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Not a Real Fan of Thacher Park

For many years I would never go to John Boyd Thacher State Park. I never really liked the place — I thought it was too developed — too surbanized — too packed the gills with obnoxious people. Not a place to go for relaxation or scenic views but to be run over by joggers and bicyclists while taking in the view or doing nature study.

My hatred of John Boyd Thacher Park wore off over the years.
First in 2003, I started go occasionally to the back part of the park off of Beaver Dam Road after my college class let out for the day — usually once a week. It was nice going back there, especially around the ski hill inย  the evening, as you would never see to many people back there. Mostly undeveloped, wandering around the cleared paths in the brushy woods that were full of wildlife.

Then I “rediscovered” the OSI parcel, which is some “wild” lands to the north of the park. Especially on weekdays, and to certain extend on the weekends this area is quite nice, quite and wild. Most of the surburbanites in their SUVs avoid this area for the developed parcels with the picinic tables and rails to discouage them from heading to close toย  the edge. But the OSI parcel is a totally different experience.

While I like the OSI parcel with its views, if I have other choices I’ll go to other wild lands with even fewer restrictions. I don’t like how Thacher Park closes at dusk, you can’t go for moonlit walks or camp there like on state forests. There just seems to be so many restrictions compared to other wild lands around to explore.

 Escarpment

A brief history of Thacher Park

Here are some key points in John Boyd Thacher State Park’s history:

  1. Early 20th Century: The park was established in 1914 and originally named the Helderberg State Park. It was created to provide the people of Albany and the surrounding region with a natural recreational area.
  2. John Boyd Thacher: In 1938, the park was renamed John Boyd Thacher State Park in honor of John Boyd Thacher II, the Mayor of Albany from 1886 to 1887 and a prominent local figure. He was an avid naturalist and conservationist who played a significant role in preserving the Helderberg escarpment.
  3. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC): During the Great Depression, the CCC was active in the park. CCC workers built many of the park’s facilities, including trails, picnic areas, and the famous Indian Ladder Trail.
  4. Indian Ladder Trail: This trail is one of the park’s main attractions, taking visitors along the Helderberg Escarpment, offering stunning views of the Hudson Valley. It is named after the original wooden ladders that were used to navigate the steep cliffs.
  5. Geological Significance: The park is known for its unique geological formations, such as limestone caves and fossils dating back hundreds of millions of years. The Indian Ladder Trail provides an opportunity to explore these geological wonders.
  6. Today: John Boyd Thacher State Park continues to be a popular destination for hiking, picnicking, birdwatching, and enjoying nature. It offers a variety of recreational activities and scenic vistas, making it a beloved spot for both locals and tourists.

The park’s history is intertwined with the conservation efforts of John Boyd Thacher II and the contributions of the CCC, and it remains a testament to the natural beauty of the Helderberg Mountains.

Daily Update – August 27, 2022

Good morning! Happy Saturday.

Made it to the last weekend of summer. How fast the date come and go.

Mostly cloudy and 66 degrees at the John Boyd Thacher State Park. โ˜ There is a north breeze at 6 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 62 degrees. The skies will clear around 11 am.

I woke up last night feeling kind of sick ๐Ÿคฎ. I think it might have been the tuna fish salad I made up with some kind of stale sweet corn ๐ŸŒฝ that I used in the mix. But I made the toilet ๐Ÿšฝ my friend and didn’t get back to sleep ๐Ÿ˜ด until much later.

I thought about going out to Schoharie but ultimately decided Thacher Park ๐Ÿž was just an easier option. I got my lunch at work yesterday so I saved my packed lunch from yesterday and brought that today. I thought about doing North Bearpen and Roundtop but I figured that I wasn’t feeling great this morning so best to wait until the autumn colors are better. ๐Ÿ

Next weekend at any rate I’m heading up to Spectulator โ›บ to camp up there for the long weekend. I’m pretty certain that’s going to happen based on the weather. I will probably try to get set up early Friday morning where I have cell reception for work and then do some hiking in the West Canada Lake Wilderness on Saturday or Sunday of next week.

Daily Update – July 2, 2022

Good morning! Independence Day weekend! ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ

Maybe it would have been nice to head out to town for the long weekend but work didn’t wrap up until after 8 pm, I didn’t have the coolers packed and I needed groceries, plus it is a holiday weekend so I figured the best campsites fill early.

Partly cloudy and 75 degrees at John Boyd Thacher State Park. ๐ŸŒฆ๏ธ Occasional rain showers, very humid. There is a west breeze at 7 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 67 degrees. The skies will clear around 11 am.

