CampersGroup

Why there are so many posts on May 30, 2009

I had previously kept a blog on the Campers' Group web site (http://www.campersgroup.org), but Google's blogging software is better than mine so I decided to move all of the old posts here.

To learn more about Campers' Group, read these blog entries, visit http://www.campersgroup.org, or join us on a trip!

David Levner

North Fork of Long Island Bicycle Trip, 4/25-27/2008

Athmane and I camped out at Janice’s house late Saturday night. Sunday morning, the three of us hitched up our bikes, and drove to what seemed as the last train station on earth, Mattituck, Long Island. Harry, David G, and Harry’s friend Monty, had arrived and were hailing a table at the Love Lane cafe, where service was horrendously slow, but breakfast was tasty once it arrived. After, kicking tires, admiring nifty bike accessories and zipping up our rain gear amidst the annoying mist, not quite drizzle, we mounted and were off. It was no further than 1/2 mile, when I realized, no matter how much I wanted to have the wind in my hair, three weeks post-op, on both my feet, was not going to allow me to come close to making the 24-mile journey. The group pedaled on at a brisk eight miles an hour, while I headed back to the car, loaded my bike, put on my flip flops, and played chase car. We stopped off at this Light House for snacks and stories. The return route brought us to the Wine Tasting room, a Goat Cheese stand, and once again to the start and end of our day at the Love Lane Cafe. Our dinnertime antics got us talked to, by the owner, because we had smuggled in some of our goat cheese. Some of the group remarked, it was reminiscent of the trip to Martha’s Vineyard, police versus Joan incident. We had great belly laughs, and give big Kudos to Harry, the map maker/trip leader, as we continue the Road Rooster call of the wild "we may be foul, but we ain’t chicken."

Suzanne

Martha’s Vineyard Hostel, 9/21-23/2007

Ken and Theresa left before dawn on Friday and arrived in MV early, well in time to greet Janice, Harry, Joan and Noreen, who left on the 1:30 Fast Ferry. The 9.5-mile bike ride to the hostel put some of us to the test (except for energizer bunny Ken), so we were happy to find rest at the hospitable and well-run hostel. Friday night found most participating in Scrabble, on line at the hostel-provided computers or just kanoodling with the international crowd.

On Saturday some of us rode the mile or so to the quaint hamlet of West Tisbury, where we found a farmers’ market that provided produce for the evening meal. After breakfast (the hostel made pancakes), we began our odyssey to Gay Head lighthouse (a 13-plus-mile trip). Theresa, Janice and Joan started out and stopped at roadside stands (honor system for flowers and veggies) and little sailboat studded harbors to take pictures. The ride was hilly, but worthwhile when we finally saw the beautiful lighthouse, beach and cliffs at Aquinnah. The girls attempted to eat at the only restaurant overlooking the cliffs, but were stymied by the almost non-existent service. After refusing to pay the 18% tip added to the bill, Joan was almost ARRESTED by the local police when the restaurant owners called them (total owed: $2)!

By now Ken and a newly-arrived David G. had joined us for what we all thought might be our last glimpse of Joan before she was carted off to an island jail! Luckily the police saw it her way, and we all began a multi-mile hike on the beach. Majestic white and red clay cliffs awaited us, as did several nude sunbathers. One man was balancing rocks in the buff (Ken got a picture) and another rather well endowed couple followed us as we walked. We were enchanted by the stacks of pre-historic-looking balanced rocks that studded the beach: this is evidently a popular pastime on this beach.

We arrived at the hostel that evening and prepared a feast from the earlier produce and items left by departing hostellers.

On Sunday, Ken, David, Joan, Janice and Theresa left for the eight-mile bike ride to Vintage Haven (aka Tisbury). Bike paths have been perfected on this island. The city is quaint, and we enjoyed coffee and snacks at the Beedlebung coffee house and book browsing at the local bookstore. Janice left for Oak Bluffs and left on the early boat, while others remained for the later.

Janice

Wharton State Forest, 7/13-15/2007

I got to the Buttonwood Hill Camp Site (of Wharton State Forest) 3 PM Friday at about the same time as Walter and was fit to be tied: the site was already full of trailers, tents and other people not part of our group! Then Janet arrived and we all set up our tents in out-of-the-way locations. About 6 p.m. the two absentee trailer owners, returning to claim their spots, were unhappy to see us. I explained that the camp office had rented the site to 27 people (it holds 30) as Buttonwood has become much more popular lately. To my relief, the trailer owners moved to the more secluded Bodine site about 5 miles away.

Dave, Evelyn, Frank and David arrived later and we had a campfire. Moonlight bathing in the Mullica River was a pleasant diversion. Saturday, Walter launched his new inflatable boat at Crowley’s Landing across the street from our camp. Several of us went kayaking, taking time out for a leisurely lunch/swim on the riverbank. Leo arrived in the interim and later he, Evelyn and Dave went out to dinner and to buy more wood. Frank and I had dinner at the Sweetwater Casino, a local nightspot with a spectacular sunset view and good music, but disappointing food. Janet was delighted with her swim in the Mullica River.

David and Walter took a long walk into the piney woods to escape the sand flies. David reported fewer wild blueberries this year. We had a campfire and laughed till late in the night.

Sunday, Evelyn and Dave went cycling. Most of us left early to beat the traffic.

Sarah

Wharton State Forest, 7/13-15/2007

7/13-15/2007: I passed by Buttonwood Hill several times in my car before actually finding the entrance close to midnight on Friday. Although some people had already gone to bed, I joined a lively bunch around the campfire.

On Saturday morning after breakfast, Evelyn, Sarah, Dave, Frank and I drove down the road to Bel Haven Canoes and Kayaks. We rented two double kayaks and one single (I paddled solo) and took a two-hour trip down the Mullica River. I liked the early part of the journey best, where the river is narrow and winding. Towards the end, the river becomes much broader, there are more boats and jet skis, and a strong headwind.

Returning to the campsite, I was famished and built a charcoal fire for my sweet potato and salmon. Then the sand flies came around. I put on my sweatshirt (it was over 80 degrees), but the flies were still swarming us. So Walter and I escaped by walking down the sand road in the back of the site for about 1.5 miles. Towards the end of the walk, we found bushes with dozens of ripe blueberries. Yum!

On Saturday night, after enjoying the campfire, we noticed a few stars twinkling through the hazy sky. That convinced Frank to go across the road to Crowley’s Landing and set up his telescope. We were able to see Jupiter and four of its moons! And while looking for the Big Dipper, we saw a shooting star!

I packed it in early on Sunday and left around 11:30 AM. Fortunately, someone else took the Campers’ Group equipment and I didn’t have to wait for everyone to break camp.

David Levner

Swartswood State Park, 7/6-8/2007

I got to Swartswood about 6 PM Saturday. Sarah (there were two of us) helped me set up my tent which gave me more time for a sunset swim to cool off. All of a sudden I was next to something bubbling up from the bottom...a Lake Lochness? Yikes! I paddled away in alarm and finished my swim far away from it. Not to worry: a billboard next to the bathhouse explained the lake’s conservation program which involves moving water through pipes and venting the pipes in various spots.

After supper, campfires blazed merrily at our four campsites. I left David and Walter who were absorbed in a game of chess, and visited Sarah and Deborah. We covered many topics in a great gabfest -- the Nebraska sandhills, undergraduate college life and ecology were some. The next morning, a few of us kayaked and canoed across the lake to a small secluded beach and went skinnydipping.

Sarah

Swartswood State Park, 7/6-8/2007

Harry, Mylene and I arrived at Swartswood State Park at about 5:00 PM and after taking care of some administrivia at the office we headed to our campsite (but first we took a wrong turn into the yurt section). We saw Denise and Walter and we set up our tents and unpacked--this was Mylene’s first time.

We decided to head into Newton and get some dinner. Debra drove up in her red truck just as we were leaving so we waited for her to unpack. Then, finally as the sun was starting to set, Sarah came along so we waited for her also. We ended up at a local diner at 9:00 PM. After an unremarkable but congenial meal we headed back to camp. Ken and David G. were there.

Saturday was hot and sunny. We spent the day biking, swimming, hiking and sharing the canoe we had rented. Swartswwod Lake is lovely, clean and cool but it’s overgrown with too much vegetation (bad for the fish). The Park is taking steps to rebalance the lake. Swartswood Lake’s beach does not provide garbage cans so guests must remove their own garbage with the plastic bags provided. I guess that’s a good idea?

We also ended up at several yard sales. Mylene got two crystal cut bottles for $1 and Harry got 30 LP records, two model sportcars and two lava lamps--8 bucks. God Bless America, but one lamp broke .

Sara Dowson came later in the afternoon. That night after dinner we all sat around the campfire eating s’mores. Walter and David G. had a chess game that lasted late into the night. It had been a lovely day.

Sunday was very hot, so after breakfast and packing up many of us headed to the lake. At about 3:00 PM, Harry, Mylene and I headed into Newton to explore the town. We to said goodbye Debra, Denise and Ken who were planning a hike.

I believe the expression goes, "A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL." I hope so anyway.

Joan

High Point State Park, 6/22-24/2007

After an indecisive Friday night, Deborah and I woke up on Saturday, saw the sun, departed from Brooklyn around 11 AM and arrived at High Point Park in the early afternoon to find the site quite deserted. We carefully checked for bears, but there were none present, just some brochures warning about them. As we would find out later, everybody was either on a hike or at the lakefront beach. We put up our tents and then went to the park office to get some trail maps. We set out on a short hike (lots of ticks, wear pants!) which turned out to be really short because we missed a turn and after about a mile ended up where we started, which was OK with us because we were pretty tired and just decided to kick back and relax. It was sunny, but cool.

The others arrived in a bit - Janice, Suzanne, David L, Joan, Walter, and Harry - and Athmane announced the return of the Berber crew by zipping across the campsite on his mountain bike. He and his friends Kareem, Wabby, Yacine, and Chafik then set about creating the most elaborate dinner I’ve witnessed being prepared on a camp stove, including, no kidding, fresh bread. Found out (jealously) that Janice had been treated to a therapeutic massage by the former-emergency-room-nurse-turned-tennis-instructor Chafik, who also turned out to be chief cook. Meanwhile, Harry and Joan led a fearless expedition to Walmart and returned bearing such treasures as batteries, an air mattress pump, and fresh fruit. It appeared that an unscheduled stop at Dunkin Donuts had been added.

We later discovered that Yacine is an accomplished guitar player, who led the group around the campfire in the heartfelt singing of a wonderful array of -- I don’t know -- French/Arabic/Algerian folk songs. This also involved a drum. What talent! To include the rest of us, they also played traditional campfire favorites such as "We Shall Overcome" and "Hotel California" but nobody could remember many of the words. The fire itself was roaring and quite spectacular if I say so myself (I helped).

