View Full Version : Billville at the Gathering!
Jester2000
10-03-2005, 00:04
Yes, there again, we think. And this time, all of us together, as this campground has no alcohol restrictions. That being said. . .
We will once again try to place ourselves far away from those who want to go to sleep at nine or so, probably, once again, near the official fire.
We'll try this time in Hanover to do a better job (particularly on Friday) of conforming to the accepted quiet hours. We went 45 minutes past last time. Doesn't seem like a big deal, but it was.
The theme of Billville is "Billville."
As per our regular rules, we will not be providing alcohol, except to ATTroll, whom we will get drunk and take advantage of.
As for the contest:
It's artistic! Draw your favorite scene on the trail. You can bring your own from home, or use the crayons we provide to make one at the gathering. Awards will be given for: best landscape, best privy, best caricature of baltimore jack, and best overall, which will eventually, twenty years from now, be donated to the AT Museum (they will decline the donation).
Good luck to all and see you there!
Jester, where did you go bad? The last time we were together you stated, "Lips that touch wine will never touch mine." You traded in your Bill shirt for a long robe and were going to join The Brothers of Absolution and move into The Lady of Perputual Guilt Srminary. I understood you were giving up booze, tobaco and cheap sex and were going to set a moral example for all thru hikers that came after you to follow. Have you fallen off the wagon? When you get to Hanover I would suggest you go to one of Baltimore Jacks Revival meetings rather than The Gathering. Blister will work with you to clean your decayed soul and at the next Gathering and at Trail Days the Billville tent can again serve cookies, warm milk and encourage those tempted to stray from the straight and narrow path. We can all sing "We wiill all Gather at The River" and rejoice in your salvation.
:eek: "The end is neigh"
Spartan Hiker
10-04-2005, 09:16
We can all sing "We wiill all Gather at The River" ...
Just don't ford it. Take the canoe (...or so I'm told).
yeah and _no_ bridge jumping
I spent an hour or so yesturday all around Storrs Pond. In order to calm some of the noise issues as will no doubt be raised. The last Billville site in Hanover, folks said they could hear people over the lake - that the noise carried. After a recon mission I think the quietest place and most usable will be area 5. Pass campsite O - There is a covered pavilion in case of rain and the area is surrounded by small hills and forest to cut any noise problems. Some picnic tables and a field for camping. Below is the link for the Storrs Pond map. Looking forward to seeing everyone.
http://www.aldha.org/storpond.htm#storrsmap
Lion King
10-04-2005, 11:53
Hoping to be there...man, how the hell do you get from Southern VA back?
Oh
Hike...
Hoping to be there...man, how the hell do you get from Southern VA back?
Oh
Hike...
Man, you better start picking up the pace and hiking fast.
Lion King
10-04-2005, 12:07
Man, you better start picking up the pace and hiking fast.
Doubt I could make it...I just left Arlington last night and camped on the Blue Ridge, I would have went North instead of South had I known they were going to be showing the Doc...maybe its a sign
TJ aka Teej
10-04-2005, 18:52
http://www.aldha.org/storpond.htm#storrsmap
The '03 Billville site isn't on that map!
Man, now *that's* leave no trace! :D
Jester2000
10-04-2005, 20:05
The '03 Billville site was declared uninhabitable after a toxic spill by a non-Billville member early Sunday morning at the last Hanover Gathering. Hopefully one day all of the bile and vitriol sprayed over the area will cease activity (don't know the half life, tho') and we can all go back. 'Til then. . .
I'm guessing that's campsite O as in the letter. Isn't that on the other side of the lake where the complaints came from? Hasn't that been the accepted "quiet" portion of the campground? I'm all for moving if we can annoy fewer people, but on the other hand I feel that complying with the quiet hours restrictions should do the trick just fine.
Either way, thank you Blister for doing the recon.
Just checked the map again. Area 5, you say? Sounds good to me. What about #17? Looks remote. But if I recall correctly that was also uphill, so maybe not so good.
