On-On!

Tuesday night (January 22nd), Team NORSA members Adam, Julie Brockman, Alan Stewart, Mike Rhodes, and newcomer Don Lenfeste drove to Chapel Hill to join up with Sir Walter's Hash House Harriers http://www.swh3.com/ to do a 'hash run.' None in the NORSA crew had any experience and the only background came from reading various websites, but we did know it involved running, drinking, and a bit of a team scavanger hunt.


Without giving away too much, the night featured wades through waste deep water, sprints through dark forest, and an all-important beer break (in addition to the beverages consumed before and after the event).

Hashing is an event in its own category, and if running, adventure, and a laid back attitude are your cup of tea, check out your local Hash House Harriers, or join the NORSA crew for their next hash (a now regular event for many members).

NORSA Relaxes Country Style in Emmitsburg, MD

NORSA Team members took some time over MLK weekend to relax at Steve's country house in Emmitsburg, MD. The house is








located so close to Mount Saint Mary's college campus that it might as well be part of the college, and is older than the United States (well ... half of it). Steve will be the first to tell you the history of the house part of which pre-dates the Declaration of Independence, the other half of which was built as an addition sometime in the 1800's.









Using the country house as home-base, NORSA members were able to go on varying outings including trips to Cunningham Falls, a hike to Cat Rock, a tour of the Gettysburg battlefield, and mountain snowsports at various ski resorts a stone's throw away. There was warmth from the fireplace and a place to relax when NORSA members returned from their various voyages. Rich in history and relaxing in spirit, Steve's country home is truly a haven for NORSA folks who need a break from the slap-dash life of the daily rat-race. MLK weekend provided that much needed break. Kudos, country house!

The Origins of NORSA's Annual ICE

View of the Shenandoah from atop Kennedy Peak in the Massanutten Mountain Range

NORSA's annual ICE, or Insane Cold-weather Excursion, will be hosted in February by original ICE venturers Adam, Steve, and Tom. For several years, starting as far back as 2001, the ICE was unofficially the annual testament to the irrational commitment to outdoorsiness of NORSA members. Now, finally an official part of the regular NORSA repertoire, the ICE takes its rightful place as heir to the cold-weather trip that started it all ... that's right, the first-ever official Georgetown Prep Outdoor Club (GPOC) camping trip into the Monongahela that spawned the very notion of NORSA in the minds of Adam and Tom.

The original trip was a sub-freezing foray into Dolly Sods, a wilderness area in the Monongahela National Forest. The task of keeping warm kept the crew busy for most of the evening and night. Nonetheless, the trip was smashing good fun and has led to annual overnighters to various peaks along the more local Massanutten Mountain range in the George Washington National Forest near Strasburg, VA. With it's unintended inception in 2001, ICE has been an annual NORSA event for the winters of 2002, 2003, and 2004. Now after a three-year hiatus, ICE is back in full effect.

This year's event will be a throw back to the humble beginnings of the trip. After the initial GPOC debacle, the real and true birth of ICE in its annual version was a trip to Signal Knob undertaken by a meager three people: NORSA regulars Adam, Tom, and Steve. Now, with NORSA's rapidly growing member-base, ICE has the potential to become a staple of the NORSA outdoor agenda without lapsing into another three-year suspension. Therefore, as a tribute to its shaky start, this year's night will be spent on none other than that very same Signal Knob where the event was truly born.

So, come one, come all - join us for this year's ICE. ICE is for everyone!! If you like nature so much you can't stand to be indoors and want to freeze your face off, ICE is for you. If you're new to camping and want to go on a simple trip that's really nothing more than walking uphill and sitting around a fire trying not to freeze before you sleep and walk down again, ICE is for you! If you're the competitive type, now is the time to do something crazy just to show your friends that you're more hardcore than they'll ever hope to be. Tentatively scheduled for February 9-10, ICE is the opportunity you've been waiting for to leave your warm home, sit in the cold, and complain. Final date will be announced next week, so check back soon!