Sugarloaf, Maine

Date: January 16-19, 2015
Trip Leader: Dianne Furrer
Trip Assistant: Len Szymanski  

At 12:30 on Friday, fifty HSC members and guests met at the Ericsson parking lot in Piscataway. Thanks to our members helping to load the bus, we were able to leave Ericsson parking lot at 12:45PM.  The bus ride was pleasant and uneventful; everyone enjoyed the beverages, snacks, and movies.  We took our dinner break at the Maine rest stop in Kennebunk.  We were in and out of the dinner stop in a reasonable time and watched another movie as we continued to Sugarloaf. We arrived at the hotel at 10:45 and unloaded. After a brief introduction from the Sugarloaf staff several volunteers helped to unload the bus.  Shortly, everyone checked in and was in their rooms early enough to get a good night’s rest to prepare for Saturday’s activities.  The personnel at the front desk told us of a band playing and several people went to enjoy the music and the dancing.  Those who went will never forget the colorful punk reggae band.

Saturday dawned with a balmy temperature of -9 degrees and a pleasant breeze.  Lifts opened as scheduled at 8:30 am.  After dressing for a cool day on the slopes, it was difficult to recognize fellow club members on the mountain.  The weather was on the chilly side, but there was fresh snow on the mountain and plenty of opportunities to take a break and warm up.   Although it was the Saturday of Martin Luther King weekend, the slopes were not crowded.  Immediately after skiing on Saturday, many members sat around the fire pit at the village base or visited the outdoor hot tub at the hotel.  Before dinner, the club hosted a get-together in the trip leader’s and assistant’s rooms.  Everyone stopped by at one point to partake in the snacks and drinks, swap stories, and recount the day’s triumphs and defeats.  We welcomed the many new people on the trip and hope that they enjoyed themselves as much as our members enjoyed meeting them.  After about two hours, we cleaned up from the get-together and people split into groups and headed out to dinner up the steps at the Brown Bag or down the slope at the Shipyard.   Others delayed dinner to sit in the hot tub.  Nighttime activities were diverse; some people hitting the bars, some relaxing in the hotel lobby, and others heading to bed early to rest up for the next ski day.

Sunday dawned and brought the chilly weather and once again it was time to head out to the slopes. The weather improved as the ski day progressed.  About noon, the snow made a welcome appearance and we had a chance to ski in fresh powder!  After skiing, many of the members headed to the hot tub.  Unfortunately, the snow changed to sleet and rain.  Everyone was on their own for dinner.  A large group headed down the slope to the Shipyard restaurant at the Sugarloaf Inn for dinner.  It is a lot easier to ski the slope than to walk down it.  As it was Super Bowl Sunday, the Shipyard bar was full of Patriots’ fans.  The Pats beat the Colts.  Since the rain continued and the snow was quite slick, many opted to use the free shuttle service to return to the hotel. 

The rain had stopped by Monday morning and several brave souls ventured out to the slopes, skiing a half day before the bus departed.  Most people opted for a lazy morning, with many shopping for souvenirs.  A few curious souls who had seen the first Avengers movie noticed the Shawarma food truck and followed in the footsteps of these superheroes and tried Shawarma (it's like an Arab meat burrito).  The bus arrived and it was time to load and at 1:30pm, we departed for Piscataway.  The remaining snacks and beverages were served while we watched more movies.  Tired and hungry, we stopped for dinner at a rest stop in Massachusetts.  We returned to the bus, watched movies, chatted with our neighbors, and napped.  Thanks to the smooth driving by our bus driver Scott, we were back in Piscataway by 11pm.   After unloading the bus and packing cars, good-byes were said, hugs given, hands shook and it was time to head home.

We would like to thank all of the participants for joining us and making this such a pleasant, successful, and accident free trip.    Everyone on the trip has been added to the distribution list and we hope to see all of you on the 2016 trips. 

Thanks for making this trip a fantastic experience for all participants,

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