Mountains and Bridge
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Places I Camped in 2023
While this year was a rainy one, and it rained during many of my trips, I was able to get out for 53 nights in the wilderness — mostly fairly close to home but I also did a trip down to West Virginia in late October with several trips to the Adirondacks, Central New York and summer vacation in the Finger Lakes.
Martin Luther Kings Day – January 14-16 (2 nights)
To start out my camping adventures in 2023, I drove out to Charles Baker State Forest and Brookfield Horse Camp. There wasn’t a lot of snow — just a dusting but it was a fun weekend, topped off by a beautiful sun-full glittery hike up Tassell Hill after a hoar frost. Explored Lost Pond and several of the trails in the middle of state forest.
40th Birthday – January 27-29 (2 nights)
For my fortieth birthday, I took off the Friday leading up to my 40th birthday to cross country ski and winter camp at Rensselaerville State Forest. It was a beautiful weekend with lots of blue skies, sufficient snow for skiing but not so much that was a ton of snowmobiles out on the trails.
Presidents Day – February 17-19 (2 nights)
I decided for Presidents Day Weekend to do another trip out to Charles Baker State Forest and Brookfield Horse Camp. Slightly more snow then last time but again largely a snow-less winter, with some nice days for hikes through the various truck and horse trails. I hiked around much of state forest, especially the more southern part of the forest.
Easter Weekend – April 7-9 (2 nights)
On Good Friday through Easter I camped at at Rensselaerville State Forest. The snow was gone and it was fairly mild though at times it was a bit cool. Spent a fair amount of time walking around and exploring the new OSI Parcel that has been recently added to state forest and is still largely open fields with sweeping views of the Catskill Mountains.
Duck Pond Trip – May 5-7 (2 nights)
The first Friday in May I took a half day from work and headed out to Schoharie County to camp at Duck Pond at Burnt-Rossman Hills State Forest. Originally the plan was to camp two nights at Duck Pond, hiking along the Long Path and exploring the state forest and then on Sunday hiking the Catskill Scenic Trail. That part of the trip changed when driving along Duck Pond Road the low tire pressure light came on I found a pallet nail in my truck tire. I was able to top off the truck tire and then change the tire when I got home and got the nail pulled and plugged. But it wasn’t the best way ever to end a trip early.
Overnight at Cole Hill – May 13-14 (1 night)
After visiting the folks on Mother’s Day Weekend, I decided to do a quick overnight hammock camp on Cole Hill State Forest in Berne. Nothing fancy or formal, it was as much a way to test out sleeping in my hammock with the bug screen. Kind of a chilly night, I took camp down fairly and headed home early in the morning.
Memorial Day Weekend at Cole Hill – May 20-22 (2 nights)
This year I decided to eschew the Adirondacks and Greene Mountains for Memorial Day Weekend due to the black flies, my desire to look at bicycles, and work I had to do on the Saturday morning leading up to the holiday weekend. I decided to hammock camp again Cole Hill State Forest in Berne. This was a three-day two night trip, so it it gave me a chance to bring more gear up the mountain, set up a more formal camp. Cooked on the fire, hiked around the forest. It was a warm weekend, but I enjoy the solitude, along with having good cell service for listening to podcasts and watching videos.
Juneteenth Weekend on Piseco-Powley – June 15-20 (4 nights)
To kick off summer, I did my usual Juneteenth weekend camping trip, tacking on some days on the Juneteenth Holiday Weekend. It was a bit of a cool and rainy weekend to kick off summer, one that would actually be followed by many cool and rainy weekends where I would stay home. Camped at House Pond for the first three nights, spending time down floating in the tube on East Branch while the final night I camped up at Powley Bridge site and kayaked along the East Branch. Really, like often is the case, the best weather was the day I took down camp.
