Naval Academy Freshmen Cap First Year with 'Herndon Monument Climb'

Dozens of US Naval Academy "plebes" gathered around the Herndon Monument, a 21-foot obelisk, covered in grease on May 23, placing a hat on top of the stone slab to complete the university's 'Herndon Monument Climb' tradition for first years. This video, taken by Brendan Gutenschwager, shows a group of freshmen in Annapolis, Maryland, building a human pyramid to remove a "Dixie cup" hat atop the vegetable-shortening-covered monument and replace it with an upperclassman's hat. Nick McGowan, age 20, was the student who successfully placed the upperclassmanÕs hat on top of the monument, after 3 hours and 37 minutes of trying. ÒIt was a pretty surreal feeling,Ó McGowan told https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2022/05/23/u-s-naval-academy-plebes-cap-first-year-with-herndon-climb/ local media . ÒMy first thought was, ÔHow am I going to get down?Õ The second thought was, ÔDid I just cap Herndon?ÕÓ (Footage by Brendan Gutenschwager/Storyful via Getty Images UGC)