Due to COVID, the Class United States Naval Academy class of 2023 had to postpone the traditional Herndon Climb that usually takes place during Commissioning Week in May of their plebe year (2020). The event has been rescheduled to take place at the beginning of their second class (junior) year, Sunday, August 22nd at 1 pm.
Each year, the roughly 1,000 class members form a human pyramid around the 21-foot tall Herndon Monument to remove a plebe hat, or “dixie cup,” that upperclassmen have placed on the top of the obelisk monument which is covered in vegetable shortening. The midshipman who makes it to the top then replaces the “dixie cup” with a midshipman’s hat. This event is open to the public and widely attended.
The time it takes to complete the task varies, but most typically the event takes between one to three hours to complete.
Check out our coverage of past climbs here, here, and here.
This is open to the public, however, you will need appropriate identification to get onto the yard.
