What Your Favorite Summer Hike Says About Your Personality
Summer provides ample time and good weather to tackle the major mountains in the Hanover area, and many ‘16s have hiking trips on their bucket list. Here at Dartbeat, we believe that the mountain at the top of your list can say a lot about you – not only how awesome you are as a hiker, but also what sort of person you are that you would be drawn to this particular large pointy thing. We’ve gone ahead and compiled a list of popular summer hikes so you can find out what your list says about you.
And if your favorite hike is The Fifty, please calm down.
1. Mt. Cube
Good choice, young hiker. This was the first mountain I conquered at Dartmouth — thank you Trips — so I may be slightly biased, but if this is your favorite summer hike you’re already doing well. Cube is home to the good ol’ Hexacube shelter and accompanying Penta Privy. If these names don’t scare you, you obviously embody the adventurous spirit and do-it-for-the-story attitude of the Cube hiker. Cube is also where my Trip met the thru-hiker Knox McMountain. As you hike this mountain, aim to recreate your own trail name that is half as awesome.
2. Smarts Mountain
Not as good as Cube, but you’re just alternative that way, you hipster, you. All I remember about Smarts — also from my First Year Trip — was that trying to climb down it was a struggle. I essentially slid across the massive sheets of rock and grabbed weak-willed “trees” for support the whole way down. If you love Smarts, you obviously have the granite of New Hampshire in your muscles and brains. Take that as you will.
3. Holt’s Ledge
This is a nice easy hike with great views once you reach the ledge. Apparently you prefer little work for lots of payoff. Slacker.
4. Cardigan
You enjoy cozy sweaters and mountains named after them. You take lots of photos on the way up this hike and Instagram all of them. At the summit, you and your friends take jumping photos and make them your profile pictures on Facebook. You consider yourself a “tea” person. You identify strongly with your cats.
5. Moosilauke
The classic. You looooove Trips food and eat it whenever possible – in fact, you’re planning on writing your senior thesis on why crack — the snack food — is just as addicting as actual crack. The details are still fuzzy but you’re too busy being miles away from any sort of internet connection to actually look up the facts on that one. You’ve never let go of First Year Trips and never want to leave Dartmouth because then you would be too far away from the Lodge. You’re probably sporty, even if you came here as a NARP, simply from playing soccer and Frisbee on the Green all the time.
6. Gile
Ah, the Gile fire tower. If this is your favorite summer hike, you’re most likely a romantic with a penchant for sunsets who prefers climbing wooden steps to actually climbing a taller mountain for pretty views. See “Holt’s Ledge.”
7. Mt. Hunger
Clearly you aren’t afraid of a challenge. You know this hike will be worth it in the end when you get down to the bottom and immediately drive to the Ben & Jerry’s Factory. Also, you’re a foodie and you’ve read the entire Hunger Games series at least ten times. You were obsessed with Hungry, Hungry Hippos as a child. You’re a picky eater. I’m not making this up — these are just the facts.
8. Other
You’re actually outdoorsy and have hiked all of the above before, leading you to branch out from the standard hikes to find your own cool mountain to brag about to your friends later. Your friends label you as “the crunchy one” but you know you’re just embracing all that Dartmouth’s location has to offer. You prefer trees over people.