See you at Billlville.
Panzer
Trust me the new area should do just fine and get this tonight there will be 3 of the top ALDHA coordinators camped at the house until friday. The hospitality alone should calm any future hassles. I just got a copy of the Gathering schedule - the contra dance has been moved out of New Hampshire into Vermont!!! Too funny!!
:dance :bse :bse :bse :bse :bse :dance :dance :dance
In the latest Billville Election the "born agains" led by Lester, on old foe of both Jester and Fester managed to get a prohibation on drugs, sex, rock and roll and most of all booze prohibited in Billeville. Billville will now be dry for The Gathering but all will not be lost. The born again "Sister Blister" will lead us all in singing appropriate old spirtual music. I know "Sister Blister" can do it because I was there when she converted at Church of The Mountain five long years ago. Brother Jester will be on hand to council those tempted to fall off the wagon by the festivities. There is often a heathen, almost viking, group drawn to these events but between Sister Blister, Brother Jester and the calming council of Brother Baltimore a sober and soul clensing event can be held and we can all go home on Monday pure of spirt and with clean untainted souls.
;)
Jester2000
10-05-2005, 20:41
Horse brutality?!?
In May Billville lobbied the state legislature to designate all of New Hampshire a "No Contra Dance Zone." While not all have complied, it's nice to see ALDHA doing the right thing:
The Saturday night program will be followed by the annual Contra Dance, a touchy-feely hands-on coming-together . . . and if you have never bothered to take part in one of these down-to-earth celebrations of the human spirit, you don’t know what you’ve been missing.
The location of this year's contra dance will be . . . Norwich, Vt. . . and you’ll see a rope. . . let those inhibitions go. . . Just do what hikers do best: Follow the person in front of you.
So quickly here:
1. "a touchy-feely hands-on coming-together?" Disgusting!
2. It's not that I've "never bothered." And I know what I've been "missing," although I'm not sure that's the right word.
3.Don't have any inhibitions. Curious about what the rope is for.
4. What hikers do best is almost definitely not "follow[ing] the person in front of [them]."
See you soon in Contra Dance-free New Hampshire!
Live Contra-Dance Free or Die!!
Lone Wolf
10-07-2005, 14:49
Looks like a very wet weekend. Y'all might wanna head indoors for some contra dancing tomorrow evening. Not much fun standing around a campfire in the rain. :banana
I wish I could have come. oh well.... Hoist a few for me. I'll be thinking of ya'll while I'm stuck out here on the lonely windswept plains of Kansas.:(
Bassline
10-08-2005, 01:49
A shoutout to Billville. I wish I could have been there. Not just for billville, but I did have a hell of a time at the hiker feed this year that you guys put on, and I am sure with your destructive force at The Gathering, it would be no different. Drink a beer or 10 for me. It is all good.
Bassline
Lion King
10-11-2005, 15:01
I won a C*&k ring.:D
well I guess that means you can now do anything _better_
fiddlehead
10-12-2005, 14:39
It was a great weekend and I thoroughly enjoyed Billville Sat. night. I was thinking of not coming to gatherings anymore as they've been trying to stop the drinking and partying and that's my favorite part, but after this years Billville saving the day (and night) i will continue to go to the gatherings.
Once again, i thought that the PCT class of '96 had the most people there except for this years AT. (PCT '96 had 11 that we knew of present)
I had a wonderful time this weekend with sooo many friends new and old. Having Billville as our central meeting place was also quite convinient. Almost like the old days. Although the rain tried its darndest to dampen our tents - nothing can damper the hiker spirit. We had a wonderful pre-gathering dinner at the house with a good showing of current thru hikers just finishing up as well as many others from the hiking community such as Dan Quinn from Vermont. Jester, Trix and Bust Ace arrived in the late evening hours traveling from the Billvile, PA Headquarters. Entertainment proovided by Goof throughout the weekend. I will leave it to Jester to critique the actual Billville campsite and how things flowed. Thanks to everyone out there like Mala with his kitchen, kudos to chomp for his artistic pancakes, members of the 12 tribes dragged out pots of chilli and chowder to warm the chill out of our bodies. A Great Surprise to see Miss Janet and her daughter! and so on, and so on.... I also was excited to have sooo many of PCT 96 class there. I was amongst family and it felt good!!! Hope all had a good time and finally....
