New Years Hiking with "The Boys"

"The Boys": Chris, Jerry, and Gill wooping it up at the campfire on Italy Hill
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In a tradition dating back several centuries (at least), my buddy Chris and I take a 2 day New Years hike into the Finger Lakes (NY) backcountry. As I'm leaving for my next adventure on the 2nd, we decided to close out this year instead of opening the new one with our hike. Usually it's cold, snowy, blustery, and a night that would be far better spent inside, next to the fireplace, with a bottle of wine and a good book. But, we instead choose to freeze our patooties off in a lean-to, during a snowstorm, with whatever booze we can pack in.
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This year friends Jerry and Gill (she of Gilli the Giraffe - Africa Kilimanjaro trip - fame) accompanied us on the trip. It started out nice...nice that is if you like trying to hike over a frozen lake, holstering a 30 lb pack, with Chris singing bizarre backcountry songs. I fell twice in the first hour, beating up my knee then my hip. But, none of that mattered, when we finally arrived at the lean-to atop Italy Hill. It was a work of (camp) art, with dual bunks, a picnic table, and a fire ring. Plus, somebody had left camp chairs for us to use, Gill brought 2 liters of her homemade wine, and I had about 20 lbs of my homemade chicken and shrimp paella. Jerry had dry oatmeal and some kool-aid, which by Jerry standards is fine cuisine.
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We spent hours sitting and chatting around the campfire, watching the snow fall down, listening to the coyotes, and just enjoying the world. What more could one hope for to close out what for us has been a very special year, one full of adventure, travel, new friends, old friends, and wine.
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Chris's videography of the trip can be found at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9k_Q7MweTk
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We leave tomorrow for our next adventure (Florida, via the entire East Coast, then California). I'll be blogging along the way as I get connectivity, and hope to continue to entertain you with "Tales from the Lumpy Road".
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Best to all for a safe, happy, and prosperous 2008. Happy New Year!
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Lumpy out