• Hello Guest, welcome to the initial stages of our new platform!
    You can find some additional information about where we are in the process of migrating the board and setting up our new software here

    Thank you for being a part of our community!

MountainMeet 5.0, September 25-29, 2019

propav8r

F*ck Edgar
Joined
Jan 17, 2010
Location
Franklin, NC
The masses have spoken, so the thread is going up.

eMprha6h.jpg


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VQRfZjOgpYU" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

mi2mYlnh.jpg


Qe0kDlYh.jpg


vb876V7h.jpg


nUSNI2Jh.jpg


A00cFtVh.jpg


YuEM36Rh.jpg


DHoGwBph.jpg


SPvvnZEh.jpg


What the hell is a MountainMeet?

Five days (plus or minus, however long you want to stay) of hanging out in the woods with Volvo people, driving really damn fun roads, benchracing, and consuming mass quantities of smoked and grilled meats.

Where is it?

So glad you asked. Balsam Lake Lodge, NC. It's about as remote as you can get without hiking the AT. It's a 16-bed lodge with a nice big yard for tent/hammock camping, and plenty of parking.

Where am I staying?

Well, one thing led to another last year and all the beds got bought up in short order for this year. However, there is more than enough room to shove things around inside for air mattresses, or you're welcome to pitch a tent (the kind you sleep in) or put up a hammock in the yard. There are also two large, comfy couches inside that can be claimed, but sleep there at your own risk. I think we're gonna do the beds the same way again this year, probably on Sunday morning, so if you want a bed for 2020, be sure and stick around.

What does it cost?

Not much. Those who wanted beds have already paid. In past years, I've divvied up food into groups, and people have volunteered to bring a group. That worked okay, but also led to a lot of food getting wasted, or some people overspending.

Just like last year, this year, I'm going to take up a collection via paypal for food prior to the meet, and I'll just buy everything beforehand and bring it. For those who don't contribute early, there will be a donation bucket out as in years past. See the post below for details.

Since this place is so remote, the closest decent restaurants are probably an hour and a half round trip. If you went to Waffle House for breakfast, by the time you got back, you'd need to leave again to get lunch.

For that reason, we cook 3 meals a day there, and for a group of 30+ people, cooking 3 meals a day is not a cheap or trivial undertaking. It is fun though.

Now the fun part: The Plans

Wednesday/Thursday 9/25 and 9/26

Those who want to arrive in the first wave can show up at the lodge at any time after 3pm on Wednesday (check in times got bumped back). The rest of Wednesday is pretty much set up/dinner/chill. As always, I fronted the cost of these two nights since we're never sure exactly who will show up. Beds on Wednesday and Thursday are first-come, first-served.

Because of everyone's generosity last year, there is no need to bring cash to offset the cost of Wednesday and Thursday nights this year!

Friday 9/27

I'll probably lead a group on a short drive around the area and hit some of my favorite roads close to the lodge. The lion's share of you tend to arrive Friday evening. We'll throw something together for dinner (maybe spaghetti...that's easy to do in mass quantities and keeps well).

Saturday 9/28

This year, we'll leave for the drive at about 10:30am. We'll leave the lodge and go up to the Parkway, then down 215 towards Waynesville, then back up 276 to the Parkway. Once we get up to Pounding Mill Overlook, those who want to go back to the lodge can. If you want a little more driving, I'll lead the group another 15 minutes down the Parkway to 151, and you can run that a few times. Phenomenal stretch of road.

If you do the loop, I'd expect to take about an hour and a half on the drive. If you come out to 151, total time will probably be in the 2.5 hour range.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qHZzjx_Mg2KQMItfM0xP0nwTX4-R5-eI&usp=sharing

There are two layers, one for the loop, and one for the side trip to 151

VHROtrNl.png


Last year was the year of the offroad vehicles too, so maybe we'll have a few of the lifted people back and y'all can do a Forest Road loop.

That said, I HATE going to meets where everything is planned out and super rigorous. I don't care what you do. If you want to go gem mining, do that. If you want to bring a rod and reel and go fishing, do that. If you want to drive with us, do that. If you want to mountain bike in Pisgah or something, do that. I want YOU to have a good time, not be beholden to my whim.

Saturday night: 40s and ass.

Sunday 9/29

Wake up, clean up, GTFO. Check out is 12pm this year, and by that point, the lodge has to be completely clean and in the condition it was in when we arrived. Help accomplishing this task is greatly appreciated. This has generally gone smoothly in the past, and I really thank y'all for that.

