submitted by Marian Styles
No one can blame snow, sleet, or rain for not coming to the PATC – Charlottesville Chapter holiday party on December 13. A delightful mixture of trail workers, cabin-crew members, hikers, and innocent bystanders gathered at Dunlodge on a 70-degree day to celebrate the season, visit friends, and meet new friends.
The weather was warm enough for us to gather outside without jackets to watch John Shannon and Debra Fisher demonstrate the chapter’s new crosscut saw while David Vandeveer steadied the log. Long-time trail maintainer Joe Raynor then stepped in with his smaller crosscut saw to show how well it cuts.
Inside Dunlodge, visitors could admire an artful, three-panel display created by our talented Dave Borszich. We’ll put the display up at public events to generate interest in PATC and the Charlottesville Chapter and to educate people about what the club does. This masterpiece will surely leave viewers with a positive impression of PATC.
Of course, no party is complete without a feast, and the dining room table was laden with culinary delights contributed by the partygoers. From that perennial favorite mac-and-cheese to turkey to deviled eggs (and much more!), even the fussiest eater had plenty to choose from. Two birthday cakes augmented the prodigious assortment of desserts—we had two to celebrate: Karen Siegrist’s and Geoff Manning-Smith’s.
Thus sated, we gathered in the living room to recognize some of the many volunteers who make up PATC and to announce new officers. Iva Gillet, who has served the chapter as co-president for the last 2 years, has graciously agreed to continue in the role solo. Dan Ralston is stepping down from his term as co-president. Andy Willgruber’s vice presidency is coming to an end, and Marit Anderson will assume those duties. Barbara Martin is our new treasurer, taking over the job from Marian Styles. Don Davis earned a special thanks for his invaluable service as co-overseer of Dunlodge and for getting the cabin decorated and ready for our party. Sadly, fellow co-overseer Thomas Jorgensen and Mary Jorgensen could not make it to the festivities.
Don White, district manager of SNP, South District, presented Rich Powley with the district’s 2015 Hawksbill Award. (Michael Seth received the 2015 Hawksbill Award for the Charlottesville Chapter.) Don also announced that Joe Raynor received the prestigious PATC 2015 Honorary Life Member award.
Of course, our holiday party would not be complete without our infamous White Elephant gift exchange, which proved to be especially fun this year. The carved-wood, decorative kitty-cat chimes and the camping light/hiking book traded hands multiple times, but several other items also attracted more than one taker: a set of crossword puzzle books, a cowboy hat, and a box of camping-related goodies. Someone even wanted the candle centerpiece that Neil McKinney thought he would end up taking home (although he then got a cookie jar that he could have lived without), but Kelly O’Rourke was left to keep a book about crop circles. A t-shirt bearing a cheeky adage elicited some loud guffaws and changed owners a couple of times, and this year our traditional, special gift went home with lucky Joan Hunt.
The year 2015 marks the 19th year of the White Elephant party and the 18th appearance of “The Gift.” Please join us in 2016 for 20 continuous years of celebrating good hiking and good friends.
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