View Full Version : Billville Winter Warmer
Hey all -
I just wanted to announce the that the Billville Winter Warmer is going to occur on Leap Year weekend, Febuary 27-29, in Duncannon PA at the Doyle. This event is essentially a social event, with various members of Billville hanging out at the Doyle for the weekend. There might be some hiking involved... there might not. There might be some mtn biking involved... there might not. There will be no seminars or gear vendors... And I hate to be a stickler about this, but Contra Dancing is strictly prohibited.
If the hiking doesn't happen, I would at least like to organize a "shelter" trip, where a few people go in and clean things up. There are quite a few shelters in the area that are close to the road in that area, so doing a clean-up detail should be pretty easy.
Please let me know if you are interested, as space is limited! All are invited, but if you are not familar with the Billville gang, you might want to contact me so you know what to expect. We are reserving rooms at the Doyle for the weekend, and I would like to give them a rough idea for how many people to expect in the bar. I imagine that they will again open up the second floor bar for our use, which is georgous for anyone that hasn't been up there before.
Anyway, there is its, the First Annual Billville Winter Warmer. Any questions or comments you can post here, PM me, or send me an email to: chomp AT chompadventures DOT com
-Chomp
TJ aka Teej
01-09-2004, 11:02
Contra Dancing is strictly prohibited.-Chomp
Good idea Chomp, that way no one gets hurt :D
Jack Tarlin
01-09-2004, 15:43
Nice idea, Chomp. Count me in. Another possible idea, if the shelter clean-up doesn't work....the new owners at the Doyle have been great....maybe there's some work or clean-up project around the place they might need some help with; five or six folks or more can get a lot done in just a few short hours; I'd check with Vicki to see if there's anything we can do for her around the place after we arrive, and while we're still capable of standing.
The whole thing sounds good. Hopefully the weather will be cooperating. Let me know if you will have a sign up list or if we need to bring anything.
hmmm - I can see it now - Jack gets to clean up "the room"
trailangelmary
01-11-2004, 18:05
:clap
Hi Chomp,
Since I would like to see exactly where the shelters are in this area, I am very interested in helping with the shelter clean-up idea. I am marking the dates on my calendar so I can get off that Saturday during the day. I am always off on Sunday. I am looking forward to seeing the Billeville guys again.
See you all then,
Mary Parry (centrally located between the Pub and the Doyle!!)
P.S. FYI:There are two hikers staying there for the winter before they continue their hike this spring: Shrek & Walk Softly and his dog! Shrek is working there as a cook. He is a great guy. He has the look and personality of Shrek. The name fits well.
:jump :jump
30seconds2000
01-11-2004, 19:12
Count me in. And probably 40. And also this kid Ben who goes to school with me who hiked last year. And maybe I'll pick up Krispie on the way, and his girl JJ. And all the Black Mountain I can motivate,
RedneckRye
01-12-2004, 12:07
What?? NO SEMINARS???
I'm thinking this would be the perfect venue for a HeavyWeight Backpacking Instruction Seminar led by myself and Bag O Tricks. Perhaps we can sneak it in while Chomp isn't looking!!
Hey Chomp,
Count me in. I serioulsy need a winter warmer. I am working construction lately. it's great to be outside but brrrr...
Hope all is well for you
VSA
Just posting an update on the Winter Warmer. So far we have 8-12 people signed up for the event, depending on who can make it and who can't. I talked with Pat at the Doyle last night and I told him that we would be needing at least 4 rooms for Friday and Saturday night.
If you haven't confirmed here or with me 100% or you would like your own room, please let me know. I told Pat that I would call him if we needed more rooms, though he said that it won't be a problem.
Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing all of you at the First Annual Winter Warmer. No need to bring anything as dinner and adult beverages will be had at the Doyle Bar. You might need a lunch or two depending the weather and if we get out for a longish hike.
The only thing that I think we really need to bring is a good sized backpack and a couple of trash bags. In case we find a lot of trash in firepits or around a shelter area, I want to be able to bring all if it out.
Finally, there is a chance that I could head down on Thursday night and get to the Dolye around midnight. Anyone up for Thursday night or a Friday dayhike weather depending?
