USNA TRADITION: HERNDON MONUMENT CLIMB
As another school year draws to a close and gradation quickly approaches, so do the end of year Academy traditions. The Naval Academy Herndon Monument climb is one of these epic rituals dating back to the 1940’s.
“The climb” takes place every year to culminate the end of “plebe year” and involves dozens of first-years climbing on each other’s shoulders to get to the top of a 21-foot monument. The students work together to form human pyramids and create ropes made of T-shirts in order to remove the “dixie cup” hat at the monument’s peak and substitute it with an upperclassmen’s hat.
It is worth noting that older midshipmen have covered the monument with approximately 50 pounds of vegetable shortening and butter.
Plebes work together to overcome the monument climb at record times all while being sprayed with water by upperclassman. Check out Herndon Monument Climb records for the document speed of each classes wins!!
