Fire on the mountain, thanks to Outing Club sky lantern launch

A century ago, Bates students hauled logs and tar barrels up Mount David for massive bonfires to celebrate sports triumphs or to drive away the winter blahs.

Bonfires are a no-no today, but fire on the mountain is still part of Bates life, thanks to a Bates Outing Club tradition known as Children of Midnight.

A few times each year, and on short notice, the BOC announces a Children of Midnight event. The most recent one, on Jan. 29, featured the launch of sky lanterns into the snowy sky above Mount David.

Michelle Pham ’15 of Vancouver writes the blog Musings and Designs, and she describes heading up the mountain to join the Children of Midnight:

Tonight, while writing some notes out for my class, my friend told me that the BOC was hosting “Children of Midnight.” Since I usually work midnight and beyond, of course I had to come when I heard that they were releasing flying sky lanterns tonight. It is snowing heavily in Maine today, and all the pathways glisten and sparkle with fresh crystals of snow. The purity of the snow combined with the warm light of the lanterns created such a mystical ambiance that was entirely beautiful.