DSettahr
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Pictures here: https://picasaweb.google.com/116537596394442741068/LeanTo100CottonHill#
I spent a lot of time trying to decide which lean-to would be the 100th lean-to I'd spent a night in. Would it be in the Adirondacks, or the Catskills? Would it be a short walk in, or someplace really remote? Would there be any lakes nearby? Or mountains to climb?
In the end, I decided to do something a little bit different. In order to make this lean-to stand out (more so, that is, than just having the distinction of being the hundredth lean-to I'd spent at least one night in), it would be in neither the Adirondacks nor the Catskills, but in a State Forest. State Forests are often under-valued and under-appreciated in New York State- with the abundance of recreational opportunities in the Adirondacks and Catskills, as well as the state parks managed by the OPRHP, many people often don't even realize the opportunities for recreation that exist right in their own backyards.
Schoharie County, adjacent to Albany County, is host to three lean-tos on state land. The northern most section of the Long Path traverses Schoharie County on it's way from the Catskills to Albany County, and as it does so, it passes through numerous state forests that are located in the more rural sections of the Heldeberg Mountains. Each of these three lean-tos lies in a state forest, and are available to the public for free first-come first serve camping (in fact, the same rules apply to camping in state forests as on forest preserve lands- 150 feet from water, roads, trails, except at designated sites, etc.)
Since I grew up in Delmar, NY, and I occasionally go back there to visit, I'd been eying these lean-tos for some time. When it came time to pick a 100th lean-to, I selected the Cotton Hill lean-to, the closest of the three to Albany County, located in the Dutch Settlement Sate Forest near West Berne, NY. On Saturday afternoon (the same day the world was predicted to end), my friend Anna and I made the half hour drive from Delmar to West Berne, and then continued up into the hills to the Dutch Settlement State Forest. The parking area was easy to find, the Long Path well marked, and, as the lean-to was only a short ways in, we were soon dropping our packs inside the shelter with plenty of daylight left.
At first, we took some time to explore the vicinity of the lean-to. The lean-to is located on top of Cotton Hill, on the edge of a plantation Norway spruce forest. It's always interesting to go hiking (or even camping) in New York outside of the Adirondacks and the Catskills- I've become so used to the granite of the Adirondacks and the sandstone of the Catskills that seeing limestone outcrops is a foreign experience that stands out in my mind. The forest type was different that I'm used to here, too- oaks and hophornbeams, occasionally but rarely found in the Adirondacks. Certainly different than I'm used to, but a nice and welcome change for sure!
The bugs were starting to drive us nuts, so we returned to the shelter and got a fire going to drive them away. As the afternoon turned to dusk and the sun began to set I couldn't help but reflect on what 100 lean-tos meant. I tried to picture what 100 lean-tos would look like. I tried to picture even what just a 100 pictures of a lean-to would look like... no matter how I viewed it, it seemed like a lot! To think that it would take more than 3 straight months if I were to return to each and every single one of them and spend a night there is astounding. Some might say that I need a new hobby, but I disagree!
I also found myself thinking back on individual lean-tos. My very first was one of the two lean-tos at Catlin Bay, on the Northville-Placid Trail on Long Lake, in February 2002 with the RIT Outing Club. My favorite lean-to? It'd be a tough choice. A running joke between me and my friends is that my "favorite lean-to" is always the last one I've seen. I can think of a few that stand out for various reasons, though- South Lake in the West Canada Lakes for the views of sunset. Woodhull Lake for the view of the sunrise. Plumely's Point on Long Lake for the 12+ hour long winter storm we waited out in January of 2006. The McMartin Lean-to at Lake Colden, where I learned the importance of having a winter sleeping bag when it's winter. Silver Lake where I grabbed a stove that was burning out of control and tossed it into a snow bank on a cold winter evening. Whiteface Brook where I spent my first night alone in the woods. Ouluska where I felt like I was probably the most remote person in New York State on that lonely November evening. Wolf Jaws where I immediately passed out after carrying a full pack over the Great Range. Bent Spike where we arrived on skis and brought whiskey and egg nog to keep us warm through the night. Ward Brook, Grass Pond, Copperas Pond, Sacandaga River, Church Pond, Osgood Pond, Marvin Pond, Peter's Rock, and Duck Hole, among others, for the people I stayed there with and the memories I have of those nights.