Catskill Scenic Trail Trip – July 22-24 (3 nights)
After several months of researching and visiting various bike shops, I finally got a mountain bike. I decided it would be fun to do as much of the Catskill Scenic Trail as I could before my summer vacation got underway. Actually did quite a bit of riding and hiking that weekend — started out hiking Pratts Rock’s then riding from Grand George to Hobart. Sunday, I rode from Fultonham to Middleburgh on NY 30, doing a quick climb up Vromans Nose, then stopping at the farm market then going to Mine Kill State Park to swim. Monday I rode from Hobart down to Bloomville, getting caught in a major thunderstorm and downpour a few miles north of Bloomville with no shelter in sight. The trail became super boggy, then I went to Mine Kill State Park for one more swim, and then out to folks house for Sunday dinner a day later then usual.
Finger Lakes National Forest – July 28 – August 6 (9 nights)
Every year for nearly a decade and a half I’ve been doing summer vacation out in the Finger Lakes — camping in the National Forest and exploring as much as possible during my days there. The past few years I’ve been driving there on a Friday, to get a better campsite before they’re taken by the weekend campers. This year was no exception. With Blackie, my mountain bike, I did nearly all of the bike trails in the near vicinity, from the Black Diamond Trail to the Cayuta Valley Trail to Dresden – Penn Yan Canal Trail. Kayaked on both Cayuga and Scenic Lakes, swam many days at Watkins Glen State Park and Taughannock State Park, explored the Cornell Campus and Botanical Gardens on my bike. Got some good ice cream at the Spotted Duck, explored the Geneva Waterfront along with the Cayuga-Seneca Canalway. Some rain but compared to the wet summer that was, this was a pretty good week.
Piseco-Powley – House Pond Campsite – August 18-20 (3 nights)
The next few weeks for rainy and by the time I got away for one more long weekend, it promised to be fairly nice weekend but turned out to be fairly cool and cloudy with some rain. Back at the House Pond Campsite, did some swimming in East Branch, but with the mercury in the 60s most of the weekend, I didn’t spend a lot of time in the water. Hardly what I had dreamed when the I planned the weekend. Rode Blackie up to Goldmine Stream Falls and relaxed down by the falls for a bit, also sat down by the swimming hole off of the Old Edick Road Snowmobile Trail, watching the rain fall, bemoaning the wet and cold weather. Still it was good to get away for a bit, and I did do a fair amount of reading in hammock, under the protection of the bug net, as the bugs were bad after such a wet summer.
Labor Day at Perkins Clearing – September 1-4 (3 nights)
I took the Friday off before Labor Day to get a jump on the holiday season travel, and set up camp at the site I really enjoy up at Perkins Clearing overlooking the mountains. Did a fair amount of riding along the various dirt roads of Perkins Clearing, including over to Mason Lake and on Sunday rode most of the way to the Spruce Lake Trailhead, though didn’t make it there in time as I got a bit of a late start as I spent the balance of the day reading and swimming in the Jessup River Bridge swimming hole. Labor Day, I rode around the Spectulator Tree Farm, doing a large loop, through the tree farm, past the north end of Elm Lake, then down to Austin Falls and Old Route 8B. I had hoped to get ice cream, but by the time I got to the ice cream shop they were out of soft-ice cream, and there was a long line. Summer was dragging to a close.
September Trip to Rensselearville State Forest – September 15-17 (2 nights)
With time being fairly tight and the weather only so-so I decided to do a two night trip close to home out in Rennselearville to ride some of the gravel trails, explore the OSI Parcel further and just enjoy an early autumn weekend camping.
Columbus Day at Rensselearville State Forest – October 8-9 (1 night)
Columbus Day Weekend was cold and rainy for the first half of the weekend, but the Sunday heading into Columbus Day was nice, so I decided to head out to Rensselaerville for a quick overnight at the campsite on CCC Road. Leaves were late this year, so not a lot of color, but it still was nice to get away for a night and ride some of the trails around.
