Morning folks from the wilds of Schoharie County 🌫️

It’s kind of a cold and damp November morning here at camp along the Betty Brook, 🌫️ but the rain pulled out during the overnight hours and is not expected to restart until later. I am thinking I will head to Shauls in a bit, maybe do a hike up Vromans Nose if the rain holds off. I also put the Catskill Scenic Trail on he list of possibilities but I doubt I’ll be heading that far south, and more rain and wind is expected later on today.

I don’t have a lot of gear to take down but I also took a puff from the magic dragon this morning, 🐲 and it’s not raining so I want to take my time, even if it is a bit cold and damp in the woods, but it’s the last morning I’ll probably spend by Betty Brook this year, as snow, ice and cold are coming. 🏕️ After Thanksgiving, there is the East Branch Sacandaga in the Adirondacks to camp by then probably Madison County once regular season closes down the second week of December. It was good to get away for at least one night and hike Bearpen. I like Bearpen Mountain, it’s remote and quite though that logging road a good climb in parts. The nice thing is it’s outside of Catskill Mountains so you avoid the crowds. 🚶

It was a good day yesterday hiking Bearpen Mountain. ⛰️ I had the summit all to myself all the time I was up top but passed a dog walker heading up the mountain and a long bearded man with ginger wife hiking up the mountain on way home. Homesteaders had to think! I got back to my truck, head down the mountain in my truck via Mosquito Point. 🛻 Did a quick hike up Pratts Rock for the very November looking view as gun shots rang out from across the other side of the valley. 🔫

I wanted to camp off of West Kill Road but that site was taken so I drove up to Betty Brook Road. 🌃 it was getting dark by the time I got up to camp to get set up. Gathered firewood in the virtual darkness, fortunately there was a bit of light, the previous campers left a lot of wood, and I had a big bag of burnables to get shit started. 🪓Fried up some onions and beans with cornmeal for dinner. Forgot to get olive oil again at the store. I was going to get it on Friday but it seemed like it was real pricey at Hannaford.🔥

I got propane yesterday at Tractor Supply in Greenville, then onions, bananas, milk and eggs at Bryant’s, which in recent years has been a Tops though it seems like still sell a lot of Best Yet! Independent grocer products. 🛒 I don’t know I didn’t buy anything processed. Always a bit horrified that I might run into somebody I knew from High School, though everyone I saw there seemed like elderly old man, good ol’ boys and homesteaders. Small town personalities! I am so removed from that all having spent so many years working in the city. 🧑‍🌾 I mean someday I want to be back out doing the country thing, but that werid Christian-backwoods thing is a bit much for me. I like my goatee but I’m not sure I could do the whole big duck-dynasty beard thing.