Balsam Swamp is a sprawling state forest that stretches almost 5.5 miles east-west across 4 towns. The area is very rural, and the landscape surrounding the State Forest is predominantly forested. Balsam Swamp State Forest is comprised of a mix of native hardwood forests, hemlock swamps, and conifer plantations. There are no designated recreational trails on the forest, but there is ample opportunity for self-guided day hikes to explore the diversity of habitats represented on this State Forest. Additionally, the western section of Balsam Swamp State Forest is adjacent to Five Streams State Forest to the south.
The main attraction of this forest is Balsam Pond. The impoundment is approximately 152 acres and is a popular destination for fishing and paddle boat sports. Balsam Pond is a warm water fishery that contains a mix of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, yellow perch, brown bullhead and sunfish. Tiger muskellunge have been stocked in the past with the last stocking occurring in 1995. However, there have been very few reports of anglers catching any of the adult tiger muskies. A shallow gravel boat launch is suitable for launching small fishing boats.
A small rustic camp ground is also located at Balsam Pond. Camping spaces are available at no cost on a first-come, first-serve basis and there is no running water or electricity. A fire ring, outhouse, and picnic table are provided for each camping space. A sign on Balsam-Tyler Road in Pharsalia designates the entrance to the boat launch and camping facility. This is a carry-in carry-out facility. Please do not litter.
I often think many areas they call wilderness areas aren’t true wilderness. On the other hand, areas not called wilderness can be very much true wilderness.
I spent four or five hours hiking today back to Hilderbrandt Vly and Glasgow Lake and did not see another person. The snowmobile trail while soft and flooded in many low lying areas contains little evidence of overuse, indeed I suspect these lakes are little visited except by snowmobilers and a handful of hunters and fishermen. If anything Glasgow Lake shows the signs of the most use of the area but at least while I was there I didn’t see a single other person.
People sometimes ask what I like to do while camping⛺ Besides sitting by the fire and listening to the spring peepers and the birds,🐸 I also will often put on some music or a podcast, especially in the evening.
In the day time I like to cook – I actually like camp cooking better than at home as I’m not distracted by all the other things going on at home. 🍳I also spend a lot of time reading as camping often is a long distraction free time for me. Lately I’ve been spending more time writing, 📚as I’m trying to capture more of my thoughts and experiences in words.
Camping in the wilderness is a chance to get away from all the noise and problems that are inherent in living in the city.
Lately I’ve gotten into Cat Stevens record lately. I think it’s because I have a lot more energy these days and feel great.
Good morning! Happy Arbor Day. 🎄 Trees are great. They keep it cool in the summer, are nice and warm when you burn them, great places to hang stuff off of and create good healthy oxygen.
Fog and 41 degrees in Delmar for the morning walk. 🌫 Calm wind. More sun later with skies clearing around 8 am as the fog burns off.
Finally got up and walking 🚶 closer to six 6⃣ this morning. Little achy from the dampness but it’s good to be alive. Barley and blueberries for breakfast 🥣 when I get home. This evening after the walk I’ll refill my pantry so I have a wider variety of healthy choices in my pantry for next weekend going into next week. Variety is important for a good diet. 🍏 🥦
Today will have isolated showers between 10am and noon. Mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 61 degrees at 5pm. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 19th. Calm wind becoming northwest around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 51 degrees. The record high of 91 was set in 1962. There was a dusting of snow in 2020.❄
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:54 pm with sun having an altitude of 61.2° from the due south horizon (-9.7° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:12 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (283°). 📸
Yesterday I got in 10.1 miles walked 🚶 for the day which is good. The heavy rain held off until 8 pm, it was pouring by the time I was heading home from the park. Got dark quickly too. Tomorrow marks 100 days walking five miles or more a day some days far more. I can’t complain, I feel great.
The sunset is in the west-northwest (290°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:51 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 4 seconds with dusk around 8:20 pm, which is one minute and 8 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the First Quarter 🌓 Moon in the southwest (215°) at an altitude of 67° from the horizon, 252,244 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:58 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 57 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 13 hours and 58 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 35 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 37 degrees at 5am. Five degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 16th. Light south wind. In 2022, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 37 degrees. The record low of 25 occurred back in 1947.
Not a particularly nice weekend on tap. 😞 Saturday, showers, mainly after 8am. High near 54. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Sunday, showers likely, mainly after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Maximum dew point of 51 at 1pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 66 degrees.
