Sitting back listening to the birds, watching as the sun climbs higher in the sky and a beautiful day gets underway. No bugs, just a moth and a dragon fly in the distance pollinating flowers while a red tail hawks soars above. Not a cloud in the sky, deep blue beauty as the sun climbs over the tree line.
So I was pretty pissed to see my landlord removed the bathtub faucet from my shower when he fixed the leaky bathtub faucet. Not because I ever took baths, but that was how I filled my water containers for camping. As he ended up replacing the entire faucet and ripping out the wall while making the he also installed a cheap waterproof wall over the sheet rock, that doesn’t match the rest of the shower stall which is yellowed plastic. I guess it doesn’t really matter, as the rest of my low rent apartment is falling apart, and honestly I’d rather pay less in rent then have a fancy bathroom. I did figure out how to use my kitchen sink to fill the water container. I’m not sure if my landlord would be happy to find I’m taking 3 or 6 gallons of water each time I camp, but I figure it’s probably a net savings to him, because I’m not flushing toilets or taking a shower while I camp. My lease (which has long been on an auto-extender clause) bans outdoor watering and car washing, but is silent on filling water jugs for camping.
I know a lot of my colleagues have much nicer apartments then I do. But I like my location and like how it’s cheap. I can get free Internet by walking down to the library or the park, I have public transit to take to work, and plenty of places to walk to get some exercise. While things are wearing out in my apartment due to age and somewhat my neglect after living there for ten years, renters don’t normally fix up their buildings themselves, and landlords only fix what is critical when a tenant resides there. No need to nice appearances when you not renting to a new person. I’m fine where I live, and in recent years have gotten the mold under control by using excessive amounts of concentrated bleach.
Some people dream of owning a house with marble kitchen tops, a big screen television, and hardwood floors. I’d rather own a house where I can burn my own trash, heat with wood I harvested, and power things with wind, sun, or micro-hydro. I also don’t mind firing up a gas powered generator – I’d rather burn gasoline that I bought for actual electricity used then send a check to an invisible entity plus a bunch of connection fees, that are bulk of my bill. Raise animals for meat, hunt and shoot on my own land. Sending your garbage to landfills and expensive trash fees suck. I hate sending my check every month to some distant utility, where they burn large quantities of natural gas, coal, and nuclear material to keep the lights on. I do pay a surcharge for so-called green energy like wind and small-scale hydro, but ultimately I recognize it all comes from the same big industrial pool known as the grid. I do support greening the grid and fixing urban problems like increasing recycling – but in the mean time, I’m all for making my own life more sustainable and less reliant on the urban systems.
My apartment is just a cheap place to stay when I’m making money in the city. I rarely spend time there except to sleep at night. I keep investing and saving money that will ultimately be used for buying land, and an inexpensive cabin or micro-home, somewhere that is low tax and regulation. I really prefer to spend my weekends in the wilderness, camping by a fire, listening to the birds and the wind. I like the colorful lights and music, and just enjoying those long summer nights – or the cold winter nights which seem to be eight months out of the year. I look at camping as my temporary home, a place where I can practice for my future to be.
It’s Sunday evening, sitting in the dark because I was boiling macaroni on the stove and the smoke alarm went off and there is no way to turn off the smoke detector without killing the upstairs light in my Mancave in the suburbs. The stove always smokes a lot when I use the big pot because there is so much crap spilled underneath it and the stove reflectors have longed burnt away.
Tonight is home-made macaroni and cheese — and probably the same for several meals in the future. Yes, I used knock off Velveta to the horrors of foodies and dairy farmers everywhere, but also lots of frozen veggies, including green peppers I froze last fall. Topped off with real sharp cheddar and bread crumbs. Accidentally used like 2± lbs of macaroni as the box was bigger than I realized when pouring. Going to be done soon, and while not super hungry will be good.
Went skiing for about 2 1/2 hours this evening at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center. It’s not the most remarkable piece of land around but it’s nearby and I didn’t have to worry about the roads getting bad while I was out there. Good snow but a little bit icy in spots — but that’s fine as it’s pretty flat there. I’m big and heavy my ankles are a bit weak on the skis especially when going downhill fast. Kind of a gray day with only a few birds and squirrels around. At least when I was skiing, I didn’t run into many people. That’s in part because few people get out in the evening, despite being the best time to see wildlife.
