FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bates and area high school students to celebrate Peaks Day

LEWISTON, Maine -- Approximately 50 Bates College and area high school students will celebrate the Bates Outing Club's 79th birthday by holding Peaks Day Saturday, Oct. 17. Led by members of the Bates Outing Club, the second oldest collegiate outing club in the country, 20 small groups of hikers from Bates and area high schools will attempt to reach the major summits along the Appalachian Trail in Maine and New Hampshire by 3 p.m. Saturday.

According to Philip Andersen, a Bates sophomore from Camden who is coordinating the trips, Peaks Day is held annually to encourage participation in Outing Club activities and promote appreciation for the outdoors. All trips will leave the Outing Club headquarters by 8 a.m. for New Hampshire's Mount Washington and Carter Dome, as well as several over 4,000-foot peaks in Maine, including Old Speck, Bigelow, Saddleback, Sugarloaf and Abraham.