That first lean-to at Catlin Bay had been on my first backpacking trip ever. The hiking bug had had gotten a hold of me then, but it didn't really catch on permanently until about 4 years later. It was some time during either late 2005 or early 2006 that the idea formed in my head- that I could spend a night in every lean-to in New York State. And 100 lean-tos doesn't even begin to cover the nights I've slept in the woods! Many of those lean-tos I've spent multiple nights in. I've lost track of exactly how many nights I've slept in the woods, but at a rough conservative estimate puts it at more than 300 nights. By the end of this year, I'll be able to confidently say that I've done at least a year's worth of overnights in the woods (365 nights), most of that within that past 5 years.
Soon, the stars were out and the daylight had been reduced to a mere glimmer on the horizon. Though the trees, we could see lights across the valley. Such a sight might have detracted from a night out in the woods in a more remote setting, but here everything had a very pastoral feel, with all the nearby farms and what not. The breeze had died down, the bugs had all gone away for the evening, and it was very peaceful up on Cotton Hill. The fire died down as we went to bed but remained lit all night long, the embers and coals giving off a fading red light well into the early hours of morning.
We awoke to find the shelter shrouded in mist. We were able to use the coals to heat water for the morning, and before leaving, decided to explore a bit more. We followed the Long Path east a little ways, over Cotton Hill and down the other side. The Long Path was well marked with the aqua blazes characteristic of that trail, but it was obvious that few people ever travel it (at least this section of it!).
As morning progressed, the bugs started to come back out, and before long the magic was lost as we started swatting more and more of them away. We returned to the lean-to, packed up, and headed out.
A short and easy hike, but surely one I'll remember for some time due to it's significance. It was neat to be able to spend it in a beautiful but different area just outside of the Capital Region. By my last count, there are approximately 275 lean-tos in New York State, which puts me more than a third of the way towards my goal. Having reached this point in about 5 years, I've decided that trying to fulfill my goal within the next decade isn't unreasonable. So here's to the next 10 years and 175 lean-tos!
I spent a lot of time trying to decide which lean-to would be the 100th lean-to I'd spent a night in. Would it be in the Adirondacks, or the Catskills? Would it be a short walk in, or someplace really remote? Would there be any lakes nearby? Or mountains to climb?
In the end, I decided to do something a little bit different. In order to make this lean-to stand out (more so, that is, than just having the distinction of being the hundredth lean-to I'd spent at least one night in), it would be in neither the Adirondacks nor the Catskills, but in a State Forest. State Forests are often under-valued and under-appreciated in New York State- with the abundance of recreational opportunities in the Adirondacks and Catskills, as well as the state parks managed by the OPRHP, many people often don't even realize the opportunities for recreation that exist right in their own backyards.
Schoharie County, adjacent to Albany County, is host to three lean-tos on state land. The northern most section of the Long Path traverses Schoharie County on it's way from the Catskills to Albany County, and as it does so, it passes through numerous state forests that are located in the more rural sections of the Heldeberg Mountains. Each of these three lean-tos lies in a state forest, and are available to the public for free first-come first serve camping (in fact, the same rules apply to camping in state forests as on forest preserve lands- 150 feet from water, roads, trails, except at designated sites, etc.)
Since I grew up in Delmar, NY, and I occasionally go back there to visit, I'd been eying these lean-tos for some time. When it came time to pick a 100th lean-to, I selected the Cotton Hill lean-to, the closest of the three to Albany County, located in the Dutch Settlement Sate Forest near West Berne, NY. On Saturday afternoon (the same day the world was predicted to end), my friend Anna and I made the half hour drive from Delmar to West Berne, and then continued up into the hills to the Dutch Settlement State Forest. The parking area was easy to find, the Long Path well marked, and, as the lean-to was only a short ways in, we were soon dropping our packs inside the shelter with plenty of daylight left.
