Good evening! Mostly clear and 32 degrees in Johnsburg. There is a south breeze at 8 mph. Not a bad half evening camping up on the East Branch. I discovered a new campsite, one that is out in open field surrounded by white spruce. Even though it eventually has cooled down, all and all its been a pretty nice evening with modest temperatures and lots of stars. 

Tonight will be partly cloudy, with a low of 31 degrees at 4am. Two degrees above normal. South wind around 8 mph. In 2016, we had light rain and mist. It got down to 35 degrees. The record low of 2 occurred back in 1938.

The Cold Moon is on Sunday, December 3rd. The sun will rise at 7:02 am with the first light at 6:31 am, which is one minute and 12 seconds later than yesterday. Tonight will have 14 hours and 40 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 48 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a chance of showers, mainly after 2pm. Increasing clouds, with a high of 45 degrees at 1pm. One degree above normal. Southwest wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies. The high last year was 47 degrees. The record high of 64 was set in 2004. 21.8 inches of snow fell back in 1971.

Looking ahead to Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 34. Northwest wind 8 to 11 mph. Typical average high for the weekend is 44 degrees.

Moxham Mountain is a a really nice hike. Not too steep on the way up with lots of nice places to stop and take in the view. The peak is one the highest around but you don’t really notice it on the way up. The trail is popular but it wasn’t that bad today because it was a little cloudy and cool although it cleared by the time I got to the top. Beautiful view but a lot of haze. I’ll post videos and pictures later on. 

Today was a nice day but I am just having a difficult time adjusting to coming back from West Virginia with the temperatures and daylight dropping so quickly. I am really struggling with another winter underway, with short days and long cold nights. I really liked West Virginia a lot, especially the Swedlin Valley even if the stupid rattle from the failed suspension bushing kept me worried a bit too much. It’s been over a month since I spent a night in the wilderness, and indeed I think I spent too little of my West Virginia trip in wilderness, instead staying more in rustic campgrounds and developed camps then I would like to have done. There is something so rugged and beautiful about the back roads of West Virginia and Pennsylvania that I can’t get back in New York. The Adirondack Wilderness is great but I think in many ways it is overrated when there are many great wild country in other places. 

The roaring campfire is nice tonight under the big starry skies and hiking Moxham Mountain was delightful but it was such a rush today racing dusk. I was still setting up camp and it was pitch black by the time pizza came out of the stove. Maybe I should have gotten up before dawn but that wouldn’t have made the days longer. It’s not really cold tonight but I know colder days are ahead. This nice big site that I discovered for the first time is ringed by white spruce, and while there some traffic noise I’m more than happy to be in the wilderness and able to listen music as loud as I want without headphones. It really a well needed break from the craziness of city life. 

The pizza I cooked in the camp oven was pretty good. I only hung up the one flag because I was rather tired after hiking Moxham. It’s not a bad hike but I’ve really gotten out of shape. The pizza I made was quite good and the roaring campfire kept me quite warm. 

Camping, traveling, hiking in the Adirondacks. But then I do look forward to a life someday not based on escape but on reality. Sure I enjoy traveling and seeing the open country and the wilderness, but defining a life on based on the places a travel on the weekends and a vacation really isn’t much fun. And honestly, I’m getting bored with traveling all the same places over and over again. Today was the first time I have hiked Moxham Mountain and the new campsite was nice. So that was a change but I still want to make bigger changes. Well eventually. I got to focus on smaller goals first like improving my electronics skills, getting the solar panel on my truck cap, and enjoying the freedom I can enjoy while I’m out of town in the wilderness. I don’t have any toy goals for now but I continue to save and invest towards a better future. Read, research and continue to learn. I really should be more thankful for all I have now, enjoy things before they are forever gone. The way I look at it is when that chapter of life gets underway I will be able to skip many of the expenses that suburbanites have, so I can buy the toys I really want. 

I am hoping for a mild, relatively snow free winter so I can continue to travel and camp. Few things make me happier than a roaring fire and a night in the wilderness. Sure spring will come eventually but I don’t want to be cooped up in my musty apartment until spring. I am sure I’ll find a way to get out camping a few more times before spring. 

Maybe lately my blog has gotten too political and negative. But it’s just a reflection of the news drumbeat I hear when I turn on NPR each morning. I think things have gone downhill in our country since the election of Donald Trump. I think both the left and right have gone nuts. I just enjoy criticizing my in group then my opponents. I probably should get more active in social justice and protests once again but I don’t want to entangled in politics anymore than necessary. I’ve been avoiding the new more lately, as so much in Trump’s America seems bad. 

In four weeks on December 22 the sun will be setting at 4:22 pm, which is 16 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2016 on that day, we had snow, mist, mostly cloudy skies and temperatures between 39 and 29 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 34 and 19 degrees. The record high of 60 degrees was set back in 1990. I can’t believe that we are only a little over a four weeks away. 

Looking ahead, Ground Hog Day is in 10 weeks and Memorial Day Weekend Starts is in 26 weeks. As much as I hate black fly season, it will be nice when it gets warm again and sunsets are late again.