Ken and Jason arrived Saturday evening and joined David, Joan, Deborah, and me for a night hike, which we kicked off by attempting to dispose of the group’s garbage. After wandering around for a while carting aromatic plastic bags, crashing the Iron John convention across the way, and concluding that we did not know where the dumpster was, we returned to the site and pressed into service the trunk of Harry’s car. Thank you, Harry! The hike improved after that. Star-gazing from the clearing was lovely and the dark roads, while a bit spooky, were quite beautiful.

Sunday started with leisurely breakfasts after which, as usual, we all packed up and headed out. A few of us hiked a bit before hitting the road, including some time on the AT, and, according to legend, Ken and Jason actually made to the high point. Either that, or they photoshopped the pictures.

Theresa

Fahnestock State Park, 6/8-10/2007

I got to Fahnestock State Park in Carmel Friday about 2 p.m. and it was hot as blazes. The sites were great: all with fire rings, grills and extra wood in abundance. Site #25 had a path to a remote section in back; site #26 had a HUGE section for tents among trees.

After settling in at site #25 and putting up the "Campers’ Group" banner, I spent the afternoon exploring around the park and nearby Cold Spring and turned in about 7:30 p.m. Athmane and his wife Sally arrived about 8 p.m. at site #26, expertly setting up the new, huge rain tarp over the picnic table, starting a fire and preparing their supper.

Saturday, I got up early and drove to the historic preservation site, Boscobel, about 20 miles away for their annual snapping turtle "show and tell" program. June is the month to observe snapping turtles laying their eggs. At Boscobel’s promontory overlooking a sublime view of the Hudson Valley and Constitution Marsh, Audubon Society staff showed about 200 parents and children male, female and baby snapping turtles and then led walks around the grounds to observe female snappers laying eggs. An exhilarating start to Saturday!

Sarah

Fahnestock State Park, 6/8-10/2007

I arrived at Fahnestock late Saturday morning to find Sarah, Athmane and Sally having breakfast. We decided to hike a trail that leads from the campsite, and then joins another to take us around nearby Canopus Lake. It was a dense forest trail that gave us limited views of the lake and the blooming mountain laurel. We managed to find our way around to the beach where we waited for Athmane’s friends to join us. Before long, Yacine, Wabby, Mustapha, Kareem, and Athmane’s brother Moma (with his toddlers Meziane and Mokrane) made their way to the beach. We swam and played and impromptu game of soccer -- barefoot. Not having played in years, and with a younger, more experienced group, was a challenge. (I won’t be playing barefoot again anytime soon as it left my feet sore and a little swollen for a few days.)

We made our way back to the campsite and made dinner. David G arrived and joined the group. Moma, Mustapha, Kareem and the children had to leave, but Yacine and Wabby joined us for the night. Along with Athmane, they were kind enough to entertain us by playing and singing contemporary and Algerian folk songs with a guitar and drum around the campfire. It was entertaining, and much appreciated.

The next day, after we broke camp, Sarah said goodbye, but the rest of us decided to leave Fahnestock for Harriman State Park. Kayaking on one of the lakes was our goal, but after a while, Athmane, Sally and their friends decided to head home. David and I visited Lake Toriati. I was able to paddle the lake until sunset, at which time I left for home.

Ken

Camp Glen Gray, 5/25-28/2007

We stayed at Camp Glen Gray, an old Boy Scout camp in New Jersey’s Ramapo Mountains, for the Memorial Day long weekend. The camp was bought by the county a few years back, but as of yet, it hasn’t seen enough improvements. We had a large group, and nearly most of us slept in our tents, which proved to be a good idea. We were given access to two cabins (the Glen and Gray) for the price of one. This was generous of the camp manager, but the cabins proved to be appropriate only for the bathroom and shower facilities. The presence of mice probably attracted snakes, which were plentiful in the area, at least this time of year. In the Glen cabin, Theresa had the unfortunate experience of stepping on a snake, in an unlighted bathroom. (She escaped without any further incident.) The presence of mold and dirty mattresses also was not very appealing. In addition, we were a bit disappointed to find that there was no lifeguard at the lake, therefore no swimming was allowed. Also, Athmane and I were not aware that the county parks do not allow personal watercraft, only the camp’s rowboats. We would have to find another body of water than the camp’s Lake Vreeland for our kayaks. The generally warm weekend also brought out many annoying insects.

Those issues aside, we enjoyed camping, and the area’s hiking. Most of us arrived Friday evening, in time to make dinner, a campfire, and to play a game or two of Scrabble. On Saturday, Athmane, his wife Sally, Janice, Theresa, Robert and I hiked southwest from camp on the Schuber Trail, and then over to the White and the historic Cannonball Trail to Ramapo Lake. (David L and others decided to drive, and then hike the shorter blue trail to the lake.) Athmane and I planned on doing some swimming in this larger secluded lake. Before arriving at the lake, some of us found our way to the stone ruins of the Van Slyke Castle. Built in the early 1900’s, vandals broke in and burned it down in 1959. We stopped there a while, took photos, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery atop this hill that overlooks Ramapo Lake and the State Forest. We made our way down to the lake and met the others. Athmane and I got our wish as we found some rocks that allowed us to wade into the water for a swim. He and I decided to hike the trails back as the others received rides back to camp.

On Sunday, David L, Walter and Joan hiked west up to the radio tower. Suzanne stayed in camp by the lake. Athmane, Sally, Robert, Theresa, David G and I hiked a longer circuit north of the campground. Later in the hike, we made a wrong turn, and came out of the woods on a back road. Instead of doubling back on a portion of the trail, Athmane, Sally, Robert and Theresa called Denise for a ride back to camp. David and I decided to linger awhile by a small bridge and stream, before heading back up the hill to find the correct trail back to our site. While sitting on rocks by the stream, I noticed I was just a few feet away from what looked like a rattlesnake. It was not agitated (actually just curious), but its closeness startled me, and then David. We decided to get back on the trail, and before too long, we were back at the cabin site where we began.

We made our dinners, and Price, Jean-Lesly and their families made a campfire in the large fire ring across the brook from the cabins and picnic tables. This is where most everyone set up their tents. I was one of the few who had my tent on the other side, closer to the deeper woods and hillside. Later, at about midnight, when I was falling asleep, I momentarily regretted my tent location when I heard rustling in the nearby downed branches and leaves. I shined my headlamp out through my screened tent window to see two eyes shining back at me. It may have been only a deer, raccoon, fox or other small animal, but all I could think of was -- bear! That was distressing only because I had forgotten to take my toiletry bag out of my tent after brushing my teeth. They certainly can be attracted to the scent of toothpaste or deodorant. However, the animal soon ran off after I shouted to scare it away.

On Monday, Athmane, his wife Sally and I satisfied our desire to paddle by driving to nearby Sheppard Lake to use our kayaks.

Although the weekend was generally a success, the run-down condition of the cabins and the "buggy" site should keep our visits limited to spring or fall camping for the near future.

Ken

Tohickon Valley Park, 3/9-11/2007

I arrived at Tohickon Valley Park late Friday evening to find Theresa, David, Janice and Suzanne already settled in the cabin playing a game of UNO. Myra, probably tired from the long day, was already asleep. Die-hard camper that he is, David hiked up to the campground to sleep in his tent. Katie arrived by bus the next day, where she was given a lift to the cabin. That morning, I drove Theresa and Janice to the High Rocks lookout in Ralph Stover State Park to take in the view of Tohickon Creek, and soaring hawks. After returning to the cabin, David, Myra, Katie and I hiked a section of the High Rocks Trail, Janice walked down to Point Pleasant, Theresa and Suzanne took a drive to New Hope and later Katie took an ambitious run (in my estimation) up along River Rd. We all met back at the cabin later and with Suzanne willing to drive, Theresa, David, Myra and I eventually found our way to Ringing Rocks County Park. I thought it was interesting that some of the rocks in a small "boulder field" would ring if tapped with a hammer. (Apparently, not everyone felt the same as I.) We also walked a short distance to see a mostly frozen waterfall. Not all were impressed, but I was satisfied to offer something different this year. After our somewhat successful excursion, I drove Theresa, Janice and Suzanne down to New Hope Saturday night for dinner at a Mexican restaurant, the rest made dinner at the cabin, or in David’s case, his campsite. The next morning we all packed up and cleaned the cabin, as well as taking various hikes, walks and drives. Theresa, Janice and I took a walk down to Point Pleasant. While walking down Cafferty Road, we toured the local cemetery, where several Stovers (a local family for many generations) are buried. There was also a grave for a local man who died in a car accident the year before - on the same road we were walking. His headstone was very unique; it was fashioned by friends from stone local to the area. A man happened by who was a friend of the deceased, and told us the tale. The weather turned mild by Saturday afternoon, allowing for some of the ice to melt, which made for an enjoyable weekend. We were lucky that I was not able to reserve for the following weekend as intended (for the bi-annual Tohickon Creek water-release), because the late season snowstorm would probably have hindered our plans somewhat.

Ken

Tyler Hostel, 12/8-10/2006

Shiffie and I were the only ones to arrive on Friday night. It was very cold. We found two other guests in the Tyler Hostel.

On Saturday, Denise and Theresa joined us. It was warmer than Friday, and we took a long walk in the afternoon. We returned as it was getting dark and pooled our food for dinner.

Sunday was the warmest day of the three--by late morning, you could go outside in shirtsleeves. We walked some more, made lunch, cleaned up and left.

David Levner

Chinese banquet, 11/11/2006

Twenty one campers without tents converged on Chinatown and shared a great meal at Buddha Bodai. Afterwards, half of us wandered over to Little Italy and ate dessert at Cafe Palermo.

David Levner

Fort Tilden Hike, 10/29/2006

Ten of us met in the late morning near the Rockaway Artist’s Alliance building. While waiting for latecomers, we checked out the outdoor sculptures on display outside the building and explored an old military repair shop.

Just after 11, we started out and walked to Battery Harris East. The Battery is an old camouflaged bunker that once contained huge guns used to protect New York’s harbor. From the top of the bunker, we were able to see New Jersey, Staten Island, Brooklyn and the Manhattan skyline.

Then we continued walking, both on the beach and on sandy trail, stopping briefly for lunch. It was very windy, and the wind churned the water in the ocean. My face was sandblasted a couple of times when I turned in the wrong directon on the beach.

The walk finished around 2 PM and we drove to Belle Harbor where some of us shared a meal.

David Levner

Taconic State Park, 10/6-9/2006

Around noon on Friday, I called Fahnestock to find out how late I could arrive. The conversation went like this:

Fahnestock: "Do you have a reservation?"
David: "No, I didn’t think one was needed in October."
Fahnestock: "Then you’re not camping here this weekend."

Fahnestock had sold out! Time to make other plans. I called Taconic State Park, they had sites, and that’s where we went.

Renee and I arrived late Saturday morning and took two sites (36 and 37). Site 38 is one of the best, but it always seems to be taken. (Hint: reserve it next time.)

