On February 20th, 2016, veteran NORSA members Steve, Tom, Justin, Adam, and Aaron set off onto the Laurel Run trail in the George Washington National Forest for the annual NORSA Insane Cold-Weather Expedition (ICE). This ICE trip contained many traditions, such as the pre-hike rally at the Walmart in Front Royal followed by the unnecessarily yipster trip to Starbucks and the necessary pre-carousing stop at the Virginia ABC store across the street.
Other NORSA ICE standards include the obligatory act of leaving important equipment in the cars at the trailhead (in this case, raingear), vigorous discourse over losing the trail less than a mile in, tearfully lamenting the notable absence of NORSA members that had bailed out the day before (Neil and Eddie), and joyfully celebrating the traditional absence of NORSA-veteran Matt.
While traditional in many ways, this trip was notable for earning many NORSA superlatives.
This was the warmest NORSA-ICE (a high of 68 degrees),
featured the most selfies ever,
sported the largest NORSA fire,
and included the most colorful beverages ever.
After a delightfully diverse dinner, the campers settled in for the night under a full moon.
In the morning, after skillfully breaking camp and expertly adhering to leave-no-trace ethics, a somber rain fell upon the hikers. The warm temperatures, beautiful views, good company, and promise of a warm meal at Roy's kept spirits high as the team returned to their cars. Once again, a successful NORSA ICE.
