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I had no idea how crowded the campsite might be on this 4th
of July weekend, so I raced on ahead to grab a tent platform while
Toi and Holly took their time climbing the rest of the way up
the stairs. The Ethan Pond Shelter itself looms at the top of
the hillside right by the stairs, while the tent platforms are
down a trail to the left. I decided to take the third platform;
the first was a double platform for larger groups, while the second
was so close to the first that if a noisy group camped in the
double site, I wanted to put some distance between them and us.
When
we were done setting up the tent and getting everything arranged
nicely, we stored our food and cooking stuff in one of the bear
lockers the
AMC provides. Then, after a short rest in the tent, it was
time for supper.
Holly and I took Muffin with us and we grabbed a spot in the cooking
area, which was already beginning to fill up with people, including
the leaders of a large group of boys from a local camp who out
were on a backpacking trip. Luckily, they were good leaders and
didn't allow the whole group to occupy the area at the same time,
as they would have completely taken this small space over. The
cooking area consisted of several logs to sit on, arranged in
a square, with a tarp erected over it. The two bear lockers were
here, and off to the side, there was a small washpit with a strainer.
When
our supper was finished cooking, Toi came over from the tent and
joined us to eat. We had tied Muffin up to a tree outside of the
tarp so she wouldn't bother anyone, but a couple sat down near
her anyway. She didn't really bother them, but kept watching them
lift every spoonful of food from their plates to their mouths.
They liked her though, and thought she was funny; otherwise, we
would have moved her.
The
next morning dawned gray, but it wasn't raining, and we knew the
day's hike was going to be relatively short. After eating breakfast,
we packed away our things and dismantled the tent.
With the fly off but with its frame still attached, the tent is
easy to pick up to shake out any dirt or leaves that we may have
tracked in. |
Arrow-shaped
rock at the base of the stairs that lead up the hill to the
Ethan Pond Shelter and Campsite. |
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