We set up, ate lunch, and were preparing to take a walk to Bash Bish Falls when Katie and David G. showed up. Renee and I welcomed them, and while they were setting up, we went to see Bash Bish. Katie made it there separately and joined us at the falls.

The campground was noisy on Saturday night. Around 11, David G. and I took a walk to the lake to see the stars (there weren’t many because the moon outshone them) and passed by the office. A couple of junior rangers were locking up and I mentioned the noise problem. The male ranger said his next task was to drive around the campgrounds and shush the loudmouths.

When David G. and I returned to our site, a radio was still playing on site 35 next to ours. I politely asked the site’s occupants to turn it off and they did so immediately. As I went to sleep, I heard a country music tape in the distance but I chose not to continue playing the policeman.

On Sunday, Katie, Renee and I hiked the South Taconic Trail to Sunset Rock. It’s a steep climb, about five miles round trip. I went earlier, came back, and advised the two women on the trails. While at Sunset Rock, I overheard this conversation:

Little girl: "How did these names get in this rock?"
Father: "Someone must have carved it."
Little girl: "Ooh! Can we do that?"
Father: "They must have used a chisel. We don’t really have the right tools."

With difficulty, I stifled my urge to comment. The kid had Oreos for lunch--the father offered me some but I politely declined.

David G. took a long bike ride on Sunday afternoon and got a little lost. He had some great views, but returned much later than expected.

Many campers on other sites left on Sunday, which had two advantages for us: 1) it was quieter that night, and 2) we scavanged leftover wood from nearby campsites. Our campfire, made up of scavenged wood and some logs that I sawed up, was bigger than the previous night. Katie supplied marshmellows and we made s’mores. To cap off the evening, I revenged my recent loss to David G. in chess.

We drove back on Monday. Renee and I stopped off at McEnroe’s, an organic farm stand on Route 22, and I re-filled my cooler with cool produce.

David Levner

Burlingame State Park, 9/15-17/2006

One by one, the eager campers who wanted to drive up to Burlingame State Park on Friday were discouraged by the weather. I ended up driving out alone in the rain, but when I got to the park the rain had stopped. I paid $40 for two nights at site 412B, but could only find site 412. Finally, a ranger explained to me that the park map says 412B but the site is really just 412. B means two cars are allowed on the site. Isn’t that obvious?

Denise arrived early on Saturday, and we hiked part of the way around Watchung Pond before the others arrived. We were joined by Ken, Athmane, David G and Frank and took another site, 409C. What is the significance of the "C"? I leave that as an exercise for the reader.

Ken and Athmane brought kayaks which we took to a small beach by Watchung Pond. We took turns paddling on this large and calm body of water.

With cheap wood from Walmart, we build a fire on site 409. Around 11 PM, we jumped into our cars and drove to the ball field where Frank had set up his telescope. The sky was a little hazy, but we could still see Andromeda and some globular clusters through the scope. I saw a number of shooting stars with my naked eyes.

After packing up on Sunday, we drove to one of the local ocean beaches. Ken and Athmane drove on in search of a bay (their kayaks are not sturdy enough for the ocean). Frank, David G and I went swimming in the ocean; it was rough getting past the breaking waves and fun after that. As we dried off, David G beat me in a game of chess.

Denise and I ended the day meeting Ken and Athmane for dinner at Captain Jack’s, a nearby seafood restaurant.

David Levner

High Point State Park, 9/1-9/4/2006

Ernesto was the first to arrive at group site B in High Point State Park. I got there in the middle of the day on Saturday, in the midst of rain and high winds. Perhaps Ernesto was angry because he had been downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical depression.

I put on my refurbished rain coat and set up the enormous Campers’ Group tarp. Under the best of conditions, erecting the tarp (tying it to four tall trees) takes several people about 15 minutes. Saturday was not the best of conditions.

Several hours later, the tarp was up but the wind would lift it 40 feet high and then bring it crashing down on my head. I decided to add a fifth rope to add some stability, and while I was fetching the rope from my car, a gust tore one of the reinforced grommets off the tarp and one corner was soon lying on the soggy ground.

I put the rope through the two grommets closest to the corner that had ripped and threw the rope--attached to a rock--over a high branch. Then I attached the fifth rope and the tarp was better for a time--until the wind ripped off the grommet attached to the fifth rope. By this time, I was tired, wet, cold and hungry. I made pasta with tomato sauce on the propane stove and went to my dry tent to change my clothes. (Refurbished raincoats don’t work as well as new ones.)

The warmth and lack of water in my tent was just too comfortable--I stayed there till morning. Suzanne arrived around 6 PM, but I greeted her from inside the tent. She was not happy about that, but where was she when I was putting the tarp up? She drove to a local restaurant for dinner and brought me back a piece of pie.

It rained a little on Sunday morning, but then the weather cleared somewhat. I put up a line and hung my wet clothing to dry. Suzanne and I took a walk on Park Ridge Road. And, one by one, other campers started arriving. By the evening, there were seven of us. We built a campfire with wood that Suzanne had bought before the trip. After most of the wood had burned, we went on a night hike (no flashlights!) along Sawmill Road. There was half a moon and plenty of stars, but I couldn’t find the Big Dipper. The more adventurous night hikers took a trail back to the campsite.

On Sunday, we packed up and drove to Sawmill Lake where we hiked the Blue Dot trail to the Appalachian Trail. Ken, Theresa and Athmane continued on the AT, and Denise and I walked down to our cars and drove home.

David Levner

Wharton State Forest, 8/14-16/2006

As I drove off the sandy "road" onto a site at Bodine Field in Wharton State Forest, the wheels of my car started to spin. Fortunately, I wasn’t stuck. I got out, looked around, and saw Janice. She set up her tent, I ate, and then we drove off in her four-wheel drive vehicle to buy a grill. It hadn’t rained recently and Wharton had declared a Stage 1 fire alert, meaning no ground fires.

At night, we took a short walk down to the Wading River and looked up at thousands of stars and the Milky Way. I saw a shooting star.

Ken came later on Friday night after Janice and I had gone to sleep. He set up quietly, but some other campers on a nearby site stayed up and partied loudly through the middle of the night.

On Saturday, four more campers were scheduled to arrive, but they hadn’t shown up by 11 AM and we left to go kayaking. Janice and I rented from Bel Haven, and Ken (who owns his own kayak) payed for portage. They drove us to Quakerbridge and it took us four hours to paddle to the village of Batsto along the Batsto River. For the last half hour, we paddled against a headwind--we all got a workout.

While we were gone, Athmane, Teresa, Ellen and Sarah arrived. Athmane, Teresa and Ellen went canoeing and kayaking on the Wading River (passing our campsite). There were mishaps: Ellen and Teresa overturned their canoe, and Athmane’s kayak was damaged when it fell from the top of his van while he was driving on a local road. He was able to repair the damage at the campsite.

On Saturday night, we made a small fire in the grill I bought on Friday. It became cloudy and a few drops of rain fell, and then it cleared up. When Teresa and I walked around Bodine Field, we saw several illegal ground fires.

On Sunday morning, we packed up. Ken and Athmane kayaked in the Wading River. I left around 11 AM.

David Levner

Promised Land State Park, 7/30-8/2/2006

Pickerel Point runs north-south in Promised Land Lake so that campers along the water’s edge see either sunrise or sunset. We saw two great sunsets from our sites, #117-121. Ducks would waddle up and watch us. I even saw one extend a webbed foot and scratch the side of its face vigorously, much as a dog scratches fleas. Blueberry bushes grew along the shore and were loaded with fruit -- best approached from the water, in a canoe, or with "surf-mocs", as the lake bottom is stony.

Nine of us showed up and some rented a canoe which we kept at our site. A beach was a short walk away. Kirsten and David brought bicycles. We had great morning bike rides past Conservation Island and lake houses. My favorite house was crafted from the rocks and boulders that are prevalent here. Our destination: a "Camp Store" that sold everything from those 99-cent rain ponchos I never seem to find any more -- to a 25-cent ice cream sandwich.

On the food front, some brought "Country Hen" eggs high in Omega-3’s and lutein. Sylvia shared a fabulous vegan "rice pudding" made from squash, coconut, dates and raisins. We roasted marshmallows (donated by first-timers Brian and Sarah) around the campfire. We had some noisy debates about the best method for roasting: golden toast, or fiery flambe?

I liked Promised Land a lot. I appreciated the dumpsters for camp waste. And, the camp office staff took our empty propane cans for recycling.

Sarah

Stokes State Forest, 7/28-30/2006

I hit traffic on Route 206 at 10 PM (very unusual) and arrived at Group Site H of Stokes around 11. Price, Oceania, their friends, and Glenn, Madeleine and Jeremy were already there. We talked, but there was no campfire. I set up one of the Campers’ Group tents.

More campers arrived on Saturday. A few of us went hiking near Stony Lake, but it was very hot and buggy. When we entered a marshy area, we turned around and returned to Stony Lake where we swam.

On Sunday, we packed up and most of us went hiking at Tillman Ravine.

David Levner

Wharton State Forest, 7/14-7/16/2006

Walter had been at camp since early morning by the time Sarah, Harry and Anne arrived at the Buttonwood Hill Group campsite in Wharton State Forest about 2 P.M. After setting up their tents, Sarah and Harry went shopping for sundries and groceries on Route 30 about 20 miles west of camp. It was about 6 p.m. and huge numbers of migrant blueberry pickers had just gotten off work from the surrounding fields. The workers took refuge in the ferociously air-conditioned Shop-Rite, Super Fresh and Wal-Mart stores and roamed the aisles relentlessly.

Back at camp, we noticed that Walter had collected a huge supply of firewood. Harry, a former boy scout, guided the fire to a roaring blaze with consummate skill. Frank arrived about 8 p.m. Later, some of us went for a swim in the Mullica River.

Janice arrived early Saturday. She, Anne and Walter spent a good part of the day exploring the 19th century iron-making village of Batsto about two miles west of camp. Frank and Sarah rented kayaks from Mick’s Canoe Rental on Route 563. They paddled for about three hours down Wading River from Evans Bridge to Beaver Branch. On the way, they passed the Bodine Camp Site and stopped to explore, as Campers’ Group plans an August trip there. Bodine has many campsites, is lightly wooded, sandy, and near a public beach on the river.

At about 7 P.M. on Saturday, Deepti, Gati, Sunil, Swappy and Shravan arrived, set up their tents, and played soccer till way past twilight. They and others played lively rounds of movie charades around the campfire. Frank set up his telescope and showed us the M13 Globular "Great Hercules" Cluster, the Ring Nebula M57, and the Mizar and Alcor binary star. Some of us went starlight bathing in the Mullica River. On Sunday, after a leisurely breakfast and breaking camp, some of us went for a swim at the Pleasant Mill Canoe Landing about four miles west.

