Fear(mongers) And Loathing On The Red Do t Trail

“Great weekend. Good people. Lots of fun. TR coming momentarily...”

“best thread title of the year!”

“Beer mongers??

Any cracked skulls??
last edited: 6/20/05 7:51:46 AM”

“hopefully treebeard won't take as long writing a TR as he does to jerk his beef.”

“Friday, June 17th-
I was slated to meet NJPacker at 2 PM at the Tuxedo train station to hike in via the red dot trail to Tom Jones Mountain. Well, I have hit some bad traffic in my life. But, the stretch between 138th Street in the Bronx, past Yankee Stadium and up to I-95 at the George Washington Bridge could have been the worst I have ever seen. Mind you, the GWB is only about 42 short city blocks (approx. 2 miles). That stretch took one solid hour. I would have to have been moving backwards to go any slower. Anyway, that broke and the traffic reports said "slow going over the Tappen Zee Bridge into Rockland County". They were right. Long story short, I was two hours late for NJPacker. He did get hold of me on my cell and all was well once we hooked up.

That being said, we strapped on the packs and took the 6 mile hike in, just a little later than expected. We were going at a good clip. Harriman is full of ups and downs and we had share of a few steep ones. Everything was fine until we reached the top of Parker Cabin Mountain. I turned to NJ, after noticing that we appeared to be a bit higher than the other peaks in the area and pointed this out to him. Just then, a darkness fell over the mountain and thunder boomed in the not too distant sky. I suggested that we should take cover at this high rock nearby, thinking that we would never beat this storm to a safer place. NJ asked if I wouldn't mind just going a short distance further to see what was over the next hump. I figured that we had a few minutes, so I agreed. No sooner than a half a football field ahead, the heavens opened up [faster than we could have imagined] and a deluge started to drench us, as we took cover behind another large boulder. I was looking for my pack cover, which I thought was at the top of my pack. But, the torrential downpour made getting this out ludicrous, as my gear was getting wetter by the second. I decided to close up and try and ride it out and protect the gear as much as possible. Thunder and lighting were almost simultaneous as the storm stayed overhead for a little while. It poured for about 20 minutes and we were soaked. We decided to get to the mountain and seek out the shelter ASAP.

When we got to the top of Tom Jones Mtn., Maple was there and that pretty face was a welcome sight to yours truly! We did what we needed to try and dry out the gear. But, it was looking like things would be wet for quite a while. I noticed, also, that I was missing a stuff sack with some personal items of importance in it. Too tired to go back to look, I figured that it was probably where we took shelter and thought of an early morning trek back to retrieve it.

Then, we made up some dinner and decided that we stay in the shelter instead of pitching the tents in the nearby field, as originally planned. For the rest of the evening, we tried to stay mellow and relax as best as possible. There was no firewood nearby and everything was wet, so as it got towards 10:30, we kicked back in the bags to stay a little warm and dry, while Maple pitched her tent nearby the shelter. NJ and I wound up falling asleep, only to be awakened within the hour by Phantom Soul, who gunned up and ready to rock and roll. Scorchy and Batman Luke had also called and said they were on their way up. But, we expected to hook up with them in the morning. PS joined us and we talked for a while before settling into slumber and awaiting the morning, so we could enjoy a nice, full day.


(Next installment coming)”

“Treebeard was slated!!”

“I awoke early Saturday morning a few minutes after seven, as did the others. I wanted to retrieve my belongings and worried that if I waited, the stuff sack might get picked up by a passing hiker. So, I immediately set out in my soggy boots and headed back down the mountain on the red dot trail. I came to an area that I felt was high enough ground to be the mountain top we were on. I had gone about a mile to a mile and a half and that seemed about right. I saw this boulder and thought, for sure, that this was where we took shelter. My stuff sack was nowhere in sight. Damn!
I decided not to give up without a fight. So, I pressed on a bit. I saw another rock like that, but it seemed to be on the wrong side of the trail and surrounded by more brush than I remembered. I walked throught the brush and as I got near the rock, this big, clumsy bird with about a three foot wingspan leaped up with a squawk about eight feet from me. I think it was a turkey. Scared the crap out of the ole Tree here! Dumbass MF, I chuckled to myself...

