[at-l] SoRuck Count Down!!!

[Tenacious Tanasi]

All right Ladies & Gents!  As of Monday, we are officially down to 4 days to the SoRuck!!!

For all your ruck information, check out:  www..soruck.net/

Our host again this year is Sly aka Robert Sylvester.  Thanks for all your hard work Sly man!

The SoRuck is held annually at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) in Wesser, NC on Martin Luther King weekend.  This year it falls this Friday, January 15 through Sunday, January, 17 with a few folks staying over and hanging out in Cabin C on Monday, January 18.  Cabins are full, but you can call the NOC and see if there are any spots in the bunkhouses available.  There are also several accomodations available in Bryson City and Franklin.... (Google is your friend!)

If you will be bringing a food item or want to volunteer for kitchen duty, please sign up on this spread sheet:  http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pLQjeEZIQO4T4_JGqKt4QKw
If you have any problems putting your item on the spreadsheet, please feel free to email your information to GADawg (Rosalyn Seagroves) at gadog430 at charter.net or Tenacious Tanasi (Shelly Morgan) at tenacious_tanasi at yahoo.com and we will gladly put your info on there for you.  Rule of thumb is this... iffin you're gonna eat, then bring a dish!  

Check this line up! 

Friday Five Leaf Clover aka Marta Clark will start us off right with a presentation of her 2007 hike of the John Muir Trail (www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=5865).  Spirit Eagle aka the awesome hiking duo of Jim & Ginny Owens (www.spiriteaglehome.com/) will be winding down the evening with a show on Canada's Great Divide Trail (www.spiriteaglehome.com/gdt.html) which they hiked in 2007.

Saturday morning OrangeBug will be treating us to his killer blueberry pancakes after which there will be two hikes.  The first will be leaving out at 7:30 am and led by Hooch & Bear Paw along the AT from Tellico Gap back to the NOC and is considered a moderate to strenuous 7.9 miles.  Shuttle again provided by Ron Haven.  Second hiking offering will take off at 8:30 am and led by MotherNature & SmokeStack from the NOC to Rufus Morgan Shelter all of which is 2 miles considered easy. 

After lunch and as the last of the straggling hikers make it in, we'll be kicking off the afternoon with Winton Porter owner of Mountain Crossings at Walasi-Yi (www.mountaincrossings.com/about-us.aspx) and Almost there aka David Greenstein founders of MX Squared (www.mxsquared.org/) which is a Wilderness Youth Experience non-profit organization dedicated to safeguarding the future of America's wilderness and trail systems through the education of America's youth. I'm really excited about this presentation as my daughters Agent Judy aka Jerrica and Hambone aka Tori will be there with me!  If you love to hike teach your kids about your the love of the outdoors!

Winton Porter (vodpod.com/watch/1453416-winton-porter-knows-how-to-lighten-your-load) will then be signing copies of his book "Just Passin Thru"

Women Hikers will be meeting in Cabin E for a sip of wine, snack on crackers, and indulge in chocolate and hiking sisterhood!  If you knit, bring your creations to show off!  If you're heading out on a hike this year come prepared to share it.  Want a female to tuckerize your pack?  Bring it with!  We'll all be glad to share pointers for gear.

There will be a silent auction, raffle, and gear swap with proceeds benefiting the ATC (Appalachian Trail Conservancy - www.appalachiantrail.org/) and ALDHA (Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association - www.aldha.org/)  Please bring any hiking gear you would like to donate and help both organizations out!

After indulging in a pasta dinner with all the fixins, Bulldawg will be sharing "America's Wild Spaces" a National Geographic documentary about the Appalachian Trail (http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/americas-wild-spaces/3591/Overview).  After that wraps up, then Five Leaf Clover aka Marta Clark will then present her 2006 SOBO (southbound) AT (Appalachian Trail) thruhike adventure (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry..cfm?trailname=3277)

We'll wind the evening down with a bonfire... no matter how cold!  (Just need some folks to pitch in and bring some wood!)

Sunday morning Circuit Rider & Sherlock (http://www.heartbeatat..com/) will hold our annual sunrise service. A Southern style breakfast will be served including gravy & biscuits.  (Marsha you bring the fixin's and I'll make my "catheads" for ya!  :))

All of you aspiring thru hikers bring your pack/gear.  There will be a "Tuckerization" where experienced hikers will go through your pack with you to weigh the pros and cons of each item.  Tons of wisdom to be shared by this group, so bring your stuff and learn ways, tips, tricks to lightening your load and what will work best for YOU on YOUR hike.

Sunday afternoon is always the sad part as we begin cleanup, packing, and folks leave for home.  Bring your notepads to jot down new friend's info and things you've learned along the weekend.

There will be a few folks staying on Sunday night into Monday.  Usually there is a trail maintenance work trip and more details will be shared about that later as they become available.  

Also, please try to find the register and sign in.  We know we never get a dead on number, but it's kinda nice to see how many folks got together and enjoyed the weekend.  (Also helps in planning the next year!)

So, come out for the weekend, come out for the day, and you will have a wonderful time!
 Tenacious Tanasi 


      
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