[at-l] Hiking Club near Atlanta

[NightShine@aol.com]

Kennesaw Outdoor Activities Club (KOAC)
"Hiking, Backpacking, Rock Climbing, Rafting, Etc."

Peggy Walzer
Activities Co-Ordinator
Meetings Every 3rd Tues., 7:30 P.M.

home 770-720-4866
voice mail 770-937-5093

This info was taken from the business card they handed out this past April
when they brought the BEST trail magic i had in 455 miles: Take a cold, rainy,
white-out conditions, no views day climbing up Tray Mt. to the Tray Mt.
Shelter. A group of people pass you (i'm the slowest person i know....everyone
passes me) and they're carrying a variety of things including a pan of
something held so it doesn't spill. 

There are two other thru-hikers in the shelter, Night Grumbler and Sugarfoot
(they subsequently left the trail), freezing and just huddled in their
sleeping bags even though it is only 2 p.m. The group arrives and a few tents
are erected by them. They are happy, jolly and we 3 are freezing in our bags
in the shelter. Trail Gimp arrives and huddles in her bag, too, while the KOAC
bustles about. They start a fire going and erect tarps to cut the wind. For
appetizer there is cheese and crackers. Dinner is hot dogs, cole slaw, potato
salad, baked beans, cookies and candy. This is all washed down with two boxes
of wine--one red, one white. The piece de resistance is a homemade key lime
pie and s'mores. They were great company and the food was wonderful.

BTW....it didn't take us long to get our lazy butts out of the sleeping bags
to search for already down on the ground wood for the fire (2:30 p.m.). In the
morning I awoke early to find the clouds were lifting and watched the lights
in the valley and the stars in the sky wink out as an amazing sunrise
brightened the day. I heard from other hikers later on that they offered the
leftovers all morning until the food was gone. For example, asking a hiker at
9 in the morning how many hot dogs he wanted. He took two. Alas for the hikers
the following morning, the two boxes of wine were LONG gone. I think they may
even have been gone before dessert.

At Trail Days, it was nice to see Mailman again who had thru-hiked in (i think
'92) and had come up the mountain with the KOAC group. If i ever move to the
Atlanta area, this is a friendly group of people to enjoy the outdoors with.

Second Chance
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