Thats it for now... I'll have another update about two weeks before the event.
-chomp
Jack Tarlin
01-23-2004, 17:03
Chomp: Thursday night drive sounds great to me......as far as a Friday hike, that's also a great idea. I've got the perfect place in mind---- relatively flat ground, scenic, well marked and signed-----howz about Gettysburg? If you want to see the field without the company 40,000 large Winnebago people from Nebraska, then late January seems like the time.
Jester2000
01-29-2004, 17:25
At the Billville Winter Warmer I will be leading a seminar entitled "How To Lead a Seminar," which will conclude with a slideshow of me leading a seminar.
As for Gettysburg this time of year, I think you miss out on the feel of the whole thing. With a visit in July, you get the heat (of July), the sweat (of overweight tourists), the smoke (of car exhaust), the whole package.
Plus, it's harder to envision the valiant charge of the 4th Nebraska Winnebago Brigade as they charged ponderously up Seminary Ridge. Unlike another better known charge, a retreat was called for quickly when it was determined that the Union positions in front of them had neither pull-throughs nor hook-ups.
See you all at the Doyle!
Well, i just can't wait to see what Jester is going to pull out of his hat this time .
:o)
[QUOTE=Jester2000]At the Billville Winter Warmer I will be leading a seminar entitled "How To Lead a Seminar," which will conclude with a slideshow of me leading a seminar.
you mean no contra dancing?!
Jester2000
02-03-2004, 19:35
If there is enough interest I am going to lead a seminar on how to sabotage a contra dance.
Well, the Warmer is just over two weeks away and it looks like we will have a good crew for the first go at this. In fact, we have actually extended it by a day. Several of us will be descending on the Doyle Thursday night. Some, like myself, won't be getting there until about midnight. However, getting into town on Thursday gives us all of Friday to make a trip to nearby Gettysburg, and anything else that we might have time for. Saturday is still the planned day for a hike and shelter clean-up. I scoured the maps and picked a couple of possible location, but I am up for any suggestions. Thats all for now, I'll make another post the week of the Warmer with a check on the weather and some final details.
-chomp
Jester2000
02-13-2004, 15:24
Well, the weekend has an extra day. Why shouldn't the warmer? I have Friday off, so I'll be there Thursday night. I'll see you all there!
Jester2000
02-28-2004, 17:41
I'm actually at The Doyle right now, during a quiet moment on Saturday afternoon. And by quiet I mean some people dragged their cans out to hike because it's too damn nice out not to, and some people are taking a restorative nap, soothing their abused brains/livers/groins from the previous night's activities and preparing their brains/livers/groins for THIS evening's festivities. So it goes. The Doyle staff are, as usual, gracious, funny, and tolerant. So far so good, so far so good. . .
Just wanted to say that I had a great time. Familiar faces and new friends. Wish I could be there tonight for round 2. I'm working on putting some pictures on the gallery here but if you attended and want all of the pics I could email them out.
You think LW was kidding about the drinkin', pukin', and homosexual sex?
http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=2770&password=&sort=1&cat=500&page=1
Thanks for such a good time. It was good to be in Drunkannon. Special thanks to trailangel Mary, the great staff at the Doyle, and of course Sue's daughter.
Thank you all for comin out. See you in Damascus!
VSA
Thanks to everyone that showed up for the first Billville Winter Warmer. A good time was had by all. I'll have a recap and photos coming soon.
And BTW - Jester is clearly in violation of the "no seminar" rule. Thanks to him, we all know how to make a duct tape purse now.
First of all, I want to say THANKS to Vickey and the rest of the staff at the Doyle for making us feel very welcome and making our stay with them enjoyable. Thanks guys, you are the best.
Also, a big thanks goes out to Trail Angel Mary for opening up her house on Sunday morning (and letting Jack inside) for a Big Breakfast. Jack, as always, did a fantastic job preparing everything. It was so warm on Sunday, that we all ate outside. Thanks again, Mary.
