The previous year, "g" and his two daughter's accompanied DeWallis and his small troop of children to Oxshoe Pond. They were fortunate to find its one lean-to available… although the children were too nervous to sleep outside the comfort of a tent. Anywho, "s" and her dad agreed to backpack to the same area. They would hike the 1.1 miles to the lean-to at Oxshoe Pond, and then another ¾ mile to Crab Pond.

The packs were loaded up with sleeping bags and pads, camp gear, 5-pounds of candy, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for dinner, and pancakes for breakfast. "g" brought his digital camera for "s" to play with, a tarp and rain gear for the anticipated rain, and a deck of cards to play with in the tent should it rain.

The weekend was superb! They figured out how to pitch a tent on top of a rock slab. "s" devised a clever way to hang their rain tarp for cooking under, she counted about 175 tiny orange salamanders which participated in her catch and release program, and she even cooked marshmallows over her dad's one-burner stove since open fires were prohibited. It drizzled for a little while, but it didn't stop "s" in her pursuit to catch orange salamanders or her father from fishing. Aside from the squeaky tree that kept them awake for most of the night, "s" and her dad were already planning next week's backpacking trip with her sister, DeWallis and his crew, and High Altitude and his family.