Overnite at Island Pond

Overnite at Island Pond

On Thursday afternoon, July 4, to Friday morning, I camped out at Island Pond in Harriman State Park.  It was hot and humid with a couple of brief rain showers during the nite and another while I was preparing breakfast.

The parking lot on Kanawauke Rd. was full, but few hikers were going to Island Pond (which surprised me).  The hike from the parking lot to the pond takes about an hour if you're not hurrying and is slightly uphill.

I met 2 day hikers and a dog coming out, found a couple at the pond finishing up a swim (followed by blueberry picking), and much later a half dozen (or so) young adults arrived.  The YAs camped in the woods off the trail at a place Fr. Mulloy and I have used.  I camped, instead, in the ruins of the old ranger cabin.  Everyone tried out the water--which I found bathtub warm for the top inch or 2 on the surface, pleasantly chilled below that.

My supper was 1 large hot dog--the same as those prepared by Fr. Mike Conway for the house cookout--plus some trail mix and dried fruit, washed down with Crystal Lite.  Breakfast was hot granola with dried fruit, washed down with coffee.

Island Pond from the cabin ruins

I gathered some firewood by the fireplace.  But it was too warm to think about actually kindling a fire.  Maybe the smoke would have helped ward off the insects, which were nasty.  I came home with a lot of bites.  A head net I'd bought in Champaign in anticipation of a trip with Troop 9 to the Boundary Waters but had never used (because I moved before the trip) worked wonderfully well, and so did repellant.  I should've used more of the latter.

There were a lot of fireworks coming from (I think) 2 places, possibly Tuxedo and Arden or Harriman.  I couldn't see them--chiefly because I was so tired that I went to bed before 8 o'clock!  I couldn't even stay up to read. 

The window view during Mass rivals the view at Villa Maria overlooking Eastchester Bay.