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.
Lake Lila, spanning 1,436 acres, lies secluded within the William C. Whitney Wilderness Area, nestled in the heart of the Adirondack Park’s west-central region. To reach this pristine destination, travelers must navigate a rustic 6-mile dirt road. Upon arrival, access to the lake can only be achieved via manual boat launch, following a brief 0.3-mile portage from the parking area.
Rain showers this morning, but hard to say how much. 🌧
Probably not going to end the drought, but every little bit helps. With the rain and clouds around this morning and the later sunrise, it was super dark this morning.
Today. Feels like … August 28th.
A chance of showers before noon, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between noon and 1pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Mostly cloudy.
Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
and
80 degrees
,69 max dew point,
7:46 sunset.
Tonight. Muggy !
A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9pm. Mostly cloudy.
Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
and
64 degrees
,68 max dew point,
6:10 sunrise.
Wednesday. Muggy !
Mostly sunny.
Northwest wind 6 to 10 mph.
and
85 degrees
,67 max dew point,
7:44 sunset.
Wednesday Night. Feels like … August 13th.
Mostly clear.
West wind 3 to 6 mph.
and
61 degrees
,63 max dew point,
6:11 sunrise.
Thursday. Hot !
Sunny.
Calm wind becoming northwest 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon.
and
86 degrees
,64 max dew point,
7:43 sunset.
Thursday Night. Hot !
Partly cloudy.
and
64 degrees
,63 max dew point,
6:12 sunrise.
Friday. Muggy !
A chance of showers before 11am, then a chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly sunny.
Not the nicest day but cool enough that I was able to the light reinstalled in the outdoor fixture that has the hornets nest.
Clouds and 71 degrees at the Elm Ave Park and Ride. ☁️ Calm wind. The dew point is 68 degrees. The skies will clear tomorrow around 4 am.
We had clouds yesterday but no rain. 🌧️ Muggy though by afternoon especially when the sun ☀ came out and made things extra steamy. Today the chances of rain look somewhat better though still not great. At least it’s been somewhat wetter in the Adirondacks so if I have a fire 🔥 up north the risk won’t be that great. I’m sure the water 💦 levels will be low in the Potholers though.
Today’s sunrise was at 6:08 am. The next time the sun will rise earlier then today 🌄 is in 239 days on Tuesday, April 18, 2023.
The average high for today is 81 degrees. 🌡 The next time it will be on average warmer then today is in 306 days on Saturday, June 24, 2023 when the average temperature will be 82 degrees.
The highest point for the sun today will be 59.1° from the horizon at 12:59 pm. 🌞 The next time the sun will be higher in the sky mid-day is in 242 days on Friday, April 21.
Today has 13 hours and 37 minutes of daylight. ⏳ The next time the day will be longer then today is in 242 days on Friday, April 21.
Today’s sunset will be at 7:48 pm. The next time the sun will set later then today 🌆 is in 246 days on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.
The average low for today is 60 degrees. 🌡 The next night it will be on average warmer then tonight is in 309 days on Tuesday, June 27, 2023 when the average temperature will be 61 degrees.
Maybe that’s optimistic. Then sun returns and heat. Less muggy for the weekend.
Today. Feels like … September 5th.
A chance of showers.
Southeast wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
and
78 degrees
,67 max dew point,
7:48 sunset.
Tonight. Muggy !
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy.
Southeast wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
and
67 degrees
,67 max dew point,
6:09 sunrise.
Tuesday. Feels like … September 1st.
A chance of showers before noon, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between noon and 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Mostly cloudy.
South wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
and
79 degrees
,70 max dew point,
7:46 sunset.
Tuesday Night. Muggy !
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 8pm. Mostly cloudy.
West wind around 6 mph becoming calm after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Cloudy with rain on it’s way 73 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁️ There is a southeast breeze at 7 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 67 degrees. The skies will clear tomorrow around 11 pm.
How much rain everybody asks? 🌧 The answer is not much, maybe a 1/4 to half an inch depending where you are locally, but farther west in Central NY they’ll be getting some good needed rain, though even two inches won’t make up for the recent deficit.
Stayed over at my parents house last night, 🍳 camping in my truck, and having a nice breakfast. 🦌 A couple of small fawns ran out in front of my truck on 312 outside of Clarksville but the anti-lock brakes worked well. They kept the vehicle moving straight and wheels from locking up, though I do wish they had a little more stopping power. 🛻 But with those big wheels … at least I didn’t hit the fawn, although with the lifted truck, who knows how much damage it would have actually dun.
Yesterday was a nice afternoon at the folks house, 👪 after a fairly quiet weekend, spending some time out walking out back and playing with the dog. It turns out it wouldn’t have been that nice of weekend to head out of town, and even if I had gone out to Schoharie one of my Facebook friends was at the campsite I was planning to camp at. 🏕 And Saturday was kind of thunderstormy and rainy, 🌩 especially in Schoharie more then locally. Maybe next weekend.
Still haven’t been able to get that mouse 🐁 that has been causing havoc in kitchen but I’m going to set traps again. I haven’t had a mouse problem for a while, I think it was because I left the door open for a while on a hot evening 🌃. Also I’ve been having problems with the door light at my apartment due to a hornets nest. 🐝 I pulled the light bulb 💡 in hope of finding out why the bulb and then the dark switch wasn’t working. It turned out the only problem was the hornets nest. I tied to get the bulb back in this morning but I dropped it twice after getting stung.