Did my weekly grocery shopping at Shoprite, which I like because it’s a union business plus is well lit and friendly. Prices are better than the absurdly expensive Price Chopper next door. Every time I go I fret a bit a bit because shopping at that plaza is supporting suburban sprawl and absurd nanotechnology job creation tax breaks to a very wealthy and politically connected developer.
Disappointed that they didn’t sell headphones… Mine are are starting to have their wire cracking. Might end up firing Big Red up midweek and driving to Walmart. I hate not having working headphones.
Spent too much time today and yesterday rewriting code on my blog so I could simplify things internally and avoid some of the glitches with photos and maps on my blog. Also did some reading of books, but never made it down to library to get on the WiFi. My Smartphone keeps me in the loop about what’s happening on the Internet at home.
Yesterday I went up to Thatcher Park and ended up going for a drive in the hilltowns. Despite the ample sun with the windchills it was a bit chilly yesterday. I was going to ski from the end of that first road to Hang Glider Cliff but it was kind of chilly and the parking area was packed with yuppie mobiles. Figured instead I would go for a drive. Ended up on Rensselaerville, but then I couldn’t find a parking spot with the big snowbanks. Ended up going for more of a drive and snowshoeing at Beaver Swamp Nature Preserve. It was nice but the snow was deep. I miss spending time out in the hilltowns and the beauty of the hills and hollows as you get out towards Huntersland.
I Honestly I Didn’t Have a lot of Hope for the Rest of the Week. The first day didn’t go real well. I thought I could replace the lawn chair and maybe the bad battery, although I really wanted to spend time researching deep-cycle batteries before I made the leap and just bought another cheap Wal-Mart Marine battery.
But then the Beauty of November in the Woods Hit Me. This month is not only reserved for the sportsmen in the woods. It is remarkably beautifully especially when the clouds break and its not super cold out.
Made Breakfast up and Got Started on the Day. There was a nice shooting lane in the woods from the campsite, so I set up a political lawn sign, put on my shooting glasses and ear plugs and started blasting away at. I couldn’t believe how fast the shot shells disappeared at 5 rounds at a time in my pump action Renmington 870.
Had My Traditional Camp Breakfast. I am a big fan of scrambled eggs with cheese and sausages for breakfast. I often load it up with veggies although this time I didn’t. Took down camp after having this delicious breakfast.
Decided to Head Down to Pennsylvania. I had originally planned to spend two nights in the Western Catskills small game hunting, hiking and plinking but I wanted to give the deep-cycle a good charge in hopes I could recover it so I would have a decent amount of light the next night without constantly having to crank the truck to keep the lights on.
Roscoe NY is Famous for Trout Fishing but it could also be noted for it’s true scenic beauty. Now I phone in love with the beauty of the Appalachian mountains, how they tower over the land, but I tell you the area around Roscoe really pretty.
These mountains may not be the size of the Adirondacks, but their rounded tops surround the hollows so beautifully.
Stopped at the famous Roscoe dinner for a bit, got some coffee and hopped on the Quickway for Hancock and ultimately Pennsylvania. Stopped at the Rest Stop/Text Stop where there was good 3G service and checked much email and social media.
Thought About Heading Down to Scranton to a sporting goods store to pick up a replacement camp chair and more ammo. Figured ammo would be cheaper in Pennsylvania and a sporting goods store eould have more choices in 20 gauge shot then a Wal-Mart.
Checked out the GPS but saw there was no big sporting goods stores nearby. Decided to f-it and head to Wellsboro PA figuring I could just stop at Mansfield Wal-Mart along the way, get a camp chair and hopefully some ammunition.
Typed into Google Maps to take me to Wellsboro avoiding highways. Took me through some real wild country — not a lot of big farms — a lot of cabins, camps and rundown houses.
Before crossing into Pennsylvania I took County Route Old 17 and enjoyed some scenic vistas, stopping for a while to Instagram. Crossed over to PA and ended up on some real backroads, some twister and slower then I would like.
People Burn Everything in Pennsyltucky. I would not hestitate to say at least 90% of households in rural PA have trash burning barrels and most folks burn their garbage, plastic and all.
Funny to think that when burning barrels have been illegal in New York for 5 years and relatively uncommon and disfavored for 10 years except in the most rural parts of the state.
