This
article is from the publication Faces of Penn
State, Vol 8 No. 1 Winter 1982. The piece
describes Mountain legends and history.
Things
have changed since it was published. The Outing
Club no longer maintains the trails (the Conservancy
does it now) or hosts a climb up Mt. Nittany to
start the school year. The Haloween "Idiot
Overnight" event has also fallen by the wayside.
What
remains the same is the "special place in
the hearts of Penn Staters" that the Mountain
still holds. At the end, we also are given a glimpse
into the formation of the Mount Nittany Conservancy.
"Not-any
Mountain"
It's not really much of a Mountain. It measures
only 2,077 feet above sea level, or 1,050 feet
above the valley floor - hardly a Himalaya, by
any standards. Irreverent visitors and tourists
at one point dubbed it "Not-any Mountain."
But Mount Nittany looms regally over Penn State
by making up in tradition and familiarity what
it lacks in geological fact. And to every true
Penn Stater, it's as much a part of the University
as the school song which mentions it.
Mt. Nittany is at the fore of the Nittany Mountains,
an 80-mile ridge that stretches from the Centre
Region to the Susquehanna River near Lewisburg.
It's visible from anywhere in the Nittany Valley,
and is, for alumni, the first verification that
they are indeed "home" at their beloved
alma mater.
Mt. Nittany seems always to have owned a special
place in the hearts of Penn Staters, inspiring
romantic and mystic legends as to its origin.
As long ago as 1916, when the mountainous surrounds
of the then Pennsylvania State College were serious
obstacles instead of picturesque scenery, students
waxed poetic about the Indian princess, Nitta-nee.
Legends, as quoted
in the 1916 La Vie yearbook, holds that an old
warrior and his squaw, living in the valley, planted
crops that were wrested from them by a cantankerous
North Wind at harvest time. After several hungry
winters, they were rescued by a mysterious Indian
maid from the hills who taught them to build shields
against the wind. The appreciative Indians called
her Nitta-nee, which meant "wind-breaker."
When she was stricken by a mysterious illness
and died, the warrior and his wife built her a
burial mound which, during a cataclysmic night
storm, was transformed by the Great Spirit into
Mt. Nittany. This version of the legend is joined
by many other slightly varying versions in a clamor
for preeminence. But that has never been a problem,
because the Mountain has always inspired a reverent
mysticism that rises above mere fact.
It was with this reverence that sprang to life
in the fall of 1945. William Ulerich, then editor
at the Centre Daily Times (later to become president
of the University's Board of Trustees), and Russell
Clark got wind of the rumor that the Mountain
would be sold to a lumber company and stripped
of its tress. With only hours left to save the
Mountain, the men bought the upper two-thirds
of Mt. Nittany in the name of Lion's Paw, an honorary
society which uses the Mountain for its "secret"
solemn night induction ceremonies.
The society, which has annually inducted the
outstanding senior students leaders since 1908,
paid $2,000 for 517 acres - a good deal, even
though it's rumored that the "lumber company"
was actually a ruse to speed the sale of the land.
Lion's Paw, which has long promoted the best
traditions of Penn State, has sent many honorees
on to fame in various fields, and many have served
as University trustees. The society and its Alumni
Association were apt choices as stewards of the
Mountain. They dedicated themselves to the preservation
of the Mountain in its present, unspoiled, "green
and growing" state, and designated it "a
shrine to all Penn State alumni who were killed
fighting all the United States' wars."
Since then, the society and association have
increased their holdings to 537 acres and weathered
several attempts to make "improvements"
of all kinds to the Mountain.
Once close call came in 1921, when there was
great popular support for the erection of a gigantic
"S" on the Mountain's face. It would
either have been made of concrete (and painted
white) or of light and dark-leafed trees. The
idea was catching on and gaining monetary support
until its deflation by famous writer and professor
of English Frederick L. Pattee, who called the
addition "a hideous scar" that would
turn the Mountain into a "sensational object"
and "a mere billboard." Enthusiasm waned
immediately thereafter.
Since that threat, there have assuredly been
other, lesser attempts. But the society's stance
has been to quietly ward off all challenges with
minimal fanfare, letting Mountain defend itself
as much as possible. And the Mountain has done
remarkably well; in many cases, the best action
for Lion's Paw to take has been no action.
The "hands-off" policy has worked especially
well in the case of recreational use of Mt. Nittany,
according to Michael "Mr. Mountain"
Lynch, chairman of the Lion's Paw's Mt. Nittany
Committee.
"For many, many years, the Mountain has
been a favorite area for students who want to
hike and camp," Mr. Lynch says. "It's
in use every season of the year. And, since it
has never been abused, we'll continue to rely
on the good sense of the Penn State students,
who've always protected the landmark."