Ok, so I moved on a bit, thinking that if I start going down the mountain, I will give up the search. I came upon another rock, and checked it out. Sure enough, there it was. Rolled right down into the crevice at the base. I picked it up, said "all is well and good", and mosied back towards camp and up the mountain again.”

“Tree found the crap paper!!!


All is well in the world!!
last edited: 6/20/05 8:44:42 AM”

“When I reached camp, PS was ready to go meet up with Backslacker and Lost Soul to do some day hiking. Scorch and Luke had camped somewhere off the red dot trail near the top. Twinks and her boyfriend had not been heard from as of yet. Sacco and Chrissy were expected before long. And Maple and I planned to hike down to the lake for the afternoon and hang down there. There were some folks in tents on the field we wanted, but they were taking off after breakfast. I made some tea and something to eat and we gradually moved our stuff over there. As we were packing up, PS came back with Lost Soul and Backslacker. So, we introduced ourselves and began a dialogue. Two really nice guys! So, they decided to set up camp before setting out. We all did our thing. NJPacker and the other guys also went down to pick up some firewood for later. Scorchy had made her way down to say hello and they were to meet up with us later at the lake.

PS, BS and LS (hey ,that's funny sounding) went for their hike. NJPacker did some firewood and water pumping chores and Maple and I went down to the lake, which was back down the mountain and a couple of miles in. When we got there, we heard the sounds of chopping wood. Right there on the spot we wanted was a boy scout troop from Middletown, NY. They had set up camp there, complete with a fire ring, right on the waterfront. We talked to them for a few minutes and decided to have a spot of lunch at an adjacent spot. No sooner than we sat down, two rangers came and gave the leaders a hard time about being there. They made them move as regulations say no camping in a spot like that. When the rangers left, I pumped some water and cooked up some dehydrated chicken stew for Maple and myself. At this point, a group came down. It was Sacco and Chrissy (great meeting you two!), NJPacker, Scorchy and Luke. Scorch and the Bat had fishing poles, which were enjoyed mostly by Luke and Maple. The boy scouts were eating up their lunch before heading out. So, we mingled into their area and fished, ate and relaxed in the sun (whenever it would peeks out form the passing clouds).

-Final installment to come-”

“don't you mean used mostly by luke and maple?

t'was just as enjoyable for all of us watching maple do the 'icky' dance.”

“I figured Maple can elaborate on the "icky" dance!”

“So, about mid to late afternoon, the rest of the group ventured back. Scorchy was having blister problems. The boy scouts were leaving to go up to Tom Jones Mountain to be our neighbors for the night. And Maple and I decided to get back as the potential for a storm started to linger in the air. Every time the storm seemed to come, it would luckily bypass us. We got back up the mountain without getting hosed. We sat around schmoozing and found out that Scorchy and Luke were checking out for the night. We started to get dinner going and began mix up some interesting cocktail mixes. The bar and the buffet were pretty much officially open at this point.

Just then, along comes Twinks and Matt (aka Spider Loins). Ok, don't ask! I'll let Twinks explain the name...

We sat around for a bit as it started getting towards nightfall. But, before it got dark, we had to carry out one task that Maple prepared for us. It's time to recall Backpacker magazine's Pulitzer Prize winning (sarcasm very much intended) article from this past winter, that centered on the encounter Crash Bang, Maple and Amy G had with the writer on the Aventurists good-bye trip. This was in October and on the same spot we camped at. They called Crash a fearmonger in the article and basically ridiculed Amy G and Scott for their advice to these novices. Long story short, Maple prepared the "Trail Talk Fearmonger" cards, complete with a picture of a one-eyed creature, that we all held up for a group shot. Phantom Soul will post those pics. We dedicated those shots to Steve Friedman and Backpacker Mag, right before we burned 'em!!!

The night wore on and we had an absolute blast with each other. Great company. Lots of laughs and a wonderful weekend. We carried on and made sure there was nothing left to carry down the hill!

After a good night's sleep, we all left early Sunday morning to get to our respective Father's Day events and families. Great time, people! You folks are the best!

