On the Road Again: 50 Years After Peddie’s Outing Club Trip to Alaska

In June 1976, as the nation prepared for its bicentennial celebration, a red, white and blue-painted Greyhound bus pulled out of Hightstown 
 with The Peddie School Outing Club” proudly emblazoned on its sides. For nearly 10 weeks, it carried four faculty members, three dozen students and even two dogs across 17,000 miles, through 26 states and four Canadian provinces, all the way to Alaska.

Nevin Hofing ’77 still remembers the weeks-long odyssey. “The trip inspired me to see America,” he said. Having checked 49 states off his visit list so far in his lifetime (Hawaii remains), Hofing credited that summer with sparking his lifelong love for travel. “It opened my eyes to America. People always want to rush off to Europe or the Caribbean, but there’s so much beauty here at home.”

The adventure was a classic American road trip: camping under the stars, hiking, fishing in streams, and, uniquely, serving as New Jersey’s ambassadors to a nation celebrating its 200th birthday. New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne had charged the group with delivering bicentennial greetings to leaders across the country. In Juneau, they even marched in the city’s Fourth of July parade as official “Bicentennial Ambassadors.”

There were challenges, too: Their bus broke down and had to be towed 250 miles, and one student required an emergency appendectomy in Fairbanks. But the obstacles only deepened the group’s resilience. “We all kind of pitched in to do what needed to be done,” Hofing recalled. “We became this really tight group. We definitely all bonded.”

The journey was the brainchild of John Scott, Peddie’s director of guidance and counseling, and lifelong outdoorsman. Scott spent two years planning the expedition and rallying students to sell candy bars and more to raise funds. Before they departed, Scott told the Chronicle: “It’s the idea, even the germ of an idea, and the willingness to act on it, that makes life exciting.”

Now, Hofing is leading an effort to reconnect his fellow travelers and commemorate the adventure’s 50th anniversary. The inspiration came while cleaning out his mother’s house. “I found all my ‘On to Alaska’ stuff, the itinerary, the pictures,” he said. “I thought, it’s been 50 years, we have to do something.”

Though the official in-person celebration will coincide with the Class of 1977’s 50th reunion in 2027, the planning and reminiscing have already begun. Hofing remains close with fellow travelers like Bill Wiener ’77, Mike Dempsey ’78 and Barry Moore ’79.

“When you went on that trip, you earned bragging rights,” Hofing laughed. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.”

The spirit of the Outing Club may yet return to Peddie. English teacher Joe La Bella ’03 and student Massimo Sheinin ’27 are working to revive the club for a new generation.

Last spring, they planned a trip to the Delaware Water Gap, but weather forced a cancellation. Instead, they improvised, building bonfires on campus, roasting hot dogs and s’mores, and storytelling. “Young people don’t spend as much time in unstructured space,” La Bella said. “We want to give them that same sense of exploration.”

This year, La Bella and Sheinin hope to build gradually, starting with small, on-campus campouts and progressing to backpacking trips on the Appalachian Trail. “I don’t want a student’s first camping experience to be negative,” La Bella explained. “We want to build comfort and skills step by step, so by the time we go off campus, they’re ready.”

For La Bella, helping reimagine the Outing Club feels like continuing a story. “We recognize the formative value of getting young people outside into the world for their own sense of self.”

Peddie Outing Club Alaska ’76 alumni: Get in touch with Nevin Hofing ’77 at ontoalaskain76@gmail.com as plans for a reunion take shape.