant in Canada as that would have been our only transport. 33 below zero. Would take the lift to the top, go inside the warming hut and have something hot and get warm by fire, then ski down, take the lift up and get warm again before skiing down. Finally we got tired of the cold and headed south. Stopped somewhere

In northern Vermont, probably Jay Peak. The area was all icy and washboard run outs from the tractor, took a run or two and gave up and headed south, not sure if we stopped again before giving up and going home to South Hadley.

Evidently the Intercollegiate Outing Club Association (IOCA) was very active. They sponsored the fall Marcy and Katahdin trips, and probably the fall Lake George trip too, sent out newsletters and we had conferences in the spring.

Without Outing Club I would not have enjoyed my college years.”

IOCA Mt Marcy trip, September 1954...