Lodge Rules:

Technically, alcohol is not allowed at this place. There will be a trash can for your empty bottles and cans. Use it. Under no circumstances should you leave trash, particularly bottles and cans, laying around. We're in the middle of nowhere. There is a caretaker's house about 1/4 mile away, but as long as we don't get excessively rowdy, we'll be fine. There has been no historical issue with alcohol consumption. Let's not make this the first year.

I plan on leaving the lodge in the same condition it's in when we arrive. Your assistance in this mission is greatly appreciated.

You do not need to bring linens, however, you CAN bring your own, and it helps immensely with cleanup. Every sheet/towel/blanket that we use has to be washed, dried, folded, and put away. If you want to bring your own sheets/blankets/sleeping bags/whatever, that will save a TON of time and effort Sunday morning.

Also, there's no need to bring cooking utensils, pots and pans, stuff like that. It's all there.

The Fine Print

1: A note on attendance: If you plan on coming, have the courtesy to let me know in the thread. As a general rule, if we've met before and are cool, come on out. If we haven't met, just shoot me a PM and let me know you'd like to come. I try to open my events to everyone, but see #4 if there are any questions.

2: If you want to arrive Wednesday, you can. Do not arrive before say 3pm on Wednesday the 25th (well, no one at my house. you can come whenever I reckon). I will gladly host a couple people at my house Tuesday night. Pre-arrival coordination with me is required. First night at the lodge is Wednesday night. Do not arrive at the lodge before 3pm.

3: Bring enough 'stuff' (clothes, swimsuit, towel, bath accouterments) for the weekend and some emergencies. The lodge has running water and hot showers. Use them. Don't stink. Seriously, why do I have to say this every year? Take a damn shower ya nasty hobos.

4:I reserve the right to throw your ass out, don't try me. I also know (on a first name basis) the people to call if you push the issue. Please don't. Quickest way to get tossed: Piss off a bear or mess up the lodge. If you do anything dumb or anything that would jeopardize my ability to use NFS facilities in the future, there will be issues. This is a small community. Word gets around. We have (rather miraculously, I might add) had use of the lodge for three years running without incident. Let's keep that record going.

5: Bring more money than you "think" you'll need. Incidentals are a bitch and you're IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. The cost of the weekend really isn't that high, but double what you anticipate you'll need and you should be alright.

6: Do not bring marginal vehicles. If you're not confident in your car's ability to safely make the trip out and back, leave it at home and buy/beg/borrow/whatever some other means of transportation. You do not want to get out here and have something big fail, and I don't want to have you get out here and have something big fail. This is coming from someone who broke a T5 at the first MountainMeet.

6a: Rule 6 does not apply to anyone coming from the Gump. Poking fun at you provided a lot of enjoyment for Mr.Bill. Let's not upset tradition.

7: If you're unsure about something, bring a spare. If you're planning on driving your car on Sunday and you've got an M46, bring a spare or tow your car. Insert other parts where needed. Bring sufficient equipment to repair whatever you think you'll need to repair. Refer to the marginal vehicle paragraph above. Yes, I'm local, but in this case, local means that we will be anywhere between 1 and 3 hours away from my driveway and garage. Don't plan on using them, but they may be available in a pinch.

8: Not 21? Don't drink. Yeah, I know, laaaame. But in the unlikely event we do attract unwanted attention, I don't want to have to deal with some drunk 18 year old landing me in jail.

9: If you're gonna smoke the devil's lettuce, at least do it around back or something. I have no issues with it, but it is federal property, and I really don't want to get booted for future years. The caretakers can (and have) shown up randomly to check in on us.
 
Last edited:
Who's Coming?

* means you bought a bed for Friday/Saturday
$ means you sent in money for food

A word about the money

Just like last year, I'm asking for $15 per day, per person, that you plan to attend. Exclude Sunday from your calculation. Doing it this way makes it easier to plan and execute a menu.

For example, if you arrive Friday afternoon, $30 gets you Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and Sunday breakfast.

Please send your food fundage to propav8r@gmail.com as a donation. Be sure to include a memo with your screenname and that it's food money for MountainMeet.

This came up secondhand last year, so I'll address it ahead of time. I do not make money on this meet. The sole objective of the collection is to offset the cost of food and other needs associated with housing 30 hungry people for 5 days. If we wind up with a surplus of money, I will offer some to those who have provided significant assistance putting the meet on. Generally Wren brings food and supplies of his own, and is offered $$ for that. Others have been made whole in the past too.

