Savoring snowy peaks and chocolate chip pancakes with Outing Club
Picture this: You are stomping up a snow-covered trail with micro spikes attached to your boots to keep from slipping. The hike is shrouded in early morning darkness still, but you begin to catch a glimpse of a pink sunrise at the edge of the sky. It marks the top of the mountain, so you pull out a WhisperLite stove from Skidmore’s gear shed and begin pouring sweet pancake batter over the heat, steam rising and warming your red nose. You and your friends giggle and savor the moment while sprinkling in chocolate chips as a finishing touch.
Calli Frankel ’25 from Sherborn, Massachusetts, remembers this moment fondly. She is an Outing Club leader and enjoys getting creative when bringing student groups out for hikes. Calli joined the Outing Club, because she didn’t have a car but knew she wanted to explore the Adirondack Mountains. Saratoga Springs’ location was a big part of Calli’s reasoning in choosing Skidmore. She says she wanted a small liberal arts college in the mountains around New England, where she could hike and bike and climb and “all that good stuff.” Although Cali recently had surgery on her foot and has been using crutches, she has still stayed involved by being on the club’s executive board, handling more administrative tasks and serving as one the gear shed’s managers.
Calli Frankel ’25 recently had surgery on her foot but has remained active in Outing Club as a manager of its gear shed and member of the club’s executive board.
Although hiking and the outdoors are a big part of Calli’s life, her academic interests vary. She is pursuing a double major in psychology and French. How do these different subjects complement each other?
“Since they're both in the humanities and applicable to all other subjects, they both are ways for me to look at everything else,” Calli said.
She takes a leadership position to her learning, helping to start the new French Peer Academic Coaching (PAC).
“There's always been French tutoring, but we realized that there's a lot of demand for students in intro French classes to get more help,” she told me. “So, we're starting up the French PAC, and it's just like all the other peer academic coaching systems.”
Calli received the first Peer Academic Coach of the Week Award in spring ’23 for taking the lead in getting the French PAC started.
What’s her favorite part about being at Skidmore?
“Not to sound like a Skidmore ad, but the community is so nice. I really like it when you can walk around and see people you know. You see people from your class, in your clubs, and in your dorm, and it's just a culture of friendliness. Being able to walk from one class to another and wave to a few people just makes you feel good.”
If you see Calli walking around campus, make sure to ask her about the jewelry she makes with pliers, wire, and ceramics scraps!
Calli Frankel ’25 prepares chocolate chip pancakes during a snowy Outing Club excursion.