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.
Pull it back into second on this Tuesday. Seems like the rain was done in time for the morning walk. Dark start to the morn but it’s getting bright out quickly. 9.1 miles yesterday.
Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Cloudy and 46 degrees in Delmar. 🌥 Calm wind. Mild weather.
Yesterday was nice with all that sunlight streaming into my office. ☀ I really like my private office with the east facing windows and my desk right next to the windows with the plants. 🌿 I can complain about a lot but that’s nice. The money’s good even if most of it’s going into investments for a better tomorrow. And I’m focused on more exercise every day and eating right. Maybe today though I’ll need my desk lamp on, especially later in the day.
Today will have a chance of light rain before 10am, then a slight chance of light rain after 5pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a high of 60 degrees at 3pm. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 16th. North wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 54 degrees. The record high of 79 was set in 1950. 4.3 inches of snow fell back in 2016.❄
Out walking a bit early today 🚍 as the bus lately has been running earlier lately and I don’t want to risk missing it like I almost did yesterday. Plus I was up and going. 🚶♀️ I much prefer to walk first and eat breakfast second. Skipping the coffee ☕ before walking means I have much less of a need to use the bathroom, 🚽 plus it makes it more like a sleep walk. 🤖 Sometimes the best way to get through the morning.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:59 pm with sun having an altitude of 53° from the due south horizon (-17.8° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 4.5 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 6:47 pm with the sun in the west (272°). 📸 The sunset is in the west (279°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:24 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 56 seconds with dusk around 7:52 pm, which is one minute and 8 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Full 🌝 Moon in the east-southeast (107°) at an altitude of 21° from the horizon, 246,641 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:27 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 53 degrees. There will be a north breeze at 9 mph. Tomorrow will have 12 hours and 57 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 52 seconds over today.
Seems like there is some hints of green in the grass 🌾now that we are in the month of April. It will be nice once things green up a bit. Looking forward to seeing more color in the world as things green up and the fire danger go down so I can have bigger fires in the woods. That said, the black flies are in waiting but I have the screen tent for those days.
A picture perfect weekend on tap for Easter. 😎 Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 56. Sunday, sunny, with a high near 62. Maximum dew point of 30 at 9pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 56 degrees. It should be a nice weekend assuming I get out of jail before then, 🙌 though not much is likely to happen during that weekend I was more than a little hoping to get out of town come Thursday. Maybe I was a little too optimistic that Kathy would bail me out. I’ll find something fun to do this weekend. 🐰
One month 📅 from now will be 8:30 PM Dusk 🌆 when the sun will be setting at 7:59 pm.
I have to admit that was a pretty good walk yesterday, but it’s a new day, and I’m out walking this morning though with work — it won’t be a twenty mile day.
Good morning! Yeap, Monday’s come back around again. Mostly clear 🌅 and 26 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. 🍃 Kind of a cold start to the morning but it won’t last now that’s it Aprilp. Things will start to thaw out at around 8 am. 🌡️
Today will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 61 degrees at 3pm. Eight degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 18th. South wind 6 to 11 mph increasing to 12 to 17 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 45 degrees. The record high of 79 was set in 1981. 11 inches of snow fell back in 1891.❄
I like all that sunlight streaming into my office 🏢 in the morning though I do miss those days of the pandemic working remotely 💻 on what will be such a nice day come midday. Today would be such a nice day to be working in the sun with the windows down in my truck.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:59 pm with sun having an altitude of 52.6° from the due south horizon (-18.2° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 4.6 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 6:46 pm with the sun in the west (272°).
Yesterday after the laundromat actually while drying, I stocked up on groceries. 🍏 One of the benefits of eating healthier is you mostly just walk the outside aisles which it makes it quicker. I ran into one of the executives from my office there but I don’t think she knows me well because I was kind of sweaty or shaved and dirty from the walk and the fact that I hadn’t showered since Friday. As I like to say, all my heroes burn their own trash and smell a little like cow shit. 🐮 I don’t rush out to wash clothes if they’re not dirty or I’m going to some kind of social event.