People in Pennsyltucky also heat with wood and outdoor wood boilers have big piles of brush and generally smoky in the hollows this time of year. For a firebug like me, this seems so liberating compared to the up-tight open burning laws in New York.
Stopped at the Saint Marie Overlook. It was pretty as usual. Took some more Instagram photos.
The More Digits in a Pennsylvania Highway the narrower and twister the road is. The main line one digit roads are as good as any in New York. Most 2 digit roads aren’t bad but when you get on the three digits, the roads are little more then blacktopped cow paths.
The shoulders are non-existent with guard rails extending right up to shoulders. To make things worst, PA uses rumble strips extensively so as you hit them if you try to stay away from the guard rails when driving.
Four digit roads are supposed to be analogous to county roads but as far as I can tell their maintained like town roads in New York.
Fracking Towns seem to have slowed down a lot since the initial craziness when the fracking boom was well underway.
Montrose was still dusty and Main Street was under heavy construction when I drove by. Saw a convoy of trucks hauling water and sand to a fracking site, but certainly not bumper to bumper.
Tonawanda, the city where they send reporters to cover fracking still had the new motels and the oil and gas businesses but it was still quiet compared to 2010. Some signs of oil wealth in the form of big jacked-up diesel pickups but thats not shocking for rural America but for the most part you didn’t see tons of oil wealth.
Ended Up Going to the Mansfield Wal-Mart to get a new camp chair and ammunition. A fairly big Wal-Mart, it had something unknown to a New Yorkers — lots of guns. Wal-Mart in more rural parts of New York will have a small revolving case of long guns plus air guns on the shelf.
But at least in rural Mansfield, they not only have several large cabinets with rifles and shotguns, they prominently feature modern sporting rifles aka AR-15s or as anti-gun politicians like to call them, assault rifles. They have a $500, $750, and $1000 models with things like fancier scopes.
They also sell handguns at Wal-Mart after a PA resident passes the standard instant NICS check like any gun, which seems so strange to New York where you have to go through the whole Sullivan Act pistol permit system. Handguns aren’t super accurate or dangerous compared to long-guns but New York treats them special as they are concealable. Still its great Pennsylvania residents have this freedom to keep and bear arms.
Left with a lawn chair and a 100 round brick of 20 gauge #7 birdshot for $24.50. Still need nore #6 for rabbit and squirrel hunting but the birdshot is cheap for plinking with the shotgun.
Camped at Asaph Run Camping Area in Asaph. Driving through the hamlet, saw a place selling firewood, so I picked up some wood for $5. The Asaph Run primative campsite is $10 night but it gives you a fire ring, picnic table and a pit privy. I had the
Lights Seemed to Work Bettet but still problematic like the previous night. Due to the chilly wind and trouble keeping the lights and radio on, I retired to bed by 8 pm, listening to podcasts into the night.
One of my favorite campsites up at Moose Plains is Campsite Number 56. Located in the “Plains”, it is surrounded by dense vegetation, and entirely screened from road via dense brush on each side. Unlike being in the woods, however, it is a largely open canopy, home to many grassland birds and with excellent views of the stars above.
I can set up camp here, backing my pickup truck into the site,and not see another person for as long as I stay back there. I might occassionally hear the rumble of a passing pickup truck, or hear a yell from the fairly distant Campsite 57 on the other side of road – which happens to be about a ¼ mile away, and down at the bottom of a valley, below the sand dunes, down by Summer Stream.
![Untitled [Expires October 12 2024]](https://andyarthur.org//data/photo_016100_large.jpg)
It is my personal sanctuary, where I go up to a couple of times of year. It really isn’t that far, and you drive right in. And it’s almost like your in a entirely different world.
Basically during most of the weeks of the summer, I live off-the-grid in the form of camping in the Adirondack backcountry at various roadside campsites. In the back country, your pretty much up to doing it all yourself, with gear you have brought. It is a rare thing for a campsite to even have an outhouse, much less a picnic table. The best you can expect for is a fire ring. All else, you must bring in or implement yourself.
When I roadside camp, I generate my own electricity using a 800-watt inverter to power lights, my laptop, and other small appliances. The electricity, generated by the alternator, is stored in a deep cycle battery, and turned into 120 volt AC current with an inverter, much like it would work in an off-the-grid set up. While I’m basically converting gasoline to electricity, the principles are the same as solar or wind energy in an off-the-grid system. There is no power grid to keep the lights on.
