Paper Plant

That's one of Plattsburgh's most famous landmark, the Georgia Pacific Toilet Paper and Paper Towels. It's the reason why the city kind of smells at times like burning dog shit. When you crack the fibers of pulpwood, it releases the sulfur from the fibers, and our noises are super sensitive to low-level releases of hydrogen sulfide.

Taken on Monday August 17, 2009 at Plattsburgh.

Camping at Cumberland Head State Park

I decided on my first day of my summer vacation to spend a night at Cumberland Head State Park. I normally don't like staying a state campgrounds, but it was really hot, and I wanted a quick place I could stay near Plattsburgh.

Taken on Monday August 17, 2009 at Plattsburgh.

Chazy Lake Primative Campsite

On Lake Chazy, the state owns about 800 feet of lake front as State Forest. There is three campsites here, one of them on the lake, and two along a private road / driveway.

Fireplace

This parcel exists on the far end of Wilfred King Road, which runs for about 5 miles before you reach the end where the parking area and the private drive you take down to the parcel.

Trail on In

The site on the water has great views, a little fireplace, and lots of space for setting up two or three tents. It’s just as much a paradise as the photo suggests.

Gear All Packed Up

“Camp Here” marker shows that this is a designated site. When your in the Catskills or Adirondacks they tend to be fairly strict about the 150 feet rule from water and roads, unless you are a designated site.

Camp Here Marker

Down by the lake in the afternoon. Imagine a book in my hands, and you can see how relaxed I am.

Afternoon

Cookng some dinner on my camp stove. Tonight I’m having sausage in Rice-a-Roni. The image makes it look like some kind of sinster stew that I’m making up, make out of small children I boiled up and mixed with grits. It’s not that for sure, and was far more delicious.

Cooking Dinner

If you go out in the lake a little ways for a wade, you get a good view of Lyon Mountain. The water is shallow, and if it’s as hot as it was when I was there, truly delightful. While you will have to drive approximately 10 miles around the lake to get to the parking area to climb Lyon Mountain, but it’s beautiful with the fire tower up top.

Lyon Mountain

Sitting down at the lake you could hear the errie call of the loon.

Loon

The site has good south-west views over the Lyon Mountain where the sunsets in the evening. The sunsets from here are amazing, as you watch the fire burn. The wood supply is limited, so you may consider packing in your own wood supply.

Dusk

The important thing is that if you go there, make sure to drive all the way to the end of the road, past where the blacktop ends and after where the state forest starts. You will know when your there, and if you don’t see signs for the state parcel or the campsites, you haven’t driven far enough.

Also, while it’s posted against driving motor vehicles past the parking lot, as it is a private driveway, you can drive almost up to the lake front campsite if you don’t want to walk with the stuff in. That said, it’s only about a 1/4 mile hike from the parking area, so it’s fine to make multiple trips throughout the night and day like I did.

Swimming Hole

Here is the site on Google Maps. The hikers are where you park, the trail follows the driveway for a while, and then turns for about 150 feet to the campsite right on the water.


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Point Au Roche State Park

Back in my college days I used to either ride my bike or drive up in the pickup to Point Au Roche State Park, which is located about 8 miles from Plattsburgh. It has fantastic views of Lake Champlain, and on less humid days, some great views of the Adirondack Mountains.

Rand Hill is Still Gone

I went for a walk out along Long Point on Sunday Night and Monday morning. It was amazing to come back to the place which I so much remember from when I was back in college. The only difference I noticed was the wind turbines you could see on Rand Hill, just barely through the evening haze.

Sailboat

When I went for the walk this night, it was very hazy and hot. It wasn’t raining, but from the amount of fog and humidity you might not have guess it.

Along the Lake

The next morning was almost as hazy and hot and humid, but with some nicer views.

Waves Break

At the end of Long Point.

Tree on Bay

Map of hikes (red = Sunday, yellow = Monday).


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Have I Ever Gotten Lost?

Notes on the Re-Run for Saturday, March 10th.

— Andy

I’m not sure if I have ever gotten lost before in the woods. There has been times when I’ve taken a trail to a surprise result. I don’t always have a perfect map in my head of every area I’ve been to, and sometimes when visiting a new area, I will loop back upon on a trail and be quite surpised at that fact.

Sometimes I will run into something unexpected in the woods that makes it impossible to reach my destination the way I originally expected. The cliff might drop off steeply, their might be a pond in the ways, the trail might be really muddy and mucky, or their might be a hunter up ahead. I usually find my way back to the trail without a problem.

There have been times when I’ve had difficulty locating one point or another. I almost always find it, after a little searching, if it’s nearby. Sometimes I will give up and go back, especially if my map’s quality is poor or if it’s not readily apparent where it should be.

One Mile Left

I guess some day I will get truly lost.