Lakeview Camp

The mountain retreat was amazing.
I was able to capture some videos and photos before I smashed my camera on the last day.
I also made some brief notes while we were there so I could accurately remember what we did (and when).
The following is direct dictation from those notes mixed with some photos and videos that will help illustrate what I am talking about.... other things..... well.... some are even a mystery to me.

FACT CHECKLIST
Dates: Monday Jan 4- Thursday Jan 7, 2010
Hours Traveled (to Camp in Tioga, PA): 4.5
Average Temperature: between 8 and 20 degrees Farenheit
Altitude: 1860-2175 Feet Above Sea Level
Miles Hiked on Mountain: 20+
Electricity/Running Water: None
Qoutes of the Trip: "We sip champagne when we thirsty", "What if it's a baby?", "What time do you think it is?", "How's it feel to be one in a million when you know you're one in a grand"

Monday Jan 4th 2010.... Scramble to stuff clothes in bag.... struggle with food hangover from the feast last night..... CP is M.I.A.... Hit road to NJ to pick up cabin keys at 8am.... got keys and boots..... hit kmart for thermals, pocket warmers...... hit acme for wood, 2 jugs of water, 1 lb of turkey, 1 lb of cheese, pretzels, hummus...... gas up the car at Chani's Mobil.... on highway by noon.... missed one exit.... huge icicles that look like stills of waterfalls hanging over us on either side.....stopped for lunch at a Civil War themed restaurant that turned out to be just a Civil War themed memorabilia sale....
....missed street, k turn, back up...... stuck and sliding off mountain and almost into a house....
.....brought car back down and start 3+ mile hike up to camp..... getting dark.... after 4pm..... got a ride halfway to camp from Karl's wife (neighbor at bottom of mountain).... hiked up desperately heaving for air..... piss at gate.....

....up to cabin..... almost pitch black....
....sounds like coyotes are on the roof..... scramble in dark to get fire going.... its 6pm.....
sat by the fire talking, smoking, drinking.....
...low wood count paranoia.... wrap up burrito style in blankets on couches....
....pray to not freeze to death, Shining style

Tuesday Jan 5th 2010.....up at 530am before the sun.... restart fire, regroup...
....so this is what the cabin looks like during the day?

.... watch 2 deer walk by... snow is falling hard....

....2 pieces of wood left.... 8am beer breakfast with a dessert of turkey and cheese.... pair of foxes trot right up to the house....

....rebundle clothes....go out and "search" for wood....
915am... enough wood for at least 2 days and 1 night... how long are we even staying? will we end up snowed in if it doesn't stop falling? will we see any bear? will any bear attack us? mmmm this beer is delicious.
45 min down the mountain... got the car.... breakfast at Bill's Place.... they've never heard of English Breakfast tea... no music.... super stuffed from the food.....
....gas up the car... go to the dollar store and get sleds, liquor store for whiskey, grocery store for rations..... tie ropes to sleds and drag groceries up the mountain....
....make it up in about an hour..... got back... stripped soaked clothes, started fire....
....its 420pm.....
10pm... still in front of the fire... dozing off... half drunk and fully warm.... luring coyotes with turkey.... "what if you found a baby on the porch?"... 1030pm... lights out

Wed Jan 6th 2010..... woke up at 4am cause fire was dead and i was shivering.... again at 5am to keep it going.... back to sleep til 10am.... had to "take the poodle for a walk" outside for the first time of the trip... not that much fun..... "waking up" in front of the fire now..... dugout, tea with Wild Turkey Honey...fire..... found some Playboy Magazines....
...11am toasted bread on top of the fire and smeared it with expired peanut butter..... Brit reads margain notes from used paperback copy of Walden..... one piece of wood left..... anticipating sledding and the story of the girl that got gutted sledding on this mountain..... just discovered my black turtle hoodie has pre-cut thumb holes in the sleeves....
.....maybe for baby thumbs psshhhh..... collect firewood again....

....get fire going hard..... quick burn.... head out to sled 12pm.... found perfect hill, worked on packing the snow down for an hour or so.... walked down to Karl's... plugged our phones in to charge in his garage... walk back up..... Brit "tests my manhood" by shoving me off the side of a cliff....
....i end up laying at the bottom laughing and whimpering from the pain in my elbows that just bounced off huge rocks.... my jacket is torn....
....went up and sledded til around 330pm.... good fun....

....back to Karl's to get our phones.... chat for a few minutes.... hitched a ride halfway back in the back of some guys truck.... "Hunting? Or just fuckin off?".... back at the cabin.... stripped down wet clothes.... change into dry ones.... down and relaxin by 5pm.... 6pm we played some music for only the second time of the trip.... Beatles mix.... roasted turkey and cheese sandwiches in fire..... lost music when we started hearing crazy noises.... bugged out quite a bit... prob nothing... or its a styrofoam monster carrying a new born baby, terrorizing the mountain.... decided to take a short nap... feeling exhausted and drunk at 7pm.....

Thursday Jan 7th 2010..... "Nap" lasted til 7am when the fire went out.... scared away a herd of deer while "walking the poodle".... started clean up with champagne breakfast....


.....one hour left....farewell timer picture left the camera smashed on the ground....
...11am we start the descent.... 12pm on the road... stop at scenic overlook....
..hardware store for keys, hat, gloves.... off highway into Williamsport off Route 15... weird little town....
..."How did a song about a guy sleeping with a tranny get so famous?"-in reference to Lola by The Kinks..... came across Reptile Land... good 30 minute detour for a collection of the worlds most deadly and poisonous creatures....
....attempt to get pizza at Weavers.... obsessed with the past and pizzaless....
....back on road.... stop at Mom's Dutch Kitchen for a disgusting breakfast at 3pm.....home of one of the most wicked mullet/rat tail combos i've ever seen.....
....back on road.... more and more stops.... traffic.... back to NJ at 8pm.... dropped keys, boots, had homemade chicken noodle soup with Aunt Donna and Uncle Boop.... back on the road to Brooklyn..... got back around 1030pm.... shower... in a bed at last.

What a trip.


*These and more photos can be found HERE