Over MLK weekend my friends and I pack ourselves into any available vehicle and road trip to Chelan. My roommate Maggie’s family owns a cabin there and we are all allowed to call the space home for 3 nights. This years trip involved 23 people, in a three bedroom cabin you can imagine the sleeping arrangements, or lack there of, sleeping bags and air mattress were thrown in every possible corner. To be perfectly honest the cabin is quite magical, or the people that attend are completely amazing, I think it is a combination of both that make any trip to Chelan an experience that can never be duplicated. In reality the weekend involves a lot of alcohol and binge drinking, but then again I am 22 and a weekend of debauchery is never that much out of the norm. This was my second time going to the cabin on MLK weekend. The close proximity of everyone in the cabin allows for a certain kind of closeness that we would not otherwise be allowed to enjoy under normal circumstances. Even with the people I have never met or only see a few times each year, we will always be linked by this bond, through these memories and experiences of good times with good friends.
This year was tamer than last year, for me anyway. I had to drive this year which instilled me with responsibility of my passengers safety, and in winter driving I will never take that responsibility lightly. My car was the last to arrive to the cabin on Friday night and the party was already in full swing. We played some drinking games, for me my anticipation and energy were intoxicating in and of itself. The dance party is always my favorite part of any party. Although I don’t think I am a bad dancer, I am most certainly not a good dancer. With that said we danced and danced the night away!
In the morning we all stagger down the hill to Maggie’s parents house and they fill our bellies with breakfast and coffee while we half sleep on their couches. The days in Chelan are filled with lounging and movie watching, those of us still in school try to get some homework done, but we are never really productive. On Saturday night Winterfest begins, the whole community comes to the beach were they set their old Christmas tress on fire and those crazy few jump in the lake for a polar bear plunge. Last year the only one from our group was Dain. This year he was able to recruit our other friends Pat, Quan, Marc, and Steve. I myself am freezing just standing by the fire so I don’t think I will ever have a desire to jump in that lake in January. After the plunge a huge firework show and then back up to the cabin for more mayhem.
This will continue for three nights and then we all clean and head back to the real work on Monday. The friendships formed and memories made always make any Chelan trip amazing! With life taking us all in different directions I don’t know when we all be back, next MLK day Maggie hopes to be in Australia and that means the rest of us are out of luck. But we are grateful for the times we’ve had and eventually we will have the time once again to meet in Chelan for a three day binder!
