Successful assault team who climbed Mt. Katahdin on New Year's Day, 1963

Back row left to right: Steve Fisher ’65, Alexander Caskey ’64, Art Watson ’64, Austie Mason’63. Front row: Charlie Daloz ’65, Mr. Biddle, Alan Gauld ’64.

Perhaps the ultimate Outing Club “caper” of our era: a winter ascent of Katahdin. Even today this seems like serious stuff, but back then it was merely exciting. Bill planned the trip to occur over Christmas break. After the holiday, we drove up to Roaring Brook in the Travelall, and skied and snowshoed in and up to Chimney Pond, accompanied by the obligatory Park Ranger, and set up in a cabin there that had a big wood stove. We waited out a furious blizzard for a couple of days, then went up Cathedral on snowshoes through deep snow, then cramponed up from the Table Land to the summit, wearing our best army-surplus crampons. Coming back down, we practiced our glissading skills through several hundred feet of descent until we hit the trees. It was New Year’s Day. Back at the cabin, Alexander Caskey opened a split of champagne that he had thoughtfully brought up with him and placed in a snowbank – only to have it instantly freeze solid! (Why did it do that – I never can remember.)

Our return to civilization took place about 3 days later than planned, because of the storm that we had waited out. Katahdin Climbers Trapped in the Storm — this was a newsworthy event! We were interviewed by the local newspaper, and our picture appeared alongside the article.