Catskills Fall Jaunt

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Something that B and I have in common is that we like to get out of town for our b-days. For two years in a row we have seen our first snow of the season on the weekend between our b-days. This year we spent a couple of nights in West Kill, NY. It is a little town not far from Woodstock and Phoenecia. The place we stayed is on a dead end road on the back side of Hunter Mountain, called Spruceton Inn. The Inn is a cutesy (but not too cutesy) spot designed for exactly the type of weekend we were looking to have. Friday night we were able to build a fire and grill some burgs before the rain rolled in. We slept late on Saturday before hitting the Phoenicia Diner for brunch and exploring the town of Phoenicia for a bit. As we were headed back to toward the Inn Saturday afternoon, the rain turned to snow.

Saturday evening we dined at Peekamoose, which was a short drive from the Inn. Afterward, we stayed up late socializing and playing card games with some of the other guests in the Spruceton Inn canteen. Sunday morning the sun finally came out. B and I took a short hike (more of a nature walk, really) to Diamond Notch Falls before heading back to the city.

Despite the less than ideal weather, we had a really great time just relaxing and being off of the grid for a couple of days. I would definitely recommend all of the spots we stopped through. Although, be forewarned that the diner feels an awful lot like north Williamsburg. Even though we missed peak foliage, there were still plenty of colorful leaves on the trees. We may have to do it again next year.

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De la Weekend: High Uintas

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With each passing year, it becomes more difficult to be “off the grid.” It seems like there are new cell towers going up in every last remote region of the industrialized world. Last weekend I found myself in an area so remote that there was no cell service, and the nearest land line was a 4 hour hike away. It was refreshing. We spent 5 days in a Utah mountain range called the Uintas. My family vacationed there during the summer when I was young. Nestled between the dense lodge-pole pine trees on the edge of Moon Lake, there is a rustic ‘resort’ comprised of log cabins and a lodge dating back to the 1920s. Last weekend my family had a reunion in those same cabins. I thought that this would be a good opportunity to take B on an overnight backpacking trek for the first time in her life (something that I have enjoyed doing since I was a youngster). B and I arrived in Salt Lake a couple of days before the reunion started, met up with our good friend Sam Adams who came in from Portland (OR, not ME), and headed into the woods. We left the car at Moon Lake (which is where the road ends), and proceeded to hike to a remote glacier-melt called Brown Duck Lake. Even though the hike was only about 7 miles, there is roughly 2000 feet of elevation gain (starting from over 8000 feet). All three of us are in relatively good shape, and it still took us a little over 4 hours to complete. Our ginger pace may have also been partially attributable to the fact that I was carrying about 30 lbs in camera gear (which I broke out and used often along the way) in addition to the tent, sleeping bag, etc.. My shoulders are still a bit sore from the endeavor.

We arrived at Brown Duck Lake about an hour before sunset, in time to set up camp, build a fire and catch some fish for dinner. The lake is loaded with native trout. We caught a few different varieties, keeping only a brown trout and a cutthroat for dinner. After swapping Sasquatch stories and shooting about 300 frames of the night sky (mostly film and on Sam’s camera), we hung our packs in trees in an effort not to attract any bears, then hit the sack. We broke camp early the next AM and made it back down to Moon Lake just as some of my family was beginning to arrive. We spent the rest of our time in the mountains catching up with family, laughing, eating, fishing, hiking, playing horseshoes, and sitting around the fire. Sometimes it is really nice to be completely disconnected from the real world, especially when surrounded by amazing company.

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Watching the moonrise over Moon Lake

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Catching dinner.

Moon lake polaroid

Med format Polaroid by Sam Adams

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Long Exposure of B next to Brown Duck Lake. Peep those stars.

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Example of the impressive art collection that can be found in cabins at Moon Lake Resort

B rocking her Snob socks by the fire

B rocking her Snob socks by the fire

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Making wakes