Day 5 - Homeward Bound

Day five - homeward bound

I get up and mosey out of my tent.  Next to the embers of our last night’s fire I find 3 spooning boys.  Must have been warm before the fire died.  Can’t be comfortable, but they are soundly sleeping. 

We were told to be up earlyish to be ready to go. Wow, it is sort of amazing when this group is motivated how quickly they can take down a camp. Add on the fact that many of us are still full from last night and don't feel like oatmeal again and turns out breakfast is quick as well. We are ready to go 30 minutes ahead of schedule and that is probably 60 or more minutes ahead of

any other day of camp. They might be looking forward to getting home almost as much as I am.

After a brief discussion (upon which I was on the losing side - but remember 2/3rds chose wrong in the pre-existence as well, it just wasn't a democracy) we decide to walk to the parking lot rather than have devotional in our lovely creek side camp. As we stand around bishop fords truck we ask everyone to tell us about their favorite part of the trip.

Your boys can share with you theirs, mine was a moment, in the rain, at the top of the big schloss cutoff trail. We had 20 feet sooner decided to head down and set up camp with the plan to climb up the next day to see big schloss. As I was in the lead and walking my mind was doing mental calculations about how hard it was to get up there and how it would be another 7-8 mile round trip the next day to get up there and down and knowing that while they were agreeing to do it now that come tomorrow there would be some who would be somewhat less receptive to said plan. I stopped and said - maybe we should reconsider. After some discussion we turned around and continued across the ridge to big schloss. I think that decision impacted a lot of what went on that afternoon and the next day as well. We make a lot of decisions in life and sometimes it is hard to know what to do.  But sometimes we get a glimpse back and get a feel for how a decision impacts our experiences in life. That was a decision I was glad we made - I'm not sure I would have made big schloss otherwise. Sorry for the tangent.

 

We get to the parking lot and load onto the two cars and bishop ford heads out in the lead, but he proceeds to turn the wrong way out of the parking lot so we quickly scuttle that plan and head the other direction.

After a somewhat uneventful drive (at least in my car) we arrive at Harpers Ferry Adventure Park. Turns out that once we get to a place we have cell signal the park isn't 60 minutes away but more loke 90 - so it's a good thing we got away early because ontime would have been late.

We head to the check in and are told that the water is too high and they can't let the white water tubers go out. We have the option to reschedule or to do the flat water tubing which they told us was moving so fast it would seem sort of like white water. We again go back to the crew and it's quickly determined that our odds of rescheduling when all can go is almost zero so flatwater it is.

Jacob Adams has come along for the adventure as well. The bus only leaves on the hour so we quickly make our way down to the bus. We each grab a life jacket and mine smells terrible. Wow. But hey, I've been to Summit and worn the motor cross gear so this is nothing. As I'm sitting on the bus I'm thinking something isn't right and I realize that only one side smells and it's a barf smell. I quickly get off the bus and grab another one - this one stinks but it's normal stink.

The bus is your typical circa 1950 school bus that should have retired by now but due to apparently poor 401k investments manages to eek out a living hauling wet bottoms back and forth from the river. It's a much longer haul to the river than I had anticipated but we finally arrive. We drove past the exit point and are told that is it and to get out when we see the yellow tube tied to a tree. We then move not a lot further down the road and disembark the bus and grab our tubes.

Before the bus left the staging area we are told by our wizened bus driver that most of the accidents they have are either getting into or out of the river at either the start or end. Given that I have to wonder why they haven't made some improvements. Seems like liability to me but might be the lawyer in me.

Bishop Ford lead the way with a perfectly executed jumping entry to avoid the slick spots. Spencer tries the running face first jump and gets high style points but loses some in execution. We all eventually get in and drift off.

This paragraph should be full of exciting tales of the adventures going down the river.  However, honestly, there were none. I find more waves in the bath tub. It is indeed flat water. There is some horse play. We get everyone linked together as someone holds onto a rock and there was a lot of water flowing and it takes a strong grip. At portions some folks sort of walk along the bottom.

After 38 minutes, we come to a spot where there is a tree that has a flat intertube – which looks like it may have been yellow but which has bleached into a sickly white – tied onto the tree like a bullseye.  Thankfully there is a guy there telling us to get out – otherwise we may have missed the exit. 

The whitewater tubing is a one time only, but the flatwater tubing is as many times as you want.  I figured we already paid for it, why not take one more trip down and see if there is another channel we can follow or cross to the other side but most the boys didn’t eat breakfast and while another vote is taken, I’m feeling like a republican in San Francisco as we load up the bus to head back to the center without another tube trip. 

We get back and have to decide where we will lunch.  The boys want all you can eat.  CiCis is about the only place on the way home but that doesn’t hold much appeal.  There is a Golden Coral in Fredrick.  Initial calculations indicate that it will be an extra 40 minute drive.  Hmm.  But additional calculations show everything considered it is probably more like 10-15 extra minutes is all.  So GC wins the day and we head off.

Golden Coral is as anticipated – delicious rolls, an extensive dessert buffet including unlimited softserve, and a wide variety of other viddles.  Some YM clearly get their money’s worth (3 big plates and 2 small plates – not including any desserts) and others not quite so much.  When we come in I ask if they have a room for a large group and she quickly points to the back room where we can all sit – and I realize also strategically places us away from the other patrons and the food as we must be pretty smelly after a week on the trail!

We waddle out to our cars and before 4pm we are home.  Great trip and always glad to be back and enjoy a warm shower and a comfortable bed.

Scott