April 2-3, 2011
Organized by: Darcy Rose Mckinley Lester
This introduction to backpacking was designed to be a chance for people who never have gone hiking to get an idea of just how awesome it can be. The group left under high spirits and even higher energy, even for 8:30 in the morning. Once they hit the trail it was soon obvious that this wasn't going to be an ordinary trek. First there was the snow, lots more snow than most had predicted. While it made for awesome pictures it made an even better weapon. A small scale war broke out. The two nations of The Democratic Group That Likes to Throw Snowballs in the Vicinity of Darcy, and The People's Republic Next to Darcy Who Like Catching Snowballs competed. There are no winners in war. The land is now strewn with unexploded ordinance that only the great hands of time can ever hope to clean. There lies a single unmarked grave where one snowman now resides. His sacrifice will never be forgotten. In time those who fought in this conflict will return to pay their respects to the fallen and mourn their loss. The following are but a few of the pictures recovered. They will forever serve to illustrate to future generations the tale of this trip.
All gave some. These few gave all:
Darcy
Jarrett
Nick
Dave
Ryan
Jania
Jordan
Maya
Lyndsie
James
Dan
Jack
Lena
Craig
April 3, 2011
March 27, 2011
WILD
March 26-27, 2011
Organized by: Dan Trew
The Spring WILD session was a spicy time of happiness wrapped in a burrito of fun and topped with the guacamole of education. The group ventured once again into the wilderness to learn about outdoor leadership. Once there the weather, while chilly, stayed rather nice. All in all everyone had fun and no one died.
A video chronicling the event can be found here: http://www.vimeo.com/21670082
Organized by: Dan Trew
The Spring WILD session was a spicy time of happiness wrapped in a burrito of fun and topped with the guacamole of education. The group ventured once again into the wilderness to learn about outdoor leadership. Once there the weather, while chilly, stayed rather nice. All in all everyone had fun and no one died.
A video chronicling the event can be found here: http://www.vimeo.com/21670082
February 13, 2011
Allegheny Front Trail
February 12-13, 2011
Organized by Dan Trew
This adventurous group of peeps ventured forth into the snowy wilds of the Allegheny Front Trail for some winter backpacking. This crazy troop soon learned that the snow was not just snow but death, layered into snow. A thick layer of ice below the first snow layer covered up yet another layer of death snow waiting to consume a person's foot. The ice would hold initially, but low, it would break sucking your foot into the crystalline fluff making it a bazillion times harder to walk. The group ditched the original 6 miles for the first day and opted for a shorter 3 miles of snowy back road walking. All in all this group of hardy pioneers had a great time and no one died.
Organized by Dan Trew
This adventurous group of peeps ventured forth into the snowy wilds of the Allegheny Front Trail for some winter backpacking. This crazy troop soon learned that the snow was not just snow but death, layered into snow. A thick layer of ice below the first snow layer covered up yet another layer of death snow waiting to consume a person's foot. The ice would hold initially, but low, it would break sucking your foot into the crystalline fluff making it a bazillion times harder to walk. The group ditched the original 6 miles for the first day and opted for a shorter 3 miles of snowy back road walking. All in all this group of hardy pioneers had a great time and no one died.
December 5, 2010
Rustic Cabin Camping 2010
December 3-5, 2010
Organized by Dan Trew
This cabin camping trip revisited the same cabin as last year in Black Moshannon State Park. The only difficulty of this trip was getting there as the ground was covered with snow and ice. It was not that cold, and it snowed very little during the actual weekend but had snowed the day before the trip. The cabin was in excellent condition and well maintained with large quantities of wood nearby. There is no running water in the cabin, a small inconvenience but not much more. Many board-games were played as well asa fun game of charades. Fun was had by all, no one died. The cabin is moderately priced and well maintained with ample game playing space.