Sarah

Hickory Run State Park, 6/30-7/5/2006

Dave B. was the first to arrive, and he discovered that the torrential rains earlier in the week had washed out a section of Route 534 leading to Hickory Run State Park. He had to backtrack to Interstate 80 to reach the campsite. He then called me on Friday evening, and Denise and I called all the other people who had signed up to tell them the new route. I reached Price as he was driving on Interstate 80 before he reached Pennsylvania.

Janu and I were the first two to arrive on Saturday morning. I led everyone down to Mud Run and was amazed to find that the rocks from which we usually viewed the river were under water. Quiet Mud Run was now a cold and raging stream, but that didn’t stop Janu. He was up to his neck in the water within minutes.

Most people arrived on Saturday including 6-year old Lina, which greatly pleased 6-year old Jeana. After dinner on Saturday, we built a campfire and took a night hike without using our flashlights. Hickory Run is heavily wooded and the road was very dark--to follow it, we had to feel with our feet whether we were still walking on gravel.

A few more folks arrived on Sunday. After breakfast, we walked along the Orchard Trail to Hawk Falls. Again, Janu proved to be the most daring soul and was soon under the waterfall. In mid-afternoon, a ranger drove down the gravel road and stopped at our site. I greeted him and we listened together to an announcement on his radio that severe thunderstorms were expected nearby. The group cancelled a hike to Boulder Field and rushed to set up our large tarp. By the time the rain started, all 18 of us were comfortably underneath it.

I waited for the rain to stop before making dinner. After dinner, a couple of chess sets came out and four of us played a series of games. Later, several carloads of people drove to Boulder Field in the darkness and scrambled over the boulders by flashlight.

On Monday, people started leaving. Five of us hiked on the "Shades of Death" trail and found an amazing blueberry patch at the end of it. We then drove to Sand Spring Lake and joined some people who had already packed up and were ready to drive home. I found the lake to be very cold.

The five "Shades of Death" hikers remained on Monday night, but three of them left on Tuesday. Walter and I, the two diehards, strolled down to Mud Run in the early afternoon and later walked on the Sand Spring Trail to the railroad tracks at the western edge of the park. We came within sight of the Lehigh River and tried to find the Gould Trail going back. Although it initially seemed like a trail, we were soon bushwacking and looking for a place to cross Hickory Run (another stream). We found a bridge that was heavily damaged by the floods and decided not to take a chance crossing it. Eventually, we came upon the Hickory Trail which led us back to Route 534 where my car was parked.

After dinner, many games of chess and a roaring campfire, Walter and I called it a night.

When we arose on Wednesday, it was raining. Although the rain stopped in mid-morning, everything was wet. We packed up a wet tarp, two wet tents, and were gone by noon.

David Levner

Bear Spring Mountain State Park, 6/9-11/2006

They close the gates at Bear Spring Mountain State Park at 9 PM, and my riders couldn’t leave New York till 5 PM on Friday. We drove without stopping and when we arrived at 8:30 PM, it was raining intermittently.

We found Dave on site 13 tending a sputtering campfire. We split and added wood, fanned the flames, and after several hours we had a roaring fire. The fire was very useful because the weather was surprisingly cool. The temperature dipped into the 40s at night.

On Saturday, Harry, Ken, Denise, Lana, Larry and Larry’s two kids joined us. We moved to sites 1, 11, 12 and 23 because they were drier and more spacious. The park’s caretaker, Bill, was very accomodating and helpful.

Dave, Dolgio, TS and I took a five-mile hike on Saturday afternoon. We entered the trail system from East Trout Brook Road and hiked on trails 11, 2, 3, back to 2 and 11. It rained lightly at times, and the grass was very wet. My pants and feet were soaked by the end of the hike.

After dinner, most of us gathered around the campfire on site 11. Lana and Larry had their own campfire, which a few of us visited. No one site was big enough for the entire group.

On Sunday, I slept late, packed up and left.

David Levner

Worthington State Forest, 5/26-29/2006

I arrived at Worthington State Forest late Friday night. After setting up on group site B, I took a walk to the boat launch and watched the stars.

The weather on Saturday was beautiful. I could sit around comfortably in a t-shirt and the bugs didn’t bother me. In the early afternoon, Dolgio, TS and I hiked up the Douglas and Applachian Trails to Sunfish Pond. We saw several snakes sunning themselves. I was the first one in the water, and TS and Dolgio followed me. We found our swims refreshing.

Sunday was much hotter. A number of people went canoeing and kayaking on the Delaware River. Ken hiked from Worthington to the Mohican Outdoor Center. I drove to Mohican, relaxed on the beach, and took a brief swim. In the late afternoon, I hiked up the Rattlesnake Swamp Trail to a ridge with a great view.

Monday was another scorcher. Although others went hiking, the heat sapped my energy. I packed my gear and relaxed by the Delaware River. In the mid-afternoon, I headed home.

David Levner

Assateague Island National Seashore, 5/5-7/2006

Ken, Sule and Bamidele arrived at site 103 and 104 of Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland on Friday. Because it is such a long drive, Sue and I came on Saturday morning.

I pulled in just as the group was about to board canoes and go out into the bay. I shared a canoe with Sue, Sule and Bamidele paddled together, and Ken went out solo in his kayak. While we were on the water, it rained briefly but we were comfortable. I saw my first wild pony from the canoe--he seemed malnourished because I could see his rib cage. He was so intent on eating grass that he barely noticed us.

The pony wasn’t the only one who was hungry. I had driven for five hours and paddled for two, with only a light breakfast. So I followed Sue’s car back to our sites so I could set up and make lunch. The sites were walk-ins that were close to the ocean. However they were far from the parking area, and I got another work-out lugging my gear through the sand from the car to the sites.

After lunch, Ken and I walked south along the beach. I found the SUVs on the beach to be jarring. When we had gone far enough, we decided to try to go back along an abandoned road in the center of the island. But it did not go all the way through, and rather than trample the vegetation, we returned to the beach.

After some brief refreshments, we walked to the Life of the Dunes trail and learned about the history of the abandoned road we had tried to follow earlier in the afternoon.

After dinner, it seemed that all the nearby sites were deserted. We wondered why all the other campers had gone to sleep so early. It was a starry night, so we walked to the beach. To our surprise, we found four or five groups of campers clustered around campfires below the high-tide line. That is the only place on Assateague where ground fires are allowed.

We saw the Big Dipper and the North Star, but Orion had disappeared from the night sky. I will miss him, and I look forward to his return in the fall.

On Sunday morning, my fellow campers packed up and left. I had arranged to take Monday off, so I spent a leisurely Sunday afternoon and evening. I walked on the Life of the Forest trail, passed an old shipwreck, and saw lots of ponies and a few small deer. As I was eating dinner, it started to rain. I moved some of my gear to the car and took some reading material into my tent. The gusts of wind that night blew out one of my tent stakes, but there was no other damage. I packed up my wet tent on Monday morning and drove home.

David Levner

Green-Wood Cemetery, 4/30/2006

Carol and Priscilla led nine of us on a three-hour walk through Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. We saw parrots nesting, occasional glimpses of the Manhattan skyline and the Status of Liberty, and Lenny Bernstein’s headstone.

You are not allowed to eat inside Green-Wood Cemetery, so most of us had brunch afterwards at a nearby Mexican restaurant.

David Levner

Camp Glen Gray, 4/14-16/2006

Ruth and her two daughters were the first to arrive on Friday at Camp Glen Gray, and they set up their tent before the rain started. When I arrived with TS and Dolgio it was already raining, and we decided to spend Friday night inside Cabin Gray.

The cabin was functional. A pile of wood was stacked up near the entrance, and I started a fire in the wood stove. The common area contained a sofa, chairs, two small tables, a refrigerator and a television that we did not use. I set up the Campers’ Group propane stove outside in the rain; we cooked dinner on it, in the wood stove, and in a small toaster oven.

Denise arrived later that night, and Ken and Don joined us the next morning.

Saturday was a much nicer day, and we hiked along the white trail that led from our cabin to the yellow trail, eventually making a big loop. Don came after we started our hike, and he set up a campfire and his tent. When Ken and I returned from the hike, we set up our tents, but Denise, TS and Dolgio stayed in the cabin.

On Saturday night, we took a night hike around the lake without flashlights.

Dolgio and TS rose early on Sunday to take a long hike on the Old Guard Trail. The rest of us took it easy and cleaned up the cabin. When the cabin was in good shape, Ken and I walked on the camp roads to the red dot trail until we came to an overlook.

We all left by mid-afternoon.

David Levner

Tohickon Valley Park, 3/17-19/2006

Eight people stayed in a cabin and one person (me) camped out at Tohickon Valley Park in Bucks County PA.

I arrived late on Friday afternoon, set up camp, built a campfire and made dinner. I then took a short hike to the cabin to visit my friends. Sleeping outdoors that night was challenging--the lows were in the mid-20s.

On Saturday, water was released from Lake Nockamixon upstream turning the lazy Tohickon Creek into a whitewater adventure. Throughout the weekend, kayakers rode the currents in the river.

We went hiking on the ridge overlooking the creek until we came to a road. We took the road a short distance and crossed a bridge over Tohickon Creek into another park. There we ate lunch and headed back.

On Saturday night, most of us went to Lambertsville for dinner. On Sunday, we drove across the Delaware River and north to Bull’s Island State Park in New Jersey. Four of us hiked in Bull’s Island and marveled at the devastation caused by the flooding of 2005. Then we all headed home.

David Levner

Annual meeting, 3/5/2006

Seven people attended the annual meeting at 200 Fifth Ave. (a restaurant) in Brooklyn. We discussed the parks we’ll be visiting in 2006 and how we will attract new members. A transition committee was formed to prepare for the day when I leave the N.Y. City area.

David Levner

North Country Ski Trip, 2/17-20/2006

Bob and Claire arrived at the Ark Trail Inn in Upper Jay on Friday around dinner time, but I got there late, just before 1 AM. My passengers were Naomi and Bamidele.

On Saturday morning, we drove to Keene Valley to eat breakfast at our favorite hangout, the Cliffhanger. Unfortunately, it was closed--a sign on the window said that the owner was down south helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina. So we drove a few more blocks to the Noon Mark Diner for a hearty pre-ski breakfast.

After the meal, I drove Bamidele to Whiteface Mountain where she downhill skied. Naomi and I continued on to the Verizon Sports Complex to x-country ski on the Mount Van Hovenberg trails. Unfortunately, there was relatively little snow and many trails were closed. We met Bob and Claire who were also skiing on the Mount Van Hovenberg trails.

At 4 PM, Naomi and I drove off to pick up Bamidele and we all met at Goldberries in Lake Placid for dinner.

On Sunday, Bob was nursing a bruised toe--he and Claire spent the day driving around. Naomi and I had brought snowshoes, and we drove Bamidele to the Cascade Ski Touring Center where she rent a pair. Then we continued on to the ADK Loj and snowshoed on a trail to the Marcy Dam. Snowshoes weren’t absolutely necessary; we saw many people on the trail wearing hiking boots (some had crampons to get a better grip on the ice). As we returned from the Marcy Dam, it snowed lightly. We walked about four miles in total.

