Search Results for: photo thru the woods 3

Back from Grandma Moses Country ๐Ÿ‘ต๐Ÿฝ๐ŸŽจ

You know it was worth an exploration, I tell myself even if it didn’t have the right feel for me. Pointed Rocks on the Batten Kill had been on my bucket list for a long time to hike – it’s a surprisingly long and steep hike outside of Adirondack and Catskill Park and the whole area around the Batten Kill is quite spectacular, full of birds and nature if not a pungent this time of year from the manuring. Shits gotta grow come the summer.

Good morning! Rain and 44 degrees in Delmar, NY. โ˜” There is a south breeze at 7 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. Temperatures will drop below freezing at tomorrow around 4 am. โ˜ƒ๏ธ

Honest, I wasn’t planning on going to Washington County yesterday ๐Ÿž but I ended up that way after looking at some houses, properties and land in Hoosic, Pittstown and Valley Falls. Rural country out that way but it didn’t have the right feel in my mind. I totally get why that former Research Services director used to live out in White Creek but that’s a bit too far away from work especially having to drive through Troy and all those other little speed traps and hick towns. ๐Ÿš“ Of course he did move to Pennsylvania as soon as he could retire.

I had wanted to hike Pointed Rocks and explore the area along the Batten Kill for some time now. ๐Ÿšถ ๐Ÿž๏ธ but somehow I never got up that way as there isn’t any place right nearby to camp, except maybe for the Green Mountain National Forest on the other side of Bennington. Nice country up along the Batten Kill State Forest and along NY 313, but certainly too far from Albany too commute. ๐Ÿšฆ๐Ÿš™๐Ÿš—๐Ÿšš๐Ÿ›ป There was an interesting property along NY 22 that was 20 acres of moutainside and woods, with a steep creek for micro-hydro that looked quite attractive from the road and on paper, if not for all those damn traffic lights, hick towns and NY 7 traffic cluster. Had a nice little mobile-home sized site on a ledge over the road, with a somewhat steep driveway but partially cleared. I think it was a former hunting camp. ๐Ÿ ๏ธ Looked like the neighbors would have been good, they’re distance away, have horses and a small pre-fab house. Price was good, but it’s all about the location.

And I didn’t have the natural attraction to Grandma Moses country that I have to the Heldebergs, and I don’t know anybody who currently lives out that way. ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿš’ I’m sure if I got involved in the community, maybe became a volunteer firefighter I could make friends, but it’s still tough. ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ Plus, despite all the kitsch Grandma Moses Painting, that area of state is quite poor. ๐Ÿ But I kind of like that, those are probably good friendly people who work hard, not yuppies.

Today will have showers likely, mainly before 8am. Mostly cloudy with some clearing later on ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 51 degrees at 4pm. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 29th. South wind 7 to 15 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 47 degrees. The record high of 75 was set in 1990. 4.1 inches of snow fell back in 1982.โ„

The major plan for today is to go to the grocery store and get more groceries ๐Ÿ›’ fairly early on. I am as shocked as anyone that it’s already Sunday again and my pantry is fairly bare, although not as bad as some weeks in part because I stopped and got a few more things on the way home when driving in on Friday, as that was when I had my dentist appointment with that mean hygienist.๐Ÿฆท I am not going to put up with her abuse, she was abusive in that dentist chair how she treated me. I am going to cancel my next appointment and see if I can reschedule with my usual dental hygentist Hamid.

I might head out to Coeymans to do some more poking around later on the back roads. ๐Ÿ›ป That said, I’ve checked out many of the listings, and I’m kind of tired after all the driving and exploring yesterday. Hell of it is because I decided to head up to Washington County to hike, ๐Ÿšถ never made it down to southern Rensselaer County to explore some of the homes and properties around Lebanon Valley that are for sale. The thing is down there, you’re getting into the Taconics โ›ฐ๏ธ which are quite nice, but land prices go up there, and you start mixing with a lot NYC pukey-pukes down that way. Get south of the Berskshire Spur Thruway and there is some shit ton of NYC money that way, thanks to the Taconic Parkway. Not only is land is expensive, you know who is going to be living next door, people closer to Elliot Spitzer who is responsible for the burn ban, then some dirt-farming goat-rising good ol’ boy. ๐Ÿ‘›

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:04 pm with sun having an altitude of 46.3ยฐ from the due south horizon (-24.6ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 5.7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 6:28 pm with the sun in the west (263ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west (269ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:05 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 54 seconds with dusk around 7:32 pm, which is one minute and 10 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous ๐ŸŒ” Moon in the south (172ยฐ) at an altitude of 75ยฐ from the horizon, 241,964 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 8:06 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around 45 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 12 hours and 4 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 54 seconds over yesterday.

