Dippikill--UAlbany's own little Walden

There is something soothing, almost spiritual, about the feeling of connection with nature during an overnight stay at Dippikill, an 853-acre wilderness retreat in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains about 70 miles north of Albany. No one would guess that this serene rustic destination is owned and operated by the Student Association of the University at Albany and is the largest student-owned retreat in the country. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Dippikill's original 700 acres were purchased for $10,000 and later two more land acquisitions added to the property.

Word is getting out about what was once one of UAlbany's best-kept secrets. Dippikill is steadily increasing in popularity and attendance has nearly doubled in the past decade, to 5,200 overnight guests in 2004. Alumni have come from as far away as Hawaii, Germany and Japan. Reservations continue to climb and must be made well in advance since the entire facility (95-person capacity overall) is often fully booked on weekends year-round. Students, alumni, faculty, staff and those with a UAlbany affiliation receive preference when making reservations.

When you come, be prepared to split your own firewood to heat your cabin, draw water from a hand pump, make do with gas lamps instead of electricity and leave behind all modern conveniences such as cell phones (which don't work anyway in the wilderness). It's the perfect unplugged vacation.

	From left, Matthew, Willow, Rowan, Dennie and Hawthrorne.

Those who visit Dippikill - including President Kermit Hall, who came for a day last August to a Student Association retreat - consistently praise the hard work and stewardship of caretakers Matthew Scott, his wife, Dennie Swan-Scott, and their three children, Hawthorne 7, Willow, 4, and Rowan, 3 months (each named for a species of tree that grows at Dippikill). The Scotts have been running the place for the past eight years and have made substantial improvements to the facilities. They also give logging demonstrations, lead nature hikes and offer instruction on caring for the environment.

"It makes me appreciate nature more by going every year," said Amanda Thornton, an accounting major from Binghamton. Since her freshman year, she's visited Dippikill once each semester with other members of a campus running club, Albany Running Exchange. "The trails are really great to run on and we're enjoying beautiful scenery as we train," she said. Their workouts includes running in the snow in winter. In between, they go sledding and ice skating just for fun.

Adapted from an article by Paul Grondahl, M.A.'84, for the spring 2006 issue of UAlbany magazine.

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