Safari So Good

1. “A journey is like marriage.
2. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” –

John Steinbeck

The Good

Idaho River Adventures/Dustin – what incredible planning and logistical coordination.  Everything went smoothly with no glitches (not any that were visible to my eye, anyway).

The Camraderie –  it began at orientation and continued to build through the week.  We were all so different, but it just didn’t matter.  There were no disagreements, no issues, no hard feelings.The Smiles and Laughter – Some began with big smiles; others had to let their stress go before their smiles showed up.  But by the end of the trip, the laughter was contagious and the smiles wide!
The Guides – I don’t think I have ever seen a group work as hard or as many hours as the guides on this trip!  They began before the rest of us were out of our tents and continued working as we sat around listening to music in the evening.  They were accommodating, good natured, funny, and thoughtful.  They rowed, carried large heavy bags, put up tents, put up a portable outhouse every afternoon, blew up and deflated kayaks, cooked and cleaned up 3 times a day.  I never heard one of them complain!  Not once.

The music!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
The Food – I gained 5 pounds in 6 days!  The food was plentiful and crazy delicious!  Some highlights included biscuits and sausage gravy, frittata, blueberry pancakes, English muffins, fried eggs, scrambled eggs, breakfast burritos for breakfast; meat and cheese sandwiches, Asian noodle salad, bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon, guacamole tacos for lunch; lasagna, smoked pork chops, mashed potatoes, filet mignon, garlic bread for dinner; brownies, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, chocolate cake with chocolate frosting for dessert!  There were also snacks at lunch and while waiting for dinner that included fruit, veggies and dip, trail mix, peanut butter and jelly with bread, cheese, salami and crackers, quesadillas, jalapeño poppers, etc.
The rapids – So much fun!  Like the rides at Disneyland.
The river – the water was so clear and the springs so clean.  Our drinking water was replenished at the many fresh water springs we passed.
The views and the wildlife – many birds, a bear, otters, fish, an elk on the bus ride back to Boise, canyon walls spattered with fall colors, trees, streams, etc. etc. etc.

Filling a water bottle with fresh stream water.

The Bad
The cold – When one is wet and warm, it’s fun – like being a kid playing in the sprinklers on a warm Spring day. But, Holy Crap, when you are soaking wet from rain and rapids, bitter cold wind blowing on you turns the experience into an uncomfortable “Dear God, I’m probably going to get pneumonia!” kind of day.

No campfire – Due to dry conditions, we were not allowed to build a campfire for the first 3 nights.  That changed after it rained all day, allowing campfires the last 2 nights.

The sand – it was in our shoes, in the tents, sometimes in our sleeping bags, and even in our food (well, okay, admittedly the only time I had sand in my food was when I dropped my pickle and followed the 3 second rule for picking it back up and eating it).

The Ugly
Hygiene – I could have sworn I read somewhere on the Idaho River Adventures website that there would be warm showers available over the course of the week that we were on the river, but alas, that turned out not to be the case. Also, we were in the wilderness, sleeping on the ground, and wearing the same clothes everyday. The good news is nobody was showering, shaving, putting on makeup, or worried about fashion! The bad news is nobody was showering, shaving, putting on makeup, or worried about fashion! I remember when I was packing that I was thinking, “Gosh, this olive green T-shirt is the same color as these olive green pants — I hope that doesn’t look silly.” It is an understatement to say I had nothing to worry about! We did brush our teeth every day…

Here are some fun examples of our week in fashion (not ugly, but interesting)!

Love everything about this!

Ross is showing off his sense of fashion (clearly from the 60s).  And I was worried about green with green?

These are awesome – rainbow socks with flip flops!

“What’s in a life without Camaraderie?  For setting sail on a ship with a band of merry brothers by your side is much more gratifying than drifting aimlessly on a boat lost alone at sea.”

Saim A. Cheeda

We came from a variety of backgrounds and several states and for as many reasons as there were people.  States represented included California, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, South Carolina, Tennessee, and New York.  Some were still working and some were retired.  Some came alone and some came with a friend or group of friends.  Amazingly, we all got along great.  In spite of obvious differences, there were no issues, no complaints, no disagreements – nada!  In fact, over the course of the 7 days (including bus rides) we became fast friends.