Another work week ahead, ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ’ผ back to being a professional rather then a cowboy-hat wearing good ol’ boy or so I play on the weekends. One more week until the long Easter Weekend when I’m hoping to get to the Adirondacks to camp ๐Ÿ•๏ธ and have a big ol’ fire ๐Ÿ”ฅ with flames mostly less then 3 feet high and not too much plastic, because you know the burn ban and stuff. ๐Ÿคฃ Ah, New York State. I should bring my .22 rifle and make some noise too while I’m up in the wilderness. It’s been too long since I’ve spent much time in the woods. ๐ŸŒฒ

Tonight will be partly cloudy ๐ŸŒƒ , with a low of 31 degrees at 5am. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 30th. West wind around 8 mph. In 2023, we had light rain in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 28 degrees. The record low of -08 occurred back in 1900.

As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until 7:30 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ‡ when the sun will be setting at 7:30 pm with dusk at 7:57 pm. On that day in 2023, we had mostly sunny and temperatures between 48 and 34 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 55 degrees. We hit a record high of 87 back in 2010.

Walking Along the Truck Trail

The Catskill Wilderness Areas

Trees and Mountains

The text of today’s fodder is based on the Catskill Park State Lands Master Plan, as revised in 2008. Maps were rendered by myself, using Quantum GIS and DEC Lands and Forests data.

Big Indian Wilderness

(Formerly Big Indian – Beaverkill Range Wilderness Area)

This wilderness is located in the Towns of Hardenburgh, Denning and Shandaken in Ulster County. It lies generally west of Oliverea and the Frost Valley Road, south of Belleayre Ski Center, east of Seager and Hardenburgh and north of Willowemoc and Claryville. The area ranges in width from 1 to 5 miles, is about 19 miles long and contains approximately 33,500 acres of land. Elevations range from 1,500 feet in McKenley Hollow to 3,840 feet where the state boundary crosses Doubletop Mountain. The mountains in the northeastern portion of the area are quite rugged, while those to the south and west are more characteristic of high hills. Water from the area flows into three New York City water supply reservoirs and the Delaware River Basin. Nine mountains or ridges with elevations of over 3000 feet make up the area.

Peaks

Doubletop* 3,860′
Haynes 3,420′
Big Indian 3,700′
Spruce 3,380′
Fir 3,620′
Eagle 3,600′
Hemlock 3,240′
Balsam* 3,600′
Beaver Kill Range 3,377′

* Maximum elevations given are not necessarily located within the Wilderness Area.

The forest cover is predominantly hardwood mixtures in various associations. Spruce and fir, while present at some of the higher elevations, are less noticeable here than in other Catskill wilderness areas.

Interior facilities consisting of foot trails and lean-tos are generally considered adequate.

Area statistics:

Approximate Area 33,500 Acres
Roads (non conforming) 1.4 Miles
Foot Trails 29.4 Miles
Lean-tos 6
Designated Campsites 5
Parking Lots 5
Public Use (visitors/year) 4,500
Exterior Boundary Line 67 Miles
Minimum Elevation 1,500′
Maximum Elevation 3,840′

Non-conforming uses:

Motor vehicle use of Black Bear Road from the wilderness boundary to Fall Brook Lean-to.

A UMP for this area was completed in June of 1993.

Hunter – West Kill Wilderness

(Formerly West Kill – North Dome Wilderness, Ox Clove Wild Forest, and a portion of the former Hunter Mountain Wild Forest)

The unit generally lies within the following boundaries: New York State Route 42 on the west, the Shandakan Wild Forest and NYS Route 28 to the south, and NYS Route 214 on the east. The northern extent of the unit is County Route 6, and continues along a line 100′ parallel to, and south or east of, the edge of Spruceton trailhead parking area and the centerline of the Spruceton Truck Trail, to the junction of the Colonel’s Chair Trail. A corridor, 100 feet either side of the center line of the Spruceton Truck Trail, from the Colonel’s Chair Trail to the summit of Hunter Mountain, culminating in a circle 175′ in radius from the center of the chimney on the observer’s cabin shall be within the Rusk Mountain Wild Forest.