To skip the rest of this report and go right to the photos, here you go:
http://gallery.backcountry.net/chomp-warmer04
As for the weekend, it was a great success. Jack and I arrived at the Doyle very last on Saturday night to find Fannypack, Jester and VSA already in attendence. After a few hours of sleep, Fannypack and I headed out northbound on the AT with the goad of being to get to the first shelter to see if anything needed cleaning. While it was a great day, the hiking conditons were rough. There was a thin layer of snow over a very thick and slippery layer of ice. After a couple of near falls, and since we didn't pack crampons, we decided it was best for us to turn around.
Friday afternoon, we headed to Gettysburg for a tour of the battlefields. While we had an audio tape to guide us through the area, Jack and Jester filled the role of tour guides. These guys truely know their stuff, and it made the visit there much more enjoyable for me personally. Our two hour tour lasted closer to four hours, but it was a perfect day and there was almost no one in the park. Having completed our history lesson, we headed back to the Doyle.
Friday night was great. In addition to our small group, we had Redneck Rye, the Riff-raff's, Gang, Yahtzee, D-Con, Mrs. D-Con, Drive By, Bag o Tricks, Bust Ace and Jester's friend Jim.
Saturday was mostly a free day with some people heading for hikes and others just hanging around Duncannon. Trail Angel Mary joined the crew on Saturday (btw - excellent wings!) as did Drive By's girlfriend, Michelle.
Finally, on Sunday, it was time to say goodbye. Mary was gracious enough to let us gather at her home, and Jack cooked up his always impressive breakfast feast.
This is a pretty lame report, so if anyone wants to add anything, feel free. Thanks to everyone that showed up and made this a great weekend. See all of you May!
-chomp
Jester2000
03-03-2004, 19:19
I would like to second all of the thanks being thrown around -- to Vickey, Pat, and the whole Doyle Crew, who may actually be completely impossible to faze. To Trailangel Mary much love and a hearty thanks for a BIG BREAKFAST!!! (and thanks to our resident chef Jack for doing more than just throwing it all together). Also thanks to all of those who traveled many, many more miles than me to be there, and finally a big nod to Chomp, without whom the Winter Warmer would not have happened. Oh, and also my agent.
For those Billville residents who did not attend, your names are in the Blue Book. Which sounds like a threat, but is, in fact, not.
Get up on the pool table!
WalkinHome
03-03-2004, 19:59
OK, Yes I am a fool. I am in the Blue Book and I will bite. So what is it and what does it mean? Did I miss the town meeting where this was born? I cringe at putting myself at the mercy of Jester's imagination. A place (very dark-oh no that's fester) I never wanted to be.
Jack Tarlin
03-04-2004, 00:43
Actually, it was a pretty wonderful weekend. Granted, some of the more outspoken neo-prohibitionists amongst us wouldn't have approved of an event that spent a good part of its time in a saloon......but then again, some of us went hiking, some of us went to Gettysburg (where every American should go soooner or later), some of us spent time with a great Trail Angel, but mostly, we just got to spend a lot of time with old and new friends.
The best momemt: Probably it was Jester, chatting up a very pretty girl at midnight, while he was dressed in a 7 and a half-foot brown felt costume that made him look a great deal like the world's tallest malt beverage. I mean, where else would I get I get to rescue the young lady by saying something like "Don't pay any mind to what he says, ma'am.......it's just the beer talking." Lines like this don't take place that often.
All 'n all, a memorable moment. Thanks to Jester and Chomp for getting it all togther, and maybe we'll see some of you there next year. Thanx also to the wonderful folks at the Doyle for both opening their doors to us, and in not tossing us outta them as the weekend progressed.
I can imagine the chapters under which I would be listed in the blue book. I missed you all, gave wandering thoughts in your direction all weekend. Not sure if I'll be able to get to any events for awhile. Hugs and kisses
Blister
trailangelmary
03-21-2004, 00:24
It was a great time at the Doyle, I agree. I have some good pics even though my battery was low on my camera. Thank you to all present for the great poetry reading after Sunday Breakfast. Hopefully, I will get better at the poetry for another time. Greg ( aka, Sheetzie or Peace Frog ) can't wait to see the pics. He was glad to hear that we had the first feeding of the season. I won't tell him you guys even did the dishes!
Mary...hoping to make it to Damascas!