A burst of interest in hiking and camping, the
proximity of the Mountain, and the relative ease
of the climb to the top have made Mt. Nittany
more popular than ever with Penn Staters, according
to Larry C. Brody, president of the Penn State
Outing Club. One of the most popular of the Penn
State traditions is an annual climb up Mt. Nittany
to kick off each school year. The climb is especially
"de rigueur" for freshmen.
"We tell freshmen that it's required for
graduation," Mr. Brody confesses. "After
the climb, some even ask us to sign their cards
saying they've made the climb. We had about 125
people climb it this year, though the crowd varies
with the weather; it has been as high as 300.
After the climb, we provide a free dinner of 'tube
steaks' (hot dogs) and lemonade for everyone at
the base of the Mountain."
The Outing Club's Hiking Division builds and
maintains trails on Mt. Nittany, and sells a hiking
map of the area that includes hiking trails up
the Mountain. The Hal White Trail, named after
the retired associate professor of recreation
and parks who helped start the Outing Club, is
the most popular: it's the best-marked (and easiest)
way to the top.
"There are really only one or two official
trails up, but so many people hike up from Penn
State that there's a network of 'unofficial' trails,"
Mr. Brody says.
"Lots of people are hiking up every day,
with more on weekends. If they don't have classes
the next day, they'll go climb and spend the night.
I hear we've even gotten calls on the easiest
way to roll a keg of beer up."
Probably the newest Mt. Nittany tradition is
the "Idiot Overnight," inspired by Charles
Schultz' "Peanuts" cartoon. On or near
Halloween, groups of students climb to the summit
to await the arrival of "The Great Pumpkin."
Though there have been no verified sightings,
many students keep the vigil.
But not everyone is as fond and protective of
the Mountain as true Penn Staters. Mr. Lynch has
all sorts of stories that he could tell of encroachments
of all kinds; they include the construction of
an unauthorized cable television antenna, a shale
pit, ramshackle huts and shacks, and dirtbike
riders.
It may be the mystique of the Mountain, but Mr.
Lynch says that none of these incidents have ever
managed to disturb it for long. All have ceased
through little or no action of the society, usually
even before they're discovered.
Probably the only lasting "intrusion"
on nature is noteworthy because it occurred more
than 6,000 years ago. University archaeological
researchers have uncovered the remains of an Indian
hunting camp that dates back to 8,000 B.C. The
Derry Site, as it's called, was first located
in 1978, and is being researched by Penn State
doctoral candidate Christopher Stevenson, with
Penn State regional archaeologist Dr. Conran Hay.
Because of its location on the Mountain, the
site was undisturbed by farming or building in
later eras, and offers valuable relics and information
on native American life centuries before Columbus
arrived.
A more recent, but less successful, invasion
attempt came in the spring and summer of 1981,
when the scourge of gypsy moth descended on most
of the northeastern Unites States. Centre County
suffered the most damage of any county in Pennsylvania,
and the defoliation of Mt. Nittany would have
been particularly devastating: one portion of
the bowl shaped Beaver Stadium had been left incomplete
precisely so that Penn Staters could enjoy the
Mountain's flaming fall foliage while the Nittany
Lion football team trounced its victims. But the
ever vigilant Lion's Paw was equal to the task.
Lion's Paw Alumni Association members, who had
been following gypsy moth infestation patterns
over preceding years, were prepared for the onslaught
that caught so many others by surprise. Insecticide
sprayings of most of the Mountain had been arranged
with the county and state in October 1980. The
bill for the sprayings - almost $1,800 - was met
through a fund raising drive within its 625 members
and a $900 donation from the Delta Chi fraternity.
"We were concerned about it three years
ago, and we consulted with entomologists then,"
Mr. Lynch explains. "I'd talked to the alumni
and members of Delta Chi about it, and the president
of the fraternity came to me three years ago to
ask if they could run their annual marathon for
the Mountain."
Mt. Nittany's future can literally be described
as "green and growing," as a motto for
the Mountain says. The growing part reflects Lion's
Paw's continuing efforts to acquire more of the
Mountain. It is moving to buy two more parcels
of land which will put its total holdings over
580 acres.
The green is appropriate because money is needed
to complete the purchases, land surveys, and other
costs. And, according to J. Arthur Stober, president
of the Lion's Paw board of directors, the way
is being made for all Penn Staters to contribute
to the growth and care of their shrine.
"In the past, Lion's Paw members have contributed
money for land purchases, taxes, gypsy moth spraying,
and everything else," he says. "But
now, we're forming the Mount Nittany Conservancy,
Inc., a non-profit corporation dedicated to the
upkeep of the Mountain.
"Anyone will be able to make tax-deductible
donations to the Conservancy, and be assured that
the money will go only for the Mountain,"
he says. Contributions can be made to the Conservancy
in care of Lion's Paw Alumni Association in 104
Old Main, University Park, PA 16802.