The unit contains approximately 27,000 acres of land, and inside it’s boundaries are found the named mountain peaks of Balsam, Sherrill, North Dome, West Kill, Sheridan, Hunter and Southwest Hunter. Hunter Mountain is the second highest peak in the Catskills at 4,040 feet, and portions of it’s summit, along with a fairly extensive area on the summits of West Kill, North Dome and Sherrill Mountains are within the Catskill High Peaks Bird Conservation Area, and are of special significance in that they provide habitat for high elevation spruce-fir inhabitants such as Bicknell’s Thrush and the Blackpoll Warbler, among others.

There are currently two lean-to’s on the unit, the Diamond Notch lean-to located just off the Diamond Notch Trail, and the Devil’s Acre Lean-to off of the Devil’s Path Trail. Waters from this unit drain into Schoharie and Esopus Creeks and then into the Schoharie and Ashokan Reservoirs, which are in the New York City water supply system.

Area statistics:

Approximate Area 27,000 Acres
Foot Trails 18 Miles
Lean-to’s 2
Parking Lots 5
Minimum Elevation 920′ Maximum Elevation 4,040′

Indian Head Wilderness

(Formerly Plateau Mountain – Indian Head Mountain Wilderness Area)

This wilderness is located in the Town of Hunter, Greene County and the Towns of Saugerties and Woodstock, Ulster County. It lies generally west of the east boundary of the Catskill Park, south of Platte Clove, east of Devil’s Tombstone Campground and north of Lake Hill and Shady. The area ranges from 1 ½ miles to 3 ½ miles in width, is eight miles long and contains approximately 16,800 acres.

Elevations range from 900 to 3840 feet and the four major mountains in the area are visible against the skyline from all directions. Echo Lake, the only natural lake in a Catskill wilderness, is located in the east-central portion of the area. Water from this eastern section flows into the Kingston and Saugerties water supply reservoirs, while drainage from the central and western section flows into two New York City water supply reservoirs. Six named mountain peaks over 3,000 feet in elevation dominate the area.

Peaks

Plateau 3,840′
Indian Head 3,573′
Sugarloaf 3,800′
Olderbark 3,440′
Twin 3,640′
Plattekill 3,100′

The forest cover varies from extensive oak stands on the eastern most slopes to mature spruce-fir on top of Plateau Mountain. An excellent mature stand of northern hardwood and hemlock occupies the slopes south of the Saw Kill.

Echo Lake, unique to the Catskill wilderness, is very popular for undeveloped camping. A small number of scattered primitive tent sites with fire rings have been established and public camping is limited to their capacities.

Public access is provided by several foot trails entering the area, including the old road from Meads to Overlook Mountain.

Area statistics:

Approximate Area 16,800 Acres
Roads 6.6 Miles
Foot Trails 24.1 Miles
Cross-country Ski Trails 5.6
Lean-tos 3
Designated Campsites 10
Parking Lots 1
Public Use (visitors/year) 8,000
Length of Boundary 33 Miles
Minimum Elevation 900′
Maximum Elevation 3,840′

A UMP for this area was completed in October of 1992.

Slide Mountain Wilderness

(Formerly Slide Mountain – Panther Mountain Wilderness Area)

This wilderness is located in the towns of Shandaken, Denning and Olive in Ulster County. It lies generally south of NYS Route 28, west of West Shokan, north of the Peekamoose Road (County Route 42) and east of the Frost Valley Road (County Route 47). It surrounds the Woodland Valley Campground and abuts the Sundown Wild Forest to its south. This area ranges from 1 to 10 miles in width, is about 13 miles long, and contains approximately 47,500 acres of land. The wilderness boundary is 118 miles long.

The terrain is rugged and steep with elevations ranging from 1,100 to 4,180 feet. All water draining from the area eventually reaches three New York City water supply reservoirs by way of the East and West Branches of the Neversink River, Rondout Creek and Esopus Creek. Twelve named mountain peaks with elevations over 3000 feet exist in the area. Of these, six may still be considered trail-less to the extent that they have no marked and maintained trails.