The sunset is in the west (278°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:23 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 55 seconds with dusk around 7:51 pm, which is one minute and 9 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Full 🌝 Moon in the east-southeast (110°) at an altitude of 31° from the horizon, 248,872 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:26 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 57 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 11 mph. Tomorrow will have 12 hours and 54 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 51 seconds over today.
I wonder if the potential for rain this evening 🌃 will interfere with my walk. Maybe though working late tonight will be a bigger interference though I’m inclined to think they’ll pass an extender and tonight won’t be an all nighter at work.
Tonight will have showers likely, mainly between 11pm and midnight. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 43 degrees at 6am. 11 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 30th. South wind 5 to 9 mph becoming calm after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. In 2022, we had light rain in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 36 degrees. The record low of 14 occurred back in 1954.
A picture perfect weekend on tap. 😎 Saturday, sunny, with a high near 56. Sunday, sunny, with a high near 64. Maximum dew point of 35 at 9pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 56 degrees.
As previously noted, next Monday is 8 PM Dusk 🌆 when the sun will be setting at 7:32 pm with dusk at 8:00 pm. On that day in 2022, we had partly sunny, rain showers and temperatures between 49 and 36 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 57 degrees. We hit a record high of 86 back in 1922.
“As he approached the village, he met a number of people, but none whom he knew, which somewhat surprised him, for he had thought himself acquainted with every one in the country round.Their dress, too, was of a different fashion from that to which he was accustomed. They all stared at him with equal marks of surprise, and whenever they cast their eyes upon him, invariably stroked their chins. The constant recurrence of this gesture induced Rip, involuntarily, to do the same, when, to his astonishment, he found his beard had grown a foot long!”
“He had now entered the skirts of the village. A troop of strange children ran at his heels, hooting after him, and pointing at his gray beard. The dogs, too, none of which he recognized for his old acquaintances, barked at him as he passed. The very village was altered: it was larger and more populous. There were rows of houses which he had never seen before, and those which had been his familiar haunts had disappeared. Strange names were over the doors—strange faces at the windows—everything was strange. His mind now began to misgive him; he doubted whether both he and the world around him were not bewitched. Surely this was his native village, which he had left but the day before. There stood the Catskill Mountains—there ran the silver Hudson at a distance—there was every hill and dale precisely as it had always been—Rip was sorely perplexed—“That flagon last night,” thought he, “has addled my poor head sadly!”
“It was with some difficulty he found the way to his own house, which he approached with silent awe, expecting every moment to hear the shrill voice of Dame Van Winkle. He found the house gone to decay—the roof fallen in, the windows shattered, and the doors off the hinges. A half-starved dog, that looked like Wolf, was skulking about it. Rip called him by name, but the cur snarled, showed his teeth, and passed on. This was an unkind cut indeed—“My very dog,” sighed poor Rip, “has forgotten me!”
Chilly night ahead tonight, following a cool day. I think though with the sun I’ll be fine with the heat off, especially with the mercury heading up to 63 degrees come morning. It will be cold in the morning, but I usually start walking shortly after I get up, and my heated blanket keeps me warm under that.
The long holiday weekend, assuming I have Good Friday off looks nice, and with the rain, the fire danger will be down, but I’ll have to keep things small being early spring. But often the wind dies down after dark. I want to cook some salmon over the fire, and maybe some trout if I go fishing on Friday. Of course that all depends on the timing for the budget, but I can’t imagine there will be session during Passover or Good Friday. I have in years past had client business to do on Good Friday but usually that’s a cellphone thing, I can bring my laptop with me and work remote.
I am totally ready for some good nights in the wilderness. Especially when it’s not so cold and snowy out. That said, I wouldn’t mind a bit of snow around to reduce the fire risk, but not tromping through it. I don’t have any immediate plans to go to the Adirondacks as the snow up north is still deep but I might go out to Cazenovia before the end of the month for the three or day weekend.
Tonight. Feels like … February 28th.
Mostly clear.
Northwest wind 6 to 11 mph becoming light and variable in the evening.
and
21 degrees
,
6:32 sunrise.
Monday. Feels like … April 24th.
Mostly sunny.
South wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 13 to 18 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph.
and
63 degrees
,33 max dew point,
7:24 sunset.