Organized by Dan Trew
This cabin camping trip revisited the same cabin as last year in Black Moshannon State Park. The only difficulty of this trip was getting there as the ground was covered with snow and ice. It was not that cold, and it snowed very little during the actual weekend but had snowed the day before the trip. The cabin was in excellent condition and well maintained with large quantities of wood nearby. There is no running water in the cabin, a small inconvenience but not much more. Many board-games were played as well asa fun game of charades. Fun was had by all, no one died. The cabin is moderately priced and well maintained with ample game playing space.
November 24, 2010
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
November 19-24, 2010
Organized by: Emily Riddle
This Thanksgiving Break trip to the Great Smoky Mountains was a little more "intense" than the other trip that went out. The group average was 10 miles per day, but the work was worth it. The following is a recount of the events during the trip as told by Emily [when you see these I added a comment].
The very spooky night our last night in the backcountry. Extremely large amounts of mist/ fog that limited our visibility to approximately 10[!] feet. Felt like a scene from "The Mist'... seriously. We were all ready for a foreign animal [watch out for those immigrant bears] or zombie attack at any moment. Along with the mist, the extremely high winds blowing our tarps around all night made for about 10 hours with very little sleep.
Aside from the spooky night at Icewater shelter the trip was FABULOUS! Many great expansive vistas - Charlie's Bunion is just one. The 3rd day on the trail we hiked along the AT along the state line between TN and NC. We could see for miles and miles over the mountain ranges of both states - pretty awesome. Also, along the AT shelters, bear bag ropes, and outhouses are established in the backcountry.. yes it is very luxurious. [You needed Sherpas]
Oh.. and many many pudding packs were eaten during our short stint in the backcountry (8 by me alone... )[funny, considering you don't even eat cookies.].. delicious to say the least. [cookies everywhere are crying]
Use the bear bag ropes provided - bears are a known problem. [especially the foreign ones...]
Be prepared to hike with lots of elevation change - we were only hiking 8-11 mile days and were sufficiently tuckered out. One could easily hike for 3 to 8 hours.. uphill the entire time. However, the views and vistas are well well worth it.
Also, make sure you at least take a drive to the top of Clingman's Dome (6,643 ft). It is the 3rd highest peak east of the Mississippi River just short of Mount Mitchell (6,684 ft) and Mount Craig (6,647 ft).
One last thing.. Gatlinburg, TN is a crazy tourist town.. [I've been there] if anyone else does a similar trip, time budget for at least a bit of time to walk around the town.. it is filled with an upside-down house, a titanic replica thing [it's just as random as you'd think, considering TN is landlocked], castles, go carts, ski lifts over the town, Ripley's believe-it-or-not, hard rock cafe, and many more ridiculous attractions.
Get outside and explore!
Members in Attendance:
Greg Smith
Mike Collins
Catherine Hewlett
Emily Riddle
Organized by: Emily Riddle
This Thanksgiving Break trip to the Great Smoky Mountains was a little more "intense" than the other trip that went out. The group average was 10 miles per day, but the work was worth it. The following is a recount of the events during the trip as told by Emily [when you see these I added a comment].
The very spooky night our last night in the backcountry. Extremely large amounts of mist/ fog that limited our visibility to approximately 10[!] feet. Felt like a scene from "The Mist'... seriously. We were all ready for a foreign animal [watch out for those immigrant bears] or zombie attack at any moment. Along with the mist, the extremely high winds blowing our tarps around all night made for about 10 hours with very little sleep.
Aside from the spooky night at Icewater shelter the trip was FABULOUS! Many great expansive vistas - Charlie's Bunion is just one. The 3rd day on the trail we hiked along the AT along the state line between TN and NC. We could see for miles and miles over the mountain ranges of both states - pretty awesome. Also, along the AT shelters, bear bag ropes, and outhouses are established in the backcountry.. yes it is very luxurious. [You needed Sherpas]
Oh.. and many many pudding packs were eaten during our short stint in the backcountry (8 by me alone... )[funny, considering you don't even eat cookies.].. delicious to say the least. [cookies everywhere are crying]
Use the bear bag ropes provided - bears are a known problem. [especially the foreign ones...]
Be prepared to hike with lots of elevation change - we were only hiking 8-11 mile days and were sufficiently tuckered out. One could easily hike for 3 to 8 hours.. uphill the entire time. However, the views and vistas are well well worth it.