Peaks with Trails

Slide 4,180′
Peekamoose 3,843′
Cornell 3,860′
Wittenberg 3,780′
Table 3,847′
Panther 3,720′

Trail-less Peaks

Lone 3,721′
Rocky 3,508′
Friday 3,694′
Van Wyck 3,206′
Wildcat 3,340′
Balsam Cap 3,623′

The forest cover consists of nearly every possible mixture and association of hardwood and softwood trees native to the mountain region. While hardwoods predominate higher elevations are often covered with red spruce and balsam fir.

This area receives more public use than any other Catskill wilderness. Superb vistas are found on Slide, Wittenberg, Cornell, Giant Ledge and Panther Mountains. Access via foot trails is available from the north, south, east and west.

Area statistics:

Approximate Area 47,500 Acres
Foot Trails 35.3 Miles
Lean-tos 3
Parking Lots 10
Designated Campsites 29
Public Use (visitors/year) 23,000
Length of Boundary 118 Miles
Minimum Elevation 1,100′
Maximum Elevation 4,180′

A UMP for this area was completed in March of 1987 and revised in October of 1998.

Windham – Blackhead Range Wilderness

(Formerly Blackhead Range, and North Mountain Wild Forests, and portions of Windham High Peak, and Black Dome Valley Wild Forests)

The combination of these Wild Forest areas creates the Windham – Blackhead Range Wilderness Area, which lies within the Greene County towns of Cairo, Hunter, Jewett, Windham and Durham. The classification of these former Wild Forest areas was changed to Wilderness because their combined area comprises approximately 17,100 acres and contains rugged, high elevation land that clearly exhibits wilderness character. This newly classified area has seven named mountain peaks over 3,000 feet in elevation.

They are:

Peaks Black Dome 3,980′
Windham High Pk 3,520′
Blackhead 3,940′
Stoppel Point 3,420′
Thomas Cole 3,940′
Burnt Knob 3,180′
Acra Point 3,100′

The unit also contains six unnamed peaks over 3,000 feet, which range from 3,040 feet to 3,540 feet in elevation. Of the five highest peaks in the Catskills, three – Black Dome, Thomas Cole and Blackhead – are in this unit. This concentration of 13 peaks over 3,000 feet, within an area of approximately 28 square miles, with limited access, structures and improvements (30 miles of maintained foot trails and two lean-to’s) make the Windham – Blackhead Range Unit an area with excellent wilderness character.

A fairly extensive area of old growth forest can be found on this unit at the higher elevations, along the ridge stretching from an area west of Thomas Cole Mountain to Blackhead Mountain, and on Windham High Peak. The presence of this old growth forest, with its distinctive flora and fauna, add to the wilderness character of the unit. The unit also includes the headwaters of the Batavia Kill and, to the south over the Blackhead Range, the headwaters of the East Kill. Both of these rivers flow into Schoharie Creek, and are an integral part of the New York City Watershed system.

The western boundary of this unit shall be the east side of the Elm Ridge Trail, Black Dome Trail leaving it within the Elm Ridge Wild Forest, continuing north along the drainage to the Catskill Park boundary. The southern boundary of the unit shall be the Escarpment Trail approximately one half mile south of Stoppel Point to a point on the Escarpment Trail where it comes closest to the eastern Forest Preserve boundary. Both North Point and Stoppel Point will be within the Wilderness area. Lands to the south of the south edge of the Escarpment Trail in this area, will be in the Kaaterskill Wild Forest.

Because the Windham – Blackhead Range Wilderness surrounds the smaller Colgate Lake Wild Forest Unit, and because they are linked together by public use, the Unit Management Plans for the two units shall be contained in one document.

Area statistics:

Approximate Area 18,0000 Acres
Foot Trails 30 Miles
Lean-tos 2
Parking Lots 1
Minimum Elevation 980′
Maximum Elevation 3,980′

The Weekend that Was At Moose River Plains

This past long independence Day Weekend I went up to Moose River Plains. Some observations and notable things from the weekend that was — I’m going to post additional pictures and stories later.

