Mountain Day!

Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • October 18, 2021

Everyone should have a Mountain Day! Mine was September 30th this year.


What is Mountain Day you ask? Well, it is a LONG tradition at my alma mater – Mount Holyoke College (MHC) – and something we all looked forward to – and still do. We anticipate it – wondering if the beautiful, crisp fall day being forecasted will be the day.  Mt. Holyokers awake – or maybe do not – to the pealing on the College bells at 7AM alerting the campus to the fact that it is Mountain Day. This signifies a day free of classes and a chance to climb to the summit Mount Holyoke in a longstanding tradition at MHC. Bag lunches are provided and everyone in the Pioneer Valley knows its Mountain Day at MHC as students take over the PVTA – the bus service that serves the five colleges.


When I say longstanding – I mean VERY long. This is the college’s oldest tradition, dating back to our founder Mary Lyon and 1838. Besides women’s education she was also about making sure that women got outside and exercised so imagine what this looked like in 1838.


Even though I graduated many eons ago, we all continue to try and take part in Mountain Day no matter where we are. Mine was a lunch time drive out to Cisco where I birded briefly – binoculars on beach, water, and the pines. It also brought me emails and texts from fellow   alum – including my friend and sophomore roommate who is living in Rome. (We will allow for the fact that she transferred elsewhere our senior year – pulled by the college she attended on junior year exchange. But see the influence of Mountain Day?)


Many colleges have traditions but the women’s colleges, especially the Seven Sisters, have ones that have been around for so long and very much maintained in their original spirit or form. Take Founders Day at MHC (and Porter Deacon’s Hat – story for another day) and M&Cs. 


JNLF

Recent Posts

Keep Calm and Bird On: October 2026

October 1, 2026
“If you don’t look, you don’t see. You have to go and look.” -Edith Andrews

Celebrating Maria’s Discovery of a Comet – October 1, 1847

By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • October 1, 2026
10mo 1, 1847. {October 1, 1847} This evening at half past ten Maria discovered a telescopic comet five degrees above Polaris. Persuaded that no nebulae could occupy that position unnoticed it scarcely needed the evidence of motion to give it the character of a comet. From the journals of William Mitchell, father of Maria. One hundred and seventy-nine years later! JNLF

Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association to Host Annual Aquarium Release Day Saturday, October 10

September 30, 2026
The Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) announces that its annual Aquarium Release Day will take place on Saturday, October 10, 2026 from 10am - 12pm at the MMA Aquarium at 32 Washington Street. A sensory-friendly half hour will be offered from 9:30 – 10am. Join MMA staff to help the staff release this season’s Aquarium inhabitants back into the ocean. This community event is FREE to the public and a great opportunity to learn and celebrate the marine life that lives in the waters of Nantucket Island. The MMA Aquarium is dedicated to educating the public on the importance of biodiversity in our unique marine ecosystems found here on Nantucket. Each summer, the MMA Aquarium Manager, Chelsea Petrik, as well as her team of dedicated college interns and volunteers, explore the shores of Nantucket to find and document an assortment of over 7,500 individual marine animals, most of which are recorded and released. They snorkel, seine, and beachcomb to collect over 300 different marine animals. The animals are studied and cared for at the Aquarium so that the MMA can help people to learn more about these important marine organisms. Roughly seventy different species are featured at the Aquarium throughout the season. Local fishermen also provide the Aquarium with species they come across in their nets and at the end of their lines. Pre-registration is encouraged. Register at the link below: https://112458a.blackbaudhosting.com/112458a/2025-Aquarium-Release-Day-10Oct2026 The Maria Mitchell Association is a private non-profit organization. Founded in 1902, the MMA works to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. The Maria Mitchell Association operates two observatories, a natural science museum, an aquarium, a research center, and preserves the historic birthplace of Maria Mitchell. A wide variety of science and history-related programming is offered throughout the year for people of all ages. ###
Show More