Also, make sure you at least take a drive to the top of Clingman's Dome (6,643 ft). It is the 3rd highest peak east of the Mississippi River just short of Mount Mitchell (6,684 ft) and Mount Craig (6,647 ft).
One last thing.. Gatlinburg, TN is a crazy tourist town.. [I've been there] if anyone else does a similar trip, time budget for at least a bit of time to walk around the town.. it is filled with an upside-down house, a titanic replica thing [it's just as random as you'd think, considering TN is landlocked], castles, go carts, ski lifts over the town, Ripley's believe-it-or-not, hard rock cafe, and many more ridiculous attractions.
Get outside and explore!
Members in Attendance:
Greg Smith
Mike Collins
Catherine Hewlett
Emily Riddle
Neusiok Trail North Carolina-- Thanksgiving Break 2010
November 19-24, 2010
Organized by: Joe Moran
This relaxed trip to "the beach" took place over the 2010 Thanksgiving Break. The crew left a little later than expected due to a map confusion and a utter mistrust of GPS technology, however the group did eventually leave for the great Atlantic Ocean. Upon arrival the group decided to take a break and sleep for a few hours on the visitor center lawn. After the brief nap they spent the day on the beach, running around in the ocean, and playing with lacquered wood balls. The next few days were spent on the trial, or board walk, or road, or whatever the forest service calls the thing you hike on. Baring the occasional fly-over by Marine Harriers and the never-ending road, the group had an awesome time sleeping on the beach and in shelters. The super-chill nature of the trip provided adequate time for the group to bond, and friends were made all around. For more details ask one of the people who went, as the trip cannot be fully expressed in this trip report. Everyone had an awesome time and no one died, also Joe took great pictures.
Members in Attendance:
Joe Moran
Dan Trew
Dave Himes
Sean Meadows
Bethany Johns
Tom Johnston
Organized by: Joe Moran
This relaxed trip to "the beach" took place over the 2010 Thanksgiving Break. The crew left a little later than expected due to a map confusion and a utter mistrust of GPS technology, however the group did eventually leave for the great Atlantic Ocean. Upon arrival the group decided to take a break and sleep for a few hours on the visitor center lawn. After the brief nap they spent the day on the beach, running around in the ocean, and playing with lacquered wood balls. The next few days were spent on the trial, or board walk, or road, or whatever the forest service calls the thing you hike on. Baring the occasional fly-over by Marine Harriers and the never-ending road, the group had an awesome time sleeping on the beach and in shelters. The super-chill nature of the trip provided adequate time for the group to bond, and friends were made all around. For more details ask one of the people who went, as the trip cannot be fully expressed in this trip report. Everyone had an awesome time and no one died, also Joe took great pictures.
Members in Attendance:
Joe Moran
Dan Trew
Dave Himes
Sean Meadows
Bethany Johns
Tom Johnston
November 14, 2010
Allegheny Front Trail
November 12-14
Organized by: Dan Trew
The semi-annual trip to the Allegheny Front Trail this year went out under a little fairer conditions than the last year. This time there was nothing but stars when the group set out for the south-half of the AFT. The group managed to not get lost at all and spent most of the day hiking along and enjoying the scenery. Much fun was had by and no one died. Also: there was a stellar presentation given on this trip, if you missed it then you are living an incomplete life.
Members in Attendance:
Greg Lilik
Daniel Gonzalez
John Groh
Jasmine Smith
Nathan Stevens
Dan Trew
Organized by: Dan Trew
The semi-annual trip to the Allegheny Front Trail this year went out under a little fairer conditions than the last year. This time there was nothing but stars when the group set out for the south-half of the AFT. The group managed to not get lost at all and spent most of the day hiking along and enjoying the scenery. Much fun was had by and no one died. Also: there was a stellar presentation given on this trip, if you missed it then you are living an incomplete life.
Members in Attendance:
Greg Lilik
Daniel Gonzalez
John Groh
Jasmine Smith
Nathan Stevens
Dan Trew
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
