Well,  we feel really bad because our weekend plans did not come together as well as planned.  I’m glad we did it, but my nostalgia for my past life has been changed !  In 1979 I took some classmates from the Syracuse University -SUNY College of Forestry to Hawk Mt to observe the Fall migration of Hawks, Eagles, Ospreys, Falcons, and other birds.  We had a great time !  Stayed at the awesomely strange campground at a good cheap cost, spent most of the day watching Birds of Prey dive bomb us on top of a mountain, and genuinely bond as a group.

While I didn’t expect it to be the same, I wasn’t really up to the let down either, though it was a bad trip, it just can’t compare to my memories. And I guess maybe that is why we should “never go home” as the saying goes.  Forge ahead to new adventures and don’t try to relive the past.  It really can’t be done.  I have so much fun going new places and meeting new people, I’m surprised I even thought of doing this.  And I must say, truely the highlight of the trip, was the interesting people I met on the trails as we hiked the Appalachian Trail and up Hawk Mountain

Just as a sort of review though, Some stuff I don’t want to drag down the video with:  The campground we stayed in was very expensive and very primitive.  Not worth the price by any measurement.   The showers lasted exactly 13 seconds between push of a button. Not enough time to soap any part of your body and rinse the soap off your hands.  So what normally takes me 5-6 minutes in teh shower, took me 20 minutes trying to keep the water on (in a 35degree bathroom) and trying to soap up.  I understand the thought that people should really take “Navy Showers”, but lets have at least 30seconds before the water stops.  Also the shower stalls were really small. I could not bend over our raise my leg up to wash my feet..unless I stuck my butt out the door (against the Curtain).  There were only 2 flush toilets (but 5 showers).  And the Shower house / “Modern Bathroom” was totally open and as cold as outside.   Throughout the campground there were pit privys, but when its 30degrees, they can be a bit harsh.  And there are an aweful lot of full time seasonal sites now at the camp.

While the bathroom was very clean (theres only one ?!), The “Attraction” at the campground, the Blue rocks,  were littered with a lot of trash.  Beer cans, gaterade bottles, cigarettes, all kinds of chip bags and general snack food trash.   Its possible that all came last night after a party, but I doubt it. I’m sure how a facility can police and keep clean a 60 acre boulder field, but it would really help with the experience.  Also my campsite had 1/2 a bag of litter I picked up and tossed.  And I was on an extremely tiny site.

Anyway, if you’ve never been, I can still say its worth going. So maybe the proprietors don’t really care.  But don’t expect resort quality for the resort prices.   Stay safe everyone… Rick, Caesar, Dakota