Highlights - Memorial Day 1997

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                 Memorial Day Camping Trip 97' Highlights

   Destination:    Seneca Rocks, WV for a fun packed extended weekend
                   camping trip
 

                      16 adults, 2 children, 1 dog!
 

Group:          Eric Ruth (MD)          Suzy Ruth (MD)
                Paul Page (MD/VA)       Lisa Page (MD/VA)
                John Kristofits (PA)    Marylin Kristofits (PA)
                Luke Kristofits (PA)    Jenny Kristofits(PA)
                Greg Grieff (MD)        Valerie Schutz (VA)
                Craig Nickel (MD)       Gina Terry (MD)
                Mike Yeager (PA)        Crystal Egan (PA)
                Mike Greene (PA)        Brenda Coe (PA)
                Joe Bagis (NJ)          Jennifer Egan (PA)
                Tucker
 

Friday  5/23

 Weather:  Sunny Sky...Highs around 75 degrees
 

7:00PM    Eric & Suzy arrive at Seneca rock WV.  Locate "Yokums" campground.

7:15PM    Examine "Yokums" campground, and find no trees, No available picnic
                  tables, and Lots of sand.  Not a very desirable campsite.

7:20PM    Depart "Yokums" Campground in search of a better place to stay.

7:30PM    Attempt to secure Campsite's at Seneca shadows Campgrounds,
                  only to discover they are booked solid.

7:45PM    Solumnly Return to "Yokums"  To pick out a site.

8:00PM    Find unclaimed site with a Picnic table.  Quickly stake claim
                  on picnic table.  (Still no trees, but things are looking up)

8:15PM    Eric goes to campground office to "Check in"

8:30PM    Manager still doing math to determine how much the campsites
                  will cost for the weekend

8:45PM    Eric Returns to Campsite bewildered by the Final Cost

9:00PM    Lisa And Paul Arrive at Campsite

9:05PM    Paul looks puzzled by the lack of trees.

9:15PM    Group determines that we have less than an hour of daylight left
                  so we better start pitching tents

9:30PM    Tent pitching complete.  Begin gathering rocks for fire ring

9:35PM    Eric steals the neighbors fire ring while he is gone

10:15PM   John, Marylin and the Kids arrive at campsite

10:30PM   Begin assembling John's 12' X 16' Tent.

11:00PM   Neighbor returns, and spends five minutes looking for his 'missing'
                  fire ring.

11:05PM   Neighbor gives up on fire ring, and retires for the evening.

11:30PM   Greg, Craig, and Gina arrive at campground. (with all of the alcohol)

11:40AM   Joe and Valerie Arrive.

12:00AM   Mike, Crystal, and Jen Arrive (With all of the food)

12:30AM   Tents Setup, Beers Drank, Pepperoni Bread Eaten

1:00AM    Group retires for evening.
 

Saturday 5/24/97

     Weather:  Mostly sunny, highs in the mid 70's
 

8:00AM    Group wakes, and prepares breakfast (Eggs, bacon and Sausage for
                  everyone)

9:00AM    Group divides for the day.  Half decide to hike to top of Seneca
                  rock.  Other half goes Biking at Spruce Knob.

10:00AM   Eric, Suzy, Greg, Craig, Mike, Crystal Arive at Spruce Knob ready
                  for biking adventure

10:30AM   Bikers experience lots of "Steep Technical Decents" as the
                  biking book described it.

10:45AM   Crystal names her bike "Fido" because she's walking it so much.

12:30PM   Trail meets the road, and bikers prepare for long ascent back to cars

2:30PM    Bikers return to campsite.  Very wet and muddy from the ride.

4:00PM    Greg Prepares Chili for the Group

4:30PM    Joe decides to rearrange all 7 vehicles at the campsite, so we have a
                  shaded area to set the coolers.

5:00PM    Several campers decide to take showers.

5:15PM    Campers return complaining of "No hot water"

5:20PM    Greg observes that "The hot water heater for the entire campground
                  is the same hot water heater in his townhouse"

7:30PM    Group prepares to Chicken, Baked Potato, and CornOTC for dinner.

8:00PM    Eric Discovers that the grill must be assembled before cooking.

8:05PM    Eric assembles Grill

8:30PM    Chicken cooking.

