Our first winter retreat was held at the Nunnemacher Cabin, Lyme, New Hampshire. The cabin is located on top of Dartmouth Skiway, and we did not want to carry our heavy backpacks (there is no water in the cabin) all the way to the top. We were young and stupid, so we put on our skis and snowboards and loaded ourselves on the chairlifts. It was somewhat easier for the guys to get off on skis, but I had a major crash trying to balance my 40 lb pack as I rode down from the lift. Not to worry: at the end of the retreat we skied down with the packs, and I fell down hard yet again. The retreat itself was great; highlights included evening trips to the Darmouth Coop to buy provisions, and I cooked amazing steaks on the grill (beef first day and lamb the second day). This was before Slava turned most of us vegetarian. The atmosphere was set: lots of therapeutic discussions followed by some genuine male humor. The fact that the trip took place during Valentine's day caused some consternation among our wives. But there is no Valentine's day in Russia! There is winter, skiing and male bonding.
