Great Times on the Trail

Got back to Freedman yesterday afternoon after a great holiday spent on the trail and camp. We hiked Undermountain Trail and Paradise Lanes up to the Appalachian Trail Monday morning and a bit further to Sages Ravine, a favored campsite of Tevaniks past. The first group up was Noam, Eli, Eli's friend Matt, and me. Noam went off to do his own thing and I napped at the campsite while Eli and Matt eventually headed back down; Matt had to head home for work the next day and Eli had to get back to Freedman to pick up a stove, which we'd forgotten, among other necessities.

About dusk, Eli showed up again, towing Cara, Lulu, and Jason, who needed to be at Freedman to work half the day before they could join us. They ended up hiking up and down Bear Mountain on the way. In the meantime, I'd awoken to help Noam set up tents and gear, and collect water for the evening.

Noam cheffed delicious meals both Monday and Tuesday nights. There was couscous, veggies, tempe, and much more. Given the holiday, such a gourmet camping experience wasn't so inappropriate. Certainly made us happy, anyway. Tuesday, after impressing Noam with how late we slept in (I was in bed by 10 and not up until 10 the next morning), we breakfasted and headed out for a day on the trail.

Hiked up Race Mountain and ate lunch at the peak with a great view in front. Eventually, Eli, Noam, Jason, and Cara decided to continue the trail a bit while Lulu and I were ready to go back down. Besides the latter, others got split up on their way down for various reasons of intention. Noam prayed a bit, Eli enjoyed some waterfalls, etc. I wrote in the trail journal at the Massachusetts border at the bottom of the hill.

Tuesday evening, Isaac appeared, having decided to join us for the night. After dinner and digestion, Isaac fell asleep while Eli realized that to avoid a lot of weight we'd have to carry down the next day, we should take the opportunity to eat it instead. So, we had a food binge! Wednesday morning, Jason was out early, expecting Ian to pick him up to get back to Freedman to work. A few hours later, the rest of us staggered our exit. Noam was far ahead, but decided to hike Bear Mountain, so he finished last. Next left Cara and Lulu, and soon behind them, Eli, Isaac, and me.

We three had some fun conversations about school, technology, politics, and more on the way through Paradise Lanes. Then, I scooted ahead and hiked fast down Undermountain to the bottom, where I found Cara and Lulu only five minutes ahead of me and . . . Jason, what are you doing here still?! Apparently, the whiteboarded directions for Ian had been erased and his road trip search and rescue journey was futile. Anyway, a perfect way to spend the holiday, we had a fabulous time.

Yesterday, I received a new toy; a headlamp I'd ordered from REI. I realized that carrying a flashlight isn't particularly convenient, much as I generally like to have my hands free. More fun at night! Yay! This morning, I worked for Freedman for a few hours. Programed the hot tub for automated weekend running at the designated hours, among other tasks. This afternoon, we trekked to a National Audubon Society nature center and trail system in Sharon, Connecticut. Nature center wasn't much special but some of us had fun out on a trail. Isaac and I did some tree climbing and we all had some fun conversations.

Camp is pretty quiet this week and weekend without guests around again until Yom Kippur next week. I was invited to star gaze tonight (now) so I think I'll see who/what's happening out there for a bit and then perhaps return to watch CSI. Got a handful of episodes from the new season to watch.