Hurricane Lake, nestled high on the White Mountain Apache Reservation in Arizona, turned out to be an ideal location for the Adventure Trailers 2008 Owners Gathering. The lake sits at around 9000 feet so the temperatures were very comfortable and as Monsoon Season had just begun, we were able to have camp fires.

The AT team headed out early to do some last-minute reconnaissance of the hiking paths and off-road trails and by Thursday morning the first of our guests started to roll into camp.

Thursday was very relaxed with people pulling into camp, and fly fishing on the stocked lake. A thunderstorm put our afternoon plans on hold, but no one seemed too adverse to taking a siesta. An impromptu GPS clinic managed to take place under the cover of an awning, and resulted in everyone knowing which way was north.

After the weather cleared up we got a roaring fire going thanks to "Flamethrower Man" and his capable assistant "Combustion Woman".

"Trout Bum Diaries" was the movie of the evening.

Friday morning, after a leisurely breakfast, (I managed to eat gourmet food at more than 3 camps), Lou Kingman took a group out hiking, Simon and Matt took a second group out on some trails, and Scotty conducted a fly fishing clinic. Many of us stayed in camp either catching up with each other, fly fishing, or just relaxing.

In the afternoon Paul May from Equipt1 www.equipt1.com gave a very informative clinic on Roof Top Tent maintenance and tips. The audience owned a wide variety of RTTs so everyone was able to compare notes. We were also lucky enough to have Fernando Lander from Camping Lab www.campinglab.com in attendance. Fernando is also the owner of a Horizon trailer.

That evening Adventure Trailers hosted a dinner of BBQ chicken and fish, salad and garlic bread. It was one of those good meals, enhanced by the camping experience. Anne had managed to find us 100% recycled paper plates, and cutlery made from soy and bamboo, fitting in with our goal to lessen our company's impact on the environment.

Following dinner we were honored to have Scott Brady from Expeditions West, Expedition Portal, and The Overland Society, give us a brief talk. Scott addressed the formation of the Overland Society, their long and short term goals, and how the society will interact with the Overland community.

After Scott's talk we showed the film Oil and Water.

Saturday followed the same routine as the day before. I did manage to "visit" three new groups to have breakfast with. I have to say we have some of the best camp chefs I've come across. Long live Trader Joe's!!!

Lou, Matt, Simon, and Scotty hosted the hiking, trail rides, and fly fishing in the morning. In the afternoon Mario did a bearing clinic. We wish to thank "The Flying Pitcairn Brother" for graciously accepting the annual "Loose Bearing Award".

Fishing hit an all time high: the fish were biting and claims of massive trout being landed and released were circulating around camp.

For a third night in a row "Flamethrower Man" made short work of turning a pile of wet wood into an inferno. At dinner Drew presented us with a Lego rendition of one of our Off-Road Trailers. A fine piece of work. We have great hopes that he will head up the R&D section of the company in a few years. Thanks Drew.

We were lucky enough to have a great group of kids attend the gathering this year. They all seemed to hit it off well. We hope you all had a wonderful time and made life long friends. I know the adults enjoyed your company, especially:
The Sugar High after eating marshmallows
Huge amounts of giggling as you rowed the raft round and round in circles
"Get up"....."Go away"...... "I've been looking after this dog for 2 days and 1 hour"...
Those in charge of stocking the fire with wood
Princess Farkyshuskin and Dr. Fabalalshabalala

Following the AT-hosted dinner Martyn gave a short "History of Adventure Trailers". With great interaction from our owners it soon turned into a "State of the Union" discussion with both Mario and Martyn fielding questions. It was a great opportunity for everyone to ask question, including us.

With many owners long journeys home, the crowed started to thin out by late Sunday morning. Those of us remaining left after lunch and found a good spot to wild camp.

The kids all looked bored until an afternoon thunderstorm threatened to drench us. Mc Giver- type thinking on Joe and Richard's part resulted in and we had a huge tarp being erected, and a Notebook Grill supporting a small fire to keep us all warm. Scotty finally pulled out his guitar and jammed for us, and a good time was had by all.

I think the best food of the whole trip emerged at the potluck that evening. Afterwards Richard, true to the itinerary, gave us the world's most concise "Tread Lightly" clinic.

Thank you to everyone who showed up for the event. Special thanks to Frank from JPFreek Magazine, Chris (Baja Taco) from Expeditions West, Paul from Equipt1, Fernando from Camping Lab, Scott from Expedition Portal, and the AT crew for your continued support, and making the whole event possible.

For more pictures of the event:

http://picasaweb.google.com/tubebenda/HurricaneLake08

http://picasaweb.google.com/redfinmoab/HurricaneLake