As previously noted, next Thursday is 8:30 PM Dusk 🌆 when the sun will be setting at 7:59 pm with dusk at 8:29 pm. On that day in 2022, we had rain showers, mostly cloudy and temperatures between 57 and 50 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 68 degrees. We hit a record high of 91 back in 1944.
Wind turbines have to be started by the electric power in the grid just like a car needs a battery and a starter to start. It takes energy to get the blades moving then they coast along with the wind once they’re moving.
Wind turbines like a car can be shut off when their is no market for their power, wind speed is too low or strong, or maintenance is required. They have both braking using the motors and physical brakes like a car. Just because it’s windy doesn’t mean that a wind turbine will be turning or generating electricity.
Like running a car engine, running a wind turbine puts wear on the bearings and other equipment like the blades – you only want to run it when necessary. Plus you have to have somewhere to dump the power – if you loose the grid connection the turbine must stop or the wires or turbine motor will burn up as electricity must be consumed as soon as its produced.
I’ve been hoping for a nice weekend to get up into the wilderness before black fly season got underway, but every weekend this April since the Easter holiday has been worse — and each weekend seems to get cloudier, cooler and rainer. Two weekends ago, I could have gotten out of town, and it would have been fine, but the forecast was wet. Last weekend was okay, until Saturday night when it absolutely poured. And then this weekend’s forecast.
At some point my luck will change. Indeed, Mothers Day Weekend might be a good one, as my parents aren’t going to be in town, and maybe depending when they get the state budget done, I can take off that Friday with just credited time. Black flies, if I decide to go up north might be bad. But maybe I’ll do Schoharie, especially if I get my bike working, it could be a lot of fun to ride some of the roads out there.
I bet the teats on that camel in Vermont is cold this morning 🐪
Maybe it’s just a heavy dew this morning but boy is it cold. Suns a rising quickly but it was hard to get out of bed with the cold.
Good morning! What day is it? A Frosty Hump Day, of course. Mostly clear and 32 degrees in Delmar, NY. 🌅 Calm wind.
Hopefully this Wednesday won’t have a fast let down like like a camel has. 🥛 Regardless I’m moving but not that quick, as I do my morning walk 🚶. 8.2 miles walked yesterday.
Today will have a chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 4pm. Increasing clouds 🌞, with a high of 58 degrees at 2pm. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 13th. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 55 degrees. The record high of 90 was set in 1990. 0.3 inches of snow fell back in 1993.❄
I can’t believe how cold ❄ it’s been lately. My office 🏢 felt cold yesterday and I have had to wear my hoodie both for my morning and evening walks. Maybe I was spoiled after those 80 degrees days earlier in April. El Nino is coming this summer 🏖 so they’re predicting a hot one. I just want my hot coffee ☕ when I get back inside.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:54 pm with sun having an altitude of 60.8° from the due south horizon (-10° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.3 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-northwest (283°). 📸
The sunset is in the west-northwest (289°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:50 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 4 seconds with dusk around 8:19 pm, which is one minute and 8 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the First Quarter 🌓 Moon in the west-southwest (239°) at an altitude of 63° from the horizon, 251,715 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:57 pm. At sunset, watch out for for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 51 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 55 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 37 seconds over yesterday.
Yesterday evening the Voorheesville bus 🚍 never came. I waited and waited assuming it was running late like the other five riders, some going to Voorheesville but it never came. Ended up waiting and taking the local home. 🚏 Then I gave the riders parked at the Elm Ave Park and Ride a ride over in my big jacked up truck. 🛻 And of course the local was running late too so I didn’t end up having dinner until 6:45 and I was hungry.
Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2am, then a slight chance of showers between 2am and 3am. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 39 degrees at 5am. Not as cold. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 21st. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had light rain in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 39 degrees. The record low of 26 occurred back in 1963.
Still the weekend looks cold and wet. 😞 Saturday, showers likely, mainly after 8am. Cloudy, with a high near 55. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Sunday, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Maximum dew point of 47 at 2pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 66 degrees.
As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Average High is 70 🐮 when the sun will be setting at 8:06 pm with dusk at 8:36 pm. On that day in 2022, we had sunny and temperatures between 77 and 39 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 70 degrees. We hit a record high of 92 back in 1970.