-Tree

P.S. - Now, for the pictures...
last edited: 6/20/05 9:24:37 AM”

“Great TR Tree! I had an excellent time. Great to meet you and Maple and everyone else. The day hike (11 miles) offered some beautiful views and some good ups and downs. (my knees were sore Sun morn) I would not have thought Harriman could be so picturesque. We had lunch at the summit of Dater Mountain, which I thought had the best view in the park. We retured to camp using a network of diffrent trails, passing two lakes that were exploding with Mountain Laurel. Very Pretty! Saturday night was a blast, we were treated to a nice sunset, and settled in for a very comical night around the fire. I think the Boy scouts learned a few things they shouldn't have! LOL!:-) Thanks NJ for tending the fire all night, you're a good man, and thanks to everyone for a great trip. PhantomSoul will fill you in on the Day Hike details. Good to meet you all. Peace!

My Pics:
http://community.webshots.com/album/373981991vaFExc”

“Backslacker, great pics. The "Baskeed in Sunlight" and the silhouette of PS were awesome shots.


Great meeting you, too. Hope to do more with you...”

“Great picture of the sunset, BackSlacker.

Thanks for the welcome distraction from Monday paperwork, Treebeard.”

“No problem, TM!”

“Great shots Tree, that is one hell of a camera you guys have.”

“was great to meet all ya'll. prolly get my pics up tonight but they're always so crappy compared to others.

we were very impressed by harriman park. get rid o' those ticks and it'd be quite the paradise!”

“What's your problem with blue super heroes Sacco?”

“great trip report tree.


i will post when i can my version of the trip.”

“well aren't you guys cute, for a bunch of undead flesh-eating trolls!!”

“huh?


ohhhh. got it. took me a minute.

-no problems with the superhero version.

hate the tiny lyme infested ones!
last edited: 6/20/05 11:26:46 AM”

“I resemble that remark!”

“LOL lyra


hey where are my pics of the TWO yes count them 1 2 fishes?

redstrip (or what ever ) and a BIG MOUTH

i did enjoy fishing, i forgot how relaxing it is.
i aint scared of no fish...LOL when Luke insit I put my finger in him mouth.


um NO!! when i scouts would not do it, neither was I”

“ok fine, you're all hideous then!
;-D”

“blue gill and largemouth maple.

but whatever you wanna call them is fine, since you caught them.”

“thats right, you all need to bow down to me..

even Lyras darn monkeys”

“Who's the Blue Smurf in need of a shave?”

“gee mark, you've got pretty strict facial hair standards for a hippy.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/373924485/373987688xuneEp”

“Oh, I didn't recognize you, sacco, without the FYAO clothing!
last edited: 6/20/05 12:15:18 PM”

“You callin' me a smurf Marko?”

“or worse, marko's saying you look like me minus winter clothing”

“LOL”

“sacco is the one in Smurf Blue.

All you guys look like refugees from a go-rilla love-in.”

“LOL, and you would fit right in Sir Mark!”

“I'm thinkin'............oh yeah!!”

“So I got home from work on Friday night around 6 PM and totally punked out -- microwaved some frozen pizza and watched some TV. Around 8 PM, I conceeded to the fact that I should probably pack some stuff together and head on out. I'm such a slacker, but hey, when you're less than an hour away from the trailhead (the closest trip to home I've done all year), you can do stuff like this. So I packed and by quarter after 9 I was out the door.

I got to the 106 trailhead by 10PM, put my boots on and headed up the red-dot-on-white-blazed Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail to Tom Jones Mtn. The trail was steep, but the mountain wasn't tall at all, and I got to the top in about 10 minutes or so. All along, I was wondering to myself why everything was so incredibly wet, even thought the sky showed no evidence of clouds, nor did I run into any rain squalls on the way up.

Unfortunately, I would spend the next 45 minutes or so wandering the top of Tom Jones Mtn in the dark looking for the shelter. I was kind of hoping to find the shelter by voices and perhaps the din of a campfire, for it is about 1/4 mile of the trail on an unmarked trail -- not even a sign pointing to a shelter. But rather, after about 45 minutes, I found a dark, quiet shelter with a tent and two sleeping bags in it, which I would later find out to be Treebeard's and NJPacker's, with Mapleleaf in the tent.

After yelling at me for shining my light in their faces, they explained to me that they turned in early after getting soaked in a rain squall on their way up to the shelter. That would explain a lot. So being tired myself after a long week, I unrolled my thermarest and sleeping bag and we all went to bed, figuring we'll just have to party extra hard the next night to make up for this...

TO BE CONTINUED...”

