Fall Camping

Last weekend, we took a break from canning and went camping. Fall camping trips are the best because the heat from the fire feels great, but it's not so cold out that you're freezing your butt off. You can still sleep comfortably, and the chill in the air makes your sleeping bag the coziest place on earth.  The lean-to we went to was on the Finger Lakes Trail, a long trail extending from Alleghany State Park in Western NY to the Catskills, in the southeast of New York. We love the Finger Lakes Trail. I don't think we'll ever live far from it, and it's a good thing because we use it several times per week. The Lean-To's are awesome things. When we first brought friends there, they were expecting the boy-scout lean-to made of a tarp and some sticks...wrong. These lean-tos are more like a three-sided cabin. It was dark when we got there, so I didn't get a pic of the one we went to, but here's en example:

These things are great. Sometimes, there's a nearby latrine, and the lean-to pictured even has a natural spring a stone's throw away. There's always a fire pit, and depending on the person who maintains it, there's often kindling, toilet paper, and I've even found a bible at one of the lean-tos. There's a trail register, where all who pass by or camp for the night can leave a quick note. It's fun to read those. Sometimes there are some pretty weird entries.

The lean-to we went to last weekend had a load of firewood, which was nice since we didn't arrive until after dark, and a stream running by it. It was a nice place, and we decided we'd be coming back sometime soon.
We went with a couple of friends: Alex and Danya. I unfortunately didn't get a picture of them. We both brought our dogs. It was their first time camping, and they did well! We were thrilled to discover that Sarge wouldn't be up all night protecting us from unseen demons (she does this at home sometimes. Super annoying, but cute).

Sgt, our dog, carried in her own gear with one of the dog packs we purchased at the REI Sale. She was a little uncomfortable wearing it, but I am told that it's normal for the dog to take a while to get used to it. This picture stinks, so you can't really see her, but she looked so cute in the pack.
When we arrived back at our car the next morning, there was a surprise waiting:

Yep, somebody smashed in our windshield. Probably some lame teenagers trying desperately to amuse themselves. Here's the funny thing about such random acts of vandalism: you don't get to enjoy it. You smash the windshield, then go on your way...you don't even get to see the peoples' reaction. In our case, it would have been disappointing to wait around for our reaction, because this is what Brian said when he noticed it: "Hey Esther, you should come take a look at our windshield." hahahaha. We still drove the thing the entire day. Luckily, our car's junky enough that comprehensive insurance is only an additional $10 per month, so it was covered. When the windshield was replaced, it was like having a new car. I didn't realize how stained our old one was. It had been bombarded with bugs on the outside, and with my toe prints on the inside (I like to put my feet on the dash). Anyway, despite the quaintness of the lean-to, we've decided not to go back. Even though it wasn't a huge pain, we'd prefer not to serve as entertainment for the local youth.