West Virginia Trip – October 21-29 (8 nights)
The banner trip of the year was my trip down to West Virigina. While it started and ended in rain, it was a very enjoyable trip with lots of new adventures this year. Camped the balance of the week — 6 nights in Canaan Heights — doing day trips from that area. Overnighted one night driving down at County Bridge Campground in Pennsylvania, and a on the way back camped overnight at Long Pond State Forest in New York. Adventures in West Virginia included hiking at Dolly Sods, mountain biking at night in the sods of Canaan Heights, riding up and hiking to Table Rock, exploring Blackwater Falls State Park on the mountain bike, MonPower Mountain Bike Park, Thomas Rail Grade and the Olson Firetower. Rode part of the Great Allegheny Trail through the Cumberland Passage, and the two sections of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canalway, including the Paw Paw Tunnel.
Stoney Pond – November 4-7 (3 nights)
A little over a week back from West Virginia, I headed out to Madison County to ride the Tassel Hill Mountain Bike Trails at Alfred Woodford, the Chenango Canal Trail in Hamilton and Erie Canalway from Chittenango to Green Lakes State Park and then to Canastota and Wampsville. The first night was cold at Stoney Pond but the subsequent nights were quite pleasant and mild.
![Old Canal Warehouse in Chittenango [Expires November 19 2023]](https://andyarthur.org//data/photo_005914_large.jpg)
Prospect Mountain – East Branch Sacanadaga – Buttermilk Falls/Hudson Special Management Area – November 24-28 (3 nights)
Strangely enough, I had never been up Prospect Mountain. So I decided the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) to hike up Prospect Mountain, and then spend the next two nights camping on East Branch of the Sacandaga River. The Saturday and Sunday was fairly cold, so I ended up spending the bulk of day hanging around camp, doing a bit of hiking around Fox Lair. Sunday, evening around 8 PM it started to sleet, then snow, then rain, Monday morning, it turned into a white globby snow, and I ended up taking down camp fairly early after discovering I was out of propane and then spent much of the day exploring the Hudson River Special Management Area – Buttermilk Falls.
Stoney Pond – Charles Baker – December 21-26 (5 nights)
On the days leading up to Christmas I decided to take a second trip to Madison County. I was originally planning to camp two nights at Stoney Pond then two nights at the Charles Baker Horse Camp but my family’s holiday plans were cancelled due to illness in my family, so I ended up staying an extra night at the horse camp, through the day after Christmas. On Friday, I rode the Erie Canalway from Canastota to East Verona, nearly to Rome. On Christmas Day I rode around many of truck trails at Charles Baker with my mountain bike, leaving my face splattered with mud. Many of the days were fairly cold and cloudy, but that’s too be expected in late December. Still it was a special way to spend Christmas.
Livingston Avenue Bridge
With the SUNY Building in the background, along with the famous Blackhead Range of Mountains in Catskills, and Windham High Point, all mountains I have hiked in the past.
Taken on Saturday May 7, 2011 at Kayak the Hudson.Paying My Respects to the Lake Champlain Bridge
Notes on the Re-Run for Thursday, December 22nd.
It was almost two years ago when they blew up the old Lake Champlain Bridge…
— Andy
Yesterday, I drove up to Chimney Point, in Vermont outside of Addison to witness the sad but historic passing of the Champlain Bridge. The massive 80-year old span was imploded into the frozen lake, after two piers where discovered badly damaged, and was determined to be likely to fail catastrophically without a controlled demolition.
It is sad to see such a historic landmark go. Nobody really wanted to see such a landmark go up into a pile of rubble. As I stood there on Chimney Point, I stood next to many farmers and other local residents who had been alongside of and over the Champlain Bridge thousands of times. It’s such a big landmark, that stands out over the landscape, with it’s arches reaching 130 feet above the flat landscape around. Pictures simply don’t do justice. Many had grown up seeing it’s majestic spans and beautiful archways, and just assumed it would always be there. Some of the oldest residents might even remember back 80-years ago to 1929, when the bridge was under construction.
It was truly a community event. I swear every person from the very rural Addison County, VT and surrounding areas had to have been there. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many pickup trucks with dairy-farming related bumper stickers, men and children with muck boots on, Carharts and seed-hats. It was such an amazing group of people, with such a complicated mix of emotions about the demolition of the bridge. People where sad to see it go, but also hopeful for the new bridge. Some where cynical that something ever as great could be built again.
