While pulling up to Tim's at the Bedford Mall on Friday night, I noticed Bruce (Dipper) Murphy, Greg (Fireball) Vail were all ready seated enjoying a cup of Tim's brew. After seating myself, the other night hiker's began to straggle in. Bruce (Sungod) Duffy, Gordon (Viking) Warnica, Jerome (Geezer) Bruhm, Chris (Honest Abe) Hollybone, Bernie (Imax) Levy and his son Ben arrived just as we were leaving for the trailhead.

It would be an all men's night hike.

The trailhead was only about five miles down Rocky Lake Drive, and soon the vehicles came to a stop, everybody out, on with their packs, and headed across the road to the trail.

We found the trail about 80% covered in ice. Trying to spot the other 20% for walking did not come easy, as the full moon was partly covered with snow clouds blowing in from Bostom.

Sixteen feet soon found out how difficult it was to keep the rest of its structure in a vertical position. The other two feet belonged to Chris, who immediately strapped on a pair of ice walkers as soon as he left the car. He was the only hiker that did not experience the ground coming up to meet him in a rush.

We must have struggled along for about 45 minutes when we all came to a standstill at the top of a hill, that gave a clear view of the street lights across Williams Lake in Waverley. Some of us assumed this was the end of our hike, and started looking around for a place to make a fire, when the Sungod sounded out halfway. So on we went, scuffing, stumbling, slipping and sliding along the icy trail .

We began to spread out along the trail, taking up the rear was myself, just ahead of Gordon & Bernie. Arriving at a very icy area, I decided to jump from the hard frozen snow on to a dark shaded rock in the middle of the trail, to miss the surrounding ice. Into the air I went, what I thought was a rock turned out to be a lump of black ice, as my feet landed, they immediately propelled me forward head first in the frozen ground. I took the brunt of my fall with my right elbow. Ouch unknowingly I tore off my watch from my wrist. Imax following behind spotted it lying on the dark ground (Eagle Eyes) and picked it up for me.

Soon we caught up to the main party. Duffy split us up in two groups, one group bushwhacked around the hill situated right in front of us, while the rest climbed the hill, and continued on until we reached a huge rock, where we settled down for the evening.

The two Bruces' & Gordon began hanging up their tarps, in preparation for the their winter night's sleep over. There's something about Gonzos, that they seem to like to sleep outdoors, the night of a snowstorm.

Soon we were all seated around the fire, roasting three different kinds of hot dogs, and sausages. Everyone joining in conversation about the RCMP chasing a break and enterer through these woods just a day earlier.

Gordon borrowed Bruce Murphy's Cel phone, to try and get a hold of Low Maintenance, to see why she was a no show. Brian answered, so Gord & Brian started to tick away the minutes on Bruce's nickel. Bruce interrupting Gordon twice to hang up, Gordon passed this info on to Brian, and without hesitation, Brian responded, that you must be using Norm's phone.

Around 10pm six of us rose to our feet, and gathered up our things and headed back out, leaving behind Viking, Sungod and Dipper to spend the night with the falling snow.

The trip out, passed quickly, of course we all had our own little slips and falls, but its funny how a warm home & your own bed can pick up your pace. Arriving back to the cars at 10:45pm, we all piled in, and pointed the car homeward, just as the snow started to fall.

TO BE CONTINUED, by the SUNGOD from 10PM to 8AM Saturday morning.