Our New York friends, Hillary, Crystal, and Stephanie started and run their own business – The Egg Collective – quite a successful designing business based in Manhattan.  We googled it when we got home — they have been in Forbes magazine and featured at a Martha Stewart Convention.  They came to take a real break from work and get off the grid (which we we were, with no phones, no internet, no nothing).  They started out very reserved and you could feel the stress they carried with them.  I watched as all three of them began to open up and relax – laughing out loud and being as silly as the others by the end of the trip.  I hope that means they found the trip to be the genuine break that they were looking for.

I was somewhat envious, watching these three women and Lara, our young female guide.  When I was in school, in general girls were not encouraged to do much more than become a mother and homemaker, or a teacher, or a secretary.  Those were the obvious options if you were young in the 60’s.  These women met in college – all three studying architecture.  They pooled their vast knowledge and skills and opened their own business!  So brave and so successful.  Lara, the lone female guide, was strong and bright and not intimated in any way – carrying her fair share, paddling the Oar Boats, and just taking care of herself.  What an incredibly adventurous young woman.  I was so proud of her — as another woman and as a mother and grandmother.  I hope my granddaughters find their passion they way she obviously has done.  Kristy traveled to Boise by herself – that alone is a brave thing to do.  She was introspective and, I think, looking to find what is next for her.  She seemed more confident and ready to take on the world the day we parted.  Go forth, Kristy — demand that the world treat you with the respect you deserve and don’t let anybody or anything get in your way!

The gentlemen (and, in spite of the amount of marijuana and alcohol that was floating around, they were all gentlemen) were fun to be around – each with his own, unique personality.  Some were quietly observant and others were hilariously entertaining and one was quite the flirt with the ladies.  But no one was offensive or rude or grumpy.  This made the trip so much fun!

Karlene gathering her patience and working on relaxing as she acclimates to our new lifestyle of no hurries, no worries.

Coming ashore after our first afternoon rafting.

Berger, Doug, and Scott.

In the picture below – Stephanie on the ground, Lawrence, Hillary and Bob (waving) in front.  Karlene, Chuck, Michael and Trevor in back.  Each campsite was very different from the others.  This first site, our dining area was on the sandy beach and we walked up the hill to our tents.  It was a small hill, but carrying our large Red Bags up there and back down was a bit challenging (for us older folks).

At our first campsite. We were on the beach – our tents were up the hill.

The King Snake! These are good guys – they eat the rattlers.

Dustin goes above and beyond when he removes the King Snake from our dining area.

Nicki keeping an eye on the snake as it crawls over the pad where the instruments lay.

Kristy and Michael laughing about something. Karlene and Chuck in the background.

Me having lunch on the rocky beach. It was not easy getting up and down from sitting on the ground (but good exercise).

At the lunch stop and hike to hot springs.

We hiked to some hot springs. This is a bridge we crossed on the way there.

A view of the tributary we followed on the way to the hot springs.

We made it! It was very hot, you can see the steam rising from the hot pool.

It’s a hot tub party. You could smell and feel the sulfur in the water.

Ross enjoying the sun on a rock.

Lawrence and Bruce chatting nearby.

Some of the group walked to our next campsite from the lunch stop. It was about 3 miles.

Our first campfire. So warm and appreciated after a cold day of rafting.

Emily roasting a marshmallow, while Berger and Stephanie look on.

Dougie gives it a go, while Trevor just tries to stay warm.  He looks like he’s dressed for the snow.  Clearly, another Californian.

One stop we made was at a small store out in the middle of nowhere called the Flying B Ranch.  They had an outhouse and a couple of entryways made out of horseshoes.  I looked for some gloves, but they only had hats and lots of T-shirts.  And candy — one of the stoners bought $15 worth of candy, hmmm…

Michael heading toward the Flying B Ranch store through the first entry with horseshoe handles.

Stephanie coming through one of the horseshoe entrances.

A shot of the group around the fire on our last night together.

Trevor and Kristy posing for the camera.

Emily built a cairn at the river’s edge.

Hillary, Crystal, and Stephanie relax on a rock that fits them just right.

Crystal takes advantage of being ‘off the grid’ to do some reading.

The water was freezing, but Kristy and Trevor swam out to this rock to sun bathe.

“Oh, Eeyore, you are wet!” said Piglet, feeling him.  Eeyore shook himself, and asked somebody to explain to Piglet what happened when you had been inside a river for quite a long time.

A. A. Milne

There were options each day.  We could ride in one of the 6 rafts that were paddled by a Guide (4 large and 1 smaller called Oar Boats and 1 fishing raft) OR you could take one of the single inflatable kayaks and do your own paddling.

