Yesterday I decided last minute to take a trip out to Hunting Lodge for the night. Being board here in base wasn't fun and I hadn't really taken many photos. So I quickly packed a bag, filed a backcountry permit, and had a friend drop me off at the closest turnaround. Then hiked the 2 miles uphill to Hunting Lodge where the staff treated me to French Toast for dinner and allowed me to sleep in their cabin for the night. Hunting Lodge was once one of Waite Phillips' many cabins on the ranch where himself and other wealthy guests would stay while hunting and fishing that portion of the ranch. Many of the original animal mounts are still hung on the walls, in fact I slept beneath a mountain lion hung in the central room of the cabin. It is a courtesy when visiting backcountry camps to do the dishes for the staff so after dinner myself and another visitor cleaned the dishes and then joined the staff for their evening program where they build a campfire in the living room and invite campers and their advisors in for a few hours of music and trail stories. The camp director at Hunting Lodge plays both guitar and banjo and it was incredible ti see one camper, Joey, and an advisor, Matt, pick up the directors guitar and join in. Playing every song they could think of that they both knew. This morning I woke up well before sunrise and hike the half mile down to the reservoir by Cathedral Rock and went fishing before heading back to the turnaround that was thankfully downhill this time. I had arranged for the backcountry warehouse to come pick me up so that I could be back to work by 8 a.m. Hopefully I will be able to overnight most of the backcountry camps by the end of the summer because this trip was a success.
