Mount Greylock camping trip

Hastings Campground

Pawtuckaway State Park

Went camping with family. Stayed at Pawtuckaway state park for three nights.
All loaded up with three adults and too much stuff. 

We caught just this one fish. It was hooked by accident as we retrieve the line. Back into the water it goes.











Camp often overrun by ducks, Baby duck was extremely adventurous and often left the poor mother behind.


























Hiking in North, Middle, and South mountain.

Fishing

Wild lives around camp

And... this is what happen when you can't finish the firewood. You carry them home. Kiln dried so they can be carried across statelines.

Beartown State Park

A local camping spot that is open all year around. This place has a nice pond with some off roading trails (not really, just gravel roads that is for snowmobile if we ever get enough snow this winter).

Snow covered pond. Not open for ice fishing because the ice is unstable.










Climbed the Appalachian trail up to a vista. Appalachian white trail blazing really sucks in winter time because it blends into the snowy surrounding. A surprising pond at the top.













Nice view at the top but going back down is hazardous because of how steep the trail is. Resorted to sliding all the way down. Not that bad of a way to go except for surprising rocks under the snow.








Weather much clearer in the afternoon with view from another vista

Sunrise at Benedict pond. Glad I woke up early for it.

Beartown State Park camping 1/15/2016

Call me crazy but I did went camping in the dead of winter. My co-workers were all nervous enough that they had one of them check up on me to make sure I didn't get eaten by bear, frozen in the middle of nowhere, or mugged by strangers. The park ranger just laughed and told me not to stay another night because there was a snow storm coming in the next night.

Fully loaded, snowshoe was completely unnecessary. Sleeping bag only fit in the backseat but everything else fit in the cargo area just fine.










My chosen camping spot, high traffic area but you get a view of the lake












I haven't even unpack anything before this little thing attacked me. At least wait till I get my food out you crazy bird.











First sign of trouble, a nice clear thick layer of ice below the snow. This make walking around the camp ground super fun (and dangerous) and staking impossible. New England soil never helped staking your tent down anyway but ice just made thing even more depressing.







I managed to wack some stake in. The stakes on the left did not stay over night, rest just froze in place so they managed to stay.

I have achieved fire!! All the kindles were wet and frozen so I had to get a little creative (and use some of the kindling that people left in bear boxes)

Since I am here to post this, I did survive the night. Little did I know (till about a week ago) that the temperature dropped to 9 degree F that night. I was cold during the night and decided I rather be warm and not dead than cold. I moved my sleeping bag to my car and slept through the night without any problem even with windows down. Learned my lesson, need to get a warmer sleeping pad to insulate myself from the icy floor.




Next morning I took my car home the long way through the unpaved roads in the park.