It was such a long and miserable day yesterday, ๐Ÿคฎ just hours and hours waiting around until that gun bill got started and New Yorkers got to start to learn what second amendment rights ๐Ÿ”ซ they were loosing based on a law negotiated in complete secrecy under the cover of darkness. Twitter and the reporters had no idea – and I doubt ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ even the lobbyists knew as insiders like myself had no idea. Wrecked any hopes of getting out of town early for me, not the it’s a banner weather day today. ๐ŸŒฆ๏ธ Showers about, very humid.

Today I’m out walking ๐Ÿšถ and exploring Thacher Park. ๐Ÿž The bus is free although I much preferred the schedule last year when it ran weekly on the hour so. This year it is far less frequent and I have to get the bus from Slingerlands which is far less nice than Five Rivers. ๐Ÿธ But it’s still free. Not as popular as the old service though. Very hazy today.

Tomorrow I’m heading out to Rennselear County to hike ๐Ÿšถ and possibly hammock camp. ๐Ÿ˜ด Nothing is set in stone but I have packed maps and have a plan. ๐Ÿ—บ Nights are short now, though might be buggy but I might pack a bed sheet to cover me in the hammock. I also want to get some sparklers โœจ and fountains to shoot off the next time I’m in the woods. Do a late four of July celebration.

Next weekend I’ll probably head up north to the Potholers and do a long weekend. โ˜บ A lot depends on the forecast but I hope to leave fairly early on Friday and take off the following Monday. I have a pre-poll memo ๐Ÿ“ to review next week but I’m hoping to do it before I leave.

July 3, 2021 Morning

Good morning! Happy Saturday. Finally the weekend! Three weeks to Strugeon Moon ๐ŸŒ• . Cloudy, rain showers and 57 degrees at the John Boyd Thacher State Park. โ˜๏ธ Calm wind. The dew point is 56 degrees. The skies will clear tomorrow around 11 am.

Not a super nice day but the Nature Bus ๐Ÿš is free and I wanted to get out of Delmar today for a few hours to do some hiking, nature observation and reading ๐Ÿ“–. If we get some rain, I figure there is always the patio I can wait out the rain showers with. ๐Ÿ’ง It doesn’t look like all day rain โ˜” but especially up north it would have been a rather miserable day. โ˜๏ธ Why stay home if you can catch a free bus to Thacher Park though?

Today will have a chance of showers. Cloudy ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 61 degrees at 6pm. 22 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 19th. Maximum dew point of 56 at 11am. Light north wind. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. It was very sticky. The high last year was 83 degrees. The record high of 102 was set in 1911.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:01 pm with sun having an altitude of 70.3ยฐ from the due south horizon (-0.5ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.2 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:55 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (296ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (303ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:38 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 27 seconds with dusk around 9:12 pm, which is 13 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:58 pm. At sunset, look for rain ๐ŸŒง and temperatures around 58 degrees. The dew point will be 55 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 15 hours and 14 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 48 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒง, with a low of 54 degrees at 4am. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around June 5th. Maximum dew point of 56 at 6pm. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2020, we had thunderstorm in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It was sticky. It got down to 65 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1971.

Yesterday I got a stack of books ๐Ÿ“š out of the library, it’s nice that things are pretty much back to normal at the library – I can go down there and work inside the air conditioned library any of the normal times ๐Ÿ˜Ž and get my own books by browsing. I guess during the later part of the pandemic ๐Ÿ˜ท if you masked up you were allowed to browse books but they had all these requirements for masking and it wasn’t like you could sit down or dilly daly. Brought a personal book ๐Ÿ“™ from home to read up at the park, as I didn’t want to risk getting a library book wet should it rain. ๐ŸŒง๏ธ

On this day in 1886, the New-York Tribune becomes the first newspaper to use a linotype machine, ๐Ÿ–ฅ eliminating typesetting by hand. ๐Ÿ“ฐ That was certainly good news for newspapers and I guess it reduced the price of typesetting any kind of book although computers are vastly better. ๐Ÿ“™

I am starting to regret a bit my decision to cut my phone plan back, ๐Ÿ“ฑ but I felt like I spent too much time playing on my phone, watching stupid YouTube of rednecks doing redneck shit. ๐Ÿ”ซ ๐Ÿ”ฅ ๐Ÿšœ I also felt like I didn’t need the hot spot working more in the office these days as remote work ๐Ÿ’ป winds down. The smaller plan starts right before vacation and runs until August 20th and it’s irreversible at this point as it’s paid. ๐Ÿ“– But I want to read more books and stay off the internet more – or at least limit my personal internet use primarily to hours when I’m down at the library.

As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until Strugeon Moon ๐ŸŒ• when the sun will be setting at 8:24 pm with dusk at 8:57 pm. On that day in 2020, we had humid, partly sunny and temperatures between 82 and 65 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 96 back in 1941.

Photo.2013.06.15 17.31.39