On Wednesday, Sept. 23, Smith had its first virtual Mountain Day. Since 1877, Smithies have honored the school tradition by going to apple orchards with their house communities, and celebrating a beautiful fall day of no classes. This year, however, it was bound to look a little different.
“Wherever you are—whatever your view—I hope this day, this tradition, reminds you of the deep bonds that connect you to this remarkable college and to other Smithies around the world,” President McCartney said in an email sent to students, staff and faculty Wednesday morning.
To get into the Mountain Day spirit, many students celebrated in their own ways from their own places. Aidan Wright ‘22 spent the day with a ‘24 Smithie and the two of them went to a Vermont farm center to look at some animals. They finished the day by walking along some trails and talking about Smith together. “It was nice,” Wright said of her day, “but I missed the morning rush to my friends’ rooms and having picnics on campus. Mostly I missed feeling at home.”
Natalie Morgan ‘24 and Swetha Donepudi ‘24 celebrated their first Mountain Day with a group of other first years at Honey Pot Hill Orchards in Mass. “It was fun!” Morgan said. “I’ve never done Mountain Day before, so I don’t know what it would have been like. I guess I would have known more peoples’ names going into it, though!”
Donepudi also enjoyed the day. “I obviously do not know what a regular Mountain Day would be like,” she said, “but it felt like it would be something similar.”
This year, some Smithies live together in off-campus housing and decided to have their Mountain Days together, too. Sonnet Lockheardt ‘22 went apple picking with her housemates in Stockbridge, Mass. “It was nice,” Lockheardt said, “but I missed my house community and donuts.”
Other Smithies spent the day in other ways, celebrating the time off from classes. Abby Golden ‘23 had a self care day, and enjoyed the time away from her computer. “It was a crafty day,” she said. “I painted a birdhouse, embroidered and made a lavender body scrub…It was a much needed Zoom/screen break. Though it wasn’t the same as a traditional Mountain Day, she still appreciated the time. “It was different as I live in Florida and my apple cider was instead a tropical smoothie,” said Golden. “I was a little sad not to spend the day with friends but it was nice to catch up with them that night and see what they did through Slack posts. I’d like to thank KMac for sending a cool breeze to me in Clearwater!”
“I had a quiet morning with my girlfriend,” said Quinton Celuzza ‘21. “We made tea and coffee and drank them together.” Later that day, he went apple picking with some friends from his house and ate some cider donuts in their backyard. “It was pretty weird!” Celuzza said, “But it felt normal for this year.”
Lauren Forando ‘21 also made sure to have some cider donuts on Mountain Day. She went to Clyde’s Cider Mill in Mystic, Conn. to have donuts and an apple cider slushee. Afterwards, she went on a nature hike to Barn Island, where she took pictures of the salt marshes and egrets. “[It was] great!” She said. “I made the most of the current situation and had a great time connecting with nature and enjoying the fall weather.”
Although this year’s Mountain Day was the first of its kind, Smithies still made the most of their day off, enjoying both old traditions and new.
