Burnt-Rossman State Forest

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Burnt-Rossman Hills State Forest, spanning an impressive 10,588 acres, proudly holds the distinction of being Schoharie County’s largest state forest. This natural haven has garnered immense popularity among enthusiasts of outdoor pursuits such as hiking, camping, and various recreational activities.

Traversing a segment of this expansive landscape is the Long Path, a trail adorned with aqua blazes, stretching over 350 miles. Within this forest, the Eminence Lean To stands as a notable point of interest along the Long Path, positioned roughly 0.5 miles to the east of Old Cemetery Road. A crossing of Old Cemetery Road can be spotted just to the south of an ancient burial ground.

Among the captivating features of the forest are the campsites discreetly nestled along Betty Brook Road, as well as the inviting spots found at Duck Pond, situated along Burnt Hill Road.

For those with a penchant for angling and boating, Looking Glass Pond, located along Rossman Hill Road, offers an inviting prospect. This charming pond not only facilitates fishing and boating but also boasts well-maintained fishing platforms courtesy of the Fulton Fish and Game Club.

The somewhat accidental campfire breakfast 🍳

I knew I would be low on propane by the end of the weekend but I decided to not get propane on Thursday when I shopped. Come this morning I ran out and cooked breakfast over a bed of coals. It was pretty good, especially now that I’ve been learning to cook and was full of delicious spinach, tofu, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes and onions topped with feta. No more kids meals for me with greasy sausage and cheddar cheese. Everything tastes better with the smoke of a fire. Plus it gave me a chance to warm by the fire, cooked up the remaining chicken and rice with onions and peppers to make a lunchtime wrap which I will bring on my Catskill Scenic Trail walk from Grand Gorge to Stamford this afternoon.

Good morning! Happy Sunday. ⛪ Mostly sunny and 43 degrees at the Burnt-Rossman State Forest. There is a west-southwest breeze at 5 mph. 🍃.

Today is warming up quickly as I lay back in the hammock. 😴 It’s not nearly as breezy as yesterday morning so that helps. Plus it’s a nice sunny morning though I’m not sure how long that will last. I guess it’s a good excuse to hike the Catskill Scenic Trail earlier rather than later. 👣 I’ve done most of it in the autumn, it would be interesting to see how much different it is in the spring. 🌺

Today will have increasing clouds ☀ 👉 ☁, with a high of 66 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 1st. West wind 5 to 8 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 59 degrees. The record high of 92 was set in 1930. 0.2 inches of snow fell back in 1967.❄

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:55 pm with sun having an altitude of 64.3° from the due south horizon (-6.7° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.9 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:25 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (287°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (294°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:04 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 10 seconds with dusk around 8:35 pm, which is one minute and 6 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:14 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 58 degrees. There will be a west breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 21 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 20 seconds over yesterday.

Yesterday I hiked 10.7 miles. Kind of a big loop from Burnt Hill Road to the Long Path, past the waterfalls I uploaded the photo 📸 from yesterday, around Looking Glass Pond 🎣 down to Betty Brook, out to CCC Road 2 snowmobile trail 🚶 back up Burnt Hill then back to camp. I didn’t get a real early start yesterday as I wanted to stay out of the woods until after Spring Turkey 🦃 closed for the day at noontime. Plus climbing some of those hills around here can be tiring.

Tonight will rain, mainly between 10pm and 5am. Cloudy 🌧, with a low of 45 degrees at 6am. One degree below normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 6th. West wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Alas it’s probably best I’m heading home after hiking. In 2022, we had partly cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 41 degrees. The record low of 26 occurred back in 1968.

Looking ahead, next Sunday is Mothers Day 👩‍ when the sun will be setting at 8:12 pm with dusk at 8:43 pm. On that day in 2022, we had partly cloudy, warm, rain showers and temperatures between 84 and 66 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 71 degrees. We hit a record high of 93 back in 1900.