Sorry, jumped right back into work when I got home, so haven't had the time to post up a report until now.
Once again, what an awesome time! It seems like so long ago that I first made the drive down to my first hang ever, and met all the fine folk that keep coming back to the Jersey Winter Hang. And like others have said, it's awesome to see that every year we get new faces - and of course the old folks that keep coming back for more.
This year was a cold one - I clocked a low of 3˚ on my thermometer both nights. Saturday I'm not sure it ever broke 30˚ during the day - the whole weekend was cold enough that your waterbottle froze shortly after filling. We only lost a few folks to the weather - a couple people bailed in the middle of the night because it was too cold for their gear. Sad to lose them, but better that than have them be miserable or get into a bad situation.
Chatting with old friends was great - but so was meeting some of the new stock of adventurous folk willing to brave the cold. One of the new attendees, camp43, was set up near me. He spent a chilly first night with his new UQ. Dylan and I helped him get it dialed in the next morning - must have done the trick, because he tried it out Saturday afternoon and ended up sleeping for 3+ hours! Many others lent a hand making sure everyone had a good time and stayed warm - the overall camaraderie every year at this hang is just one of many reasons I keep coming back.
The food Saturday was awesome, as usual. The raffle was great as well, with goodies from Dutch, and stuff donated from Grand Trunk (used the GT Travel Pillow I won Saturday night and it was mighty comfy). We should remember to hit up their facebook page and thank them for the cool toys! The rest of the night was spent hanging by the fire or wandering around, and when I turned in at 2, I slept nice and warm.
Sunday was the usual. Pack up, say goodbye as one by one everyone headed out. Eventually I too had to head back to the real world. Now we just have another 350-something days to wait till next year.
From start to finish, it was another great hang. Thanks to Bruce, Bill, and Steve for organizing, everyone else for attending, and to G.L.P. for not showing. (Just kidding, we missed you and your puffy, Vahn)
See you all next year.
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