The kayaks were called “Duckies” because they were like little duckies following their Mama Duck (Oar Boat).  There were 4 available and anyone taking a ducky was required to wear a helmet.  Two duckies were assigned to one Mama Boat.  The duckies were to closely follow its Mama Boat in order to ensure safe passage through the rapids and around the rocks.  They never had all 4 duckies follow one Mama Boat.  This avoids the problem of each ducky getting a little off course as they follow the ducky in front of them; because, like a line of school children, the first one is a little off course, the second one a little more off the path, the third a little more than that, and the fourth ducky is going down the totally wrong way!  Plus, the Mama Boat carefully watched his or her duckies to ensure they made it through each rapid; often pulling into an eddy (an area to the side of the river with no current) to monitor the duckies’ progress.  So, it went like this – 2 Oar Boats, 2 duckies, 1 Oar Boat, 2 more duckies, and the last 2 Oar Boats to pick up any floundering baby duckies!

The Duckies ready to go!

Michael opted to paddle a ducky on day 1.  I was very interested in paddling, but wanted to see what the river looked like before taking the plunge (so to speak).

Michael during a quiet spell.

This is Michael going over a rapid – you have to enlarge the photo to see the edge of the ducky.

Hillary waving.

The fishing boat with Scott and Nicki aboard.

On Day 2 of rafting (Wednesday), it rained in the morning.  Only 3 duckies went out due to the rain.  In the afternoon, the sun came out and I got brave enough to try my hand on a ducky.  Because there were only four and most of the rafters wanted to try paddling, we had to take turns.  Consequently, Michael and I never paddled the same day.  The upside of which is, it allowed us to take pictures of each other.  My paddling partner was Berger.  He was such a good partner; after every rapid, he would turn to make sure I made it okay.  What a great guy!  As I was paddling, we went through a particularly difficult rapid and I slammed up against a big rock.  I was pushed up onto the side of the rock and felt my kayak leaning heavily to the right.  I really thought I was going over, but I remember what Joseph taught us — lean hard against the up side of the kayak to counter the flip and you should go over the edge of the rock upright.  It worked!!!  I was so happy and grateful for good instructions.  Turns out that GQ was not just another pretty face – thanks, Joseph!

Duckies hanging out around the Mama Boats. That’s me in the middle.

This is me going over a rapid. It was hard work, but I really loved it.

This is Berger going through some tricky rapids. He was my ducky partner (and kept a constant eye out for me)!

Me, going over the rapids, with my Mama Duck watching over me.

Duckies and Mama Boats going over rapids.

NIcki on the fishing boat. She and Scott caught quite a few fish. It was catch and release, so we didn’t eat any of them.

The views along the river were incredibly breath taking.  We saw otters, a bear, an eagle’s nest, interesting rock formations, beautiful canyon walls — from one moment to the next, the river was wild and serene.

The water was so clear.

Clear blue sky – great day for rafting.

You can see some pretty fall colors on the mountainside.

Kristy

Look – it’s an Obi Wan Kenobi rock!

One of many fresh water streams we passed. This one was quite large. The Guides refilled the water jugs at these streams.

OMG – Otters! This little guy was hiding in this crevice eating a fish he caught.

So pretty!

Tom, our guide, spotted this bear foraging on the hillside as we passed by. He watched the fishing boat quite closely – waiting to snag a catch??

Heading into the canyon.

A huge eagle’s nest.

We stopped so we could hike to this waterfall, but it was uphill, so some of us (me) waited at the river.

A log jam caused from last winter’s high water levels.

Hooded Merganser ducks.

The days started out warm and got colder as we moved north.  I am a fair weather kayaker, so once it got cold, I did not paddle.  Others were much more rugged and were willing to brave the elements. The coldest day was Friday – day 4 of the rafting trip.  We were not only soaked from rain and rapids, there was a bitter cold wind blowing on us.  By the time we got to camp in the evening, my feet were numb and my clothing soaked down to my underwear.   It was the first of the only two nights we got a campfire.  Since it had rained, the fire danger was much lower, so Dustin allowed a fire to be built.

We were advised to bring rain gear and in fact, I did.  However (true confessions) I purchased good rain gear at REI and it was really expensive.  When I bought it, I was hoping I wouldn’t need it and I knew I would NEVER use it again; so I asked if I could bring it back if I didn’t use it and was told that I could.  Therefore, I did not choose to take the rain gear out of the water proof baggie I jammed it into (with tags still attached).  Yes, I froze — but I also took my rain gear back when we got home and got a full refund.  My frugal Mom would be so proud!

