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Views from Gile tower on an early fall morning

Dear blog, I have a confession. Five weeks into my sophomore year and I still had not hiked Gile. Gile is an easy 30 minute hike to a fire tower boasting beautiful 360 panorama views of the White Mountains and the Connecticut River Valley. Hiking Gile is a rite of passage for incoming freshmen, as many  make the trek in order to take in the beautiful fall foliage. Many students even hike Gile during their first few days at Dartmouth during First Year Trips. Sunriking and sunsiking (Dartmouth speak for sun-rise hike and sun-set hike) are also extremely popular as many students plan their trip according to the rise or setting of the sun. Gile is a local favorite as it has something different to offer during all four seasons. 

Long had my Instagram been populated by countless stories of the view from the top of the fire tower and yet I had not participated in this quintessential Dartmouth experience. So, this weekend I set out to participate in this long put-off experience and take advantage of peak foliage. The Upper Valley has been brimming with warm hues these past few weeks and the view from the top was breathtaking. We left campus at 6:00 a.m. so that we could be at the start of the trail at 6:30 a.m. and make it to the top of the tower right on time for sunrise at 7:05 a.m. Getting an early start with a group of my friends was so nice. Hiking the fire tower and getting a birds eye view of the greatness of the wilderness was so grounding and liberating. There is so much to experience through Dartmouth!

The amazing thing about the experience is that we were able to go to King Arthur Flour (KAF) right as it opened for breakfast. KAF is a delicious bakery about 5 minutes outside of Dartmouth. All in all, I was back on campus by 9:00 a.m ready to enjoy my Sunday! I would definitely recommend it! Overall, hiking Gile was a 10/10 experience, I only wish I had done it sooner. 

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