27 years! 2.7 decades! 1 score and seven years! Any way you label it Pig Snout has been around for a long time and it gets better every year. The current level of sophistication compared to our humble beginnings is an awesome testament to the fortitude and ingenuity of our members. We conquered all the wilderness could throw at us and continue to come back for more. I suspect books will be written about our history as a guide for future family wilderness traditions.
That being said lets recap the 27th version of Pig Snout. We returned to Ed and Linda Brown’s Cedar River retreat with many arriving on Thursday September 6 gathering for camaraderie and relaxation. Wegmans pizza provided basic nourishment for early arrivals. Various beverages were available and enjoyed. One great disappointment of the weekend was that Gerard could not join us as he was campaigning (successfully I might add!) for the Justice of Fulton County Family Court. My passenger John McAuliffe was making campaign calls from the vehicle as we traveled to our destination.
Our discussion with Linda upon arrival included information that a prior resident of the camp was sharing a peanut supply with some small gray rodents. She had caught a few but had left the traps around in case another might be lurking in the cabin. It turned out she was right! With a disconcerting snap in the night the culprit was trapped. It fell upon me to remove the interloper which was accomplished with a high degree of certainty that it would not return.
Friday brought on a short hike and canoeing on the Cedar river Flow. The weather was brisk but enjoyable. The New Jersey crew arrived and Dan rolled in later that evening. Patrick prepared our Friday night dinner. It was amazing! He grilled New York Strip Steaks to perfection. Everyone enjoyed a portion that resembled a pot roast. I learned how to determine the level of doneness of steak based upon the firmness of various points on the palm of my hand compared to the meat. While I found it informative I don’t expect to remember the process in the future.
Saturday is traditionally our busiest day and this year was no exception. Based on numerous reviews on line a “moderate” level of difficulty hike was undertaken up Wakely Mountain to a recently restored fire tower. About 700 feet vertical from the peak the moderate hike had taken it’s toll on this camper’s energy and Patrick and Uncle Ray were kind enough to skip the rest of the hike and turn back with me. The Johns, Mike and Dan carried on for a successful hike to the peak and the fire tower observation
platform. The three of us had an interesting side trip studying the remains of a long ago wrecked truck located off the trail.
The tasting took place Saturday evening with beer as the beverage selected by last year’s winner me! It was a very intense competition with Dan pulling out a narrow victory with his Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin IPA. With that victory he selects next year’s tasting beverage. I can report that within the specified 90 day decision period he has officially notified me that the 2019 Pig Snout Tasting shall consist of Red Wines. There are no further qualifiers to consider. The evening concluded with our traditional Spaghetti, Sausage and Meatball feast prepared by Aunt Margie.
The formal Pig Snout annual meeting was brief with the only business transacted being the decision to return to the Cedar River camp again in 2019. Dates for 2019 Pig Snout will be from Thursday, September 5, 2019 to Sunday, September 8, 2019.
So having completed another page of Pig Snout history Louise and I wish you and your family a Blessed Christmas and Joyous New Year
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