We all met for dinner at the Ausable Inn in Keene Valley. Afterwards, Naomi, Bamidele and I drove to Saranac Lake to look at the Ice Castle which had partially melted.

On Monday morning, I x-country skied on my own at the Cascade Ski Touring Center. As at neighboring Mount Van Hovenberg, many of the trails were closed. Nevertheless, the trails that were open had good snow coverage and I enjoyed the beautiful trail system.

Driving home, I filled up a five-gallon water container with spring water at a turnout on Route 73 just before the Northway. We stopped at the Silo (exit 18? off the Northway) for lunch and to buy gifts. Bob and Claire remained in Upper Jay for the rest of the week.

David Levner

Highlands Inn, 1/20-22/2006

Five of us arrived at the Highlands Inn in Fleischmanns NY on Friday night. The Inn was very cozy and serves great food.

Despite predictions of rain, four of us headed out to the Bellayre Ski Center on Saturday morning. The clouds hung over us, but we parked in the x-country ski parking lot and started hiking on the ski trails. Had there been any snow, we certainly would have skied.

From the x-country trails, we entered a hiking trail which led to a snowless (but icy) downhill trail. It was very steep, and we argued about whether to continue climbing it. As we were arguing, the rain began and ended the discussion -- we headed down. Following ski trails, we ended up at one of the lodges and caught a shuttle bus down to our cars.

From there, we drove to Margaretville for a snack. Then we headed back to the Inn to get ready for dinner.

On Sunday, we drove to Phonecia and climbed a trail to Mt. Tremper. I had to leave early, but my hiking companions made it to the top.

David Levner

Chinese banquet, 12/3/2005

Eighteen campers shared a vegetarian feast at the Buddha Bodai restaurant in Manhattan’s Chinatown. I highly recommend this restaurant. Afterward, most of us walked to Cafe Palermo in Little Italy for cappuccino and dessert.

David Levner

Tyler Hostel, 11/11-13/2005

I arrived at Tyler Hostel in Tyler State Park around 10 PM on Friday night. Denise was up, but everyone else from our group had gone to bed. We talked for a little while and then she went to bed, and I decided to take a little night hike. As I was walking on Covered Bridge Trail, I heard strange noises that sounded like "clickety-click." I began walking quietly, but I couldn’t see the source of the noises. Suddenly, two deer jumped from the side of the road off into the woods. Can you guess what the noises were?

When I returned to the hostel, I found that someone had locked me out. I had to get the hostel mother, who fortunately was still awake, to let me in.

On Saturday morning, Denise, Leandro and I took a hike along Neshaminy Creek. (Leandro is five years old.) We passed the dam on Neshaminy Creek, crossed the bridge, and then headed back. When we returned, more folks had arrived including Suzanne, Harry and Reeja.

In the late afternoon, everyone got busy preparing for Saturday night’s pot luck dinner. It was a feast, mostly vegetarian, with blueberry pie and ice cream for dessert.

On Sunday morning, I crossed the covered bridge over Neshaminy Creek and hiked along the creek away from the dam until the trail ended. The weather was so mild, it felt like September. I got back and found that Ken had arrived. He and some others went horseback riding, but I didn’t join them. We all had chores to do to clean up the cabin; mine was sweeping and mopping the kitchen floor. I did that and left.

David Levner

Assateague Island National Seashore, 10/7-10/2005

One of our new members needed a tent, so I drove in the rain down to Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland on Friday night. I arrived at 1:45 AM. Finding no one awake, I pitched my tent and went to sleep.

The next morning, Sule and Suzanne said hello. The weather was still raw, and the wind had damaged Suzanne’s tent during the night. Sule told me that he and his two passengers had slept in his car, including the person who needed a tent. I offered to put it up for her, but she declined. Sule and his passengers soon left to go back to N.Y. City.

The ocean and the beach were lovely as long as the wind didn’t sandblast your face. Suzanne put her feet in the water, and I saw a deer print in the sand. Because the predictions were for rain all weekend, we realized that our reinforcements were not going to arrive. So we packed up and drove home on Saturday afternoon.

David Levner

Taconic State Park, 9/16-18/2005

Lynn and I arrived at Taconic State Park midday on Saturday. Because of miscommunication, Lana and Larry didn’t make it.

Quite soon after we set up our tents, it started to rain. I unpacked a new Campers’ Group tarp from the trunk of my car and we set it up over the picnic table. Naturally, once the tarp was up the rain stopped.

Lynn took a hike from the site to Bashbish Falls and I stayed to collect firewood. I found some down trees about 50 feet into the woods and I sawed up enough pieces to build a blazing fire.

After dinner, Lynn went to bed early and I stayed up late to enjoy my fire.

On Sunday morning, Lynn walked to Sunset Rock -- it’s a steep climb -- while I packed up my tent and equipment. Then I hiked to Bashbish Falls and put my feet in the chilly water. Driving home, we stopped at an organic restaurant and farm stand for lunch and groceries.

David Levner

Hickory Run State Park, 9/2-5/2005

I was one of the first to arrive at Group Site I in Hickory Run State Park. High gasoline prices, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, did not stop twenty-three campers from joining me over the long Labor Day weekend.

The youngest camper was Erik, a six-month old. He didn’t fuss or cry, and he received constant attention from his parents, Mary and Julio.

After dinner on Friday night, we sat around the campfire exchanging jokes. The stars twinkled through the trees, and I warned everyone to remove all food and anything that could be mistaken for food from their tents. We’ve seen raccoons, deer and bears in this park.

On Saturday morning, two people went bicycle-riding in the Lehigh Valley Gorge. Most of the rest of us walked to Mud Run and dangled our feet in its swift-running, cold waters. Only two of us actually waded in.

When we returned to the campsite for lunch, more people had arrived. Some of them went to Sand Spring Lake to go swimming, and others hiked to Hawk Falls. I arranged with Denise that I would hike to Boulder Field and she would drive there to pick me up. She arrived with her boyfriend Pablo about half an hour after I arrived. She said she was low on gas, so we drove to Albrightsville so she could fill up and buy some groceries. Gasoline prices were higher than we had ever seen, but we had no choice but to buy.

We returned to the campsite, cooked our dinners and built a campfire. There was lots of wood lying around, the remnants of an ice storm from the winter. Robert, an experienced camper on his first trip with us, tended the fire. When the fire was blazing, Robert pulled out a notebook of his poetry and read to us. After most people had gone to sleep, I played a few games of chess with David G and Robert.

On Sunday, a number of people walked to Hawk Falls and then Boulder Field. I had agreed to drive to Boulder Field in the late afternoon to pick up anyone who wanted a ride home. I spent the early afternoon with Pablo relaxing at Mud Run, and then I drove to Boulder Field. With my binoculars, I saw Denise, Ken and David G at the other end of the Field. I climbed over the boulders to reach them. Ken and David G wanted to hike back, and Denise wanted a ride. So I drove her to the Hawk Falls trailhead where she hiked in to meet Pablo.

When I returned to the campsite, I heard the banging of pots and pans. A bear had invaded our site! I honked the horn of my car, and then grabbed my tea kettle and began banging the lid against the kettle. The bear had dragged a garbage bag from a picnic table to the back of site near our tents, but retreated from the noise we made. It was a young male, perhaps a yearling searching for a territory. A few minutes after it left our site, we heard yells and then the banging of pots and pans from a neighboring site.

Chet and I cleaned up the broken garbage bag. I sawed up some wood for the evening’s campfire and then drove to the Hawk Falls trailhead to pick up Denise and Pablo. As we returned to group site I, we passed the bear "terrorizing" yet another campsite. We stopped and Pablo snapped a couple of pictures. I honked my car’s horn as people yelled, blew whistles and banged pots and pans.

David G and Ken returned from their hike and were very disappointed that they had missed the bear. At first they didn’t believe us, but there were too many witnesses. After dinner, I felt very tired and went to sleep early.

Around 6 AM, I was answering the call of nature when I heard Robert yell, "Get out of here!" Then I heard banging and I knew that our unwelcome visitor was back. Still tired, I decided that I would rather sleep some more.

Robert, however, couldn’t go back to sleep. Instead, he wrote a couple of poems to celebrate his encounter with the bear. He read the poems after breakfast as we were packing up. We all left a few hours later.

Thanks to David G and Hollis for leading the trip. The total cost per person per night was $3!

David Levner

Orchard Beach, 8/20/2005

Spatters of rain fell at 2 p.m. as we waited for participants to show up at the #6 Pelham Bay subway stop, but by the time eight of us drove in different cars to Orchard Beach, the weather turned humid, cloudy and warm. Most of us hiked north to an estuary I call the "Kingdom of the Crabs" and sat without moving on rocks. Slowly, 1/2- to 1-inch fiddler crabs emerged from holes in the mud and scuttled around eating crabby food, having crabby spats, and, presumably, thinking sideways thoughts. If anyone moved or approached, the earth would seem to move as they all scurried--sideways--back into their holes. We walked to the northernmost part of the park and sat on a rocky promontory looking at islands to the east and Westchester to the north.

Since park attendance was light due to cloudy/iffy weather, the Latin deejay who usually spins for devoted dancers near the handball courts was not there. Most of us did not swim, as a lifeguard told us that City Island restaurants now discharge their waste into Long Island Sound and the water is now filthy. The water was dirtier than I remember, with chicken bones and plastic wrappers all too evident. I plan to contact my congressman about this outrage.

Six of us went to City Island for dinner. We were so busy enjoying our food and each others’ company that we forgot to chastise the restaurant for allegedly discharging its waste and spoiling the swimming. Afterward, Terry led us to a waterside park where we watched the orange moon try to peek through the clouds. We enjoyed the warm August night and stopped for ice cream before heading home.

Sarah

Worthington State Forest, 8/12-14/2005

Lana and Larry were the first ones to arrive at group site C in Worthington State Forest. They got there in the daylight on Friday. Myra, Ken, Denise, Pablo, Don and I arrived after dark. Five more people came on Saturday.

Saturday was brutally hot. The park rangers organized a free kayaking trip down the Delaware River, but it was filled up by 8:30 AM. Ken was the only one who went on this trip because he had his own kayak.

Alicia, Kevin and Amy hiked up to Sunfish Pond via the Douglas Trail and the Appalachian Trail during the daytime. The rest of us drove to the Mohican Outdoor Center and swam in Catfish Pond. I gorged out on wild blueberries.

I returned to Group Site C around 6:30 PM and convinced Ken to join me in a hike up to Sunfish Pond. We both packed water, food, and our flashlights. By the time we reached Sunfish Pond the sun had set and an orange moon was visible. I was too hungry and devoured all of my food as I watched an evening mist rise from the pond. We hiked back down without incident by flashlight. Once we were back on level ground, Ken’s flashlight stopped working.

