Into The Woods We Go
By Sondra
Throughout this year in Project World we have
taken some excursions into the nearby woods and other woods among the state
of New Hampshire. These always turn into adventures that none of us will
ever forget. On April 20, 1999 the Project World class pilled their frame
packs into a trailer and hit the road. We were on our way to the northern
half of the state, Crawford Notch, where we planned to hike along the Nancy
Pond trail until we reached Nancy Pond that is situated in between two
mountains. This is a very picturesque place to spend the night, at least
this is what we were told.
As the Project World class hiked along the
trail they, came in contact with a few obstacles. There were many streams
that were hard to cross without getting our feet wet, and there was lots
of snow. The streams posed to be huge obstacles at time. Some places that
you were supposed to cross the rocks that you were supposed to step on
were either too far apart or they were submerged in the water. The group
really pulled together at these moments. Here were the times where people
would become leaders and help out. Some of the of the people that rose
to the occasion were Jimmy Consentino, Vinnie Johnson, Tom Wilhelm, EJ
Gaudet, and Dana Heath. Not to mention our fearless leader Jason Loik.
In certain spots where people were stepping
on the snow they would fall through the snow up to their waist. Sarah Raffenello,
a student in the Project World class, recounts walking along with Loik
on the trail. "He had one leg in the snow. Then he tried to get out with
the other leg, and that leg fell through. Then his face went right in the
snow," she says laughing now as she is picturing Loik all over again. Loik
wasn't the only one who ended up in the snow to his waist. Everyone had
his or her moment. One person would have their leg stuck and another would
move in to help him/her and they would go down.
At one point Gaudet stopped us and we turned
around instead of going to the top and going on to Nancy Pond. "The conditions
were bad and we didn't have the right equipment. Someone could have gotten
hurt," Gaudet said. Once the group found a camping site they all set up
their tents. Once the food was cooking people started to emerge from their
tents with the promise of food. It had been a long day and everyone was
ready for some rest.
After dinner we had another obstacle cross
our path, getting a fire started. There were four guys, others were
added as time went on around the fire circle trying to get the fire started.
They tried method after method: the teepee, the log cabin, and just throwing
dry leaves on it. After probably ten to fifteen minutes Jason Graham, one
of the four original people trying to get the fire started, turned away
and said "That's it. I'm retired." Eventually Gaudet came to the rescue
and the fire roared to life. The fire lifted everyone's spirits and the
drizzle was barely noticeable. Soon everyone was submerged in his or her
own conversations. Some were on cartoons, some were on the challenging
hike during the day, others were on how wet and tired they were.
Everyone woke up the next day with the promise
of hot chocolate, warm oatmeal, and bagels for breakfast. Since the campsite
was close to the beginning of the trail the group took their time waking
up and getting everything taken down and packed away. It was around eleven
when they took to the trail again. We were out of the woods by noon and
on the road by one. Even though some people were sick and others were injured
from the trail, everyone had a good time. I'm sure none of them will ever
forget this trip, especially the boys who worked on the fire.
Back |