U.S. Naval Academy Plebes Cap First Year With Herndon Climb

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Dozens of U.S. Naval Academy freshmen, known as plebes, gathered around a 21-foot tall obelisk covered in lard Monday in Annapolis. Their objective: climb the slippery monument and place a hat on top to mark the end of their first year at the institution.
The Herndon Climb is a Naval Academy tradition that dates back to 1950. The monument is named after Commander William Lewis Herndon, who went down with his ship in a hurricane in 1857.
The plebes work together in the eve