Although some people went to bed early, others stayed up till 2 AM around the campfire. The campers on Group Site B were a little noisy, but they quieted down when I politely reminded them that it was after quiet hour.

Sunday was another hot day. After packing up, most of us drove to the Mohican Outdoor Center to swim in Catfish Pond.

David Levner

Promised Land State Park, 7/29-31/2005

The trip leaders Kirsten and Terry were the first ones to arrive at Promised Land State Park. When I got there, Terry had just finished a late night swim. He convinced me to take a dip in the lake, although the sign on the beach said that there was no swimming after dusk.

We had sites 216, 217, 218 and 220, right near the point of Pickerel Point. These sites are the closest we have ever been to the point of the peninsula. I set up my tent looking out over the lake. The view in the morning was spectacular.

Six more campers joined us on Saturday. We rented a canoe and took turns paddling out into the lake. On Saturday afternoon, I took two people to a trailhead in the canoe and then spent an hour picking blueberries from the canoe by the shore of the lake. I shared my treasured berries with my fellow campers.

Dolgio and TS went hiking towards Bruce Lake, but they started late in the day and didn’t make it all the way there. I thought that it was too hot for any serious hiking.

Terry went swimming again on Saturday night. Dave and I (forgive me, we had three David’s on this trip) passed him in the canoe. Although swimming at night was against the rules, boating at night was not. The stars went in and out behind the clouds.

On Sunday we boated some more and left.

David Levner

Wharton State Forest, 7/15-17/2005

Most of us went kayaking on Saturday from the Canoe put-in on the Mullica River. It was about 3 miles west of our Buttonwood camp site, and took about 3 1/2 hours to kayak to the pickup point a little to the west of Crowley’s Landing. Some of us stopped for lunch at a shady, mossy outcrop on the river bank. The moss felt like luxurious carpeting and was as soft and springy as a foam mattress.

Later, some of us went to Allen’s Clam Bar on Route 9 in New Gretna for a steamers and beer happy hour; others explored the re-created 19th century village of Batsto 2 miles west of the campsite.

On Friday and Saturday nights, some of us went swimming (Frank & Sarah) in the moonlight at the beach across the street from the campsite at Crowley’s Landing. The campfire was warm and cheerful on our return. On Sunday, most of us left in the early morning; some stayed to swim and play badminton.

Sarah

Wharton State Forest, 7/15-17/2005

I arrived at the Buttonwood Hill Campsite in Wharton State Forest at 11:30 PM on Friday night. Seven people were already there and one more joined us on Saturday. As I unloaded my car, Frank and Sarah returned from a late night swim in the Mullica River. The rest of the troop were sitting around the campfire.

After breakfast, Frank went to the outhouse to take care of some business and was stung by a hornet. Sarah then drove the park office to complain, and a truck arrived at our campsite 15 minutes later. The rangers sprayed some RAID and then dismantled the nest with tools. Most of us used the bathrooms at Crowley’s Landing across the road for the rest of the trip.

On Saturday, we rented kayaks and canoes and floated down the Mullica River from the Pleasant Mills put-in to Crowley’s Landing. Ken used his own kayak. The river was narrow and the current swift until the Mullica and Batsto Rivers joined. From there on, we actually had to row.

It rained lightly while we were on the river. We heard thunder in the distance but never saw lightning. In past years, I had seen egrets while floating down the Mullica. Today, I only saw geese.

Before dusk, I took a walk down the sand road leading away from the site with a bowl. When I returned, the bowl was half-full with wild blueberries which I shared with my fellow campers.

Saturday night was noisy. The Sweetwater Casino on the other side of the Mullica River played 60s and 70s music until 10:30 PM or so. And some bikers nearby (probably at Crowley’s Landing) shot off fireworks. The nearby road (NJ Route 542) was also busier than last year.

Frank and Sarah went for another late night swim, and Ken and I walked over to Crowley’s Landing and listened to the staff of the Sweetwater Casino clean up. It’s amazing how well sound carries over a flat body of water.

I had to leave early on Sunday morning, so I don’t know what everyone else did that day. It rained in northern New Jersey as I was driving home.

David Levner

High Point State Park, 7/1-7/4/2005

Nineteen campers, including three children, pitched their tents at group site B of High Point State Park.

Twelve people arrived on Friday, but I came on Saturday morning. It had rained in NY City on Friday night, but the campsite remained dry. The youngest camper was two-and-a-half year old Jeremy. The weather was perfect: cool enough for hiking, warm enough for swimming, no rain and very few mosquitoes.

People split up into several groups and went hiking on Saturday. Janice gave David and I a ride to Lake Marcia where we thought we would meet Ken, Audrey, Lisa and Denise. Due to miscommunication, our fellow hikers went to Sawmill Lake instead. After David and I realized that our friends weren’t going to arrive, we walked to the Monument Trail and then turned right (south) on the Appalachian Trail. Ken, Audrey, Lisa and Denise walked north from Sawmill Lake on the AT, and we met just after David and I crossed Route 23. Then we all headed back to Lake Marcia, stopping at a wooden platform on the AT that had views of both New Jersey to the east and Pennsylvania to the west. Visibility was very good.

At Lake Marcia, we met Janice and Suzanne. Although the beach and lake were crowded, most of us went swimming. Then Ken, David and I took a shortcut trail that started from a picnic area and led to a spot on Route 23 near our campsite. After we crossed Route 23, Ken took a trail to Sawmill Lake to pick up his car and David and I returned to our site.

At the Saturday night campfire, Denise and I skewered two marshmellows with sharpened sticks. We then roasted them together over the fire. I explained to the group that 25 years previously, during the July 4th weekend of 1980, a couple named Pasha and Steve met at group site B in High Point State Park. They were married a year later and now have three teenage children. The two marshmellows fused together with the heat of the fire and I swallowed them both.

On Sunday, we all took different hikes. Denise, Ken and I drove to Sawmill Lake, took the blue-dot trail (a steep climb) to the AT and turned south on the AT. We hiked on the AT till we came to a shelter near Dutch Shoe Rock. Although Ken’s map showed a lookout point named Dutch Shoe Rock, we never found a rock that looked like a Dutch shoe.

David Levner

Jenny Jump State Forest, 6/24-26/2005

Nine of us camped at Jenny Jump State Forest, group site B.

I got there late on Friday night. The trip leaders and several others had already arrived, including three-month old Erik. A campfire was already burning.

I ate dinner and set up my tent, and everyone else went to bed. After midnight, I set out on the Summit Trail by flashlight. I could see that the moon was almost full through the trees, however I couldn’t find the turnoff that leads to the ridge facing the east. So I didn’t get to see the moon in its full glory.

Both Saturday and Sunday were very hot days. On Saturday morning, most campers hiked the Summit Trail to the ridge. Then we split up and took several different routes back. After lunch, we drove to the Mohican Outdoor Center and swam in Catfish Lake. Then we returned to the campsite, made dinner, and enjoyed another campfire.

We spent Sunday morning breaking camp. When she set up on Friday, Janice had pounded one of her metal stakes into the ground and bent around some tree roots. Julio and I spent half an hour digging the mangled stake out of the ground.

We drove again to the Mohican Outdoor Center where we swam in Catfish Lake. Then we all drove home.

David Levner

Arrow Park, 6/19/2005

Nine people went to Arrow Park for a hike and a boat ride.

We met near the lake around noon and had lunch. Then we went on a short hike through the woods, past a waterfall, till the trail ended. When we returned, six of us got into rowboats and rowed around the lake. I went on shore at the far end of the lake, put on my bathing suit, and took a swim. The water was fairly warm. While I swam, Myra, my boating partner, painted with watercolors.

After we returned the boats, I played a game of Scrabble with Myra until Arrow Park closed at 6 P.M.

David Levner

Mongaup Pond State Park, 6/10-12/2005

Nine of us camped at Mongaup Pond State Park in Sullivan County, New York.

At 5 PM on Friday, I was the first to arrive. All the lake sites were taken, but most of the other sites were vacant. I chose site 20 in loop A because there was only one other camper in the entire loop. I set up, made dinner and built a campfire. A lot of firewood that had apparently been cut from dead trees by the park staff was lying around.

Just before 9 PM, another car arrived with three more campers. I set up a Campers’ Group tent for Emily and Wendy on site 21, and then helped Josh with his tent. After they ate, Emily and Wendy went to bed and Josh and I took a night hike (without using flashlights) to Mongaup Pond.

The next morning, the four of us decided to go hiking and not to wait for the other campers. We walked from our campsite to the trailhead of the Flynn Trail and took that to Hodge Pond. There were no signs prohibiting swimming, so I put on my bathing suit and swam to the middle of the pond. On my way back, a snake and I crossed paths in the water. It was the first time I had ever gone swimming with a snake.

We ate some snacks and continued on to the Beech Mountain Natural Area. While hiking through the natural area, a thunderstorm thoroughly drenched us. It rained hard for at least an hour. When the rain stopped, an army of mosquitoes appeared. We stepped and swatted, swatted and stepped.

When we got back to our campsite, we found that five other campers had arrived and some of them had set up on site 22. Our friends were at Mongaup Pond when the rain started and had taken shelter under one of the buildings near the beach. After the deluge, Ken paddled his kayak around Mongaup Pond.

We ate dinner, struggled to build a campfire with wet wood, and eventually succeeded. Ann bought a birthday cake for trip leader Carol, and we sang Happy Birthday for her. For unknown reasons, all the women went to bed leaving the men sitting around the campfire. We used this opportunity to exchange off-color jokes.

On Sunday we had a leisurely breakfast and packed up. Some people were planning to hike to Hodge Pond, but it started to rain and everyone left.

I was impressed with the friendliness and environmental consciousness of the Mongaup Pond staff. The rangers patrolled in an electric-powered vehicle that resembled a golf cart. At the recycling center, we separated our cans and bottles from our trash. Campers’ Group really enjoyed Mongaup Pond and will return!

David Levner

Stokes State Forest, 5/28-30/2005

Four of arrived at Stokes on Saturday before the rain started. The skies were grey and the predictions were for rain, so we put up the tarp. As I pulled on one of the ropes to raise the tarp higher, one of the grommets tore out of the corner of the tarp. Both the tarp and I went down. I was OK, but the grommet could not be repaired. We tied the rope to another grommet, but we’ll soon have to buy a new tarp.

It rained steadily for several hours. We stayed dry under the tarp and the campfire I had started continued to burn. Late in the evening, the rain stopped and the stars came out. We heard a rustling noise and Lana thought it was a ranger; it turned out to be a raccoon under the picnic table. We chased him/her away.