Mama Boats and duckies heading out after a lunch break.

Trevor, from Santa Barbara, standing in the ducky. He paddle boards so this worked for him (he did sit down over the rapids).

Emily – such a big smile!

Bruce, Kristy, and Bob with Dustin paddling. It was a cold day.

Doug, Trevor, and Berger with Joseph on paddles. Very Cold!!!

Our New York ladies (Hillary, Crystal and Stephanie), all bundled up, with Tim paddling.

This is Karlene on our coldest day. She’s going incognito.

The rapids got more technical (the term for more complicated to maneuver and scarier) as the days passed.  By the last day, we were in many Class 3 and a couple of Class 4 rapids.  It was really fun, but really wet.

This is one of the two Class 4 rapids we traversed. The drop is bigger than it looks from this angle. Just sayin…

This is Michael’s shot as we hit water and it hits us. He had a water-proof camera. Mine was safely covered at this point.

These long rapids were the most fun, as we went through them the Boat rolled up and down just like a Disney ride!

Here’s a shot of one of the other Boats going through some rapids.

This is gonna be wet!!!

More rapids and rocks.

P.S. Here is why I called Joseph GQ:

See what I mean?

Don’t judge me – my sister took 7 pictures and a video.

“Let the Beauty of What You Love be What You do”

Rumi

Dustin Aherin, owner of Idaho River Adventures has a large crew of guides that work with him on various trips down the river.  We were lucky to have Tom, Lara, Tim, Joseph, Greg, and Drew along with us on our trip.  I was a manager for 35 years and never have I seen a group of people work harder than the guides that work for Idaho River Adventures.

The evening before our trip on the river, we stayed in the small town of Stanley, Idaho.  We met before dinner for orientation.  We introduced ourselves and Dustin delivered the orientation, showed us the large Red Bags (that would hold our sleeping bags, pillows, and any clothes or supplies we would need at the end of each day), the smaller clear dry bags (for all our gear that we wanted to have access to during the day), and gave us a coffee cup compliments of Idaho River Adventures to use each morning for our coffee.  He also went over what to expect on a typical day — 7:30 to 8 a.m. breakfast; on the river around 10 or so each day; stop for lunch; back on the river; stop in the late afternoon at camp.  We would be traveling approximately 70 miles on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, a part of which is known as the River of No Return.  He said we may encounter bears, rattlesnakes, and bull snakes (which eat the rattlers).  He said no snacks in the tents due to the fact that the rodents will come in to get them and eat through whatever bags they are in (but no worries, they won’t bite you).  With regard to going to the bathroom – liquids go in the river and solids go in the outhouse that they would assemble each afternoon at camp.  He suggested we put things like rain jackets, extra socks, sunscreen, water bottle and other things we might need during the day in the small dry bags, which we would keep with us.  The large Red Bags would be packed onto the Granny Boat, which would leave each morning to go ahead to that day’s camp where one or two guides would set up tents, tables and chairs, and the Groover (outhouse).

The Hotel in Stanley where we spent the first night and had orientation.

Michael, Chuck and Karlene at the restaurant  (next door to the Hotel) where we ate dinner and breakfast the next morning.

A view of the Sawtooth Mountain Range from Stanley.

An evening view of Stanley from our Hotel, with the mountain range in the background.

The ladies from New York (Crystal, Hillary, and Stephanie) wait to board the vans to the airport.

Michael, Me, Karlene and Chuck – ready to go!

Our first day on the river began with instructions on how to survive the rapids, life vest usage, how to help get someone in the raft after they fell out, and how the individual kayaks were handled (more on that later).  The guides who were not providing instructions were preparing lunch for us which included guacamole tacos, cookies, peanut butter and jelly with bread (in case we wanted to make a sandwich instead or with tacos), cut up fruit, carrots and hummus.  They then packed all our red bags, sleeping pads, food, cooking prep tools, supplies and the tables on which lunch was served into the large barge-like raft, which was called “Granny”.  One or two guides then headed down river to get to our evening camp site before the rest us; so the tents, tables and chairs, and water station could be set up and waiting for us when we arrived.