At first, we took some time to explore the vicinity of the lean-to. The lean-to is located on top of Cotton Hill, on the edge of a plantation Norway spruce forest. It's always interesting to go hiking (or even camping) in New York outside of the Adirondacks and the Catskills- I've become so used to the granite of the Adirondacks and the sandstone of the Catskills that seeing limestone outcrops is a foreign experience that stands out in my mind. The forest type was different that I'm used to here, too- oaks and hophornbeams, occasionally but rarely found in the Adirondacks. Certainly different than I'm used to, but a nice and welcome change for sure!
The bugs were starting to drive us nuts, so we returned to the shelter and got a fire going to drive them away. As the afternoon turned to dusk and the sun began to set I couldn't help but reflect on what 100 lean-tos meant. I tried to picture what 100 lean-tos would look like. I tried to picture even what just a 100 pictures of a lean-to would look like... no matter how I viewed it, it seemed like a lot! To think that it would take more than 3 straight months if I were to return to each and every single one of them and spend a night there is astounding. Some might say that I need a new hobby, but I disagree!
I also found myself thinking back on individual lean-tos. My very first was one of the two lean-tos at Catlin Bay, on the Northville-Placid Trail on Long Lake, in February 2002 with the RIT Outing Club. My favorite lean-to? It'd be a tough choice. A running joke between me and my friends is that my "favorite lean-to" is always the last one I've seen. I can think of a few that stand out for various reasons, though- South Lake in the West Canada Lakes for the views of sunset. Woodhull Lake for the view of the sunrise. Plumely's Point on Long Lake for the 12+ hour long winter storm we waited out in January of 2006. The McMartin Lean-to at Lake Colden, where I learned the importance of having a winter sleeping bag when it's winter. Silver Lake where I grabbed a stove that was burning out of control and tossed it into a snow bank on a cold winter evening. Whiteface Brook where I spent my first night alone in the woods. Ouluska where I felt like I was probably the most remote person in New York State on that lonely November evening. Wolf Jaws where I immediately passed out after carrying a full pack over the Great Range. Bent Spike where we arrived on skis and brought whiskey and egg nog to keep us warm through the night. Ward Brook, Grass Pond, Copperas Pond, Sacandaga River, Church Pond, Osgood Pond, Marvin Pond, Peter's Rock, and Duck Hole, among others, for the people I stayed there with and the memories I have of those nights.
That first lean-to at Catlin Bay had been on my first backpacking trip ever. The hiking bug had had gotten a hold of me then, but it didn't really catch on permanently until about 4 years later. It was some time during either late 2005 or early 2006 that the idea formed in my head- that I could spend a night in every lean-to in New York State. And 100 lean-tos doesn't even begin to cover the nights I've slept in the woods! Many of those lean-tos I've spent multiple nights in. I've lost track of exactly how many nights I've slept in the woods, but at a rough conservative estimate puts it at more than 300 nights. By the end of this year, I'll be able to confidently say that I've done at least a year's worth of overnights in the woods (365 nights), most of that within that past 5 years.
Soon, the stars were out and the daylight had been reduced to a mere glimmer on the horizon. Though the trees, we could see lights across the valley. Such a sight might have detracted from a night out in the woods in a more remote setting, but here everything had a very pastoral feel, with all the nearby farms and what not. The breeze had died down, the bugs had all gone away for the evening, and it was very peaceful up on Cotton Hill. The fire died down as we went to bed but remained lit all night long, the embers and coals giving off a fading red light well into the early hours of morning.
We awoke to find the shelter shrouded in mist. We were able to use the coals to heat water for the morning, and before leaving, decided to explore a bit more. We followed the Long Path east a little ways, over Cotton Hill and down the other side. The Long Path was well marked with the aqua blazes characteristic of that trail, but it was obvious that few people ever travel it (at least this section of it!).
As morning progressed, the bugs started to come back out, and before long the magic was lost as we started swatting more and more of them away. We returned to the lean-to, packed up, and headed out.
A short and easy hike, but surely one I'll remember for some time due to it's significance. It was neat to be able to spend it in a beautiful but different area just outside of the Capital Region. By my last count, there are approximately 275 lean-tos in New York State, which puts me more than a third of the way towards my goal. Having reached this point in about 5 years, I've decided that trying to fulfill my goal within the next decade isn't unreasonable. So here's to the next 10 years and 175 lean-tos!