The Mayor of Billville has now taken on a new politcal role within the board of directors. Congrats to Jester, Bob Peoples and the other newly elected. I have faith that ALDHA is not the dying dinasour that many have spoken about.
Jack Tarlin
10-12-2005, 18:25
Incidentally, people think we're all about partying.
Not really.
We actually are interested as such things as outreach to prospective thru-hikers, helping out folks during their hikes, and getting involved with service providers in order to help them with problems, insure the continuance of services, etc. (One of our senior members, for example, was instrumental in keeping the Palmerton hostel open for hikers this year, when it's continuance was threatened by thoughtless hiker guests).
Billville people were all over the place at the Gathering, gave lectures and presentations, provided hospitality, gave recent completed thru-hikers rides as far as Tennessee and Ohio, participated in Trail work crews, and of course, as always, welcomed anyone and everyone to our campsite for a visit or for the weekend.
I'm glad we're no longer seen as merely a bunch of aging partyers, because the folks that make up Billville are a lot more than that. I'm also glad to see that other folks in the hiking community are starting to see us a bit differently. Perhaps that's why in the elections for next year's ALDHA Board members, our own Jester was topped in the voting only by our dear friend Bob Peoples.
To come in second to Bob is pretty cool. ALDHA is a really great organization,
and I urge you guys to check them out if you haven't already (See www.aldha.org).
And if anyone is interested in Billville's next event, it'll be at our place in Hanover the weekend AFTER Thanksgiving, which I believe will be the first weekend in December. Details on this later.
For now, very good to see some of you at the Gathering, and congratulations to Jester and Bob who already have all sorts of ideas to make ALDHA even better than it already is, and will help provide sage and positive leadership to a very worthy organization.
Thanks Blister & Jack,
Besides the weather, it's great to hear things went relatively well at the Gathering. Kudos to Jester and Bob for being elected to the board. Knowing both of them, I'm sure they'll make great additions.
Yo Fiddlehead, good to hear you'll be there next year!
Actually, we are lucky we did not get flooded out. We were not that far from the Connecticut River. 3 people died elsewhere in New Hampshire from the flooding.
Panzer
I would like to put my 2 cents in too and thank Jester for getting Billville organized again. I also came real close to not going but at the last minute decided to go. Billville was a great experience this time as it has been everytime time I have gone so far. I am sure glad I made it up Saturday event in time to go to Billville evening activities.
So the Gathering thus come and gone, on Monday I volunteered for the post weekend worktrip based out of the Ravine Lodge. Actually volunteered for the whole week but by the sound of it I would be a solo work crew by weeks end. Anyhow. The Canadian Goose who also hiked the year that the Bills were started also was a part of my trail crew. Upon returning to the lodge later that night he observed the various Billville bumper stickers on my Jeep. As I met him not far from my car, he with a chuckle informed me of what he thought the Bill's were about.....
"Wow, I can't believe that Billville actually has bumper stickers. I thought that the Bills only spent their money on beer and booze."
I proceeded to inform this uninformed gentleman that we actually have set up a means, thanks to Jester, to be able to donate to hostels, hiker feeds, ect....
We all do our part in one way or another. SO for those out there who have no idea about Billville - we are all part of the trail community, hikers, trail maintainers, trail angels and simply a bunch of people who like to get together and have a good time. There may be a lot of folks out there that have the wrong idea about us. Just for the record - we as a group do hundreds of good deeds a year for current thru hikers, which is more than I can say for some of the opinionated uninformed out there.