The wintry weather made the span almost invisible from the site about 3,000 feet away from the bridge where I was looking at. Chimney Point had probably the best viewpoint of the Champlain Bridge on a sunny day, your back would be to the sun, and with a back drop of the Adirondack Mountains. You could see the bridge fade in and out like a ghost as the snow squalls blew out and blew in. What you could see was so massive, so beautiful. Yet eerie, because all that was left was the lightest silhouette of the old bridge. The silhouette was so light, that it was hidden from the camera.
Then there was the loud bang, right at ten in the morning — a thunderous roar lasting less then a second or two, that shook the ground and sent ice soaring a foot into the air on Lake Champlain, even as far away as we where. The energy wave forced upon the lake and the surrounding landscape shook the parked cars so hard that it set off car alarms. It was not like listening to a firecracker going off, but more like a wave of energy coming at you. In the wintry blizzard-like weather, you barely saw the bridge fall, but it was still the most remarkable feeling at you felt the thousands of tons of steel and concrete hit the waters of Lake Champlain.
Vermont 127 and Vermont 17 where one way during the day to allow for parking, so leaving everyone had to drive by the fallen bridge. The once majestic bridge was little more then just a pile of rubble sticking up from the frozen lake in a wintry fury of the snow. I looked like something out of a war photograph, although it was much bigger and much more realistic. It was a bit scary that we as a society could convert such a massive and beautiful structure to just a pile of rubble.
On the 400th Anniversary of Samuel de Champlain’s discovery of Lake Champlain and the fertile plains that surround it, it’s sad to see such a man-made landmark go. Yet, it’s also a reminder of how man made landmarks come and go, and only natural wonders like the mountains and the lake remain. While people since 1929 have looked out across the lake at Chimney Point at the engineering marvel of Champlain Bridge, much of the rest of the landscape remains unchanged since the day Samuel de Champlain first made his voyage in 1609.
A new bridge will replace the first Lake Champlain bridge, and service the automobile, truck, pedestrian, and bicycle needs of the 21st century, but it will be little more then an impermanent landmark that must someday fall and be destroyed like the first Lake Champlain Bridge. Nobody can foresee the demolition of the new bridge, in some future century, but it will ultimately be gone just like the first bridge is now gone.
(this picture taken just north of the bridge was taken in March 2006).
Blue – Bridge
Yellow – My View
Green – Where I Parked
View Champlain Bridge Demo in a larger map
May 18, 2021 Morning
Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Back hike again, getting ready to work in the office tomorrow 🏢 after one more day of work from home. Two weeks to 9 PM Dusk 🌆 . Partly cloudy and 53 degrees in Delmar, NY. ⛅ Calm wind. The dew point is 47 degrees.
Back home from the Adirondacks as of last night. 🏡 I probably could have stayed another day but Wednesday is a session day and I have to dress up and didn’t want to come home late and then have to get up early and get all dressed for work the next day. 👨🏻🏫 Tomorrow morning at this time I’ll be getting ready to go and get on the bus. 🚌 Need to figure out which bus makes the most sense to catch downtown – they still have the pandemic schedule. 😷 Still have to wear a mask on the bus 🚍 and elevators at work but at the desk it’s not necessary especially now that most folks are vaccinated.
Most of yesterday was working down in Spectulator, 💻 first from the library 📚 and then down by the lake in the afternoon. It wasn’t a bad day although around 4:45 pm it started to rain and I had to hurry back to my truck. ☔ At Five I started home but stopped at Auger Falls, hiked down Old Route 8A, a snowmobile trail that follows the pre-1968 alignment of NY 8-30 past Auger Falls and then down to the falls. The old road and bridges have been completely removed but the original road cut is quite visible. Seems wider than Old Route 8B but I don’t think it is. Some pretty serious iron rust below the modern alignment – I don’t think it’s acid mine discharge but it sure was bloody red. Acid mine discharge as seen in Pennsylvania is very orange colored.