Once that's done, any money left is used to reserve the lodge for an extra day for the following year, and make a donation to TB if possible.

My only goal is to come out cash-neutral at the end of the weekend. If I wanted to make side money, there are far easier ways to do it than herding <del>cats</del> 40 drunk Turbobrickers all weekend :-P


1: Propav8r/Jared*
2: Bayleigh*
3: Mr. Bill/Ian* $
4: Wren*
5: Sam/RoadRacer4Life* $
6: Sarah* $
7: Linuxman51/Kenny* $
8: Matt* $
9: towerymt/Towery*
10: Boostdemon/Dana* $
11: Gordon*
12: Hockey930/Eamonn* $
13: kyote/Kyle* $
14: Stephanie* $
15: 940Guy/Derrick+Mackeever*
16: AndrewNance* $
17: doucheNozzle/Scotty $
18: Audrey $
19: Amelia $
20: JohnMC $
21: MikeJr
22: MikeSr $
23: Manbeard/Stephen $
24: vwbusman/James $
25: Fast740fromSC/Nick $
26: Nate
27: 740ATL
28: Stick70/Kyle $
29: Ziggy $
30: Chris Presby $
31: MGRob
32: Meredith
33: Bryce
34: Randy
34: blkaplan/Ben
35: Matt Sutherland $
36: Matt Sutherland's padre $
37: Ken B. $
38: Kyle's Dad $
39: Joseph D.
40: Kevin Rivera
41: Hilldale
42: Brock
43: Luke Woessner $
44: Kathy
45: Conor
46: Tom
47: Matt Baker $
48: Stick70ette/Chelsea $
49: Isaac $
50: Tequila_gundam/Mark
51: Kent


Maybes
1: Collin
2: Bryan Cooper
3:
4: Brian Abadeeabadaa
5: Jerry
6: Kent
7: Troy
8: Travis
9: Billy Nolden
10: Andrew F.
11: Carson
12:
 
Last edited:
I'll be shooting to make some part of the event but I've got a wedding to attend...Sunday? In Texas?

Thoughts are:
drive down in RV, continue to Texas. Little Toyota should fit.
Get rental from home, drive to NC, fly out of NC airport to Texas.
Dunno.
 
I'll be shooting to make some part of the event but I've got a wedding to attend...Sunday? In Texas?

Thoughts are:
drive down in RV, continue to Texas. Little Toyota should fit.
Get rental from home, drive to NC, fly out of NC airport to Texas.
Dunno.

I vote RV, unless you're willing to pay the premium to fly out of Asheville. Anything else in NC is 4+ hours back east, which could be spent driving to TX.

Texas is...large though. Might depend on where you need to go.

Sometimes you can luck up on flights out of GSP too, and Atlanta is 3 hours south.
 
I've had the calendar marked since the end of the last year's event.
Count me in for just me pitching a tent somewhere/sleeping on the floor (if I'm allowed to come).
I'll be able to send $$ next week when I'm gainfully employed again.

I'm more than happy to help cook/do other stuff/bring stuff if need be.

Anybody else bringing a guitar?

EDIT: No clue on when I'll be making the trek down. Barring nothing major coming up school wise, leave MoTown mid-morning for a mid-afternoon arrival (8 hour drive).
 
Last edited:
I'm ashamed to say I probably won't be able to make it....

My wife is due the week prior, so unless the baby comes early and she feels adventurous, I'm probably out lol.

Damn I'm sad now
 
Ok Aaron, if i decide to go, no ?uncle mike, come see the baby? guilt-trips.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UqO0-fwTsEc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
I'm ashamed to say I probably won't be able to make it....

My wife is due the week prior, so unless the baby comes early and she feels adventurous, I'm probably out lol.

Damn I'm sad now

Dammit lummert. Just bring the kid. I feel like there's no better way to make certain they'll never own a 7/9 than a bunch of smoked meats and brisk 240's in the woods.
 
I'm ashamed to say I probably won't be able to make it....

My wife is due the week prior, so unless the baby comes early and she feels adventurous, I'm probably out lol.

Damn I'm sad now

MountainMeet is for the children

qbmz1KMl.jpg


But seriously, I don't blame you. Figuring out all the newborn stuff is hard enough without throwing a car meet in on top of it.

Good luck poppa!
 
Back
Top