“I woke up Saturday morning fairly early -- 'twas maybe about 7 AM or so (ok, so that's like totally sleeping in for camping, but in my book, anything before 9 is early). Apparently some college kids had taken over our intended field campsite across the summit rocks of the mountain, so it took us a while to figure out what to do. Then, I found out that they would be leaving, so we decided to move there. I left all my overnight stuff there propped up against a tree and went back down to 106 to meet up with BackSlacker and LostSoul.

After getting down there, we decided we'd go back up to Tom Jones and set up camp before venturing out on what has now become a day hike. So back up the hill we went (for me, it was the third time I was walking this hill). BackSlacker had left a trail of Corona sweat, as he had apparently partied the night before :) We set up camp in that field on Tom Jones Mtn and I went down to the spring with NJPacker to fill up my waterbag.

Let me tell you something, the slope on the other side of the mountain is not very long, for it's only about a 500' drop, but does so in about .1 miles, so it is very steep. Lugging a gallon and a half of water up that thing was intersting to say the least. But later it would pay off, as I had my own personal "spring" right next to my tent to filter from, while everyone else was limited to the bottles they brought from the bottom of the mountain :P

After the water chores were complete, BackSlacker, LostSoul, and I set out on our dayhike, while the others headed on down to one of Harriman's many nearby lakes for a bit of R&R. We connected the Ramapo-Dunderberg and Blue Disc trails south from Tom Jones Mtn to connect some of the vistas along one of the ridges of southwestern Harriman. Parker Cabin Mtn, Claudius Smith Den, and Dater Mtn all provided amazing views, especially considering that all 3 mountains are about 1000-1500 feet about sea level. But the valleys are pretty much at sea level, so the views were pretty dramatic nonetheless. Pictures to follow later.

Afterwards, we connected to the Kakiat, White Bar, Yellow Triangle, and Victory trails through the valley and along Lakes Sebago and Skemonto for a more relaxing return to the campsite. After filling up water at the spring just below Tom Jones Mtn, the final ascent up it for those 500 ft in .1 mile kicked our butts, but all in all, we got in about 11 miles of hiking and all agreed we got our money's worth.

We made dinner when getting back and then retired to the campfire that NJPacker built. We sat around the fire, took some silly pictures, including the trip-report-title-spawning group shot (to be posted later). We also got a number of pictures of an amazing sunset on Tom Jones Mtn, and of course, the potions were flowing as well (as always). A good time was had by all, and eventually we put the fire out (though it may have been that we just burned all our wood) and gone to bed.

The weather-gods had spared us on that night...

TO BE CONTINUED...”

“I got up on Sunday morning feeling fine (surprisingly), but very lazy. As usual, I was the last one to crawl out of bed. But also as usual, I packed all my stuff and was not the last one all packed and ready to head out.

We headed out down the trail to 106, the whole .7 miles to the trailhead for an early exit, as we all had things to see, places to go, and people to do for Fathers' Day. From the trailhead we all said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.

It was nice to do 2 New York hikes in a row after not doing anything in New York for over half a year. (Some kind of home turf, eh?) I had an excellent time, and really got much more out of Harriman than I would've have ever before expected. Very impressive place for being less than 30 miles from New York City. The Tour de New York continues in 3 weeks with the Elevation Gainbang in the Adirondacks. Can't hardly wait.

Pictures coming soon...”

“Our journey began Saturday morning with Bawgh and I having every intention on catching the 9am train out of Penn station. Needless to say, intentions don’t mean squat! After a brief delay we began the raw passage out to Tom Jones. We took the subway downtown, battled through the maze of Penn station, got on the train to Secaucus, transferred to the Tuxedo train, and finally arrived at Tuxedo at 12:30pm. Dang.

After convincing Bawgh that the trailhead was on the other side of the train tracks and that it was okay to cross, we finally started our backpacking trip. Wow, everything looks so different in the summer! You mean trees actually have leaves? Okay, so after crossing the bridge we got distracted by the playground…you’ll see the pictures.

We took the red trail up to Claudius Smith Den and had lunch with a lovely view somewhere on the Blue Disc trail. The ants were quick to collect any fallen scraps and I watched one with amusement as it tried to navigate its way with a huge bit of cheese. We then took the Victory Trail over to Lake Skenonto. Bawgh spotted loads of frogs (we saw a Green Frog, Leopard Frogs, and one unknown) with his eagle eyes. We also found a young deer skull. Cool! Will post photos once I’ve cleaned it up a bit. Oh, and the chipmunks were out in full force. They are so cute!