Today will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 78 degrees at 3pm. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around June 9th. Maximum dew point of 50 at 9am. Light and variable wind becoming northwest 6 to 11 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. With the breeze, won’t feel so warm. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 69 degrees. The record high of 94 was set in 2017. 2.2 inches of snow fell back in 2002.❄
Busy day ahead. I want to do my morning walk i🚶🏻 and vote in the school election. 🚸 Then I need to get down to work and edit that paper I have on my desk. 📄 Then at lunch time I want to wash my truck 🚿 and be home by 1 pm for a work meeting. I told my folks I’d be out later for dinner after work as next weekend I may be out of town. ⚡ That said, maybe not the forecast is trending downhill. 😔
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:53 pm with sun having an altitude of 67° from the due south horizon (-3.8° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.5 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:34 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (291°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (298°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:14 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 16 seconds with dusk around 8:46 pm, which is one minute and one second later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the First Quarter 🌓 Moon in the west-southwest (237°) at an altitude of 56° from the horizon, 238,511 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:28 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 71 degrees. The dew point will be 46 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 44 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 57 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 54 degrees at 5am. Five degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around June 2nd. Maximum dew point of 47 at 9pm. West wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm after midnight. In 2020, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 52 degrees. The record low of 29 occurred back in 1981.
Sunny and mild with a chance of showers this weekend before Memorial Day Weekend. 🌞Saturday, a chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Maximum dew point of 58 at 11am. Sunday, a chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 79. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 58 at 10am. Typical average high for the weekend is 73 degrees.
While I have my therapy session on Friday again 👨🏻⚕️I am not sure if after that I will head out of town. But seems like the forecast is trending wetter ⛈️ and I just got back from the Adirondacks. If I were to go anywhere this weekend I’d be would either be Madison or Schoharie County in Central NY. Schoharie might be good in a couple of weeks once the strawberries 🍓 are out or come the first weekend of summer the Mine Kill Pool. 🏊🏻♂️ No muzzles this year and the pool has been rebuilt with a new pump.
I don’t anticipate doing much more time up in Spectulator, ⛺ mainly because I’ve been there a lot this past year and as remote work 💻 inevitably winds down there will be less opportunities to work up at Lake Pleasant or nearby areas with cell service. 📶 With Piseco Powley Road open again the Potholers will probably be my go to in the summer months. 🏊🏻♂️
It’s possible the next time I head out of town is Memorial Day Weekend 🗻 but I’m really loathed to go to the Adirondacks that weekend with the crowds and black flies. Could I remote work that Friday somewhere I have cell service? Yes. Will I don’t know. Forest Road 71 in the Green Mountains is a possibility. Or maybe I’ll stay home that weekend. Going to probably need to work a few hours that weekend so I’ll need cell service. Maybe that means back to Spectulator but I’m loathed to do that again.
As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until 9 PM Dusk 🌆 when the sun will be setting at 8:26 pm. On that day in 2020, we had partly cloudy skies with rain showers and temperatures between 68 and 41 degrees. Kind of a cool and wet day. Typically, the high temperature is 76 degrees. We hit a record high of 94 back in 1918.
August 21, 2020 Morning
Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! ☺ Two weeks to Labor Day Weekend Begins 👨🏭. Nice cutting torch in the emoji. That book 📙 I read 📖 on welding 🏗️ a few months ago was very interesting. Mostly sunny and 59 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. The dew point is 53 degrees.
Got to bed early 🛏 and I woke up quite early too. But that’s good it ensures that I can go for my morning walk 🚶🏻 before what appears to be a very busy day today at work. I didn’t even realize last night was the DNC speeches this morning as I was too busy reading that book on pig farming. 🐽 Understanding feed rations for hogs is probably far more important than whatever bull 🐂 Biden his Time or the Trumpster is rambling about.