:dance :dance :dance :dance :dance :dance :dance :dance :dance
Jester2000
10-14-2005, 20:22
Wow! Who are you two arguing with? Yeah, yeah, yeah, we do good works and all that. But I kind of prefer the cover of ne'er-do-wellness. It lowers expectations while providing for the look of shock and awe on people's faces when they find out on their own the things we do.
As for the Gathering:
Enjoyed, as always, the gorgeous, sunny, class 1 weather in Billville. Saw excellent presentations at the campus, great food provided by Mala and 12 Tribes, good beer provided by breweries in New England and PA, bad beer provided by the rest of the country, smokin', kickass X-country girls provided by Dartmouth, and drama provided by Trix.
Thank you to all who made Billville in Area 51 a success, especially Blister, who did the recon and found the place. I think noise was not a problem this year, and I think we all had a great time without bothering those who chose to have a great time in another place in another way (I know, I know, it doesn't make sense to me either).
As for my election to the ALDHA Board:
Thank you to all who voted for me. I hope to live up to your expectations and represent you well on the Board. I'm really excited to work with the current group, who are all dedicated, smart, hard-working folk. I think we'll all work well together.
So: If you have any suggestions on how best to do my job, send me a private message (not the Billville gig -- I got that down). Thanks!
I heard the election warden had his eyeglasses smashed Saturday evening at site 51. As he could not see to read the write in votes all votes for Chester, Fester and Lester, all strong canidates, were given to Jester. Now the humorless will have to suffer. Party on.
:bse :bse :bse :bse :bse :bse :bse :D :bse :bse :bse :bse :bse :bse :bse :bse :bse :bse :bse
Jester2000
10-19-2005, 21:15
Y'know, that's funny. Hardly anyone ever mentions Lester, the brother who, in the words of my late Irish Grandmother, is an "amadin" (sp.?). I've never known exactly what that word is, or what it means, but I've always assumed it meant "not all there."
As for the voting, I would hate for any of the accusations regarding Billville mayoral election shenanigans to spill over into ALDHA. As far as I'm aware, Fester is the only one who ever complains about that sort of thing, and he's not even a member of ALDHA.
Jack Tarlin
10-20-2005, 14:56
Jester, the Gaelic word in question is "omadhaun" or "omadhawn", which does indeed mean "madman." The word is ancient, tho it isn't used much these days, in fact the last time I heard it spoken was by one of the charcters in
"Braveheart." Dunno if it's been used much since 1305.
I'm sorry I never met your grandmother, she sounds feisty.
Incidentally, people think we're all about partying.
Two paths diverged in the woods. I took the one with the red blaze...and....uh...I don't really remember what happened after that....
Sorry I missed the party this year.
Cuppa Joe
10-20-2005, 19:19
All I have to say is Billville, camped in Area 5, which became Area 51 very shortly after arrival, made the end of a thru-hike a great one!! Mouth, Touk, Gypsy, Tink, and I arrived on Friday and were warmly greeted by Jester, Chomp, Baltimore Jack, Blister Sister, and Bag o Tricks. From that point everything went downhill... in a good way :)
It was a cold, rainy, weekend but we all had a blast under the pavillion! Sunday came around, much to the relief of my pounding head! :) and I headed for home.
All through this years hike the crew of Billville has been nothing but spectacular to the group I was hiking with. Just wanted to give you all a huge shout out and I am looking forward to seeing you all again next year!
Cuppa
Jester2000
10-26-2005, 21:58
Thanks Joe! We always like getting to know new hikers, as the Billville citizenry has to come from somewhere (especially since folks like bfitz have problems following the red blazes).
The crew that joined us at the Gathering were some of our favorite hikers from this past season, and we're happy they made it the whole way. Hope to see you again in Billville, which will spring up, Brigadoon-like, sometime in the near future. . .
Jack Tarlin
10-27-2005, 14:04
Joe, what a nice letter to find! Glad you had a good weekend, and you're welcome to hang with us any time you like.
And so, for that matter, can just about anyone else!