Relaxed a bit at the lake. It was gorgeous…the lake was ringed with Mountain Laurel in full bloom…looked like cotton candy. Collected water from the lake and did the iodine routine. Next time I’m bringing the filter. The water is a far cry from the delicious cold water of the Sierra spring melts. :(

Wouldn’t you know it, I missed the left turn for the Victory trail just past the lake and ended up in the rental cabin area…..AGAIN!!! So Bawgh gave me a hell of a time as I had just added another mile and a big uphill climb to the end of day. Oops. LOL! No biggie, we took a nice stroll up the mountain and soon found the crew in TT town. Said hellos (so great to see the Trees again – I missed you guys!) before Bawgh and I quickly put the tent up and got to relaxing.

The birth of Spiderloins.

Perhaps 10 minutes after meeting everyone, my darling Bawgh says to Mapleleaf and I, “look” as he thrusts his pelvis in our direction. We look and at first there is nothing but his pelvis. I’m wondering what’s gotten into him…guess he’s feeling awfully friendly! Then a gigantic daddy long legs comes crawling up the side of his bum and straight to his groin! SPIDERLIONS IS BORN! (all I could think was please lord don’t let that spider bite him in the goods!!) LOL!! Guess you had to be there.

The rest of the night was spent admiring a spectacular sunset and getting our drink on. NJ packer again tended the fire (though he refused to do the tequila dance for Maple and I). The sky was clear so the stars were nice and bright. The weather was perfect.
The freaks got up early. Bawgh and I barely crawled out of bed before everyone hit the trail. So much for enjoying coffee! Quick hike down and out.

Oh, we saw a beautiful Scarlet Tanager on the hike down. Haha...sometimes it's okay to be the straglers. :)

Raw passage on the trains back home.

It was great meeting some new folk: Lost Soul, Back Slacker, Sacco & Chrissy.
Wonderful to reconnect with some old trail friends: Mapleleaf, Treebeard, NJPacker, and Phantom Soul.


Oh yeah, my friggin stove broke! It won’t pump anymore. L Whisperlite you fiend! So thanks to NJ Packer for use of your pepsi can stove (will send you an email) for dinner and Sacco for your stove for morning coffee. Thanks guys.

Hope to get on the trail soon with you guys again

picture

http://community.webshots.com/album/374566203nQYFfm”

“Awesome everyone! Great reports and pics---looks like it was a super trip. Thanks!”

“get rid o' those ticks and it'd be quite the paradise!

sacco

”

“awesome reports and pics everyone, sorry I missed it. :(

Glad you guys had a good time.”

“Same Phantom Time on the Same Phantom Channel (yeah what a bite-off...)

Fearmongering and Loathing in Harriman State Park, NY”

“Nice TR and pics Twinks and Phantom!”

“It didn't start out as the best trip for Batman luke and I.... Luke didn't get to my house from Virgina until 7:30pm, then we went out to eat and then came back to my house to pack and head to Harriman. We didn't get on the road until 10:30pm or so.... 10 minutes into the ride Luke realized he left his cds on top of my truck and we had to go back looking for them somewhere on the road... we found them.... smashed into pieces. Four of the 20 cds were salvaged. An hour into the ride, I get pulled over for speeding... a ticket was issued, no points thank God. We finally arrive at Tom Jones Mt. parking pull-off around midnight-thirty. We gear up and head up the Red Trail to the top of the mt. Finally are done setting up around 1:30am.... finally get to bed around 4am.

I wake up hours (or so it seems) later and it's daylight. I look at my watch and it's only an hour and a half later, 5:30am!!! I got no sleep. I'm pulling ticks off me left and right... they are not my favorite thing! Give me spiders, mosquitoes, any other bug, rodent, reptile, or amphibian... but I DO NOT DO TICKS. Around 8:30am or so I hear Phantomsoul and Backslacker wish us good morning. They had slept at the shelter with the rest of the group (Mapleleaf, Treebeard, Lost Soul, NJpacker). After waking up and finally getting out of the tent, Luke went back down the mountain to get our fishing gear and I went over to the shelter to say hello to the group. Had some laughs and told them Luke and I would meet them at the lake.

