Fri, Mar 30 2007, Sat, Mar 31 2007, Sun, Apr 1 2007 - Volunteer Weekend: UTOC Cabin (View Original Event Details)
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This was my first time at the UTOC cabin, so I was not sure what to expect. The cabin is rustic, but well designed - it can sleep *a lot* of people - as many as 25 to 30, but we had 7 overnight guests, 2 dogs and Cynthia, who came up for the day. Even still, there is not much privacy or quiet areas, it's a wonderful open concept, but if you snore or do anything else "embarassing" in your sleep, believe me, everyone is going to know about it!!
David, Dom and I went up early on Friday to open the cabin and brought the two dogs. Rocky is an expert on outdoor adventures, but this was Trixie's first. She wasn't keen on getting into the car, but approved of the destination - both dogs romped and frolicked and actually started playing together for the first time since we brought Trixie home. The cabin is heated with a wood stove, but the weather was beautiful. There was no snow so we couldn't take advantage of the ski equipment that is all over the place - and good quality equipment, too. The cabin is located by a stream and under some fantastic rock face in the Kolapore Uplands region.
Ben, Jason and Erik arrived soon after and we set about with food preparations and finally Michelle joined us later that evening. The next day we sat around lazily while giving David the excuse that we were just waiting for Cynthia and Jim to arrive. All morning long we heard "rumbles" but couldn't figure out what it was. When Cynthia and Jim did arrive, we sat around lazily, but then decided that we should probably go for a hike. Jason, Ben, Erik and Dom headed off to explore some of the caves that are all around the area, while Jim, David and I went down one of the side trails and climbed up a rocky area that passed through a crevace. We had the dogs with us and I didn't think they'd be able to make it, but faced with the choice of following or being left behind, they chose to follow us and scrambled up the rock face. Once they were up, they figured they were invinicible!!!
We met up with the other guys at the other end of the crevice. I don't know how they got there, but I probably don't want to know being all weird about heights and stuff. We followed David to a lookout point. I was ready to leave, as I'm not one for lookout points. I like the lookout, I just don't like the point. We met two of the people responsible for upkeep on the Kolapore uplands and discussed doing a TOC volunteer trail maintenance session. On the way back the guys explored the caves and crevises and another hiker told us there was a large rockfall from the very precipice we were crawling all over. Sure enough we saw plenty of evidence of fresly shorn rockfall and explained the strange rumbling noises we heard earlier. We headed back to the Cabin and let Ben prepare a hearty lunch, then the three girls sat around to read quietly - in the MOST UNCOMFORTABLE COUCHES ever. I figured that any couch a university student was willing to donate had to be really really bad. Jim and David decided to go for a longer hike, but we stayed where it was warm. The guys - Dom, Jason, Ben and Erik - were standing on the porch in a very animated discussion. I couldn't hear what they were saying but did make a comment that it looked very testestorone driven. And then they found a chain...I know something was up...
In a nutshell, they had noticed a dead tree that was leaning precariously towards the cabin and appeared to be a potential hazard, so in truely altruistic fashion they decided that the only way to save the cabin from certain destruction was to cut the tree down. With an axe. And one of those two handled old fashioned saws that was hanging on the wall, for decoration? perhaps...or maybe just a tease...When we found out the plan we struggled with whether to be shocked or angry or just laugh about it. I chose to laugh about it. If it wasn't a tree that needed to be cut down, it would have been an bonfire that needed burning or some other thing - whatever guys need to do when they get together and think for themselves. heehee.
The look on David's face when he returned from his hike was confusion, then shock and then panic. But although he may deny it up and down, I think he was also drawn in. The tree chopped and no longer an imminent danger, but the felling of said tree was rather anti-climatic. We went back inside for dinner preparations and lots of tree felling talk that I won't go on about because it doesn't matter. What did matter was that someone laid the guantlet down for some serious Scrabble tournament, starting the next day. The rest of the evening was rest and relaxation, eating some of Dom's delicious Roti and keeping the conversation lively until Cynthia had to go home. She was definately reluctant to leave and one of these days we'll find a way to allow her to stay overnight. it was great to spend the whole day with her, something I rarely get to do - that's the pleasure of a volunteer outing!
The next day it was raining and that made it a perfect day for Scrabble playing. It was Dom and Jim squaring off, who had the better command of the English language - a PHd from Alberta or a computer geek from Lincolnshire, UK?? The game was on. The rest of us were just casualties as Jim and Dom faced off with Dom getting the upper hand twice in a row. I sat down for the third game and admittedly, scrabble is not my strong point. But we conveniently FORGOT the trivial pursuit game, so there were no alternatives. Early on Dom spoiled my possible double word score for Queen, and then I fell behind and decided to work on the spoiler position, kind of like what the New Jersey Devils were supposed to do for the Leafs but they couldn't even get that right...anyways, I challenged Dom strategically leaving an opening for Jim to pull ahead and like a Nascar driver I rode through using his draft and came *this* close to beating him by going out early and leaving him with a large number of points in his hand. Revenge will come, but for this time I was victorious!!
Our scrabble game having taken up most of the afternoon, we couldn't believe what time it was and still an hours worth of cleaning and closing up the cabin to go. That is how we spent the rest of Sunday, before heading back to the city.
Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Erik Sonstenes at photos@torontooutdoorclub.com. Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.