I was annoyed that I am out of milk 🐮 again but I had enough for my coffee ☕ which was a little blacker than normal. 🖤I don’t do creamer or sugar or salt in my coffee but I do like milk on my coffee. I usually prefer my coffee cold this time of year – after sitting on the stove for a few days. I’m sure the mold growth adds flavor and is important for fighting off the Corona’s virus. 👾
Starting out as another autumn like morning but more heat will push in today 😰 and especially tomorrow. But fortunately tomorrow I’m planning to head out to Schoharie and spend some time at the Mine Kill Pool 🏊🏻♂️ before it’s done for the summer. The morning walk 🚶🏻 should be nice today.
I realize with two Zoom meetings 📹 today I’m going to have to shower 🚿 and shave and put on my politician’s suit 👔well at least my dress shirt and blazer. Otherwise with remote work nobody knows on the internet if you are dog 🐶.
Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 85 degrees at 3pm. Five degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 58 at 11am. Calm wind becoming west around 6 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning, which became thunderstorm by afternoon. It was very sticky. The high last year was 85 degrees. Ditto. The record high of 98 was set in 1916.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:59 pm with sun having an altitude of 59.3° from the due south horizon (-11.5° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.6 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:11 pm with the sun in the west (281°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (287°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:49 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 2 seconds with dusk around 8:17 pm, which is one minute and 35 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon in the west (259°) at an altitude of 14° from the horizon, 226,696 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:55 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 79 degrees. The dew point will be 58 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 38 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 39 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌃, with a low of 58 degrees at 5am. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 27th. Maximum dew point of 59 at 10pm. Light and variable wind. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was sticky. It got down to 65 degrees. The record low of 39 occurred back in 1982.
On this day in 1959, United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs an executive order proclaiming Hawaii the 50th state of the union. I guess that makes Barack Obama a US Citizen. 🧓🏾Doesn’t matter neither President Trump or his fan club Q Annon would believe that as they think the former president is a child sex trafficker like their former buddy Jerry Espstein.
See, there is the evidence that I follow the news 📰 carefully, which isn’t quite true ever since my radio 📻 started giving me problems. Heck, I didn’t even realize that last night was Joe Biden’s speech 💬 at the DNC. I do remember listening 👂 to Barack Obama’s 2008 DNC speech up in that holler camping at Burnt Rossman ⛺ listening to 1010 Wins as that was the only channel I could get besides that very werid Christian Raddio station. I’ve listened to that station a bit and I can tell you I think 🤔 you’d have to spent too much time breathing in burnt plastic or smelling the chemicals in the sprayer tank 🚜 to get into it. But I respect folks belief and I totally get why folks want to live in the mountains ⛰ with their guns 🔫. Me too!
Tomorrow will have isolated showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 84 degrees at 3pm. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 64 at 11am. Calm wind becoming northwest 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning, which became thunderstorm by afternoon. It was very sticky. The high last year was 85 degrees. The record high of 93 was set in 1916.
Looking ahead to Sunday, isolated showers, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. 🌦️ Partly sunny, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 65 at 10am. Typical average high for the weekend is 80 degrees.
Yes, it looks like Sunday is going to be a hot one. 😰 But I figure it’s best to enjoy it as September is just around the corner 🍂and autumn is just over a month away – September 22nd. 🎃 All those moldy carved pumpkins for Halloween sitting on door steps just waiting to be tossed in the garbage, crush and preserved forever next to the crushed television 📺 set in the local mound. 🗑 I think when I own land I’d rather compost, feed them to chickens 🐔 or pigs 🐷 especially because I doubt moldy pumpkins would burn well in the burn barrel. 🔥
I am still hoping to get up to Piseco Powley Road ⛺ come mid September should Stratford get its bridge rebuilt by then. 🚧I heard they’re making progress but I’m taking a wait and see approach to hear when it will be open again. I want to cool off one more time at the Potholers before it gets super cold out and the road is closed for the winter.
As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Labor Day Weekend Begins 👨🏭 when the sun will be setting at 7:24 pm with dusk at 7:52 pm. Labor Day is very late this year – latest it can be due to the calendar 🗓. On that day in 2019, we had thunderstorm and temperatures between 80 and 59 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 77 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1929.
