Cardigan Winter Weekend

We prepared shared meals! Chili (LOTS of chili), pancakes/eggs, a baked potato bar, yogurt/granola, homemade bread and cookies, mulled cider... and all pitched in to keep the kitchen and common areas clean for ourselves and the other guests we were sharing the lodge with. We hiked! One group made it just shy of the summit of Cardigan before wisely turning around due to ice, another group summited Firescrew Mountain, yet another group went on a nice walk to check out cellar holes near the lodge (...which turned into *safely* bushwhacking ~0.5mi up and around two river crossings, trading them for a shallower crossing of a tributary that provided a just-right level of challenge, some wet feet, and a highlight of the weekend for everyone on the hike). We crafted! Watercolor painting and sea glass jewelry. We played board games. We jigsaw puzzled. We enjoyed local beer and maple whiskey. We practiced yoga on Sunday morning, led by one of our social (and soon to be hiking) leaders. A group joined for a guided mindfulness/forest bathing exercise just outside the lodge, led by an active member of our 20s/30s WMA community. We had several folks join AMC as new members in order to receive a discount on the weekend (our pricing structure was very intentional). Others who were already members made new friends and plans to adventure together, both on official AMC activities and on their own. Next year, we're planning to reserve the full lodge and fill it with 50-60 folks. We're very excited for what we hope and expect will be an annual tradition!