Robert Frost Ashes Prank

Genre Prank, Joke

Language English

Country of Origin United States

Informant Paul Spangfort

Date Collected February 26, 2018

Collected by Robin Jayaswal

Informant Data

Paul Spangfort is an international student from Hong Kong. At Dartmouth, he has done several overnight hiking and cabin trips. Furthermore, his First Year Trip was a hiking one, and that trip remains one of his most memorable experiences at Dartmouth.

Contextual Data

“First Year Trips” is a long-running tradition at Dartmouth that puts freshman (colloquially called ‘trippees’ in this context) into different groups, gives each group two upperclassmen leaders (known as ‘trip leaders’), and sends the groups out to spend several days in the outdoors. Different groups focus on different things during these days, for example some go canoeing, some go rock climbing, and some do day-long hikes. Paul was in a group that hiked the hills and mountains in the area, and thus he was very quickly introduced to the hiking culture at Dartmouth. One tradition among trip leaders is to play jokes on their ‘trippees’, and the hiking trip leaders have some hiking specific ones. Paul shared one that he still remembers clearly, because it completely had him fooled, something very few other pranks ever have.

Item

Upon reaching a place in the hike with a great viewpoint, the trip leaders suggest the group take a break. While the trippees refresh, the trip leaders pull out a small tin and ask everyone to gather round. “This year is a very special year for trips,” they begin. “Years ago, Robert Frost requested that his ashes be spread among the trees and grant of New Hampshire, and this year it was decided to fulfill his request. There was an essay contest for the trip leaders, and our submission was actually chosen as one of the winners who would have the right to spread his ashes.” They reveal what is in the tin, which greatly resembles ashes. At this point, the young trippees are typically in awe. One trip leader begins to read a Frost poem, while the other holds their hand over the side of the cliff, gently letting the ‘ashes’ slip through their fingers. Midway through the poem, to the horror of the trippees, the trip leader spreading the ashes nonchalantly licks his or her finger and looks at it approvingly to suggest it tastes good. The trip leader then suggests the others try as well, acting as if the trippees are crazy for thinking the trip leaders are crazy. After much confusion and disgust, it is revealed that the whole thing was a prank, and the tin was actually just filled with cocoa powder. The initial awe, the immediate turn to disgust and denial, and the relief at the end create an intense emotional roller coaster ride that few are likely to forget. Its no surprise this one is remembered by the future trip leaders and lives on year after year!

Trip leaders trick trippees into thinking cocoa powder is Robert Frost’s ashes

Source: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/item-img/2960_09_15_2015__15_53_43_700