The Allegheny Defense Project's 18th annual Fall Gathering 2011

18th ADP Fall Gathering This was the 18th Annual ADP Fall Gathering! And what a great weekend it was weather wise. Not a drop of rain for the whole weekend. This year the gathering was held at Tracy Ridge Campgrounds, a very nice camping area that used be on the chopping block, and schedualed be closed. Some of us arrived on Friday afternoon to set up the camp. There were plenty of tables and awnings to set up, as well as the wash station, and cooking stoves. This year we were fortunate enough to have a vault toilet near-by. Friday during the day Just arrived and started building camp     The outdoor clothes auction tent     The food tent     Memorial to Joe Martin and the food tents     One of the many friendly dogs in camp!     Practicing for the evening music program     Friday Evening Friday night we pretty much stuck around the camp, and had a real fun campfire. We ended up doing two music shows! Frist Christine and I did our set of folk/environmental songs, then we did them again when Denise arrived. It was a lot fun both times! Christine and I doing "Pay me my money down" ...... "Someday we'll all drive fracking trucks .... we'll all have jobs that REALLY suck"!     And then we did "Come on down ..."!     Our later preformance with Denise singing harmony     We turned in pretty Friday evening after a great dinner, some fun music and great conversations around the campfire! Saturday Morning Hike Saturday moring Cathy led an "environmental hike", while I led a very short, relaxed, scenic hike among giant rocks, caves, and crevaces. Peak-a-boo!     Christine in creavace     Another big crevace     Pile of rocks     Bright green moss     Cave opening     Christine found a living, blight free, American Chestnut tree!     Brilliant colors of nature     Unique tree knot     Christine rides the dragon!     Saturday after the hikes Mary and Bill really outdid themselves again this year .... as they always do! Great food and a real great setup! Saturday lunch     Very relaxing fire and conversation     I did a head count Saturday evening around dinner and counted 35 people in camp, but more people showed up after dinner Saturday, and as always there were people coming and going. I believe we may have had up to about 45 different people who stopped by during the weekend. All in all a great turnout! Around camp         Many great conversations     Relaxing atmosphere     Even the dogs had fun!     Bills lecture     Cathy's lecture     A concerned audiance     A very pretty dog! Molly!     Saturday Evening Christine and I preform Saturday evening     We did some fun originals! Christine is very animated!     Joined by Mary Ruth, and Cathy for "Come on Down"! ..... ...... "And we'll all bend over 'cause we're gonna get fracked"!     We told some fun campfire stories!     Late at night, when most went to bed, I did "how I met the ADP" by popular demand!     My Sunday morning "bath hike" By Sunday morning I hadn't had a bath or shower in TWO DAYS! I set out on an eight mile hike to find a reported waterfalls that somebody said "you could shower under". Turns out the creek was dry, and it was the wrong creek anyhow! So I found a remote, private cove and took a bath! Just like the indians used to do, with clean water and hand fulls of sand from the bottom! The beautiful bay where Tracy Run empties into the Reservoir     Here now .....     ..... then gone! (Underwater!)     Just lovin' it!     Is that a lake monster? LOL!     Here is where you can see my Youtube video of my swim: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykBckvx4J0o Or: Youtube video of my Sunday dip! After our short Sunday morning hike, and a really great lunch, we started breaking down camp and everybody started leaving. As always, Bill and Mary did way beyond their share of the work! Everybody did pitch in, but Bill and Mary were working constantly throughout the weekend. Leaving Camp! It's so sad when we have to leave camp! But all great things must come to an end!     Back on the "Pirate Bike"!     AARRRRR you ready for the ride of your life?     See you all next year, if not sooner! ....... He says as the Pirate bike sails off into the sunset!     A very big thanks to Bill and Mary, and thanks to everybody else who came out, and helped make this one of the best ADP Fall Gatherings ever!