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 11, 2018 Morning

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Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Two weeks to Christmas 🎅. Ho. Ho. Ho. Cloudy and 22 degrees in Hector. ☁ There is a southwest breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. Things will start to thaw out at Thursday around 1 pm. 🌡️ LOL!

Today will be cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny β›…, with a high of 30 degrees at 3pm. Seven degrees below normal. Kind of cold, some sun at least would be nice. Things have actually been warmer in the cooler, less frozen than things outside of it. Southwest wind around 9 mph. I don’t like that so much as it means an occasional gust of wind blows into the tent. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies. The high last year was 34 degrees. The record high of 61 was set in 1952. 4.3 inches of snow fell back in 1970.❄

I made blueberry muffins for breakfast and have kind of been hiding out in the tent as it’s nice and warm here. β˜• Less warm outside, especially at at quarter of six when I had to run outside for a while. 💩 I think it was frozen before it hit the bucket.

The sun will set at 4:34 pm with dusk around 5:06 pm, which is 6 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies ☁ and temperatures around 30 degrees. There will be a west-southwest breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 6 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 44 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of flurries between 8pm and 10pm, then a chance of snow showers after 10pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 23 degrees at 5am. Typical for tonight. Maximum wind chill around 18 at 6pm; West wind 10 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. In 2017, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 22 degrees. The record low of -12 occurred back in 1988.

Last night was pizza 🍕 followed by fresh baked cookies 🍪 and hot chocolate β˜•. Not a half bad meal, certainly better than the stew, something I’ll have to revisit in the future. Had another nice campfire but in the cold burned through quite a bit of wood. 🔥

Yesterday I went down to Trumansburg and the Taughannock Gorge which was nice but kind of cold. 🏃I planned to get gas but none of the gas pumps were working at the station.β›½ I didn’t realize until after I swiped my card but I was told nothing was read because all of the pumps were off. I’ll get it straightened out.

Today I was originally planning to stick around camp maybe go for a walk or hunt but now I’m leaning towards heading to Watkins Glen especially if it’s going to stay gray and cold and I’ll need to charge up the batteries. 🔋But first I’ll need to gather up some firewood and get cleaned up and gear secured. Probably also go to the library for a bit to use the internet on my laptop.💻

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Christmas 🎅 when the sun will be setting at 4:39 pm with dusk at 5:11 pm. On that day in 2017, we had snow and partly cloudy skies and temperatures between 33 and 17 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 33 degrees. We hit a record high of 66 back in 1889.

Chimney near Watch Hill

As people smarter than me say, wood warms you in two different ways… When you chop it and split it, and when you burn it.

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As people smarter than me say, wood warms you in two different ways… When you chop it and split it, and when you burn it. In this weather I actually really like chopping wood because it’s so warming burning all those calories. Feel cold? Chop wood, you’ll be warm in a few seconds. Worked well for me. Plus with an axe I can chop and split a lot more wood quickly then with a hatchet and saw.

Now, I get a $25 basic 3 1/2 lb axe from Tractor Supply with a synthetic aka plastic handle isn’t the greatest axe in the world but it works pretty good for camping purposes. I’m sure it was no more than a $20 mark up. Lol. It’s what I could get though quickly as I wanted something more efficient then my hatchet for a week mid December camping. That said I think I’d want something maybe a little heavier with a good wood handle if we’re chopping wood for heating a house or a cabin but this is just occasional use here.

That said when I own land and a house I’d probably seriously consider getting a hydraulic splitter just because it would make quick work out of firewood processing. All things considered they aren’t that expensive. But I’d also look to having a modern, efficient EPA stove even if they aren’t perfect, they do burn a lot less wood. And have a house that is small and well insulated as that would further conserve wood. Insulation is really an important thing that saves a lot of energy.

It’s not to say that the woods doesn’t produce a lot of dead and down wood but you know it’s not unlimited and no sense wasting a limited resource or producing unnecessary carbon dioxide and unnecessary work.

Cedar River Off Wakely Dam