Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania, a diverse state in the northeastern United States, showcases a rich tapestry of landscapes, from the urban sprawl of Philadelphia to the scenic beauty of the Pocono Mountains and the rural charm of Amish country. This webpage zeroes in on free camping opportunities on both state and federal lands, including the renowned Allegheny National Forest. Alongside the allure of camping, Pennsylvania beckons outdoor enthusiasts with a plethora of activities. Hiking trails weave through lush woodlands, while biking routes traverse picturesque terrains. The state’s waterways offer kayaking and boating adventures, from serene lakes to rushing rivers. With its blend of natural wonders and recreational possibilities, Pennsylvania entices adventurers to explore its diverse terrain, enjoy free camping, and engage in an array of outdoor activities within its breathtaking landscapes.

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October 7, 2019 Morning

Good morning! Monday’s come back around again. Next Monday is Columbus Day ๐Ÿ›ฅ๏ธ. Alas at some point I’ll have to go back to Albany to make more money. Rain showers and 50 degrees at the Allegheny National Forest. โ˜” Calm wind.The skies will clear around 10 pm.

It rained fairly hard at times last night it I’m not sure how much rain we actually got. ๐Ÿ’ฆ It was definitely loud on the fiberglass roof of the truck cap. The rain is supposed to pull out fairly early today, not going to be the all day long rain here. Looks like West Virginia got a decent amount of rain last night but I’m not sure if the fire ban will be over yet. Regardless I might go down there, it’s to be decided tomorrow. I’d love ๐Ÿ˜ to see West Virginia again, it’s been two years since I was last there. That said I’m quite content to be camping in the Allegheny National Forest and might still want to see more of Western NY.

I pitched the tent to have a place to escape the rain next to the heater ๐ŸŽช but so far it’s been warm and relatively dry enough that I’ve not used it. I’m hoping by morning the tent dries out, especially if I decide to break camp tomorrow to move on to other places.

So far the mosquitoes haven’t been bad this morning like they were yesterday. ๐Ÿœ Still raining here a bit and cold but I know yesterday I was glad I brought DEET with me.

One of the things I finally figured out is its best to cook eggs ๐Ÿณ on the camp stove in a frying pan on top of the griddle rather than directly on it. This keeps the eggs from sliding off on to the stove and is better for controlling the level of heat.

Today will rain, mainly before 10am. Patchy fog before 10am. ๐ŸŒง High of 55 degrees at 3pm. Seven degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around October 25th. Maximum dew point of 49 at 10am. ๐Ÿ–๏ธ Calm wind becoming west 5 to 7 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 72 degrees. The record high of 89 was set in 1963.

Definitely could use some sun and if the weather is decent later on I plan to go for a drive to the Allegheny Reservoir and Rimrock ๐Ÿ“ท in part because I really should top off the batteries ๐Ÿ”‹. There is enough shade and the sun angle is low enough โ˜€ that I’m really not getting much solar.

The sun will set at 6:48 pm with dusk around 7:16 pm, which is one minute and 40 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At sunset, look for mostly cloudy skies โ˜ and temperatures around 53 degrees. The dew point will be 46 degrees. There will be a west breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 11 hours and 29 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 45 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒฅ, with a low of 42 degrees at 5am. Typical for tonight. West wind 3 to 6 mph. In 2018, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became light drizzle by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 50 degrees. The record low of 21 occurred back in 1964.

I was watching the camp garbage burn in the fire last night – especially the black smoke Styrofoam tray the meat ๐Ÿ– came in last night and a little Greta Thornburg came into my head saying “How Dare You”. I had to laugh a little. I’m not hauling back to Albany anything that I can burn to be landfilled๐Ÿšฎ in the Pine Bush forever for two dollars ๐Ÿ’ต a bag at the transfer station.

But then again I remember the comstirnation that I caused on Facebook when I said I thought biodegradable camp soap was stupid. ๐Ÿ’ญ I understand the surficants in detergent aren’t as biodegradable as ordinary soap but they do break down eventually and are pretty harmless to the environment is disposed away from water. ๐ŸŒŠ Most old houses and farms dispose of gray water to pipes away from the house. Yeah, they’re is a stinky gray area where the pipe comes out from the soaps and detergents but if they are far away enough from creeks ain’t harming nothing. ๐Ÿšฐ

I also hunt with lead ammunition ๐Ÿ”ซ and use lead sinkers for fishing ๐ŸŽฃ at least the larger ones that are still legal. I also use lead solder for electronics projects at home. ๐Ÿ”ฌ I totally get banning the small sinkers and not using lead shot when duck hunting or having lead in commercial electronics. But that’s a thing of scale and real harm – waterfowl get easily poisoned by lead shot. Lead poisoning is bad – I know people who have accidentally gotten shot and suffer from lead poisoning. But where it makes sense, use the right technology, even if Greta Thornburg does not approve. And I do pick up litter ๐Ÿšฎ I find in the woods, recycle cans and glass โ™ป, and make sure my poop and toilet paper is well buried. ๐Ÿ’ฉ

As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until Average High is 55 ๐Ÿ‚ when the sun will be setting at 6:16 pm with dusk at 6:44 pm. On that day in 2018, we had mostly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 51 and 41 degrees. We hit a record high of 78 back in 1971.