On Sunday, Ken, Denise and I drove to Sunrise Mountain. Lana stayed behind to ride her bike. We walked on the north on the Appalachian Trail to the Cartwright Trail. There we turned left and walked down to the Sunrise Mountain Road. We walked along the road to the Parker Trail, and took it to Howell. We intended to take Howell to the Appalachian Trail, but the Stokes trail map and the signage were deceptive: we ended up back on Sunrise Mountain Road. So we hike back to Cartwright and retraced our steps to the Appalachian Trail.

We drove to the Ocquittunk campground and dropped Ken off. He wanted to hike back to our group site. He found a waterfall on his way back.

I made a quick dinner and sawed up several down trees. Five more friends joined us, although only one stayed overnight. It was clear and cool, but we were warm if we stayed near the campfire. Most of us went to bed late.

On Sunday we packed up. Around noon, as I was taking down the tarp, a truck passed by and came to a halt. The driver asked me if I wanted some freshly caught fish. I gladly accepted his offer and his son gave me two trout. Denise and I built a charcoal fire, and we cooked and ate the trout. Yum!

David Levner

Watch Hill Campsite, 5/21-22/2005

As I drove up to the National Park Service ferry parking lot in Patchogue on Saturday morning, all the gates were closed. I turned my car around and saw a young woman struggling to open one of the gates. Before I could get out to help her, she had jumped back into her SUV and was gone.

I drove in, parked, and started to unload. Then a maintenance person came up to me and asked me how I got in. I told him about the young woman in the SUV. He said that the parking area was closed and that his instructions were to close the gate behind him. "Wait a second," I said, "what about the 10:15 Fire Island ferry?" He replied, "What ferry? There’s no ferry today."

I suggested that he call the National Park Service to find out whether the ferry was running. He hesitated but then pulled out his cell phone and called. Fortunately, the rangers at Watch Hill confirmed that I was right, that this was the first day that the ferry would run. Whew!

I was the only person from Campers’ Group on the 10:15 ferry. When I got to Watch Hill, I was greeted by an old friend and former Campers’ Group member Myrna. There was only one difference: today Myrna was wearing the green uniform of a National Park Service ranger. At last, I knew someone in the "power structure."

Myrna directed me to the concessionaire who was running the campground. It was her first day too. She informed me that the individual sites were $14 per night and that there was a two-night minimum. I informed her that there had never been a two-night minimum in previous years and that it would have been almost impossible for me to get to Watch Hill on Friday night because no ferries were running. She accepted my argument and only charged me for one night.

Six other campers arrived on the 12:30 ferry. I helped them set up and we decided to take three more sites. Fearing that they would get hit with the "two-night minimum" policy, I accompanied them to the marina where the sites are rented. Sure enough, the employee of the concessionaire tried to charge them for two nights. I again pointed out that the ferry wasn’t running on Friday night and he called over the woman who I had negotiated with a few hours earlier. She confirmed that my friends only had to pay for a single night.

We ate lunch and headed out to the beach. The temperature was in the 60s and the ocean was much colder. We got our feet wet and then retreated to our beach blankets and played Scrabble (I won). After a few hours, it started to drizzle (there was a 30% chance of rain according to weather.com). We packed up and headed back to our sites. I made dinner (pasta with garlic and oil) and my friends made reservations at a restaurant in Davis Park, one mile west of Watch Hill. At the appointed hour, we all followed the boardwalk to the restaurant and ate a lovely and expensive meal.

Suddenly we heard a drumming sound on the roof of the restaurant. Rain. Buckets of rain. Only a few of us were prepared for it. We asked our waiter for garbage bags and fashioned shiny new raincoats from them. And we ate dessert slowly. By the time we were finished, the rain had mostly stopped. In fact, the moon (almost full) and some stars made a cameo appearance. We walked up the boardwalk that overlooked the beach to see the moonlight reflecting off the ocean.

On Sunday morning, I made breakfast and my companions returned to Davis Park for another overpriced meal. As we started to pack up, it began to rain. So we packed faster. Everyone except Ken made it to the ferry dock in time for the 1 o’clock ferry. But now the sky was getting lighter and the rain had almost stopped. They all took the ferry back to the mainland, but I stayed.

And clear up it did. I took a long walk along the beach. First I went to Davis Park where I bought a $7 turkey sandwich for lunch, and then I walked east several miles past Watch Hill. I saw seagulls, two or three people, and a couple of Suffolk County police vehicles. There were signs warning me not to disturb the plovers, an endangered species. And I saw waves. Lots of waves.

Not wearing a watch, I hurried back to Watch Hill fearing that I might miss the last ferry. My backup plans were to either walk to Davis Park and catch a later ferry or to stay another night. However, I returned with plenty of time to spare. Ken joined me on the ferry back to Patchogue and told me about his kayaking trip (he owns a collapsible kayak). I’ll be posting a slideshow soon with the pictures he took.

David Levner

Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, 4/29-5/1/2005

Six campers shared three sites at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation in Westchester. We thought that we would only need two sites, but when we got to the park we were told that they allow only two tents on leanto sites. We later learned that this "rule" is not usually enforced; for example, the people on site 20 pitched four tents.

Ward Pound Ridge sites are expensive. Leanto sites cost $35 per night and tent sites are $25 per night.

According to weather.com, there was a 50% chance of rain on Friday, 80% on Saturday, and Sunday was supposed to be clear. It didn’t rain on Friday, it was on and off on Saturday, and there was more rain on Sunday. We all took home wet tents.

We enjoyed a beautiful outdoor campfire on Friday night, using some wood that we bought and some that we scavenged. The skies were mostly cloudy -- we only saw a couple of stars. I went to sleep at 11:45 PM, but before going into my tent I asked the people on site 21 to turn down their stereo system. They were drunk and friendly, and immediately turned down the music. I went to bed and the rain started shortly thereafter. At 2 AM, I arose to pee and the music from site 21 was playing as loudly as ever. Where are the rangers when you need them?

On Saturday, we hiked in two different groups. Lana, Sarah and I walked down to the Trailside Museum, then hiked up the orange trail to cabin 29, and then back down again. We ended the hike going through the fenced-in wildflower garden,

Lynn and Reeja walked outside the park to an antique store, where they bought some knick-knacks.

Because of the rain, we cooked dinner and built a campfire inside the leanto on Saturday night. Once the fire got going, the flue and chimney worked well and there was almost no smoke inside the leanto.

We packed up and left in a light rain on Sunday morning.

David Levner

Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, 4/9/2005

Ten of us strolled through the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in southern Queens. It was a brilliantly sunny day with a brisk wind. I got a little sun-burned. At one point, a feisty goose blocked our path on a trail. We approached it gently, but it hissed at us as it gave way to let us pass. Then we saw its mate sitting on what we think were a clutch of eggs.

David Levner

Tohickon Valley Park, 3/18-20/2005

See a slideshow of photos taken by Ken Quartarone.

Most of arrived at Tohickon Valley Park on Friday. I got there around 5 PM and took a campsite (#1). Eight others stayed in cabin #4.

Ken, Lana and Margaret went hiking on Friday afternoon and passed my campsite. They hiked along the trail next to Tohickon Creek, which is the only sizeable trail in the park.

On Saturday and Sunday, there was a water release and Tohickon Creek turned into a raging river filled with rapids. Many kayakers took advantage of the water release to play in the waves. Our cabin overlooked the creek and gave us great views of the water and the kayakers.

On Saturday night, I visited the cabin and then took some people back to my campsite to enjoy a raging campfire. The sky clouded up, hiding the moon, and a light rain started just after 1 AM.

The rain continued through Sunday morning (but the coals from Saturday night’s campfire were still hot). I packed up my tent and drove to the cabin to make breakfast with my friends. We cleaned out the cabin and left by mid-afternoon.

David Levner

Annual meeting, 3/6/2005

Sixteen people attended the Campers’ Group annual meeting in a Brooklyn restaurant. We reviewed what we had done in 2004, made plans for 2005, and ate.

David Levner

North Country Ski Trip, 2/18-21/2005

All nine of us arrived at the Jay Lodge in Jay NY on Friday night.

On Saturday morning, most of us had breakfast at the Cliffhanger Cafe in Keene Valley, and then we split up. Three people went downhill skiing at Whiteface Mountain, one snowboarded at Whiteface, one hung out in downtown Lake Placid, and the rest of us x-country skied at the Cascade Ski Touring Center. In the afternoon, Ken and I took the Jackrabbit trail west from Cascade, crossed Route 73 and skied around the golf course on the other side of the road. I estimate that we skied for at least six miles.

We met in Lake Placid for dinner and then four of us drove to Saranac Lake to see the Ice Castle. We returned to Upper Jay in a minor snowstorm.

On Sunday, we split up again. Two people went mountain climbing, three went downhill skiing, and the rest of us x-country skied at Mount Van Hovenberg. We had dinner at an Italian restaurant in Lake Placid.

When we arose on Monday, it was snowing steadily. We drove with caution to the Northway. By midday, the snow stopped and we were able to resume our normal speed. Everyone returned home safely.

David Levner

Harriman hike, 2/12/2005

Five of us met at the Red Apple Restaurant and drove to a trailhead in Harriman State Park. We started the hike along a trail with blazes consisting of a red triangle within a white square. At a point called the Lemon Squeezer, we switched to the Appalachian Trail. The Lemon Squeezer (a narrow pass through rocks) was somewhat icy; some went through it and the others walked around it. We then returned to the parking lot via the AT. At the end of the hike, a light snow started to fall.

David Levner

Winter Party, 1/29/2005

About 20 people attended our lively Winter Party in Brooklyn.

David Levner

Fahnestock State Park, 1/14-16/2005

Slideshows: 1. Nature photos taken while hiking and x-country skiing at Pelton Pond 2. People photos taken while hiking and x-country skiing at Pelton Pond 3. Nature photos taken while hiking on Fahnestock trails 4. People photos taken while hiking on Fahnestock trails

An advance guard of two people arrived in Cold Spring, NY, on Friday night. It had rained earlier in the day, washing away most of the snow we had hoped to x-country ski on.

Our plan was to meet the others at Fahnestock State Park’s ski center at 11 AM on Saturday morning. However, the gate to the ski area was closed and we waited outside the gate for our friends. By 11:30, three of them had arrived and we all drove to the nearby Pelton Pond to go hiking.

We got halfway around Pelton Pond and looked for an unmarked trail shown on our map. We never found it. We followed what we thought was a trail, but we were soon bushwacking. The followed deer tracks into the deep woods. After a couple of hours, we gave up on finding the unmarked trail and finished our loop of Pelton Pond.

Returning to the parking lot, we split into two groups. Two of us owned skis and decided to try them out despite the poor snow conditions. The other three went hiking on the nearby Three Lakes Trail. The skiers had to be very careful, but we found some areas in which skiing was pleasant. The hikers encountered two separate groups of our friends on the trails. When they returned, there were nine of us!

Fran, who lives in nearby Newburgh, invited us all to her home for dinner. We followed her there and ate pizza and take-out Italian food. After eating, Debbie (a professional musician) played the piano, flute and mandolin. I played one game of chess and two games of go. We left after midnight. Thank you Fran for being such a gracious host.

