OK, the plan is to sleep out in a tent with First Born Son (FBS) this Saturday night. We'll be heading up to the Woodstock, NY area on Friday to spend the weekend with my in-laws, and if all goes according to plan, FBS and I will escape late Saturday afternoon and head out to the woods somewhere. I'd like to eat dinner together, and then sleep in a tent.
Of course, the backup plan is to pitch the tent in the in-law's backyard. This is what Mrs. Packman is pulling for.
This will not be FBS's first foray into the woods. That happened last summer, when he was about one year old:
FBS, Mrs. Packman, The In-laws, and I climbed to the Overlook Mountain firetower just outside of Woodstock. It's only about 2.5 miles to the top on an old jeep road, but it's uphill the entire way and a pretty good way to guage your fitness.
FBS had a great time on the hike, but I did most of the work. I guess you can't expect a toddler to carry his own gear.
Weight on your back: 22 lbs
Distance to the top: 2.5 miles
Seeing the look on the face of a city kid the first time he gets out in the woods: PRICELESS!
Seeing the look on the face of his mother when you come across a
timber rattlesnake: frightening
No, I didn't know there were rattlesnakes in New York State either. Apparently, Overlook Mountain is one of the few spots where they can be reliably seen in the state. We saw four or five of them at different times on this hike.
The goal of the hike was the firetower at the summit:
From the top of the tower there are spectacular views.
That's the Ashokan Resevior, which supplies some of the drinking water to New York City. Apparently there's some great fishing in the resevior if you get a special permit, as well as deer, bear, and small game hunting in the surrounding woods. I'll have to check that out for future adventures.
If you're looking for an easy hike with young children in the woodstock area, or an outdoors diversion from more "touristy" activities in the Hudson Valley, I highly recommend Overlook Mountain. It's great views for the effort.
Looking good! Love the snake.
ReplyDelete-Merriwether/Blast
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ReplyDeleteBeautiful snake! Here in Iowa we have Timber (in the northeast) and Prairie (in the Northwest) and Massasauga (in the north central part of the state). Have you seen any Eastern diamondbacks in that neck of the woods? I would love to see one before I expire. Great blog, and keep them kids outside!
ReplyDeleteNorseman -
ReplyDeleteNo Eastern Diamonbacks in New York that I know of. This trip was the first time I've seen Timber Rattlers here, though I've come close to stepping on some Copperheads in the past.
Thanks for visiting the blog. I'll check yours out too.