In the backcountry, you have to cook your meals and clean up after without the benefits of running water or centralized electricity. You learn how to be self-reliant and learn to do without. Most campsites lack outhouses, so your stuck digging a hole in the woods and burning your toilet paper. Showers involve taking a dip in a creek, or hauling water up into woods, and taking a shower under a shower bag. Okay maybe that part isn’t as much fun.
There is no trash pickup, so you burn the burnable garbage, and bring the unburnable waste back home for recycling. If you choose to use stryofoam plates, you don’t have to worry about them sitting in a landfill for the next millennium — they burn just fine. You get to build camp fires to stay warm, for enjoyment, and to watch things burn. Fire is fun.
Daylight matters in woods, and you can here the birds and wildlife back there. There isn’t the traffic noise. It can be darn quite. In the wilderness there is non-stop beauty, as the natural world works it’s way around the cycle known as the year — as the world continues to evolve through each and every flood, hurricane, and tornado.
Traveling to the backcountry usually involves visiting a lot of out of the way places. Many beautiful small towns, and spending time in and around them. Small towns are really a world away from living in Albany, where people are connected to the land. When your in a small town in the mountains or in farmscape of Rural America, it really feels like your a world away from the city.
Camping is a fun adventure in summer time, but I think it would be fun adventure to basically do all of the time. While certainly I would want to have running water, and good way to take hot showers, I really don’t want to be part of the grid, but instead be responsible to meeting my own needs by physical means. Rather then paying a distant corporation to generate electricity or pump water to my place, I’d rather be able to generate it on my own means — either by petroleum or wind, water, or solar.
Unlike some people, I do not have as much as a moral objection to the grid or even civilized society, but I think it would be a lot of fun to work directly with the technologies that power’s one life — and to live fairly minimally without all the gizmos and energy sucking gadgets that are common when people are connected to the grid, and get virtually unlimited electricity for very low prices. It is nice to have a system under one’s control — and not dependent on the grid beyond your control.
I like the idea of living off the grid, because you would get to use fire in almost every facet of your life. One of the things I like most about camping is the fires, watching the woods (and trash) burn up in the fire pit. I like cutting and splitting my own wood, and I’d rather be in control of my heat energy supply rather then sending a check off every month to some distant utility. I want to minimize my waste, then be able to burn my burnable trash, and haul my recyclables to the recycling center, rather then depend on a centralized service that promotes wasteful behavior.
I want to live in outside a small town, away from the big city. I don’t want to have to deal with big city traffic, public transit, criminals, and the sensationalization of the media on how life in the city must be.
Roadside: 9, Tent: 1, Leanto: 0 nights …
| Date | Campsite | Where | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06/19/11 | Campsite On Forest Road 70 Near Lye Wilderness | Forest Road 70, Green Mountains NF, Kelley Stand, VT | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Hiked towards Big Alder, but couldn’t cross stream. Rainy day, did a little paddling in Powley Place. Nicer day on Memorial Day |
| 06/04/11 | Campsite On Back Side of Stockmans Island | Stockmans Island, Hudson River State Park, NY | Tent camping after paddling in on kayak | Put in at Coxscakie Boat Launch, camped on an island in Hudson River. |
| 05/29/11 | Powley Place (Campsite 9) | Piseco-Powley Road, Ferris Lake Wild Forest, Stratford, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Hiked towards Big Alder, but couldn’t cross stream. Rainy day, did a little paddling in Powley Place. Nicer day on Memorial Day. |
| 05/28/11 | Powley Place (Campsite 9) | Piseco-Powley Road, Ferris Lake Wild Forest, Stratford, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Rainy day. Hiked around Powley Place. |
| 05/27/11 | Powley Place (Campsite 9) | Piseco-Powley Road, Ferris Lake Wild Forest, Stratford, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Left work early, drove up there. Nice evening before the rain. |
| 05/21/11 | Cheney Pond | Cheney Pond, Vanderwhacker Wild Forest, Newcomb, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Explored Vanderwhacker Wild Forest. Kayaked around Cheney Pond couple of times, explored Tawandus Ruins. |
