Michele (Dogin) Hernandez Bayliss turned 46 in spectacular style this winter, hiking the last of the “Winter Adirondack 46” with a 17-mile, 12-hour hike over three difficult peaks. Fewer than 600 hardy souls have braved these 4,000-foot-plus peaks in frigid temperatures, and Michele seems invigorated by the experience. She writes, “I feel privileged to have the chance to get out in winter and see such beautiful sights. It was in the 1-10 degree range all day, so a cold but exciting finish.” Although there’s no technical climbing, you have to be prepared with crampons, snowshoes and a heavy dose of mental grit. She’s also checked off all 48 of the White Mountains and has a few left in Maine to finish all 115 4,000-foot-plus peaks in the Northeast. She’s become a winter gear expert along the way and, despite all the high-tech wicking material available, she says there’s nothing like good old-fashioned wool. Michele lives in Weybridge, Vermont, and has a 15-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son. When not on the trail she’s better known as the founder of Hernandez College Consulting.


After working in Dartmouth’s development office as a senior philanthropic advisor, Nancy Bernard Felix has moved on to share her talents with the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), joining the USOC in July, just in time for the London games. On her first day in London she was introduced to her new intern, Carolyn Sussman, who turned out to be the daughter of Emily Glasser. Nancy and Emily were able to catch up later that day. Nancy is based in New York and gearing up for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. She’s looking forward to meeting future Dartmouth Olympians. The only ’89 Olympian, Sarah Konrad,made history as the first U.S. female athlete to compete in two different sports at a Winter Olympic games—biathlon and cross-country skiing. She was the oldest member of the U.S. Olympic team in Torino, competing in 2006 at the age of 38. Tim Derrick, former U.S. biathlon team member, helped coach the U.S. team in Nagano in 1998.


Brian Otley returned to Hanover this fall for the 44th annual Dartmouth Relays in Leverone, which also served as a mini-reunion for the 4-year-old alumni group, the Lone Pine Track Club. Brian is one of the group’s founders, along with Dan Ford and Brian Lenihan. Alumni from around the country made the trip to compete in masters division events and cheer on Dartmouth’s men’s and women’s track teams. Brian says the goal is for athletes to have a lifetime connection to the track program through the club so that they stay in touch and meet new people from other eras of the program. They support Dartmouth’s current track program in spirit and through alumni giving and provide an affiliation for older athletes who compete in the masters division. 


Seth Leopold checked in from Seattle, where he’s a professor of orthopedics and sports medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He’s still teaching and doing joint replacement surgery, but he’s taken on a second job as editor-in-chief of the specialty orthopedic journal, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. Seth says he loves thinking about science, along with reading and editing, so despite the steep learning curve he thinks the job will be a good fit. He’s been married to his wife, Jill, for more than two decades and they have two middle school-age daughters, Dagny and Amelia.


Finally, the count down is on! One year until our 25th reunion. Mark the dates in your calendar for June 12-15, 2014.


—Jennifer Avellino, 5912 Aberdeen Road, Bethesda, MD 20817; javellino@mac.com