November Pre-hike '05

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CREW:
It just does not get any more fun than this for me. We had our usual misadventures getting started. Charles forgot his boots and the Genuine Spinner Van had to turn back. We avoided a Chinese fire drill to start, left in good order, had an excellent supper in Baldwin, got to the cabin in good time, stripped our food packages and prepared our packs for Sat. am. Max of 5 hours sleep before we were up having a luscious Philmont breakfast before hitting the road. Crew Nathan was hiking S to N while Crew Corey was N to S. I can report more on Crew Nathan. We were on the trail after some pics by a cooperative through-hiker by 9:30. PERFECT, PERFECT WEATHER!! It started in the mid thirties with a high, blue sky and rose to the forties soon with a rumored peak at 50. Steep climb to start but nothing like Crew Corey. Of course, it being fall there was a lovely blanket of leaves. Since it had not rained in some time and there had been little foot traffic on the AT, the leaves were incredibly slick and hid every possible trail obstruction. Matthew S. amused us all with his frequent turtle imitations (you know, where you fall on your back and wave your arms and legs in the air). We made great time with Matthew C. in the lead, had a yummy, yummy chicken lunch (that was chicken, right?) and made it to the shelter by 3:15. Lots and lots of great views on the way. Crew Corey came in about 15 minutes later, having had an exhilarating climb for the first 5 1/2 miles of their trek. Corey was loaded to the gills and is officially a trail mule. He immediately unloaded and played with his new Miox toy for hours and hours. Matthew S. and Sam managed to gift wrap a large tree with our bear rope (sigh - there goes our LNT award for the weekend) but Corey and friends devised a creative alternative using a ravine and a few carabiners. Matthew C., Sam, Sameer, and Nathan set up the dining fly in picture perfect style and Adrian, Sam, Nathan, and Sameer cooked a wonderful Mexican feast topped off with genuine trail cheesecake. After thorns, roses, and buds, we all retired to our hovels for a well earned night's sleep. The Whizzer Sisters (minus one), Sameer, and Corey braved the shelter. I spent the night creatively imitating a bear (sry, Adrian) and woke myself up in the middle of the morning just in time to hear the sleet that came through with an overnight front. That's what Ganesh gets for wishing for inclement weather as he closed his eyes to sleep. We actually made it out of camp in less than 2 hours Sun. morn although we had breakfast on the fly. Matthew S. wins the Speedy award. Matthew C. and Sam were most improved (any improvement by them over the last hike would have won the award but they were two of the first to finish packing). Charles gets the Pokey Puppy award, mostly because he still hasn't learned how to strap his ever popular chair on to his backpack. It was perfect weather on the way out Sun.-- overcast skies with a light breeze to keep us moving. Nathan earned the nickname (temporary?) of Pace Car for his excellent lead out of camp. Charles took over for Matthew S. in the fall department and did an excellent toboggan down the slope plus a face plant save into my backpack later in the day. Excellent views again on the way out of the lake and dam leading to a long string of dam puns. Matthew S. played Santa or the Easter Bunny and distributed massive quantities of chocolates. Incredible time made to Lake Fontana followed by the traditional stop at The Old Clayton Inn for a buffet extravaganza. Congratulations to all. Be sure and ask Charles about his left boot double to begin the trip (with his resulting expertise on hiking in tennis shoes) and his porcelain double to end it. Special kudos to the Whizzer Sisters for fewest stops ever. Commendations to all the OFs for showing such great wheels. Truly a great hike with a great bunch of people. I can't wait to do this again!

Don W.
Advisor, Crew 149

Participating youth: Adrian A., Matthew C., Nathan P., Matthew S., Sameer V., Charles W., Jake W., and Sam W.
Participating adults: Chris F., Bob P., Ganesh V., Don W., Susan W.  

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