New Years Day 2023 Hike w/ Brian

 Nice to get out w/ Brian!

Mile hikes with the Boys

Hiked with Brennan & Belle on Saturday, then Brian & Brennan on Sunday.

 

(7.48) Brian's first ever backpacking trip

 

Brian & I hiked from the trailhead to middle settlement Lake, stayed overnight, and returned. It was a much shorter hike that I remember, just about three and a half miles in each direction. We didn't get started until late in the day because of some holdups at home. I don't think we hit the trail until about 4:00 p.m.

 

The trail was much different from my last visit, and even finding the trailhead took several drive-bys. For future reference, it's 1.9 miles south of the Ha-De-Ron-Dah trail access with a large parking area across the street. The drive to the trailhead is right next to the Forest Fire sign (pictured). 

  

There has been a lot of logging also which rerouted things. He wasn't eating and drinking enough on the hike in and had a start of a breakdown about a mile from the lean to, so we took a longer break and I made him eat a cliff bar and drink a lot of water. That changed everything for him and he had a good time.

  

The lean to was occupied so we had to find a nice camping spot not far away. The outhouse was gone so the toilet paper we brought to refill had to be carried back home. 

Very cool moment number one was when we saw a bear cub and her mom coming down a tree in the distance. I pulled out my bear spray, but they were happy to run in the other direction. Very cool moment number two was the 5:38 a.m. wake up with lightning and thunder and rain. Brian said he was scared in his own tent, but he toughed it out like a trooper. The rain didn't last long and we were quickly on the trail back to the van. 

 

I had thought of going two nights and staying at middle Branch Lake, but it was enough for him and his first time.

He remembered to download some office episodes and he watched that at camp while I cooked dinner. The whole point for me was to verify my load out, and make sure Brian had a decent time. We lost the trail once or twice on the way back to the car, but obviously, we kept calm & made it work.

Brian's pack was about 13 lb total. I carried all the food and cooking gear. Brian carried his extra clothes, sleep stuff, shelter, and we each used one trekking pole for the hike. He needed two for his tent and I just brought a tent pole for mine. His pack weight was about 13 pounds. My base was about 12 but I also carried extra water.

On one hand, I think we would have slept better with hammocks. But on the other, how nice it was to be in the tent and able to pack nearly everything into my backpack in a dry tent. I think with a hammock I would need some sort of gear sling or something, otherwise the backpack & other items might be left on the ground or some other place where it would get wet.

 

(3.58) Family Hike

This was a fun impromptu afternoon. Brian was in a mood until he got something to eat and a lot to drink. Brenda was a good sport the whole way. Annie and I had good workouts. One really amazing thing happened, Brennan spotted a porcupine halfway up a tree. I didn't even know they climbed trees! The lean-to was occupied when we got there so we couldn't hang out that much, but it was just a day hike anyway. A good experience for all. Allison was at dance camp so we'll have to go a different time with her.

Elmira Enforcers, Friday night 12/27

It was a loss unfortunately, but a solid game. Everyone had fun and it was nice to have Mary there.

West Point

I made all the purchases & arrangements for this. Even did the grocery shopping. For my very first event, it went okay.





Drove to Camp Bullowa on Friday night. Advance party was supposed to be Matt, Paul, & Sara, but Matt had house trouble and Sara had a surprise Dr appointment so I had to get the boys out of school quickly and get on the road. Because of that, we didn't arrive before dark which made setup difficult. We never even deduced if we were in the correct camp site or not.

 The game was a blow-out and we were late arriving which meant late for tours, etc... It worked out okay, but could have been better. I fell short on the arrangements - no water supply and I didn't gather info on how to sign up for tours, where the scoutmaster activities were, etc... I could have done better.

After the 3rd quarter the scouts decided to visit the West Point Museum which was cool. But it was closing soon after we arrived - started late because some scouts were in the bathroom / food lines. After the museum we had to walk briskly back around the stadium and luckily caught a bus to take us back to our parking site. Then we were in the dark, AGAIN, trying to make dinner - frozen hamburger foil packets.

Boys were exhausted on night #2. That's why Brian is wearing his winter jacket in the second tent picture.

Cycling Merit Badge

5 Mile bike ride to start the Cycling Merit Badge. Brennan was a little unsteady at first with the big bike, but he got comfortable and made the trip. Brian did fine - I didn't see him most of the time. That night Brennan had terrible pains in his leg while Annie & I were out - Allison did a solid job taking care of him with an Epsom salt bath. It was difficult to see.