Wednesday

  • I got to leave work early on Wednesday around 3 PM, so I was home by 3:30 PM on the road by 4 PM.
  • Deciding that the traffic would be bad at that hour on all expressways, I decided to shun the main roads for the blue highway.
  • I took State Farm Road (NY 155) to US 20 West to Duanesburg Church Road past Mariaville Farm to NY 30 to Indian Lake then out to Cedar River Road.
  • Driving past the Mariaville Farm, I was noticing how many hogs they had in a barnyard near their home. And I saw a hog taking a piss — they pee like cows. Farming is great but I think I’d want more distance my house and livestock.
  • I still need to visit For the Love of Bacon. It’s just off of the first exit of Interstate 88, I have no excuse not to.
  • Google Maps estimates that the trip via the Northway at normal traffic would take 2 hours and 20 minutes, my shun-pike way took about 3 1/2 hours, although the Northway with delays was looking closer to 3 hours when I checked on Wednesday evening.
  • That said it was worth it because I really hate driving on the expressway.
  • I thought I heard a noise driving up to Moose River Plains that had me a bit worried, turned out just to be strap on the kayak flapping around.
  • Made it to Cedar River Flow by 7:30, took some pictures at the flow and signed in.
  • There are new entrance signs. They say you should call for a camping permit for all stays over three nights even if you plan to camp at a different part of the plains. I think that’s silly and not consistent with the regulations – I stayed four nights but at two different sites.
  • I wouldn’t object to getting a camping permit but it’s a pain to play phone tag with the ranger when you should be able to do it online.
  • As soon as I stepped out of the truck I realized what a buggy weekend it was going to be with a shit ton of horse flies
  • The first night I camped at campsite 26 which is a little ways up from the Silver Run. Nice night, but buggy until it got dark.
  • It was nice to leave work early and not have to set up in the dark. Kept my campsite simple as I planned to break camp early and get a site I really liked around the Moose River so I could walk to a swimming hole from camps.
  • I bought some wood at Quinzal’s on Cedar River Road on the way up and had a good fire with that plus some wood I found in the woods.
  • Stayed up late until around midnight, drank a lot of beer, listened to some podcasts and music until around midnight.

Independence Day

  • The next morning I got up probably too early, stumbled around and took down camp. Headed straight toward the Big T, hoping to find a campsite near water in the plains where I could swim.
  • I ended up choosing campsite 94 which was a short walk to the Moose River Bridge which at the time I set up had no near neighbors
  • It was a nice site, open and airy but well screened and set back from the road. Had a nice new outhouse and picnic table although the fire place was in rough shape.
  • Deer flies were nasty.
  • I tried sitting and reading in my hammock and despite being covered from head to toe in a mixture of Picardin, DEET and PMD it only limited them a bit.
  • Another family on Independence Day took the campsite across the way – a good working class family and they had a pretty wild party up at Moose River Plains on independence Day with lots of country music, fireworks and alcohol.
  • Independence Day was hot and buggy, the deer fly were so bad for a while I left hammock and took a nap in my truck with the fan blowing.
  • Despite napping in my truck a deer fly got inside and bit my lip while napping. It hurt like a mother. I almost thought about taking down camp and heading home.
  • I eventually strapped on my bathing suit and went down to the Moose River to cool off for a few hours.
  • Finished one book started another one. Very pleasant laying in the hammock after dark .
  • Did a night hike to Icehouse Pond and it was nice but buggy.
  • Had a decent size fire, lit off some small fireworks

Friday

  • Friday I hiked back to the Beaver Lake. Been a long time since I’ve been back there. Not many fish biting with the heat.
  • Beaver Pond at least had a steady breeze that limited the horse flies but it was hot.
  • That said while I was down by the lake I got bit by a horse fly and my ear got swollen.
  • I forgot how enormous that
  • Hiked back to camp then back into the Moose River to cool down.
  • In the evening I hiked down Otter Brook Road to the Sly Pond Trailhead.
  • Laid out on the Moose River Bridge for about an hour looking at the stars
  • It was pretty laying back in the hammock watching the stars and my laser light show on the trees above how the light scattered and was beautiful.