They started work before we even climbed out of our tents in the morning.  There was coffee and hot water waiting first thing each morning as the guides prepared breakfast for us.  They carried pots and pans and tables and chairs and food in and out of Granny, up and down hills, each afternoon and every morning.  They rowed rafts every day, all day, except when they were carrying gear, preparing food, or cleaning up afterwards.  They worked every evening (usually after sunset, with lights on headbands so they could see what they were doing) — washing dishes, putting away food, and packing stuff into metal bins to protect them from critters during the night.  They even made dessert — EVERY night and it was delicious.

Guide Joke — “Do you know the difference between a Fairy Tale and a Raft Tale?”  “No, What?”  “A Fairy Tale starts, Once Upon A Time…a Raft Tale starts, No shit, there I was…”

A table covered in lunch time snacks.

The guides prepare our fabulous dinner in less-than-ideal conditions.

Dustin in his serious mode.

Lunch is prepared on the hillside. This stuff was all carried up a rocky shoreline.

A trail-mix sandwich. A new invention by one of the rafters.

Greg ‘Montana’ – with Karlene and Chuck – waiting for the “go” signal.

Drew with his girlfriend, Emily, who came along and helped out.

Tim – the funny guy.

Tom – the quiet guy.

Joseph (or GQ as I called him)

The only female guide – Lara! She was adorable, but held her own with all those male guides.

An evening snacks – while we wait for dinner.  No kidding!!!

Salmon for dinner – delicious!

Check it Out! It’s a dutch oven. This is how they cooked biscuits and chocolate cake!

Breakfast burrito with potatoes.

Lasagna, grilled bread, and Caesar salad.

Dustin gives us geology lessons about Idaho – very interesting!

Rafters and guides listening as Tim (far right almost out of picture) and Dustin (out of picture) school us.

Granny Boat – named for Dustin’s Grandmother, filled with Red Bags, food, supplies, etc.

Each afternoon, the guide who went ahead with the tents and supplies, set up the outdoor toilet – or “Groover” about 50 yards from out tents and tables.  About 20 yards from the Groover was a washing station and the “key” which was actually an ammunition box with extra toilet paper.  When you went to the Groover, you would take the box so that everyone would know it was occupied.  You brought it back when you returned, to let others know the Groover was open for business once again.  The Groover was also set up with the door facing the river, so one always had a lovely view while taking care of business.  It was called the Groover because it used to not have a seat on it, so when you sat it would make grooves in your behind – hence, the Groover!

A photo of the Groover from the back.

What a lovely view from inside the Groover.

Another camp site with the Groover surrounded by trees (but still facing the river)!

The wash station with the key to the Groover.

“Don’t Live the Same Year 75 Times and Call it a Life”

Robin S. Sharma

I was quite nervous about the prospect of sleeping and dressing in a tent.  It has been 20+ years since I slept on the ground.  I wasn’t actually sure I would be able to sleep at all.  These old hips get achy just walking around, forget about laying on a hard surface for 8 hours each night.  Dustin assured me that the pad they provide for under the sleeping bag was thick and comfortable.  Just to be sure, I borrowed another blow-up pad to add to the one they provide.  Oh, yeah, and I also obtained a small prescription of Ambien (sleeping pills) from my Doctor to help.  It turned out I had no problem sleeping on the ground.  It was also warm in the tents and the sleeping bags were more than sufficient against the elements.

However, tent living is still a challenge.  The tent was plenty large for two of us along with our clothing and personal items.  And it was tall enough to stand in, just not all the way up.  So, the options were get dressed while laying on the ground or while standing hunched over.  I chose the second option.  It was not bad, but by the end of the trip, I had a catch in my back that hurt every time I tried to bend over.  A handful of Motrin, pain pills, a glass of wine and second hand marijuana smoke cured all that ailed me.

The biggest challenge was having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  In the dark.  On the ground.  Outside the tent.  The night it rained all day and the cold wind blew on us the entire rafting trip, I was still cold when I went to bed.  After finally getting down on the ground (not easy when your legs and upper body strength is less than ideal) and getting into the sleeping bag, I realized my feet were freezing.  I knew if I put socks on, it would help, but the thought of sitting back up, rifling through my bag for a pair of socks, then crawling back into the sleeping back was just a pain.  Nonetheless, after 15 minutes or so of not being able to fall asleep, I did just that.  It was so nice with my feet finally warm, I snuggled back in the sleeping bag and was soon fast asleep.  Sometime later, I woke with the terrible urge to pee.  Again, I thought NO – I just want to sleep.  But sleep would not come back to me.  So, I got up, crawled out of my tent with my socks and jammies on and went just a few feet away from the tent (I wasn’t going very far in the black of night)!!  We were on a very slight incline, so I tried to face the appropriate flow of direction and began to relieve myself.  About 6 inches of my jammie legs were hanging down around my feet and I suddenly realized my sock was soaking wet.  I was standing in a puddle of urine.  The bottom of my jammie leg was also soaked!!!!  I wanted to just cry, but that would do no good.  So, I went back into the tent, found some dry socks, tried to use a small towel to partially dry my jammie leg (I only had one pair of pajamas and it was too cold to go without).  Then, having no choice, me and my peed on jammie climbed back into the sleeping bag and I went to sleep.

