Wilcox Lake Wild Forest

Wilcox Lake Wild Forest is located in the southeastern part of the Central Adirondacks and is made up of approximately 140,000 acres of State Forest Preserve lands in Warren, Hamilton, Saratoga and Fulton Counties. Nearby communities include Stony Creek, Thurman, Bakers Mills, Day, Wells, Hope Falls, and Northville.

Wilcox Lake Wild Forest is bounded on the north by NY 8, on the east by the Hudson River, on the south by the Adirondack Park Blue Line, and on the west by NY 30. This wild forest offers many recreational opportunities, including hiking to the fire tower on Hadley Mountain, camping on Wilcox Lake, and ice fishing on Garnet Lake. With over forty-five miles of marked trails available, there are countless opportunities for hiking, skiing, and snowmobiling in the unit.

Why I Came Home

|

Why I Came Home … 🏡

It was an absolutely beautiful night camping up on the East Branch of Sacandaga River. Fresh white snow under the moonlight, modest temperatures (for New Years Eve in Adirondacks), no wind and a full moon. 🌝It was so bright I killed the lights around midnight and could see like it was day. 🏮 I really thought about staying up north until Sunday but this is the forecast.

Tonight
Snow, freezing rain, and sleet before 4am, then freezing rain between 4am and 5am, then freezing rain and sleet after 5am. Low around 25. Southeast wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total nighttime ice accumulation of less than a 0.1 of an inch possible. Total nighttime snow and sleet accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

Saturday
Rain showers, snow, and sleet before 3pm, then a slight chance of snow between 3pm and 4pm. High near 33. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest 11 to 16 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow and sleet accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

I have no problem with snow. ❄️ I was parked less then 10 feet away from NY Route 8 – I left my truck intentionally at the end of the driveway and had it shoveled down to the gravel. I could shovel snow. I wasn’t that worried about a little sleet or ice. But rain, especially if it lasted most of the day on Saturday, that would be an enormous bummer. 🌧 While I could probably stay dry and warm in the tent, sitting next to the heater, truth be told that is cramped and no fun. I’d rather be home where I could walk around my apartment, be somewhere more comfortable then a tent sitting next the propane heater.

So instead today, I took down camp, hiked back to Stewart Creek and then hiked to a few locations along the East Branch of Scanadaga River. It was a pretty nice day, and now I am home, fully unpacked, going to take a shower and relax. 😌