Saturday

  • Saturday was a bit more stormy with lots of clouds but only a few showers
  • I had plenty of electricity despite the lack of sun for most the day
  • I did more reading, laid in the hammock, wrote some blog posts and listened to podcasts
  • Disassembled my camp stove and determined it was the burner unit is where the leak is and needs to be replaced.
  • I went to Moose River to swim for a few hours, listening to podcasts.
  • Didn’t gets lot of rain but most of the day was cloudy. Certainly not the heavy rains of Albany.
  • Went back to Icehouse Pond to fish around dusk
  • Sat out on the Moose River Bridge watching the stars into the wee hours of the morning. Much clearer tonight no light pollution

Sunday

  • Sunday I broke camp modestly early although I proscastinated a bit as I wanted to top off the starting battery with solar so it would be healthy to start the truck.
  • Ended up deciding Stillwater was too far away to hike the Fire Tower so decided to paddle Moss Lake.
  • Not a really big late, lots of noise pollution from Big Moose Road and crowds, wouldn’t paddle again and caught nothing.
  • I wish I had done something different but I felt like I should use the kayak having brought it.
  • Headed home shunning the interstates again, taking NY 28 through Old Forge to Remsen then Middleville and NY 169 to Little Falls to NY 5S and then decided to take NY 152 through Rural Grove down to NY 20 and home. Slower than the Thruway but I like seeing all the farms along it.

Campfire

May 12, 2019 Night

Good evening! Yup, still raining and 43 degrees โ˜” in Delmar. Talk about a cold wet ending to the weekend.

But it was a nice weekend especially on Saturday up at Hildervandt Vly and the wilderness back country of the Southern Adirondacks. I’m thinking of doing more day hikes like that and some overnights when it warms up a bit more and the black fly season is done. A nice starry night in the wilderness in the hammock would be wonderful. โ›บ

While it was interesting driving through Tribes Hill and Fort Hunter, the bridge ๐ŸŒ‰ between the two is pretty narrow when two pickup trucks have to pass on it. Then I managed to make the wrong turn in Schenectady County and ended up in Mariaville and ended up taking the Thruway back home. At least traffic was light and the more rural parts of Schenectady County is remarkably scenic.

Sunday dinner at the folks house, Mother’s Day was meatballs riggis which was pretty good. ๐Ÿฒ Always a fun ending to the weekend.

Tonight will have patchy drizzle with a slight chance of showers after 2am. When it’s not raining look for clouds ๐ŸŒง, with a low of 40 degrees at 6am. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 24th. Light northeast wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2018, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 48 degrees. The record low of 30 occurred back in 2005.

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous Moon ๐ŸŒ” with 73% illuminated. The moon will set at 3:03 am. The Flower Moon ๐ŸŒ• is on Friday night with a chance of showers. The sun will rise at 5:35 am with the first light at 5:03 am, which is one minute and 6 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ Tonight will have 9 hours and 26 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 9 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have patchy drizzle with a chance of showers before 11am, then rain likely, mainly after 2pm. Cloudy ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 55 degrees at 2pm. 14 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 9th. East wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 68 degrees. The record high of 86 was set in 2004. There was a dusting of snow in 1953.โ„

I was a bit annoyed with the amount of litter ๐Ÿšฎ I saw in the woods over the weekend. You usually don’t see as much in more remote country as I saw up at the campsites at Stewart Landing and Rockwood Lake. Hiking along NY 8 was pretty bad too. I didn’t pick up everything I saw in Rockwood State Forest but I did pick up the multiple six pack rings that were along the road. I get it – not really the consumers fault but a society awash in oil and the byproducts of it – plastic but still how hard would have it been to at least burn it completely or pack it out?

The long range doesn’t look that great for next weekend but the Lupine Festival might be fun. ๐Ÿ˜ž Next Saturday, a chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 69. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 51 at 1pm. Next Sunday, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 69. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 54 at 1pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 70 degrees. At least by then the temperature will return close to normal.

In four weeks on June 9 the sun will be setting at 8:32 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 24 minutes and 15 seconds later then tonight. Almost the latest sunset of the year only gain about five minutes on that. In 2018 on that day, we had mostly sunny, shallow fog and temperatures between 80 and 52 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 76 and 55 degrees. The record high of 100 degrees was set back in 1933.

Looking ahead, Fathers Day ๐Ÿ‘จ is in 5 weeks, National Nude Day ๐Ÿ‘ฑ is in 9 weeks (skinny dipping?), Last Sunset After 8 PM ๐ŸŒ† is in 3 months, Sunset Before 7:30 PM ๐ŸŒ† is in 16 weeks, Autumn ๐Ÿ‚ is in 19 weeks and Average High is 60 ๐Ÿ‚ is in 22 weeks.

