I have next week off from work. With the shorter days and cooler weather my plans are less ambitious than what would have happened in November but I expect have a nice trip out in the Finger Lakes late autumn camping under blue skies and starry nights. 🌌

I wanted to call the Forest Service today to see if the road I’m thinking camping on is plowed in the winter in case of snow, although I don’t think there is much snow at all up there based on the forecast. ⛺My tent wouldn’t hold up in the snow at any rate, so I would need to head home if snow was in the forecast. I will bring a snow shovel and a bag of rock salt just in case. I’m not going to park far from the road, I’ll instead bring like 100 ft of power cord to feed power back from the accessory battery to the campsite.

I’m looking at getting a good quality axe for splitting wood. I have a hatchet and a saw but I’m thinking I will need to build up a pretty good wood supply.🔥 That said, I won’t have a fire until dusk at quarter to five o’clock and if it gets cold out I’ll probably retire to the tent for the night, and can warm up next to the heater on low, shutting it off before bed. I’ll make sure to put fresh batteries in the co detector, not that I’ve ever seen it read above “5” and that’s usually from campfire smoke blowing in the tent. I doubt I’ll stay up much past 8 or 9 pm most nights and then wake up each morning before dawn around 7 am so I can start breakfast and have coffee ready and breakfast well underway before the sun rises around 7:30 am. ☕It’s fun watching the sun rise on a crisp morning, sitting out next to the heater. ✉

I got to oil up my guns well so they don’t rust with the moisture. 🔫 I need my back tag, it’s southern zone. I got to bring my good knives too. I need to find all the tarps and bungees I have so I can build a wind block.💨 I don’t expect a ton of wind but even a light breeze can make it cold this time of year. I need to test out the heater and lantern either on Wednesday or Thursday to make sure they are working. Don’t expect problems but it’s better to be safe. 💡

I want to park the truck where I am not only close to the road but also have good southerly exposure for the solar panel. 🔲 I expect with the bright sunny skies I should have plenty of sun to fully charge the accessory battery and freshen up the starting battery without ever having to start the engine although I’ll probably still idle the truck for ten minutes if I’m there for multiple days to be safe. I’m figuring the accessory battery when fully charged in the cold conditions will have 40 amp hours at 12 volts each night or 480 watt hours. It’s a 105 amp hour battery but the low voltage relay disconnects the load once it falls below 12.1 volts or 50%. It actually cuts out a bit earlier than that due to line drop but it’s keeping the battery really healthy. I should be good for power as long as I limit my consumption to reasonable amounts – and there is plenty of sun hitting the panel each day.😎 Certainly when I have an off grid cabin I’d want a bigger system but for now my system works great, ever since I added the panel.

I got some books from the library and I am looking at some others to pack from home or get through interlibrary loan. 📚 Long nights mean a lot of reading, which will be good especially with the gas lantern and maybe electric lights. I also plan to listen a lot to the radio and podcasts. 📻 Where I’m camping might not have really good cell service from the campsite itself but that’s fine, I spend too much time on social media at any rate. I will check in though from time to time.

I’m working on the packing list. Lots of long underwear, insulated overalls, wool socks, boots, face mask, hats and gloves. Usual winter stuff. I might bring skis as there might be cross country skiing opportunities. I don’t know for sure though. I’ll have plenty to stay warm and if I need additional things Walmart isn’t that far away.

Also working on a menu for supplies. Higher calorie foods in the cold are good. 🍛 Been reading a lot lately about stews one can make easily on a cold night in the wilderness using common ingredients. Plan to make a lot of rolls and muffins, soup and pizza. The camp oven will be put to good use. I really should pick a few different recipes to try out for the first time as I have a lot of time at night. I’m not worried about cooking after dark with all the lights and listening to the radio or music – few animals are bold enough to raid a campsite like that. I’ll have my shotgun around if animals need a louder bang to get the message to take off. 🍪 Don’t expect I’ll need to buy much ice during the week.

Mostly will stay near camp, hunting and hiking the nearby woods. ⛺ One day or two might visit a few other state parks and forests and maybe head down to the Watkins Glen library one day and see the lights in town at dusk – probably when I need supplies. I’ll have to go to Ithaca though if I run out of propane. Not planning to do a lot of traveling on this trip.🚗 I lack a set return date – I took the full week off from work but I’m really thinking 4-5 nights but maybe longer if the weather is good and I’m having a good time. I don’t have a set schedule.