Camp Brule Camporee

One night affair. Drove down Saturday morning, set up camp, made chili, the scouts set up their catapults / trebuchets, and then there were a bunch of night-time activities, including a ropes course. Both boys did great. Brian was able to do the ropes course, but Brennan was too young & too cold. Boys slept in the half-dome tent while I stayed solo in the Lunar Solo. It got down to 25 degrees at night! It was a good time, but exhausting.

Scout Camp Week

Brennan's first ever week of camp. Brian's 3rd week (year). Great week and can't wait to return. Warm, but not too hot. Bugs weren't bad until Wednesday night. Chicken BBQ dinner on Friday was not so good I thought, but Annie was pleased. Need to bring our own plates & flatware next time because the paper plates are weak.

Brennan took FYRE, Birdwatching, Fishing, and Leatherworking. Brian went with Shotgun, Astronomy, Emergency Prep, Pioneering, and Game Design. They also both did the Frontiersman badge which required some extra effort, including a 1-hour service project where they had to use shovels to clear some ditches on the sides of a trail.

**** The troop earned the spirit stick ****

They consistently did great on their inspections, site improvements, and Happy Hour.

5 miles on the FLT w/ the Boys

Brennan griped about having to go and then he had a rash on his waist and his feet were hurting. Still made it through without a big problem, though. It was all uphill at first and I considered cancelling - but the weather was perfect and the bugs were nearly non-existent. Good start to the Hiking merit badge.

Short hike with Brian

Trying to get to 20 and keep the legs loose - so sore from yesterday.

3 Dudes Hiking

Unexpectedly chilly and light rain throughout. Brennan really fought us about going, but Annie supported his going and after his nap on the way to the trail, he was in good spirits. Lean-to site is wicked awesome. Really need to remember to wear boots & bring extra socks! Muddy in some spots and with the steady rain, we weren't quite ready. Short trip, though so no biggie. I carried my 20+ pound pack. Boys carried daypacks with water & snacks. Brennan & I wore sneakers - stupid choice. Found a tick on my pants as I was driving home - yech.

Hiking w/ the Boys

Got both boys to go with me, but Lil b wasn't happy about it at first. He didn't gripe much, but he wasn't his usual jolly self. Got a nice bit of hiking, but not as far as I was hoping - started an hour late and took many mini-breaks for the kids. No dog today - too muddy and I wanted to be able to focus on the boys. My L foot external edge gave me a bit of grief after 1 mile, but not enough for me to stop. I did wear a 20 lb pack - sleeping bag, tent, bear canister (full), cook kit, toiletries, and 2L of water - lucky I had 2 bottles as Brian missed packing his in his pocket so he took one of mine.

Lessons learned:

• Bring contractor bag to keep pack contents dry!
• Turn around on path intermittently to be sure trail is marked both ways (especially near fallen trees) - and see if you dropped anything :-)
• Double check your load! Brennan chose to not bring his pack which didn't click to me, but that meant we didn't have his emergency inhaler OR a first aid kit. Stupid.

Backpacking practice w/ Brian

Finally got out this year - had to push this back twice and didn't to get to go to FLT as I had hoped. But felt great to get out. Brian's new pack seemed fine and he loved the trekking poles. He was quite adventurous and had a good time.

Here are a few pics.

Start of 2019

It's been a slow, sad, depressing end to 2018 in the way I have failed to get enough sleep, eat well, or otherwise take care of myself. Hoping for a better attitude & commitment going forward. But I have been blessed with a beautiful family and so many things God has forgiven me for, I need to focus & take advantage.

Annie is w/ her parents in FL - they flew down today.

Allison is at the Updyke's overnight.

Just the boys, me, Belle, and Stella. Went to bed at 11pm and they are sleeping soundly but I stayed up to look over some things. Tomorrow taking J and the kids to the Rochester Museum of Play - I'll be missing a New Years Day hike on the FLT, mainly due to Brennan's asthma, but not much you can do about that.

Annie returns Thursday.

Brian Birthday - Laser Tag

Brian sent out the invitations to his friends and we all had a BLAST playing laser tag! Uncle Andrew & his kids played also. It was rainy and dark at the start and thank goodness Annie brought extra hats, gloves, & scarves. It got warmer eventually. I didn't think 1 hour would be enough time, but everyone seemed happy afterwards. Once I got top-gun and another time I had the best kill-to-death ration (10:2). Brian invited Tully, Jackson Olson, Ethan Hursh, Linus, Phillipe, & James (couldn't make it). After that we went to Aniello's which was mobbed, but there was enough space for us - nana & dudey came also as that was where they said goodbye to Andrew & family.

