Finger Lakes National Forest

Nestled in upstate New York, the Finger Lakes National Forest spans 16,000 acres of diverse terrain, combining lush woodlands with expansive pasture land. Encompassing woodlands, grasslands, and glacial lakes, its picturesque landscapes and well-maintained trails attract outdoor enthusiasts, offering opportunities for hiking, birdwatching, mountain biking, and horseback riding. The forest’s five distinctive trails wind through the scenery, revealing stunning views of gorges, waterfalls, and panoramic vistas. The forest is also home to the celebrated Finger Lakes Trail, a long-distance hiking trail extending over 580 miles. Limited free primitive and roadside camping opportunities along the roads add to the allure, providing a chance to immerse in the natural beauty for longer periods. As the only national forest in New York State, it provides a unique space for relaxation, exploration, and immersion in the captivating landscapes of the Finger Lakes region.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger_Lakes_National_Forest
http://www.fs.usda.gov/fingerlakes
http://www.cnyhiking.com/FingerLakesNationalForest.htm

December 14, 2018 Morning

Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! Next Friday is First Day of Winter β˜ƒοΈ. Partly cloudy and 34 degrees in Hector. β›… There is a south breeze at 15 mph. 🍃. At times you can really hear the wind whipping around, but its really quite mild this morning.

Today is my final full day in the Finger Lakes, tomorrow I plan to take down camp fairly early in the morning and head home.🏡 It’s remarkable to think a week has come and gone so quickly. Now that it’s finally warmed up, I expect everything to be melting away quickly.💧

Today will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a high of 43 degrees at 2pm. Seven degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical day around November 28th. South wind 14 to 16 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies. The high last year was 23 degrees. The record high of 63 was set in 1901. 12.5 inches of snow fell back in 1956.❄

Today I’m thinking about hiking back to Lucifer Falls then visiting Montour Falls and Watkins Glen and possibly doing some of the rim trail,🏃 although with the warmer temperatures and the normal humidity in the glen I doubt it will look like a winter wonderland.

The sun will set at 4:34 pm with dusk around 5:06 pm, which is 14 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for mostly cloudy skies ☁ andtemperatures around 42 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 14 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 4 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 26 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a slight chance of rain after 8pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 37 degrees at 1am. 16 degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical night around October 26th. Southwest wind 8 to 13 mph becoming light after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2017, we had mostly cloudy skies, clearing in the early hours of the next day. It got down to 7 degrees. The record low of -8 occurred back in 1874.

As previously noted, next Friday is First Day of Winter β˜ƒοΈ when the sun will be setting at 4:37 pm with dusk at 5:09 pm. On that day in 2017, we had snow, mostly sunny skies and temperatures between 32 and 21 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 34 degrees. We hit a record high of 59 back in 1957.

Pond

With the snow today I decided to stay around camp today, making baked garlic chicken tenders for lunch then reading for a few hours.

With the snow today I decided to stay around camp today, making baked garlic chicken tenders for lunch then reading for a few hours. I thought the snow had stopped but it picked up again. It was pretty thorough. I didn’t want to drive on snow covered roads as all of the roads around Watkins Glen are very steep both going down and up.

Later on I went for a 5 mile evening / night walk along the Interlaken Trail, stopping several times for like 10 minutes to just sit and observe the woods, and followed some fresh and rabbit tracks until I came to the barbed wire of one of pastures and turned back to the trail. Hiked back after dark along Potomac Road which was very icy from the days 1-2 inches snow being compacted by car tires. I’m kind of glad I didn’t drive anywhere. Going to finally get above freezing tomorrow and I’m sure the town will sand the road by morning, like they did today before the snow squalls. I made pizza and cookies in the camp oven then had hot coca next to the fire until retiring to bed around nine.

Photo.2012.12.04 15.30.33