| 05/20/11 | Fox Lair Campsite | NY Route 8, Wilcox Lake Wild Forest, Bakers Mills, Adirondacks, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Much nicer this time, a little rain, things greened up. Got a little rain, very damp. |
| 04/22/11 | Fox Lair Campsite | NY Route 8, Wilcox Lake Wild Forest, Bakers Mills, Adirondacks, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Woke up to 3” of cold wet snow and rain, decided to go home and abandon trip. |
| 04/21/11 | Gravel Pit Campsite | NY Route 8, Wilcox Lake Wild Forest, Griffin, Adirondacks, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Cold morning, trees covered with ice. Hike up around part of 13th Lake near North Creek, NY |
| 04/09/11 | Moscow Hill Horse Camp | Brookfield State Forest aka Charles Baker State Forest, Brookfield, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | One other camper here, no equestrians this time of year. Wanted to camp on Cherry Ridge, however too much snow there. |
Roadside: 28, Tent: 2, Leanto: 1 nights …
| Date | Campsite | Where | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/4/10 | Old NY 8 | Wilcox Lake Wild Forest, Griffin, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Very cold. Ice and snow on truck in morning. Kind of close to NY 8, but all the best campsites taken by hunters. |
| 11/12/10 | Lower Assembly Area | Sugar Hill State Forest, Watkins Glen, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Woke up surrounded by Horse Trailers and equestrians in morning. Assembly area was closed this time of year, but horse trails still widely used. |
| 11/11/10 | Informal campsite on Forest Road 151 | Allegheny National Forest, Near Sayre, PA | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Second night at Allegheny National Forest. I liked the site I stayed in the previous day a lot, and the days where too short (sunset at 4:45 PM), so no time to waste searching for a site. |
| 11/10/10 | Informal campsite on Forest Road 151 | Allegheny National Forest, Near Bradford, PA | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Many sites in Allegheny National Forest. This one I particularly liked, so I decided to stay there. |
| 11/09/10 | Aspah Run Camping Area | Aspah, near Wellsboro, PA | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): paid primitive area | Decided due to a lack of a time due to early sunset, would have done roadside/back country camping, but for $10, and being alone, it was fine. |
| 11/08/10 | Aspah Run Camping Area | Aspah, near Wellsboro, PA | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): paid primitive area | Camped here, because I didn’t want to camp back country, and didn’t know the area well enough. |
| 11/07/10 | Lower Assembly Area | Sugar Hill State Forest, Watkins Glen, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Originally wanted to camp at Birds Eye Lake or something like that, but the map I had got me lost, and I couldn’t find the road campsite up there. |
| 11/06/10 | Campsite 7 | Stoney Pond State Forest, Madison, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Frost/ice on puddles in morning. Some snow in some places. |
| 09/05/10 | Campsite 56 | Moose River Plains, Inlet, Adirondacks, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Rain showers, enjoyed staying in a very private and quite campsite up in the sandy plains. |
| 09/04/10 | Campsite 56 | Moose River Plains, Inlet, Adirondacks, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Hiked to Mitchells Pond. More rain. It was kind of wet and cold. |
| 09/03/10 | Campsite 56 | Moose River Plains, Inlet, Adirondacks, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Kind of wet and rainy, hung out in camp, did a little exploring of the plains. Also, paddled in Cedar River Flow for a while. Enjoyed the very private drive in site here. |
| 09/02/10 | Campsite 2 | Moose River Plains, Inlet, Adirondacks, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | I left work at 5 PM…. but with traffic, and wanting to get a pizza to eat on the way up, didn’t get to Moose River Plains until after 9 PM. Very dark, very tired, just wanted a place to collapse. |
| 08/28/10 | An Designated Campsite | Big Pond, near Margretville, NY | Kayak in Primitive Campsite: no charge | Did a little hiking an exploring around Ashfield Pinnacle, then drove south to Big Pond. Lantern did not work, a very dark night. |
| 08/27/10 | Betty Brook Campsite | Burnt-Rossman Hill State Forest, Schoharie, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Nice night after work…. drove around Mallet Pond State Forest, looking for campsites and interesting places to explore. |
