Sometimes the smaller mountains offer the perfect challenge. Taking @riverdalecs student up Mt. Van Hoevenberg was ideal with the windy and cold conditions. Each kid got to lead the pack, we learned about staying warm in frigid conditions, how to chop steps in icy bits, and experienced gale force winds at the summit — a full-on day for a “low” peak! Olympic-caliber crew; I’d give ‘em gold. 🏔️ 🥇

Group of six hikers pose energetically on a snowy mountain top holding trekking poles surrounded by snow-covered trees and a foggy mountainous background. A person wearing winter gear is using an ice axe to climb a frozen waterfall, with another climber observing beside them in a snowy forest setting. Four people stand in snowfall wearing winter gear smiling and gesturing outside a building labeled “MT VAN HOEVEN” with snow-covered structures in the background.