We started the day with great optimism. Despite the weather report predicting a rainy, stormy night, the morning was sunny and crisp.  My dog Florry would have wagged her tail in excitement if she had one. A local friend and his dog would later meet us at the shelter.  Mo and I sported our backpacks and prepared our sled to move our sleeping bags, pads, food, drinks, etc…to the shelter. We walked along the Ski Shelter Trail for 2 miles until we reached our destination. We unloaded our backpacks and sled and started a fire in the woodstove to warm up the shelter before embarking on our hike. I could not shake the feeling that we were being watched. Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me, knowing the urban legend about a tragedy that ensued decades before. A lesbian lumberjack, Joanne, and her lover, Roberta, lived in these Camden woods, not far from the shelter. One day, Roberta came face to face with a bear. Although the bear barely made it out alive, it managed to overcome Roberta, and took her life. Joanne, in deep despair, took her own life. Legend says Joanne wonders the woods at night, looking for her beloved Roberta and using her axe to dismember anyone who would dare trespass the shelter were she and Roberta once made passionate scissoring.

We followed along the Ski Shelter Trail and worked our way uphill by way of Zeke's Trail. From there we took the Sky Blue trail. Mostly wooded, we enjoyed the tranquility and rolling streams. We had hoped to reach Bald Rock Mountain, but the days remain short and it started to get dark. We returned to the shelter where our friend Richard and his dog, Tucker, were waiting for us.

As the evening progressed, we enjoyed the warmth of the woodstove and fireplace, great conversation and fine dining of canned soup and turkey sandwiches, washed down with hot cocoa. By 10PM I was sleepy and could barely keep my eyes open.

It was shortly after that we heard a tapping sound on the window. By now it was raining heavily and strong winds rustled the trees. It was dark and we could barely see anything outside. We looked out the windows but saw no one. A few minutes later, we heard the tapping on the window again, but this time louder and angrier. Mo decided to go outside and investigate, despite my warnings that this move was as stupid as the ones we see in horror movies. He assured me that he would be OK since he would take the dogs with him. Mo walked  out through the door and into the darkness until he became invisible by the obscurity. Suddenly I heard a yelping sound, then a hacking sound, then a scream!

Richard and I immediately went out to look for Mo and the dogs, but first had to make a stop at the privy to dispose of our soiled pants. As we walked past a dead oak tree, a hand reached out and pushed Richard's head into a tree, impaling him on a broken branch. The dark figure emerged: it was Joanne! As she moaned for Roberta, she fixated her vengeful eyes on me and raised her axe!

I ran through the woods as fast as I could, but my high heels slowed me down. As I ran, my blouse got caught on a tree branch and I found myself topless. I looked back and thought I lost Joanne, but when I turned my head back around there she was, right in front of me! Was this the end?!

"Wake up, wake up" Mo and Richard woke me up from this terrible nightmare only a few minutes before midnight.  Oh, how we gaily laughed after I told them about my nightmare. The clock struck midnight and we warmly embraced and wished each other a wonderful, happy new year. And so I also want to wish all of you, my fellow GO friends, a wonderful, happy new year as well!

Joanne then broke through the door and hacked us all to pieces.

The end

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