East Kill Valley

May 11, 2019 Morning

Good morning! Happy Saturday. Finally the weekend! The Sunday before Mother’s Day. ๐Ÿšบ Next Saturday is Flower Moon ๐ŸŒ•. Partly cloudy, but clearing and 53 degrees โ›… up at Stewart Landing campsites in the Adirondacks. ๐Ÿ—ป There is a west-northwest breeze at 9 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. A bit chilly when the sun dips under the clouds, laying back in the hammock with the breeze blowing around. The skies will clear around 11 am.

At 4:15 pm Friday I decided to come up camping. โ›บ I had nothing packed or bought for food ๐Ÿฒ but I decided to leave work, grab my camping gear and head out. I figured I would beat the severe thunderstorm getting home โšก and then get packed while it was ongoing and from there after it was over, after rush hour head out of town. I stopped for some groceries and gas and went out to Stewart Landing. I got caught off at the same exit on the Crosstown Arterial in Albany I got rear ended on five years ago but this time I was able to avoid an crash though horns were mashed and brakes slammed. I may have urinated a bit in my pants over that. Yikes. ๐Ÿ˜ฎ People ask why I ducking hate motoring so much. The Thruway was completely blocked for a while due to a motorcycle crash, according to the CB radio ๐Ÿ“ป but after 15 minutes it freed up and I was moving. It such a ducking bad drive up here with smearing rain the whole way.

Because I had to shop, get gas and get packed, despite leaving work early, I didn’t get to camp until close to 8:15 around dusk ๐ŸŒ† but the campsite was fine except for the litter ๐Ÿšฎ, broken glass and thumb tack ๐Ÿ“ I had to clean up. A lot of litter around here I had to pick up which was annoying but the campsite is mostly cleaned up and I fixed up the fire pit. I’ll bring some of the litter home but the bigger stuff – burnt chair frame, burnt out car radio, lots of burnt wire – I’ll just toss in the pile of other debris back in the woods. It’s at least out of the way for now. I wish people wouldn’t litter – pack out your garbage. If something doesn’t burn fully, haul it out. I don’t understand why they wouldn’t scrap the burnt wire at least that was all over the campsite. Nobody wants to be tripping over wire or broken glass in the darkness.

Things are fairly dry up here ๐Ÿ‘ขbut there is a pretty deep and rocky mud hole on the driveway to the campsite โ›บ so I don’t want to drive through it unnecessarily to visit Little Falls today and I’m kind of annoyed about what happened yesterday driving up here. I just don’t want to hit one of those big rocks and bend or break a suspension component. Instead I’ll probably hike back to Hildervaldnt Vly from camp and enjoy the beautiful day in the wilderness. The sun is already charging the battery ๐Ÿ”‹ and I expect a good charge with all of the sun.

After I started setting up, somebody took the campsite just down the road, started a big fire ๐Ÿ”ฅ then packed up and left. Odd. That’s one of the reasons I’ve never camped down here as there isn’t a lot of space between the campsites – the nearest one is about 250 ft away. Not the mile plus of many of the Pisceo Powley sites. But quiet up here today, I can certainly listen to my music later on without bothering folks.

Today will be partly sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 57 degrees at 2pm. 11 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 13th. Northwest wind around 10 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 66 degrees. The record high of 90 was set in 1911. .5 inches of snow fell back in 1907.โ„

The sun will set at 8:11 pm with dusk around 8:44 pm, which is one minute and 6 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies ๐ŸŒƒ and temperatures around 52 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 32 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 15 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒฅ, with a low of 38 degrees at 6am. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 18th. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable in the evening. In 2018, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became light rain by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 48 degrees. The record low of 29 occurred back in 1969.

As previously noted, next Saturday is Flower Moon ๐ŸŒ• when the sun will be setting at 8:19 pm with dusk at 8:52 pm. On that day in 2018, we had partly cloudy and temperatures between 73 and 51 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 70 degrees. We hit a record high of 94 back in 2017.

I should probably finish securing camp and head out on the trail. The hammock, sun and breeze are nice although I did just see my first black fly ๐Ÿœ of the year…..

Patroon Island Bridge Reflects Onto the River

May 9, 2019 Night

Good evening! Rain showers and 57 degrees โ˜” Breezy, ๏ธ18 mph breeze from the south-southeast ๐ŸŒฌ with gusts up to 29 mph ๐Ÿ’จ๐Ÿ’จ๐Ÿ’จ. You can hear the wind blowing around. The skies will clear Saturday around 2 am.