| 08/14/10 | Mountain Pond Campsite 4 | Mountain Pond, Paul Smiths, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Last day of NY 30 Kayak vacation. Mountain Pon was nice, very remote, just off of NY 30. |
| 08/13/10 | Floodwood Road Campsite 3 | Floodwood Road, Fish Creek Ponds, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Crowded, stayed down by Poliwog Pond… wouldn’t go there again. |
| 08/12/10 | Horseshoe Lake Campsite 8 (about a ½ mile from lake) | NY 421, Horseshoe Lake, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Couldn’t get a site right on Horseshoe Lake. Discovered Lows Lake – amazing. |
| 08/11/10 | Wakely Pond Campsite 7 | Moose River Plains, Inlet, Adirondacks, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Wanted to paddle Cedar River Flow and enjoy camping up near water … |
| 08/10/10 | Undesigned Campsite, west side of road | Mason Lake, Spectulator, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | First day of kayak vacation, as I drove up from work, decided to go somewheres not too far away … |
| 07/31/10 | Undesigned Campsite, west side of road | Mason Lake, Spectulator, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Hiked to Pillsbury Mountain Firetower, then camped down at Mason Lake. |
| 07/18/10 | Otter Brook Campsite (MRP Number 110) | Moose River Plains, Inlet, Adirondacks, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Camped by the Otter Brook Bridge, at a rather large campsite. Not my favorite campsite, and it poured out. |
| 07/17/10 | Wakely Pond Campsite 8 | Moose River Plains, Inlet, Adirondacks, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Camped down by Cedar River Flow, in a drive in site, a short way from the Flow, but also pretty private. |
| 07/16/10 | Wakely Pond Campsite 8 | Moose River Plains, Inlet, Adirondacks, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Camped down by Cedar River Flow, in a drive in site, a short way from the Flow, but also pretty private. |
| 07/15/10 | Wakely Pond Campsite 8 | Moose River Plains, Inlet, Adirondacks, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Camped down by Cedar River Flow, in a drive in site, a short way from the Flow, but also pretty private. |
| 06/27/10 | Balsam Swamp Camping Area Site 3 | Balsam Pond, East East Pharsalia, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Came back to here, after exploring Labrador Hollow. |
| 06/26/10 | Balsam Swamp Camping Area Site 3 | Balsam Pond, East East Pharsalia, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Stop over between Burnt-Rossman and Labrador Hollow. Liked camping here in the past. |
| 06/25/10 | Duck Pond Campsite | Burnt-Rossman Hill State Forest, Summit, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Camped up a Duck Pond for a change, after driving out here after work. |
| 06/05/10 | Leonard Hill Informal Overlook and Campsite | Leonard Hill, Broome Center, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Camped up by the Firetower at an informal campsite, watched sun set, weather turned to rain by morning … |
| 06/04/10 | Betty Brook Campsite | Burnt-Rossman Hill State Forest, Schoharie, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Camped at Betty Brook, very humid, drove down to Utsaythana Firetower. |
| 05/15/10 | Alder Pond Campsite 2 | Alder Pond, Balsam Lake Wild Forest, Margretville, NY | Tent campsite…. short backpack in: no charge | Camped at one of the campsites around Alder Pond. |
| 04/03/10 | Betty Brook Campsite | Burnt-Rossman Hill State Forest, Schoharie, NY | Roadside camping, in a tent | Didn’t have the cap on my truck yet, but wanted to roadside camp. |
| 03/21/10 | Cotton Hill Lean To | Cotton Hill, Middleburgh | Short backpack into a leanto | There was about a foot of snow up by Cotton Hill Leanto on first day of spring, but due to abnormally warm weather, wasn’t all that cold until late into the night. |
Roadside: 3, Tent: 0, Leanto: 0 (thru August 2009) …
| Date | Campsite | Where | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/11/09 | Betty Brook Campsite | Burnt-Rossman Hill State Forest, Schoharie, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | First really cold evening of the year, very much fall like. I didn’t bring my warm coat with me. |
| 10/10/09 | Betty Brook Campsite | Burnt-Rossman Hill State Forest, Schoharie, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | Fairly cold night, but not as bad as one might have thought. On way out, stopped at Leonard Hill to take some pictures. |
| 08/08/09 | Betty Brook – informal campsite along road | Burnt-Rossman Hill State Forest, Schoharie, NY | Roadside camping (in pickup truck): no charge | After hiking Slide Mountain and Balsam Lake Firetower. Dead tired … |