Sunday, January 23, 2022

Day Skiing and Overnight in the Woods -Sugar Hill State Forest

 Spent the day xc-skiing with Dan on the rail trail in Canandaigua. The temp was supposed to get a bit too cold for Dan to camp so afterwards I drove to Sugar Hill SF to find a spot to camp. There are a few lean-tos int he area I have not slept in. The parking area near the VanZant was not plowed so I drove to the Tower Rd parking area. As I was getting my gear in my pulk sled a family came down the trail back to their cars. They commented on what a great idea my pulk sled was for hauling gear. 

I headed up the hill towards the tower and then down the hill through the woods to the Twin Lean-tos. Neither of which I have slept in that I can recall. I know I was here as a scout, but my guess is we still slept in tents. With waning daylight my first priority was gathering firewood. I was surprised at how much dead and down maple I could find just across the snowmobile trail. With a good pile started I then set-up my sleeping area and dug out the firepit. Another round of wood gathering and then started the fire. With the snow, the little daylight left kept the campsite rather bright. I bought a 6fgt string of white LED christmas lights which I put up in the lean-to. These really illuminated the inside. Made dinner, had some beverages and went to bed. The clouds cleared just enough to provide a clear star view for a short time before enveloping the sky.

I slept great. Nice and warm. With the short hike out I took my time enjoying the morning. Watching the sunrise through the trees while having coffee was a treat. Not sure how cold it got, but the extra water in my water bottle did freeze.