October 12, 2019 Night
Good evening! Mostly clear under the full Hunter Moon 🎑 and 39 degrees at the Monongahela National Forest. There is a west breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. Temperatures will drop below freezing at tomorrow around 4 am. ☃️
That breeze plus the cold clear skies made me decide to put out the fire cold early, go for a short moonlit hike to look at the stars ✨ and then retire to the heated tent. I was going to read 📖 for a while but I don’t know, I’m pretty tired. The tent is comfortable now, shortly I think I’ll cut the lights and heat and get comfortable under the covers.
Before the front came through it was a fairly nice morning. ⛅ Clouds with sun. Then I went to get changed and played with my phone for a while and it started to rain ☔. I crawled back into the tent with the heater, read 📖 for a few hours, finishing book three and starting on four. Then around 4 pm it cleared out and I went to Blackwater Falls for a while, but it was frigid with the wind so I didn’t stay long. I kind of slipped multiple times on the slick leaf covered, rain soaked stairway. I started to head over to the Cannan Refuge but I turned back with the wind 🍃 and cold ❄. Plus the road was rough and didn’t want to risk damaging my truck. I mean I have 500 plus miles to drive before I am home. Then I went for a short half hour walk in Cannan Heights before gathering some firewood, starting a fire and cooking pizza 🍕 with random left overs in the camp oven on the gas stove. Put the fire in the fire 🔥 out cold around 8 pm, went for a walk under the moonlight and then retired to the hot tent as I was cold. I guess I could have put on more layers but everything is so cold and damp out with the breeze and I knew how nice and warm it would be in the tent. Breeze and dampness is worse than lack of mercury in the thermometer in my experience. 🍃
I totally admit that I’m tired 😴 after a week of camping. Even though it’s not hard backpacking and my hikes have been fairly short, it’s been a lot of chopping wood, setting up and taking down camp ⛺. Beautiful country in West Virginia – I wish I had gotten down here sooner – but all this travel makes me crave home and the ease of sleeping in my regular bed, taking the bus to work every day. 🚍
Tonight will have patchy frost after 11pm. Otherwise, mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 29 degrees at 5am. 11 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around November 24th. West wind 5 to 9 mph. Already a cold night, will be even colder by day break here in the mountains. In 2018, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 41 degrees. The record low of 24 occurred back in 1981.
Tonight is the Hunter Moon. 🌕 Certainly nice and clear but bitterly cold with the wind for enjoying the moon tonight. The sun will rise at 7:24 am with the first light at 6:57 am, which is one minute later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 12 hours and 41 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 28 seconds over last night.
Tomorrow will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 60 degrees at 2pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around October 15th. Maximum dew point of 46 at 5pm. South wind 5 to 9 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 55 degrees. The record high of 81 was set in 1930. There was a dusting of snow in 1934.❄
While it feels like I just got to West Virginia, tomorrow it’s back north to Pennsylvania ⬆ (after doing some bird watching 🐦 in the Cannan Refuge). Stop at the massive Mount Storm Coal Plant / Lake to stick my toes in the lake that’s always 75 degrees due to thermal pollution, 🏭and Mount Pisgah State Park. 📷 Overnight at County Bridge State Park outside Troy, Penna then back to New York Columbus Day ⛺.
In four weeks on November 9 the sun will be setting at 5:09 pm in West Virginia (Standard Time),🌄 which is one hour, 35 minutes and 8 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had rain showers, partly sunny and temperatures between 42 and 28 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 51 and 33 degrees. The record high of 71 degrees was set back in 1975.
Looking ahead, Northern Zone Regular Season 🦌 is in 1 weeks, Small Business Saturday 🛍️ is in 7 weeks, First Day of Winter ☃️ is in 10 weeks, 4:30 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 11 weeks, Winnie the Pooh Day 🍯 is in 14 weeks and 5 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 15 weeks.
