Adirondacks Day 4 (B) - Sat 6/23/12

Part 9, Dinner Feast

At around 5pm, the sun comes out, skies turn blue and the remainder of the daylight hours are gorgeous, if a little cool. I am wishing that I had gone for a short hike, but by the time I finally make up my mind that I should, it is too late.

Ribeye dinner

Before it gets to cooking and dinner time, we all wander down to the Loj for some wifi and to stretch the legs. I take yet another batch of lake pictures, as the post-rain light is different and the mists are rising off the water. A few people have rented kayaks and are making their way around the shoreline.

5:00pm (ish) - Leo gets a fire going for dinner, and to take the damp chill out of the air. We had the foresight to stash the firewood in the party tent, so even with the rain our wood is dry and the fire starts easily. Our downhill neighbors apparently didn't do the same, as their fire is a smokey mess, and the breeze is such that we are taking the brunt of it. Of course, I guess it's also possible that this is a planned attack out of revenge for us giggling at his naked wife/girlfriend (but probably not...). There is joking talk of having to declare war on Quebec, but fortunately it doesn't come to that (and perhaps a good thing too, as we would be vastly outnumbered right at the moment). The majority language being spoken around us (and by virtually everyone passing by) is definitely French, not English.

Van Hoevenberg Plaque

6:30pm (ish) - Dinner prep begins in earnest. Phil has a half dozen large ribeye steaks that he has seasoned and frozen for his birthday dinner. They look tremendous. This idea of menu planning, prepping and freezing main courses ahead of time is working out very well.

7:30pm - We sit down to a feast fit for a king. It's been a big calorie/low activity day, between the big breakfast, wing and beer lunch and this, but according to Phil's pedometer, he burned over 7,000 calories yesterday, so we're good, right? Also on the menu is an Uncle Ben's rice pilaf from a box that proves to be surprisingly good, a saute of zucchini, yellow squash and multicolored peppers, and garlic bread. Pam olive oil cooking spray is a wonderful thing. We are eating almost too well. Almost. Phil has a bottle of some rose kool-aid wine that he likes (and was actually drinkable, for a picnic wine), while Leo had a disposable carton of Cardinal Zin, an old vine zinfandel of good quality that was delicious with the steak.

Heart Lake after rain (8:49pm)

By the time dinner was eaten and cleaned up, there wasn't that much daylight left, but I went down to the lake again for the solitude and to take a few pictures. It was a very nice evening with mists continuing to rise off the lake. There were still a few kayakers out along the far bank, and while I was sitting there one of them startled a beaver. From across the lake, I could hear the slapping of its tail against the surface of the water as a warning. I wish I had been able to see it as well.

Time is going fast now, and it is hard to believe we have one more full day and then it is time to drive home. We have some discussions about what to do tomorrow, but no plans are set. Everyone wants to use our last day to do something good, we just aren't sure what. Dave is thinking of taking on Algonquin, the second highest peak. I'm not. Whatever I end up doing, my plan is that Mount Jo will be at least a part of it. Mount Jo isn't a large mountain, but as noted before, the views are gorgeous, and I need to get to the top of something. I need some hiking pictures from this trip that aren't "green tunnel" and rocky streams.

Kayak in the Mist (8:53pm)

The later evening revolves, as always, around the fire, along with Dave and the guitar. It's been nice having music, and I am very impressed at how nice his $200 travel guitar is. He certainly seems to have done his research well and found himself a low cost quality instrument. His impressions of the guitar post-trip are here.

Before heading to bed sometime after 10, we all wander out in to the open area in the middle of the campground and check out the stars. The sky is clearer than it has been any other night here, and there are a multitude of bright stars. It is cold, and expected to drop to around 40 degrees overnight. I go to bed in a t-shirt and fleece pullover as well as long johns and sweat pants. I would rather be warm and remove something during the night than to be cold and have to fish for something in the dark.

Next... Mount Jo