Backpacking w/ Brian

Love my 4" Sea to Summit pad. We were pretty comfy at night but for some reason we are ALWAYS on an incline and sliding down during the night. I need to bring double pillows from now on - I slept a bit but not soundly.

Things we forgot: Brian long pants, winter hat, gloves. Brian had chicken teriyaki for dinner and I had mushroom risotto. Then oatmeal for breakfast. I had an upset stomach around lunchtime on Sunday, but otherwise all was good. Legs are sore for us - my quads, Brian's calves.

Car Camping / Labor Day Weekend

Annie, Evan, Brian, Brennan, and I stayed overnight at Watkins Glen State Park site # 184. Tough time staking down the tent corners since the ground was so hard-packed. There were a couple other sites we saw where it was more open field - which also got more direct sunlight and would have been hotter!

We set up camp, went to hike the Gorge for a while and visited Glen Dairy Bar for ice cream. We tried to swim at the pool but it was temporarily closed. We considered the beach on the lake, but when we got there it said "No Lifeguard = No Swimming" so Annie put the kibosh on that. By the time we got back up the hill the pool was open and we enjoyed that for about an hour. There were a lot of people but the pool was so big you didn't really notice and the boys loved the diving board. Wish Allison had joined us!

After that back to camp to hang the wet stuff, start a fire, roast hot dogs, make S'mores, and then sleep. All 5 of us fit in the big red tent and for the first time in my life, I slept without a rain-fly. It was still warm when we went to sleep but no one needed anything more than blankets during the night. I didn't sleep great and Evan had inverted so his feet were in my face all night, but not sleeping was to be expected.

We didn't do breakfast in the morning as we were in a rush to get Evan home but first Brennan desperately wanted to go fishing. So we went to the pier near the fancy hotel and fished for a couple hours. It was very annoying to me how the reels weren't working right and kept getting tangled. Seemed like there was always at least one that needed to be fixed. But at least everyone got a chance.

Then took Evan to Alpine Junction around noon, then home. I dropped off the boys & Mommy, went to in-laws to get the dog, then back home to clean up. At 2pm we left to pick up in-laws and all drove to Fr Browns family lakehouse on Keuka Lake. Brennan & Brian fished almost the whole time since they didn't know the other kids. Annie and I hung w/ Fr Jones a bit. We left around 5 I think, just as Nana got sick in a bag in the car. Drove everyone home and started to relax for about 10 minutes before Annie made me take Brennan fishing again.

I took him down behind Wegmans and the light rain really added to the allure. I never thought I liked fishing but it was fun. We waded into the river to get our lines closer to the deep spots. I caught the little Bass in the picture, but it was Brennan's first time touching a real fish and holding it up like that. The colors on the photo are awesome! I could probably even be talked into going with him again sometime.

State Fair / Labor Day Weekend

Went to NYS Fair on Friday as Allison, Annie, and Samantha were helping volunteer at the NYS Parks as Girl Scouts. Picked up Evan on the way. The boys hung out in the car for a while and relaxed. Then we brought some food to the girls and waited for their shift to end at 2:30pm.  They seemed to have fun and the birdhouses were not the little toy kind - they were pretty big.

We didn't do any rides, just walked around a bit, saw the butter sculpture and got some milk, saw the cows, had a cool time at NYS stuff - FEMA, aquarium, hunting, bug control. We tried to connect with Dave & Heather but with Oliver, they just wanted to do different stuff and it was tough to get together. The kids bugged about doing rides but we decided not to do that to save some bucks.

We also went to the new Expo center which was nice & cool thanks to the skating rink. It was a lot of walking and not doing much but at least we got in & parked for free. We had planned to go home, but after talking to L & C we stayed overnight at their house - we had packed bags just in case. And that was a blast of course. The kids got to run around & play outside with Logan & the girls got to do girly talk with Alexandra & Christine.

On Saturday we took it pretty slow and didn't leave their house until lunch time. Then we went to this nice ice cream place and all got ice cream. Then we went to the chocolate store, and then walked over to the pizza place / huge indoor soccer field place. We got to play soccer, throw the frisbee, eat pizza, and got MORE ice cream (for free this time). Then we finally left - I think around 3pm.

To the chagrin of the kids we then stopped at Skaneateles Lake for a few minutes (nice pics), then went to Swabby's where Annie and I went on our first "date". We got drinks, chicken, fries, and t-shirts. It was pretty cool to see after all these years.

Lastly we stopped at CHEESE on 414 and took some group pictures before finally getting Samantha home at 7:30pm. Might go car-camping tomorrow. I was thinking backpacking, but at least it's outside!

Sworkit w/ the boys

They complained, but they had fun.