I went on my annual yurting trip with Lisa Smith, and fortunately this time she invited me to bring some additional friends along, so Connie, Cherissa, Christian, and Jen joined us for the event. Connie and I were sure to tell everyone just how difficult yurting is: cross country skiing on incredibly rough terrain (Or... nearly level, but that's no fun to say), telling them about the intense hill that they surely would not make it down without injury (that one really is kind of scary and usually leads to a few falls in the group, though no injuries that I'm aware of have occurred yet), and reminding them often that we would be in bear country and that they were to be extremely cautious at all times (we did see a weasel as far as wildlife goes). Really, yurting is a pretty simple activity. You backpack in, or you can bring your things in a sled pulled with a rope attached around your waste. There's a wood burning stove, so it generally remains warm, and often a little too warm for me. The first time we went we cooked tempura, though the cuisine has been a little less gourmet since those days. Still, you can cook whatever you so desire on the camp stoves that are there. We played a little guitar and chatted and had a great time. Here are some pics:
That excursion was followed by fondue night, another annual event, this one with Marinda & Mike, Dave & Jen, and Connie, me, and our dates. I have to diet for two weeks straight to make up for this night (or... I should anyway). We had swiss cheese fondue (Melting Pot recipe), and Marinda's Chocolate coconut fondue. What could be better than that?
Finally, it was Cherissa's birthday on the 13th of February, and the birthday of Pete and John-Paul were within a week each direction, so we had a little get together at our house.
Connie, JP (watch the hands, mr! :), me, and Scott