9:00PM    Eric requests of Valerie "Please 'toss' me a beer"

9:02PM    Valerie overhand throws the beer at Eric

9:15PM    Eric requests of Craig "Please 'toss' me a beer"

9:17PM    Craig delivers the beer to Eric "fastpitch softball style"

9:30PM    Crystal watches the grill while Eric gets his own beer!

10:00PM   Chicken, Potatos, and Corn Served...Everyone eats!

11:00PM   Break out the Smores

11:30PM   Jen Introduces other campers to "Campfire Banana Splits" (Banana
                  split open, filled with chocolate, marshmallow, and peanut butter,
                  and heated in the fire)  All enjoy.

12:00AM   Group retires, for a good nights sleep.
 

---------- 6 weeks have now passed since the trip...please forgive ---------
----------         lack of detail, or incorrect information        ---------

Sunday 5/25/97
 

     Weather:  Cloudy, with rain (Heavy at times), highs in the low 70's
 

8:00AM    Group wakes to Threatening skys...Bad weather Imminent.

9:00AM    Light rain begins,  Group plans activities that won't be disrupted
                  by bad weather.

9:30AM    Group has decided on activities for the day.
                  Joe, Jennifer, John and Jenny go rafting on nearby River
                  Greg, Craig, Eric, Crystal, Mike, Mike, and Brenda go Mountain Biking
                  Suzy, Valerie and Gina Go horseback riding.

11:00AM   Suzy Takes many-a-blurry-picture while horseback riding.

11:30AM   Bikers Walk through Many-a-river-crossing

11:35AM   John, and Joe sink Many-a-Raft

12:00PM   Rain Becomes Heavy.

12:15PM   Greg Goes over the Handlebars (Superman style), and performs
                  beautiful 10 point landing, face first, in shallow creek.

12:30PM   Bikers begin to understand why the selected trail was described as
                  "difficult" in the "mountain bikers guide"

12:40PM   Greg goes over handlebars again.

12:45PM   Bikers ponder the phrase "Leave No Trace"

1:00PM    Still raining heavily, but by this time, everyone is completely
                  soaked, and muddy, so noone seems to care.

1:30PM    Top of mountain reached...begin Descent.

1:45PM    Greg goes over handlebars again.

2:00PM    Bikers Discover the "mountain bikers guide"'s definition of "Railroad
                  Bed"

2:15PM    Rain Stops

2:45PM    Bikers still walking/riding on "Railroad Bed"

3:00PM    Group realizes that it has stopped raining, and things are beginning
                  to dry off.

3:15PM    Brenda Collects railroad stakes.

3:30PM    Mike discovers that Mountain biking is much more challenging when
                  weighed down by Sweatshirts, Railroad stakes, food, drinks, etc...

3:45PM    Group discovers that 50' of trail has been washed away by flood
                  waters.

3:47PM    Bikers find a way around the washed out trail.

4:00PM    Greg goes over handlebars again.

5:00PM    Bikers finally arrive back at cars.  Load bikes onto cars, and return
                  to campsite for much needed showers, and food.

5:30PM    Bikers return to camp, to discover that John, and Joe had both
                  sunken their rafts, nearly drowning all on board.

6:00PM    Rain begins again.  Group assembles "rain shelter"

6:15PM    The men attempt to suppliment the "Rain shelter" with john's
                  "big blue tarp"

7:00PM    Men still fighting with "big blue tarp"

7:30PM    Men give up on "big blue tarp"

8:00PM    Rain has extinguished campfire...All hopes of finishing marshmallows
                are lost.

9:00PM    Early Night, Group retires for the evening, to avoid Rain.
 

Monday 5/26/97

          Weather:  Mostly cloudy, Drizzle

8:00AM    Group wakes, to find that it's still raining.

9:00AM    Campsites moved to nearby pavilion, to allow everything to dry.

10:00AM   Breakfast prepared.  (Campers have 50lbs of pancake flour which
                  needs to be consumed by summer's end)  Not to mention the
                  syrup.

10:30AM   Eric Searches for sunglasses.

10:45AM   Eric finds his sunglasses, packed away in the cooler, with the
                  frozen hamburgers.

11:00AM   Dishes washed, tents folded, cars packed, pictures taken,
                  goodbye's said

11:30AM   Group departs campsite and heads for home...