4th Annual Obura Peak Bag Hike
From Steve Hochman ‘88:
"Amazing hike albeit very small crew! Dave Hawley ‘74 and Brad Grenham ‘88.
Jeff Albright ’88 hiked Yosemite with his dad this year. Pam Kislak ‘88 had to bow out last minute due to family issues. Stephen Hemminger got the date wrong and showed up a day early 😂. Shawn and Elaine Zhou, who joined us last year, had a 1.5 year old who is in between walking and being carryable. :)
But we happy few had a spectacular day. Zero wind, perfect temps, Golden Eagles and Ospreys soaring overhead, lots of conversation on mental health, climate change and environment, society and politics, and an impromptu wine tasting at Syncline Winery, where we toasted Omondi’s memory.
We decided the wine tasting will continue as Oregon Peak Bag tradition. Syncline Winery in particular is a magical setting, nestled up in the oak strewn hills above the Columbia.
We had 30 countries this year including exotica like Bhutan, Ghana, Pakistan, Brazil, Tasmania, New Zealand, and again the Antarctic massif. 300+ participants, including newly inaugurated President Beilock and her team (instagram) So the overall event was a big, big success. We are humbled!"
Peak Bag Hike Background
Peak Bag started out in 2020 when a few of us ‘88s got together via Zoom to check in on each other during the pandemic. In the spirit of reconnection round the girdled earth, we started an annual hike that last year included 250 alumni, students and friends and now spans all 7 continents including Antarctica.
The hike is also a memorial event in honor of fellow ‘88 Omondi Obura, who unfortunately years ago took his life due to severe mental health issues. The medical field has come a long way, but there’s still much to be done, especially for kids and young adults. And so we thought what more “Dartmouth” thing than to do than peak bag in Omondi’s memory? And so a tradition was born.
To learn more and see lots of cool maps and pics from prior years’ hikes, please visit: www.peakbag.org.
