|
Bonfire in a Blizzard
A
couple of weeks ago, six adventurous camp enthusiasts
traveled up to F-Troop for the 20th annual Motorcycle
Pete Retreat (see archives, 3-5-07). Usually this outing
features a breakaway from the winter blues with warming
temperatures and healthy pre-spring hikes in the
rejuvenating woodlands, but not this year. The 2008
edition was one big winter wonderland weekend, and we
made the best of it.
After a treacherous drive up to Warren County Friday
evening on icy, snow-covered roads, we conducted several
Saturday activities: a big eggs and bacon and home fries
breakfast, a hike down to Magee Run and back, a visit to
Heart’s Content Natural Area by Todd and Brad, an
all-afternoon four-wheel-drive sightseeing trip made by
Mark and his wife Colleen (a first-time visitor), and
Donna Rai’ and me, and hours and hours of food
preparation, led by Todd, our number one chef.
As daylight waned and darkness approached, the snow
flurries we’d experienced all day turned into a
blizzard, with heavy curtains of snowfall heaping down
upon the woods, the camp, and the lands all around. We
responded by shoveling a foot of snow out of our
backyard fire ring and building a small bonfire smack
dab in the middle of the storm. Picture the six of us
gathered around the leaping flames in our hooded winter
coats and hunting boots, toasting each other and the
camp life with celebratory beverages and laughing at
Nature’s ferocious white downfall, which covered our
hands and arms and faces with pure white winter frosting
in the firelight. We stayed out there for hours,
stocking and re-stocking the blaze with wheelbarrow
loads of dried wood and telling stories late into the
night. Sometime after midnight, we all reluctantly came
inside, tired and red-faced from the cold, and settled
in for our long winter’s nap.
Good luck out there. And have a great week outdoors.
~ Don Feigert, 3-21-08
Visit the
What's New
Archive |
