Mt. Nittany

Spring has sprung! Flowers have begun to bloom as life emerges once again from the dormant trees. Like the vegetation, students spend the days outside enjoying the sun rather than retreating from gusts of bitterly cold wind. With such glorious weather, this was the perfect week to try climbing Mt. Nittany. 

The mountain is said to be named after Nit-A-Nee, a Native American woman whose lover was killed. After Nit-A-Nee buried her lost lover, a violent storm came and raised her lover’s burial mound until it grew to the size of the mountain.¹

Today this massive burial mound is known as Mt. Nittany and is a Penn State University landmark. With hiking trails between 2 and 8 miles long, it is a popular location for students and locals alike.

My friend Ana, a local of Centre County and experienced Mt. Nittany hiker, drove use to the base of the mountain. There were parked cars lined up along the road by the start of the hiking trail. Clearly, trekking Mt. Nitanny was popular and I was excited to start the climb for myself! After taking a brief look at a map of the trails, Ana and I began the climb.

Following white markers, we wandered up the path among the trees. It didn’t take very long until I was out of breath and perspiring – the incline was a lot steeper than I had thought it would be! Thankfully there were spots at which to rest along the path. We, of course, took advantage of these.

The path eventually went from soft dirt to rocks. Now not only did we have to reckon with the incline but also with out footing. Personally I enjoyed the added challenge; to me it was part of the adventure! Eventually our path went back to a safer footing and, as we got closer to the summit, the incline lessened. 

At last we reached the top! Sweaty and with thumping hearts, we walked over to a clearing which revealed a magnificent view of Happy Valley. The view was well worth the hike – from it we could see the town and campus below.

We weren’t the only ones taking in the view – a number of couples sat quietly together. Being the only group of two not romantically involved, at first our presence felt a bit out of place. Then again, the presence of the couples meant there were potential photographers to take a picture of Ana and me!

Venturing up Mt. Nittany was difficult, yet at the same time it was fun and rewarding. Seeing Penn State from above was a really neat occurrence. Hiking up the mountain is a great activity to with other –friend or significant other—and I would highly recommend it to anyone. What’s more, after exerting energy to reach the summit and see the gorgeous view, it’s all downhill from there.


As a side note, since I donated blood to the Red Cross, earlier this week I received a letter from them. In it was their appreciation for my donation and a card with my blood type which, as it turns out, is O Negative!


1Hike Mount Nittany. "The Legend of Mount Nittany." 21 March 2012. Web. <http://www.hikemountnittany.com/>.