I went over to John Wolcott’s house for a while to keep going through his files. ๐Ÿ“‚ I found a few interesting tidbits and a lot of other random stuff that both of us struggled to figure out. Never know what you will find in the archives. I’m more interested in contemporary history although lately I’ve not seen much of that in the boxes.

John was saying Another Save the Pine Bush person is donating their family land to conservation. ๐ŸŒณI think that’s a wonderful thing to do. If some day I own 50 or 100 acres of a mountain somewhere it would be nice to donate it to a state forest preserve after my time has gone and the house is burned to the ground and the foundation backfilled in. It’s not like I’m going to need it when my time is thru.

Tonight will have a chance of showers, mainly after midnight. Cloudy ๐ŸŒง, with a low of 52 degrees at 3am. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 30th. South wind 15 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2018, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 56 degrees. The record low of 28 occurred back in 1958.

Tonight will have a Waxing Crescent Moon ๐ŸŒ’ with 39% illuminated with the moon setting at 12:58 am. The moon will set at 1:00 am. The First Quarter Moon will be tomorrow with mostly cloudy skies. The Flower Moon ๐ŸŒ is on Friday, May 17th. The sun will rise at 5:38 am with the first light at 5:07 am, which is one minute and 11 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ Tonight will have 9 hours and 33 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 15 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 5pm. Cloudy ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 66 degrees at 5pm. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 5th. Maximum dew point of 57 at 4pm. South wind around 14 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. I think the Western Adirondacks may have more. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 73 degrees. The record high of 92 was set in 1970. 5.0 inches of snow fell back in 1945.โ„

I decided to call off the weekend trip. Saturday may be half decent but the inch plus of rain we may get tomorrow – especially in the Western Adirondacks – doesn’t sound real nice. โ›บ Unless a campsite is well drained, it’s going to be saturated as will all the wood for burning. ๐Ÿ”ฅ I am a little worried about the campsites at Stewart Landing being really wet, as I don’t think they are particularly well drained and there always is some big mud puddles back there, and honestly the ground is not really firm as snow has been gone from that area less than a month now. Plus parking tomorrow in the city with the tulip festival ๐ŸŒท would be a female dog ๐Ÿถ.

Right now, a split verdict on the weekend. ๐Ÿ˜• Saturday, partly sunny, with a high near 62. Northwest wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Saturday doesn’t look bad but the woods will be so wet. Maximum dew point of 41 at 6am. Maybe I could hike Platte Kill Road in West Saugerties through the gorge? Sunday, a slight chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Typical average high for the weekend is 68 degrees. I’ll take it one day at a time I guess. I’m hoping now for better weather come Memorial Day Weekend.

I’d love to have a big ass fire ๐Ÿ”ฅ and drink some beer ๐Ÿป but things can wait until Memorial Day Weekend. Probably black flies will be bad that weekend ant ๐Ÿœ but that’s what staying up late is all about. Hopefully the ground will dry out by then. If

After reading that Bloomberg article ๐Ÿ“ฐ on wealthy hermits without wills I’m actually kind of fascinated by the topic – and hermits more generally. I know that I at some point should write a will ๐Ÿ“, especially as I acquire property and would like it eventually to be public land ๐ŸŒฒfor hunting and recreation. I really like the idea of the simple life, living in the backwoods without all the material crap of modernity. Maybe a 4×4 truck, al tractor ๐Ÿšœ and an ATV but duck a television ๐Ÿ“บ or home internet.

In four weeks on June 6 the sun will be setting at 8:30 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 25 minutes and 38 seconds later then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 72 and 48 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 75 and 54 degrees. The record high of 94 degrees was set back in 1925.

I am thinking now about a June trip to Moss Island. ๐ŸŒผ It will be warmer than and maybe more wildflowers at that point. I believe Green Acres dairy bar ๐Ÿฆwill be open and I can grab a burger ๐Ÿ” after hiking and then camp โ›บ up on Piseco Powley Road and if it’s warm enough out cool off in the potholers.

Looking ahead, Average High is 70 ๐Ÿฎ is in 1 weeks, Summer ๏ธโ›ฑ๏ธ is in 6 weeks, Independence Day ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ is in 8 weeks, August ๐ŸŒป is in 12 weeks and Last Sunset After 7 PM ๐ŸŒ† is in 21 weeks.

Fourth and final night at Chicken Co-op Rd