Monday Night. Feels like … May 2nd.
A chance of showers after 9pm. Mostly cloudy.
South wind 6 to 11 mph becoming light after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
and
43 degrees
,
6:30 sunrise.
Tuesday. Feels like … April 17th.
Showers likely, mainly before 7am. Mostly cloudy.
Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
and
60 degrees
,
7:25 sunset.
Tuesday Night. Feels like … May 13th.
A chance of showers, mainly between 9pm and 3am. Mostly cloudy.
North wind 5 to 7 mph becoming southeast after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
and
47 degrees
,
6:29 sunrise.
Wednesday. Feels like … April 19th.
Showers likely, mainly after 3pm. Cloudy.
Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
and
61 degrees
,52 max dew point,
7:26 sunset.
Wednesday Night. Feels like … June 11th.
Showers likely, mainly before 3am. Cloudy.
Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
and
56 degrees
,
6:27 sunrise.
Thursday. Feels like … May 12th.
Showers likely, mainly between 9am and 3pm. Mostly cloudy.
Some down time was I wait for my wash at the laundromat and then get groceries for the week. Just planning on keeping my pantry stocked through Thursday, as I want to shop again on Thursday or actually probably Wednesday so I can get out camping for the long weekend.
Sunny and 45 degrees at the Four Corners Laundromat. 🌞 There is a northwest breeze at 11 mph. 🍃. Temperatures will drop below freezing at around 9 pm. ☃️
Well I’m working on my 20 mile walk for today. 🏃 So far I’ve gotten in 18.3 miles, hiking first out to Hollyhock Preserve in Selkirk — that Collabeck Hill is good for getting the blood pumping, then all over the Hollyhock Trails then over to Five Rivers, hiking around there the balance of the afternoon before heading home via Fisher Boulevard. I am going to do my evening walk so I can get my true 20 miles in for the day.
I really have enjoyed the walk, 🐃 🌺 and the rural landscape, but I can tell you at times that wind was super cold, especially walking along Meads Road mid-afternoon. But I am close to getting my twenty miles in for the day, which was my goal for the day, and seeing a lot of nature, at a non-hurried pace. Walked about 8 hours today though that includes numerous breaks, especially at Five Rivers, spending time to outdoors. The wind and relatively low temperatures made for a cold day but it was very sunny.
I like walking, and I plan to do more of it. This complements my more healthy eating, 🍎 is hopefully leading to better health habits. I want to do at least one more 20 mile walk before I attempt my 30 mile walk later in April or early May along the Mowhawk River on the Erie Canalway. That’s going to be a long day, but I think an enjoyable one. Probably do the 30 mile hike on Friday, when there aren’t so many crowds along the way.
Today doesn’t look like the nicest day ever — indeed this morning is kind of cold and wet. I don’t think I’ll make it out to Five Rivers but maybe at least I can get some fresh air and walk down to the library. Tomorrow looks cold but sunny. Monday is better, but I’ll be stuck in the office all day.
That said, what I’m really looking at is next weekend. The rain is good mid-week for if I want to camp over the weekend and have a small, legal-sized fire, you know below 3 ft during the months of March 15 – May 15. Not a rip-roaring fire. But that’s fine. I do want something I can cook my dinner over, especially trout or samon smoked is really good.
Today. Feels like … May 19th.
Showers, mainly before 11am. High near 72. South wind 11 to 16 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
and
72 degrees
,50 max dew point,
7:22 sunset.
Tonight. Feels like … April 1st.
Showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, then a slight chance of showers between 11pm and 1am. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds. Low around 31. Blustery, with a northwest wind 14 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
and
31 degrees
,
6:34 sunrise.
Sunday. Feels like … March 11th.
Sunny.
Breezy, with a northwest wind 14 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph.
and
43 degrees
,
7:23 sunset.
Sunday Night. Feels like … March 14th.
Mostly clear.
Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm after midnight.
and
25 degrees
,
6:32 sunrise.
Monday. Feels like … April 21st.
A slight chance of showers after 2pm. Partly sunny.
South wind 9 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
and
62 degrees
,35 max dew point,
7:24 sunset.
Monday Night. Feels like … May 2nd.
A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy.
Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
