Hamlet of Rensselaerville
Heading through the hamlet of Rensselaerville.
Moscow Hill Camping Area
Campfire February 17, 2023
Sitting by the fire on a warm winters evening.
February 20, 2023 Morning
Good morning! Cloudy and 36 degrees at the Moscow Hill Camping Area. 🌥 There is a south-southwest breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. Temperatures will drop below freezing at around 5 pm. ☃️
The past few days I’ve decided to take a break from social media and the blog 📜 so I can spend more time in the woods hiking and thinking, 👂 listening to podcasts and drinking 🍻 beer and being away from it all. Two nights is never enough, especially since I got used to remote work from camp. I could have taken tomorrow off but rain is coming.
I was on the fence about where to this long weekend ⛺ but settled on Brookfield as there was more trails I wanted to explore and the forecast while cloudy for Sunday and today looked less wet. I had been at Rennselearville State Forest three weekends ago and wanted to mix things up especially so I didn’t burn up too much firewood. Plus I like the rural landscape 🚜 heading out to Brookfield. Longer drive though but a pleasant one.
Saturday I walked around Glimmerglass State Park 🏞 and it was cold by the lake but in the woods with the wind 🍃 blocked by the mountains it wasn’t so bad. I didn’t stick around very long as such. Deep blue skies and a pretty sunset 🌇. Got to Moscow Hill Horse Camp 🐴 and set up camp then hiked over to Elmer’s Place and then bushwhacked over Grassy Hill trying to find a good view which didn’t exist but I did flush out a ton of grouse. 🕊
By the time I got back to camp it was 6:10 and nearly pitch black but I had previously gathered firewood, set up the lights and propane, 🏮 had everything ready to go so it was a pleasant night. Had a big fire 🔥 though it was smokey at times due to all the wet wood, wet stuff in the burnables as I’ve been eating healthier. Heard a local fire station whistle go of 🚒🧑🚒 and thought I might have some unplanned visitors but no it was some other call. This place isn’t as remote as some places I camp. ⛺ Forgot to buy lighter fluid but once I got the somewhat damp and frozen wood going it burned well but was sparky until the wind died out. Saturday was a star filled night ✨ and very mild which was nice.
Sunday was cloudy and breezy at times 🌬️ especially up on the hills. I hiked the bulk of the day, visiting most of the outer truck trails at Charles Baker State Forest 🌲🌳🌲 as I didn’t want to hike muddy horse trails. Checked out the Elmer Spring Campsite which is remote but accessible by vehicle and is really nice and private. ⛺ Hiked the Ledges Trail which was kind of interesting as was Truck Trail 7 which is cut into a ledge on the side of the mountain ⛰️. Icy in spots especially on the road but cold enough even the horse 🐴 trails weren’t too icy.
For today, Washington’s Birthday will have showers likely, mainly before 11am. Cloudy 🌦, with a high of 40 degrees at 11am. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 28th. Not bad for the high country in in. Just wearing the vest. Southwest wind 9 to 13 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 28 degrees. The record high of 66 was set in 1930. 11.2 inches of snow fell back in 1977.❄
While it hasn’t been sunny ☁️ the mid weather has been nice. Not having to deal with frozen water 💦, frozen food like milk 🥛 or eggs 🥚 is good for a change. The batteries are healthy and happy 😊 in my truck 🔋, I haven’t had to start the truck all weekend long. Used the propane heater ♨ a lot less than I have in recent trips, no icy propane lines to deal with. But it’s been cold enough that things have remained generally frozen in the ground, keeping the trails from being too muddy.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:16 pm with sun having an altitude of 36.2° from the due south horizon (-34.4° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 8.2 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 5:01 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (249°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (256°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:40 pm after setting for 3 minutes with dusk around 6:07 pm, which is one minute and 17 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon in the west-southwest (253°) at an altitude of 2° from the horizon, 228,419 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:41 pm. At sunset, look for mostly cloudy skies ☁ and temperatures around 34 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 50 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 47 seconds over yesterday.
Today I decided to hike back and explore a few more ponds 🐸 in the northern part of the state forest. Then midday head back home. I figure enjoy and explore as much of the land while I’m here. Then I’ll have to head home. I thought about taking Tuesday off but it looks like rain ☔ and maybe snow here.
Tonight will have a slight chance of snow showers after 4am. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 23 degrees at 2am. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 5th. Maximum wind chill around 17 at 4am; Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 13 degrees. The record low of -10 occurred back in 2015.
Planning to go out and see the folks 👪 when I get home, that is after showering 🚿 and unpacking. Then I want to run to the car wash 🚙 and then Walmart for fruit and vegetables for the upcoming week. 🍏
Brookfield looks cold and snowy for next weekend. 🌨 But I got my fun in. Saturday, a chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 25. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Sunday, a chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Typical average high for the weekend is 39 degrees.
