Title: The fifty
General Information:
Verbal Lore to describe customary lore, Slang
Language: English
Country of Origin: United States
Informants: Abby Kampernathy, Daniel Dong
Date Collected: November 4th, 2021
Location Collected: Baker Library Lobby, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Informant Data:
Abby Kampernathy is a member of the Dartmouth class of 2025. She is an 18 year old from Syracuse, New York. She is studying on a pre-medical track. Her Dartmouth campus involvements include the Dartmouth Running Club, and Dartmouth Environmentalist Society.
Daniel Dong is a member of the Dartmouth class of 2025 from Bedford, New Hampshire. He is studying computer science. His campus involvements include Model Congress, West House Council, and Bonfire Chair.
Contextual Data:
Social Context: I collected this folklore in the Baker library lobby at Dartmouth College. The two informants both learned this word from their trip leaders, but they learned more about what the Fifty is when they received an email advertising it and went to an information session about it. Trip leaders often pass words like these down, which is a common method by which freshmen attain knowledge of Dartmouth slang. Trip leaders somewhat act as a bridge between ones’ home culture and Dartmouth culture. They ultimately were chosen to hike the Fifty, but did not end up finishing it.
Cultural Context: Dartmouth is known for having a large proportion of the student body who love the outdoors. Therefore, a group of students created a tradition called “the fifty” where students hike 50 miles. This challenge lives amongst many other challenges, such as the Lou’s challenge and the Ledyard challenge, that Dartmouth students try to finish before they graduate.
Item: The fifty; definition: A 52 mile hike from Mount Moolisauke to Hanover, NH which Dartmouth students will complete overnight; example: I’m about to sleep all day tomorrow. I’m going to be exhausted for the Fifty”
Associated File:
Informant’s Comments: Neither informants, especially Abby, seemed to have enjoyed their time doing the fifty. Abby said in particular… . They said they were extremely tired and in pain for the few days after the fifty. In particular, Abby said “I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. Terrible experience”
Collector’s Comments: The Fifty does not seem to be particularly enjoyable, and I personally would not complete the fifty, but many Dartmouth Students seem to love the rush of completing the Fifty
Collector’s Name: Colin Kearns
Tags/ Keywords:
FA21
FA21 – Group 3
Dartmouth
Verbal and Customary Lore
Slang
Traditions and Challenges