The Fifty — a Dartmouth tradition in which eight or nine teams of four students hike around 54 miles from Moosilauke Ravine Lodge to Robinson Hall on campus — will take place this year on the weekend of Aug. 8. The hike lasts between 24 and 36 hours, with six support stations along the way providing hikers with food, water and medical care. Students at the support stations often dress in flair, providing moral as well as physical support.
This year, 200 students on 46 teams applied, only eight of which were ultimately selected from a competitive lottery. The Dartmouth sat down with Colleen Bailey ’28, who has been organizing the support stations and volunteers that will assist with the Fifty along with fellow directors Grace Wheelan ’28 and Cooper Hindshaw ’28, and Elsa Aslanian ’28, whose team was selected for this summer’s hike, to discuss the logistics of planning the event, their motivations for participating and what to look forward to this August.
What inspired you to want to be the director of the Fifty?
Colleen Bailey: I wanted to direct the Fifty because I was on the support crew last year. I think it’s an awesome tradition that represents the best parts of Dartmouth — those being the motivation and determination of this community, as well as the ways we all love to support each other. I also think it shows the silly, fun attitude present at Dartmouth, where we don’t take ourselves too seriously. It reminds me of the same mission as First Year Trips. The Fifty brings the community together in a way that isn’t based around alcohol and Greek life. It’s a way to foster community in a really cool way at Dartmouth.
Can you describe the planning that goes into organizing the event and especially the hikers’ safety? What is managing that responsibility like from the perspective of a student volunteer?
CB: There’s lots of logistics. There is a lot of transportation stuff and the necessity of making sure every support station has people that are medically certified to treat hikers. We need to make sure that there are always enough hands on deck in case something goes wrong. On Cooper [Hindshaw]’s side, he is making sure that the hikers go into the hike being as well informed and prepared as they can be, informing them about what to expect on the trail, possible problems that have emerged in the past and having emergency evacuations plans. Objectively, there are real risks to such an awesome challenge and planning early can help ensure the safety and well-being of everyone who attempts it.
In the vein of risk management, how do you mitigate uncontrollable environmental factors like the weather? In the case of inclement weather, would the event be pushed or canceled?
CB: August is going to be very hot. It will be peak heat, peak tick season and also peak rainy season. It is very likely that the environmental conditions are not going to be the most favorable. However, it would take pretty extreme weather — a hurricane, for example — to cancel the whole thing.
What has been your favorite part about being a director so far? What are you looking forward to for the rest of this planning process?
CB: So far, I have loved all the energy buzzing around. People are just so excited to do this, it’s awesome to see. Looking ahead, I think it’s gonna be super fun to create the support station teams and create qualified and cohesive team environments. I also think it will be super fun the night of, going from station to station and just seeing how much fun everyone's having.
Has there been anything surprising to you so far?
CB: Something that shocked me was the amount of people who applied. There were 46 teams who wanted to participate, around 200 people. I think a lot of people decided on a whim, but it is still pretty cool. There is lots of lore and tradition surrounding the Fifty: people have heard stories about it, their friends have done it, et cetera. It’s been really cool to be a part of.
What motivated you to put your name in the Fifty lottery? What are you looking forward to?
Elsa Aslanian: I had always heard about the Fifty as one of Dartmouth’s big traditions. I remember seeing people my freshman fall come onto the Green after completing it and really idolizing that and thinking about how it seemed like a really cool thing to get to do while you're here. I don’t know when else in my life I’ll have the opportunity to hike 50 miles in a day with all my friends — and I will also have people supporting, and it will be a community-wide thing. It’s awesome. I also love to run and hike, so I feel like the Fifty is another form of extreme outdoor activity that is up my alley.
As a participant, how do you feel about safety and risk management for the event? What's on your mind?
EA: I was not sure if I was going to get a spot this summer, so I feel like I am still wrapping my head around that. But I’ve talked with my team, and we’re going to do one big hike before in the Presidential Mountain Range in New Hampshire and one night hike to practice in advance. Night hiking is not something I’ve really done before. I feel like having that experience will give us more confidence. In terms of training, I’m also really focused on things like making sure I have great hiking boots and sneakers. I want to make sure that I’m not using new gear that hasn't been broken in, for example. I definitely want to have good blister care and make sure to stay hydrated. I think leading up to it, I also want to take care of my body, try not to get injured and continue to hike and run. I feel like there is almost no real way to train for this type of physical activity. At the end of the day, it is going to be very in the moment, just kind of gritting it out.
These interviews have been edited for clarity and length.