I don’t necessarily plan on being back to Brookfield anytime soon though I might do my April trip to Cazenovia rather than the Adirondacks East Branch Sacandaga River for a change. 🗻 Easter is late this year and depending on how mild the spring is things could be greening up by then. Probably few black flies up north 🐜 but I’ve been itching to do the Gorge Rail Trail is Cazenovia – Canestota for some time again. March maybe a camping trip ⛺ to Rennselearville State Forest again or Burnt Rossman. Depends on how much snow. It will be after the time change at this point.
Looking ahead, there are 7 weeks until 8 PM Dusk 🌆 when the sun will be setting at 7:39 pm with dusk at 8:06 pm (Daylight Savings Time) in Brookfield. Earlier back in Albany. On that day in 2022, we had partly cloudy, warm and temperatures between 74 and 49 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 57 degrees. Thinking spring thoughts 💭 on this cloudy but mild morning. We hit a record high of 86 back in 1922.
This mild winter has been good for my serenity
This mild winter has been good for my serenity. 😊
As this winter has been so mild, I have been able to get out of town every few weeks for a couple of nights in the wilderness, hiking skiing camping and spending nights by the fire.
I hate living in the city. I’m so much happier out in the mountains, the woods, the countryside. Now I do wish I had my off grid property in a free state where I could have any guns I want, heat with wood, power by solar and have burn barrels for the trash, I make do with the world I currently live in and that means weekends in the wilderness by the fire. I pretty much do my own thing, rarely see that many people in the remote country I’m in.
It’s not a bad thing to accept what you have and be grateful for you are. It doesn’t mean taking one’s eye off the future and working to get there step by step. Good isn’t the enemy of perfection, you can be happy even if it’s not everything you want right now.
The election of George Washington was weirder than you think
January 16, 2023 Morning
Good morning! Happy Martin Luther King Jr Day! 👑 I think his birthday 🎂 was yesterday, so a happy belated birthday to him. Now when do we get a holiday to celebrate the life of Fred Hampton?
Mostly sunny and 15 degrees at the Moscow Hill Camping Area. ☀ There is a north breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. Cold start to the morning but it’s warming up fast especially as the sun gets above the hills and into the holler. 🌡️
Cold enough this morning I started Big Red 🛻 for a while to be safe and ensure the battery 🔋 would be good by the time to leave. I don’t like idling my truck too much while camping due to oil consumption from idling and the famous 5.3 lifter tick but I didn’t want a dead starting battery either in the cold. She started right up though. It was in the single digits last night. I was a bit concerned as it appeared some voltage was bleeding through the relay last night to the accessory battery from the staring battery when I was idling the truck, not sure what that was about, but it didn’t cause any issues. 🤷♂️
M. L. King Day will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 32 degrees at 2pm. Typical for M.L.King Day. It’s the coldest week of winter on average though not this year. LA Nina and global warming from rednecks like me who drive big jacked up trucks and burn too much plastic. Northwest wind 6 to 11 mph. A year ago, we had light freezing rain in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 37 degrees. The record high of 62 was set in 1995. 15.1 inches of snow fell back in 1945.❄
Today I’m going to take down camp and maybe hike back to Tassell Hill from Chittenden Pond. ⛰ It’s the highest point in Oneida County and I’ve never been there before. Might also hike around Brookfield Creek loop and or Glimmerglass though I’ve done the later a few times. Then I want to head home relatively early and take a shower 🚿 and wash the salt and sand off Big Red 🛻 and get ready for a regular session work day on Tuesday.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:12 pm with sun having an altitude of 26.2° from the due south horizon (-44.4° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 12.2 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:10 pm with the sun in the southwest (234°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (242°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:54 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 19 seconds with dusk around 5:24 pm, which is one minute and 11 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:00 pm. At sunset, look for sunny skies 🌃 and temperatures around 30 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 28 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 40 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 19 degrees at 12am. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around February 19th. Maximum wind chill around 20 at 5am; Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm after midnight. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became light snow by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 28 degrees. The record low of -23 occurred back in 1971.
Yesterday I hiked about 12 miles around Charles Baker State Forest 🌲🌳 checking out some of the more remote campsites, deep back country horse 🐴 trails, Lost Pond, Evergreen Pond Lean To, Quaker Cemetery 🪦 and the Old Little Red School 🏫 House, a one room school house that’s now somebody’s residence. I was surprised 🤨 I ran into more people than I expected in the woods.
While not currently a state holiday, next Monday is National Cheese Lovers Day 🧀 when the sun will be setting at 5:04 pm with dusk at 5:33 pm. Nobody can be opposed to that. Plus soon I won’t be walking home from work in the dark. 🔦 On that day in 2022, we had mostly sunny skies, a few snow showers and temperatures between 24 and 11 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 32 degrees. We hit a record high of 64 back in 1906.