That same morning, having had a night of interrupted sleep, I was moving around a bit sleepy and disoriented.  Everyone else was up and sitting around at the tables enjoying coffee and waiting for breakfast.  As I started out of the tent, my foot caught on the 5″ lip around the floor of the entrance to the tent.  I took a header out the door, landing flat on the ground with my face in the sand.  Thank goodness we were on sand — the day before there was a big rock in the very spot where my face now lay.  Fortunately, I wasn’t hurt and sat up, taking inventory to make sure I didn’t break anything. I sat there for the longest time, hoping no one had seen me.  My back was to the group, so I just waited to see if someone would yell or come running.  They didn’t (again, thank goodness) and I was so grateful.  How freakin’ embarrassing!

When I asked my sister, Karlene if she had any funny tent stories, she did absolutely top mine…

She chose to dress each day laying down.  Here is why that’s not a good idea — one morning she dressed and started out of her tent.  She was halfway to the tables and circle of rafters when she realized something didn’t feel right in her mid-section.  She felt around and realized that one of her boobs was not inside her bra!  Somehow, her boob had slipped below the bra line and never made it into the cup of her bra.  It didn’t make the cut, so to speak.  When she told me this story, I laughed so hard I almost wet myself (again).

Michael by our tent.

This is how you dry your clothes when living in a tent.

Our tents await us on the hillside.

Another view of the tents.

“How can you smoke all day if you don’t start before breakfast?”    

author’s name withheld

Never in my life (and remember, I was a teenager in the 60’s) have I seen so much marijuana in one place. A couple of fellow rafters brought a stash of pot and hash and began using it on day one. Although we were a varied group of individuals, no one seemed to mind. Maybe it was the whole ‘Off the Grid’ situation or the fact that we were in the wilderness with no witnesses. Some did not partake, many did – although the owners of the stash were very willing to share with anyone who was interested.
Just to be crystal clear – Dustin gave the holders of the stash stern warnings about carrying and/or smoking during the trip. He reminded them that it is highly illegal in Idaho, plus we would be on federal land! However, not having authority to stop them and everyone being adults, his attitude was that if they wanted to do it, knowing the risks, it was entirely up to them.
In fact, the group that did partake, were quite funny as they got more and more stoned as the day went on, particularly in the evenings as we sat around after dinner. If you did not want to actually smoke, but wanted some benefit of the other’s activities, all you had to do was sit down wind. It was an easy, light high – not a bad way to relax.
One evening as we were sitting around a fire, I was watching one of the guys with a Tupperware bowl full of huge rolled joints. He was laying them out on a table over my right shoulder, when one of them rolled off the table and onto the ground. Remember, we were in the wilderness. Except for the little light the fire gave off, it was pitch black out there. He was so stoned, but he felt around on the ground for the joint and couldn’t find it. I saw exactly where it fell and wondered if I should help him, but I didn’t (to tell the truth, I didn’t want him to know I had been watching him). He gave up and went back to sit in the circle. A few minutes later, another rafter is behind me with a flashlight looking around on the ground. Someone says, “What are you looking for?” She says, “Nothing!” I then turn and point to the ground just beneath the edge of the table and said, “It’s on the ground, right below the edge of the table – I saw it drop. It should be right there.” She reaches down and finds it and loudly announces, “It’s okay, I found what I wasn’t looking for!”
I laughed so hard – they were really funny and quite silly, and the more they smoked (and drank, by the way) the more they laughed out loud. For some reason, it just all seemed perfectly acceptable and quite hilarious.
When one of them lit up very early one morning, someone asked, “Isn’t it a little early to start that?” The response was, “How can you smoke all day if you don’t start before breakfast?”
There was a core group of participants (but NEVER Dustin or the guides) and Michael dubbed them “The Breakfast Club”.  Sorry, no pictures – I don’t want to out any of my new friends!