Ledge

October 6, 2019 Night

Good evening! Rain and 61 degrees at the Allegheny National Forest. โ˜” There is a southwest breeze at 6 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 59 degrees. Despite the rain, it’s a fairly mild evening. It looks like West Virginia is getting hit by a lot of rain tonight – even more than here and thats a good thing – they need it badly. The skies will clear Tuesday around 1 am.

Today I mostly stayed around camp โ›บ, reading a book about agriculture in America. ๐Ÿ“– I don’t remember the name of the book and I’m not interested in going out in the rain to look at it. Read it cover to cover, it was an interesting book.

Later in the evening I went for a walk ๐Ÿšถ along the Elijah Bike Trail up to Coal Knob. While the Coal Knob tower ๐Ÿ—ผ is long gone it is pretty with the Pitch Pine on the summit. It turned out to be a five plus mile walk, through a variety of forests.

Rain held off for the most part until 8:30 ๐Ÿ’ฆ and I laid back in the hammock for a while before having to take it down for the rain. A mild evening, I am now sitting tarp although I let the fire go down ๐Ÿ”ฅ to save wood for tomorrow and because I don’t know how much longer I’ll stay up. I might start up the truck a bit to top off the batteries before bed. ๐Ÿ˜ด

Tonight will rain. Patchy fog after 4am. ๐ŸŒง Low of 53 degrees at 6am. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 23rd. Southwest wind around 6 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. In 2018, we had cloudy skies. It became humid as the night progressed. It got down to 52 degrees. The record low of 27 occurred back in 1986.

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous Moon ๐ŸŒ” with 72% illuminated with the moon setting at 12:39 am. The moon will set at 1:00 am. The ๐ŸŒ• is on Saturday night with mostly clear skies. The sun will rise at 7:18 am with the first light at 6:50 am, which is one minute and 6 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ Tonight will have 12 hours and 29 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 46 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will rain, mainly before 10am. Patchy fog before 10am. ๐ŸŒง High of 56 degrees at 2pm. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around October 22nd. Maximum dew point of 51 at 6am. ๐Ÿ–๏ธ Calm wind becoming west 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 72 degrees. The record high of 89 was set in 1963.

If it’s too cold and wet in the morning, I’ll head into the tent next to the heater with a book and hang out there maybe with a cup of coffee. โ˜•

In four weeks on November 3 the sun will be setting at 5:08 pm (Standard Time),๐ŸŒ„ which is one hour, 41 minutes and 35 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had rain and temperatures between 57 and 41 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 53 and 35 degrees. The record high of 75 degrees was set back in 1990.

Looking ahead, Average High is 60 ๐Ÿ‚ is in 1 week, Daylight Savings Time Ends ๐Ÿ›ฅ๏ธ is in 4 weeks, Day After Election Day ๐Ÿ›€ is a month away, Average High is 50 ๐Ÿ‚ is in 5 weeks, December ๐ŸŽ„ is in 8 weeks, Saint Nicholas Day ๐ŸŽ… is in 2 months, Bill of Rights Day ๐Ÿ“œ is in 10 weeks, Days are Getting Longer โ˜€๏ธ is in 11 weeks, National Pie Day ๐Ÿฐ is in 15 weeks, and the 5:30 PM Dusk ๐ŸŒ† returns in 16 weeks.

From the Clearing

Today’s Almanac for Sunday October 6

Today’s Almanac for the Allegheny National Forest

The much later sunset – nearly 21 minutes after Albany also means that the mornings also are much darker. It was very noticeable getting up this morning.

Night before dawn is 6 hours and 50 minutes,
Dawn starts at 6:50 am and runs for 27 minutes,
Sunrise is at 7:18 am which is 4 hours and 41 minutes before noon,
High noon, the transit of the sun, is at 1:04 pm,
From twelve noon to the sunset at 6:49 pm is 6 hours and 49 minutes,
Dusk lasts for 32 minutes concluding at 7:17 pm,
Leaving 4 hours and 42 minutes until midnight.

Churchill Mountain