Kalina Duncheva
You are here
A Green Key Hike!
"Any plans for Green Key?" a friend asked me on Friday.
"Yes," I said. "I'm going on an eight-mile hike this Saturday!"
[Awkward pause.]
Hiking in the White Mountains during Green Key is not on top of most people's list for the weekend. Green Key is a weekend of live music and lots of events, where you pull out of the closet your cutest summer outfit and have fun with friends. Few people on campus hear Green Key and think, "Oh, let me take out my hiking boots!" So, quite rightfully my friend gave me a concerned side-ways glance.
"Sure…" he nodded. "As they say, 'Party hard, hike hard,' eh?"
Exactly!
Well, I don't know how hard I partied, but Levi, Owen, and I definitely hiked hard. At some point, though, it seemed like we wouldn't hike at all.
Friday night I saw Levi, who organized the hike in the White Mountains, at the Green Key concert. Levi told me that the trip might be canceled–almost nobody had shown interest in it. So when I went to bed that Friday night, I didn't plan to wake up early the next day. It seemed like my Green Key weekend was going to be appropriately Green Key. No hiking.
And then Saturday morning at ten o'clock–when we were supposed to leave campus and when I was still snoozing in bed–I received a phone call.
"Hi, Kalina, this is Levi…"
It turned out the hike wasn't canceled, and I was very, very late! (Thankfully, Levi is the best trip-leader you can find, and he patiently waited for me to pack my stuff.)
We hiked up to Lonesome Lake in the White Mountains, then up through the woods to Mount Kinsman, and back to Lonesome Lake via a trail running across the Cannonballs. The hike was eight miles long, with somewhat cloudy views but many pretty brooks. We heard black-throated warblers and red-breasted nuthatches, and we believe we saw a baby squirrel (only that we have no visual evidence for all that…). After we got back to the car, we went on a secondary adventure concerning a peanut-butter doughnut and a carwash. (Don't ask.)
Now THIS I call an iconic Green Key story.
Posts You Might Like
Halloween in the Upper Valley is always amazing – pumpkins, the Fall foliage, and plenty of costumes galore!
In this post, I write about my experience working as a broadcast camera operator at Dartmouth.
Here's an updated look at my favorite study spots on campus!
Dartmouth requires students to complete 3 PE credits, offering a variety of activities. I joined Women's Club Basketball, Pilates to the Core, and Ujimelt, a summer dance group. Now, I'm taking beginner ice skating to prepare for winter skating!
Before arriving at Dartmouth, I had never played Ultimate Frisbee before, and I barely knew how to throw a disc. However, I am now a proud member of The Dartmouth Womxns Ultimate Frisbee Team: Daybreak!!
"Indigenous Peoples' Day Every Day!" A common phrase said within the Native Community at Dartmouth. Come and join me as I describe the Indigenous Fly-In Program offered by Dartmouth!
Want to know what life looks like as a Dartmouth student? Read on to know what a day in my life is like!
Read to find out what I am doing for my off-term.
Sanborn Library's daily teatime offers Dartmouth students a quiet, comforting tradition to unwind with tea and cookies, creating a peaceful break from the busyness of campus life.