Luke and I gear up the fishing poles and tacklebox and head down to the lake... for the 1 mile trek... or so Mapleleaf told us!!! It turns out to be at least 2 miles. Considering I only thought it was a short hike, I wore my Tevas. Big mistake... blisters. By the time I got to the lake, I could barely walk. I was miserable due to that and then when we got to the lake, we realized that boyscouts had already taken over. I wasn't in the mood to fish too much at this point, so I cast a few and then let Maple take over. She got more excited to catch a fish anyway! After a little while at the lake, Luke and I head back to the campsite along with Sacco and Chrissy (great meeting you two!!!). I had to keep stopping due to the blisters, but I eventually made it back to the site. Luke and I decided that due to the bad omen we had been experiencing, that this just wasn't our trip and we decided to bail and head home. We were on no sleep, so we had to take turns driving and taking naps. Got home and went to the movies and saw "Batman Begins." Awesome flick!!! Can't wait for the sequel, hehe.

Overall, it was great to meet some new Trail Talkers and sorry to have missed the "festivities" Saturday night!”

“Yea, I hate ticks too! Deet kept them off me the whole weekend. Sorry you guys had a sh*tty time.”

“Hey gang...I gotta' tell ya. You guys are some of the best Trip reporters I've met. I just want to say the trip was a blast to say the least.(It usually is when you travel with this crew!)Since I had a brain meltdown before leaving home, (forgetting the camera), I have no trip pics to offer but it appears everyone else covered that area nicely. Everyone also posted such explicit TR's, I can't think of too much to add. I'd just like to add the following:

1) To Tree.. next time, we do an Indian drought dance before we leave the trailhead.
Sorry for the Black Hog Saloon t-shirt being cotton. I couldn't get them to go with tech-wick! And thanks for the CD's. They're great.
2) To Mapes.. you were like an archangel at the top the hill (more like the rain fairy!)
Lake Sebago..swimming..no swimsuit bottom...underwear for bottoms...can you say cameltoe?!
3) To PhantomSoul..thanks so much for stumbling into camp disturbing my sweet dreams of J-Lo. By the way, your TNT guzzling abilities were very impressive, to say the least. I would be plastered drinking that much water! After downing that amount of TNT, I was in tears with laughter watching your rendition of Clem Cadiddlehopper(interpretation...lying next to the fire like a petrified spinx!) Great job bud! Ya' know guy, I'll hike with ya' anytime...as long as you carry the brewski!
4)To Scorchie...I got a used pair of hikin' boots I'd be glad to send ya. I just hope those doggies heal up soon. By the way, ya' got yourself a real romantic guy in Luke. Kinda' neat how he conned ya' into settin' up camp a full football field away so no one could hear the screams. You da' man Luke!
5) To Luke..I've already given away your trade secrets, but....don't feel bad, we all get out fished by some rookie on occasion. But with you own rod and reel! Sheesh!!!!
6)To Sacco...you're an interesting guy. Ya' kinda remind me of a small sized Lou Ferrigno, except you talk fine. I found your barn building and home repair stories interesting.
7)To Chrissy...good luck with the bulls and don't worry..next time I'm with you, I'll bring my sterilized bubble to keep the ticks at bay.
8)To Twinks...next time, take a train! Glad ya' made it. Shoot me an e-mail..I'll get a stove to ya'.
9) Spiderloins..(ya' gotta love that name)..don't make this trip your last. Next time I'll bring some real stogies. BTW...next time, learn from Luke...smart boy, I tell ya'.
10) Lost Soul...glad I met ya'. One thing guy...Ya' TALK entirely too much!! But ya' got a great laugh.
11)BackSlacker...although we met briefly before, it was good to get to know you better. You're a funny guy with good jokes and wit. Hope we can get out again before you get grounded. Best of luck and health to your wife and the baby.


Disclaimer: If anyone has been offended by the afformentioned lies (really truths), I apologize but I didn't write this stuff. And besides, it's toooooooo BAD!
It was great to be with some old friends and a real pleasure to make some new friends.(Not too sure after this.) I wish ya' all the best that life can offer and pray that our frienships will last a lifetime...Awww..bull..by for now.
NJpacker”

“Had a blast. The Phantom guided tour was worth the price (one sore knee and slight exhaustion) the views were unbelievable. However happy hour and a good night sleep made it all better. It was great to meet everyone what a fun group to hang with. Hope to meet up with everyone in the future.”