We started Sunday morning with breakfast in Cold Spring. Then we drove to Fahnestock and started hiking south on the Appalachian Trail from Route 301. We crossed the Three Lakes Trail and continued on to Sunk Mine Road. Because it was 2 PM, we decided to take a shortcut on Sunk Mine Road to get to the Three Lakes Trail. We found the Three Lakes Trail, but after 30 feet it crossed a stream that we could not get across. The water was too deep and the rocks were too icy.

We agreed to go back and take an unmarked trail from Sunk Mine Road that also leads the the Three Lakes Trail. This worked and we were soon on the Three Lakes Trail heading back to Route 301. But then we encountered two hikers coming from the opposite direction who told us that they had turned around on the Three Lakes Trail because there was a different stream that they could not cross. I took out my map and we determined that they had missed the turnoff for the Appalachian Trail. So they joined us and we continued walking toward Route 301.

At one point, I was the last hiker in our group. I spotted a couple of weathered white blazes in the distance and thought, that looks funny. Were they old Appalachian Trail blazes that were not maintained? Then I saw a third white blaze that was freshly painted. I called out to my friends to turn around -- they had missed the Appalchian Trail. Everyone came back and thanked me. We returned to our cars via the Appalachian Trail.

Talking to the couple that we encountered on the trail, we realized that the woman had inquired about Campers’ Group a few days before and we had already exchanged e-mail addresses!

Most people had to leave and go directly home. Three of us went to dinner at Maya’s, a Mexican restaurant on Route 9. The food was very good and much more reasonably priced than the restaurants in Cold Spring. I recommend it highly if you are looking for a moderately priced meal.

David Levner

Christmas dinner, 12/25/2004

The Christmas dinner went well. We had about 25 people attending. The food was very good and the service was excellent.

Hiram

Eagle Rock Reservation, 12/4/2004

Eight people went hiking at Eagle Rock Reservation. The park has a great vista with a view of Manhattan at the 9/11 memorial. We followed the yellow trail to the northern end of the park and then took horse trails back. There were some moderate hills and leaf cover and the mud added to the challenges.

David Levner

Tyler Hostel, 11/19-21/2004

Twelve people stayed with us at Tyler Hostel in Tyler State Park.

Seven of us arrived on Friday night. After dinner, we walked over the Schofield Ford Covered Bridge and played Scrabble.

On Saturday, we hiked around the park during the day. The weather was cloudy and it drizzled occasionaly, but it did not rain hard. In the evening, we shared a pot luck dinner. As usual, there was too much food.

We ate leftovers from the pot luck dinner for breakfast and lunch on Sunday. Five people went horseback riding. Lynn’s horse was temperamental and she had trouble controlling it. At one point, the horse tripped and Lynn fell. Fortunately, she was not hurt.

After lunch on Sunday, we cleaned up the hostel and left.

David Levner

Chinese banquet, 11/6/2004

Our annual Chinese banquet drew 20 people (19 adults and one child). We ate in the newly opened vegetarian restaurant, Buddha Bodai, in Chinatown. Afterwards, we had dessert in Cafe Palermo in Little Italy.

David Levner

Fort Tilden Hike, 10/23/2004

Three people hiked in Fort Tilden in Brooklyn. It was a warm day and we saw several snakes sunning themselves on roadways. The vegetation was abundant and the surf was strong. We picked up some trash and recyclables that we found along the trail.

David Levner

Taconic State Park, 10/8-11/2004

We were supposed to go to Ward Pound Ridge, but the weather was so nice that every site at Pound Ridge was reserved. When we learned this on Thursday October 7, we called everyone and told them to go instead to the Copake Falls Campground of Taconic State Park. Some people cancelled, but five of us went to Taconic State Park.

We took sites 35 and 36 in the B loop. Site 39 is further into the woods, but it was already taken. The bathrooms, showers and hiking trails were very conveniently located. An entrance to the trail system was directly behind our sites.

Three of us arrived on Friday and we bought wood for a campfire (there was very little dry wood to be scavenged). Towards the end of the evening, I decided on the spur of the moment to walk the mile and a half to Bashbish Falls. I followed the South Taconic Trail through the woods and across Route 344, but in the dark I didn’t see the signs for Bashbish Falls. Instead, I followed the trail into the Bashbish cabin area and wound up at a dead end. So I walked back and went to sleep.

On Saturday, two more campers arrived and we hiked to Bashbish Falls. It was easy to find in the daylight. We ate lunch there and then hiked to Sunset Rock Point. The view was excellent, but most of the trees were still green. By the time we returned to camp, we had gone eight miles.

On Sunday, we attempted a more ambitious hike to Alander Mountain (2,250 feet). We started on the South Taconic Trail at 1,000 feet. The trail climbed steeply after the Bashbish cabin area until we got to a ridge with views of New York to the west and Massachusetts to the east. After several miles of relatively flat hiking, the trail rose again to the summit of Alander Mountain. Two of us stayed there, and Ken and I hiked the Alander Loop. We turned east following the blue blazes. Near the beginning of the loop, we found a hiker’s cabin, signed the guestbook and took some photos. The trail descended gradually and eventually met the South Taconic Trail (white blazes). The South Taconic Trail then climbed sharply for over 600 feet. Going up was highly aerobic.

It was also getting late. We reached the summit of Alander Mountain at 5:03 and found a note from our friends that they had left a few minutes earlier. I told Ken that I wanted to eat and that he could go ahead. I ate, put on more layers of clothing, and carefully walked down the mountain in the dusk and in the dark. I used a headlamp.

Ken caught up with our other two friends. The three of them shared two flashlights, and they also climbed down in the dark. They reached the campsite around 7:15, and I got there about 7:30.

It rained briefly, and I retreated into my tent to rest and change my clothing. When I emerged, everyone else had eaten but was very tired. I made dinner, sat around the campfire, and cleaned up the picnic tables after everyone went to sleep.

We packed up and left on Monday morning.

David Levner

Burlingame State Park, 9/17-19/2004

Eleven of us went to Burlingame State Park in Charlestown Rhode Island. We took sites 522, 523, 524, 525 and 320.

More people would have joined us, but heavy rain was predicted for Saturday (the remnants of Hurrican Ivan).

Two people arrived on Thursday, but most of us came on Friday night. I got there late, after 11 PM, but it wasn’t raining. Shortly after I set up my tent, it started to rain and I went to bed.

The next morning, it rained hard. We set up the tarp on site 523, but most people drove off to go sightseeing or to see a movie. I held down the fort, and dug a trench around my tent. The trench was quickly filled with water.

By the middle of the afternoon, the rain stopped and I went hiking on the Vin Gormley trail. It took me to Watchaug Pond, which is a large body of water, and an area administered by the Audubon Society. When I came back to the site, I found Lisa and Jim had returned and we went hiking together.

Gradually, everyone came back and we made dinner and built a couple of campfires.

Sunday was a beautiful day. The sun dried out our tents, and we took down the tarp. Mary swam in Watchaug Pond, and three people took a hike.

We all took down our tents, and five of us drove to a nearby beach to enjoy the ocean. Some of us swam and we all hiked along the beach. Then I left, but the others stayed to ride their bicycles on local roads.

David Levner

High Point State Park, 9/3-6/2004

We camped at High Point State Park, Group Site B. More than 20 people called, and I turned some people away because I was not sure there would be room. Unfortunately, some of the people who called early didn’t show up.

Eight people arrived Friday night. Some came early and went hiking during the day. I got there in the late afternoon. After dinner, we built a campfire and Garth played his trumpet for us until quiet hour. Then we went on a night hike on Sawmill Road.

Seven more people arrived on Saturday. The group I was with hiked on the Monument Trail. Deidre went looking for a NJ fishing license, but couldn’t find a store that sold one. Another group went swimming and sunbathing at Lake Marcia.

If Friday night was a campfire, Saturday night was a bonfire. Garth played the trumpet for us again before leaving. Then we went on a long night hike down Park Ridge Road. We stopped at a bench overlooking a field, but the fog made the field look like a lake. By the time we returned to our campsite, it was 1:30 AM.

Although the skies were clear when we went to bed, it began to rain around 3 AM. The rain continued until mid-morning, and it was cloudy and cool for the rest of the day. Several people rode bikes, and another group hiked to the Sawmill campsites. We had lunch at an empty campsite and then hiked up the Blue Dot trail to the AT. This climb was the most challenging hike of the weekend; the top part reminded me of Breakneck Ridge.

On our way back, we found Diedre fishing alongside Sawmill Lake. She finally succeeded in getting a fishing license at the Stokes Sports Shop on Route 206. She enjoyed fishing but didn’t catch anything, and she returned to the campsite in the dark.

We built another bonfire Sunday night, but our trumpeter was gone. I played Fischer chess and "A King and Four Pawns" with another David. Sunday night was the chilliest of the three nights, but I don’t believe that the temperature ever fell below 50 degrees.

On Monday morning we packed up. David and Ken rode their bikes. Before leaving the park, Chet and I hiked on the AT to an observation deck. We ate wild blueberries along the way, probably for the last time in 2004.

David Levner

Promised Land State Park, 8/20-22/2004

Rain was predicted for Saturday, and the predictions were right.

Six of us arrived at Promised Land State Park on Friday. Shortly after I arrived, it started to rain. We moved two picnic tables together and set up the tarp. The rain was on and off. Lightning lit up the sky and thunder rumbled.

We camped on sites 118, 120, 121 and 123 of Pickerel Point. These are choice lake sites quite near the point (the tip of the Pickerel Point peninsula). Mike and Bella bought wood, but it was difficult to get a good fire going. I succeeded in cooking some fish on a charcoal fire.

Saturday morning was rainy, but three more campers arrived. Ken brought a kayak, but Saturday was not a good day for boating. The weather began to clear in the afternoon, and five of us hiked along the Bruce Lake Trail to Bruce Lake. The lake is beautiful, but there weren’t as many blueberries as I expected. The total hike was five miles.

One more camper arrived on Saturday night. The skies cleared and we were able (with difficulty) to get a good fire going. After the moon set, the sky was extremely dark and clear; Frank set up his telescope on the beach at Pickerel Point. He showed me the Milky Way, the Andromeda galaxy and a binary star that is part of the Big Dipper.

Clear also means cold, and it got quite chilly on Saturday night. I went to sleep all bundled up.

On Sunday, we finally had some nice weather. We rented a canoe from 10:30 AM to 6 PM ($52) with seven people sharing the cost. We went out in shifts on Promised Land Lake, exploring its various sections. We saw several piles of debris that looked like beavers dens. We also discovered that the most prolific blueberry bushes were directly on the lake near our site.

Several people went swimming at the Pickerel Point beach, and a couple of people took a longer (10-mile) hike to Bruce Lake. Two people who had Monday off reserved a site for Sunday night and stayed on till Monday.

David Levner