Five Mile Mountain

[Bunchberry]

Thursday I visited Five Mile Mountain. There are few finer forests. The blacks flies did not bother me while in motion and just a few spritzes of organic bug spray kept them at bay while snacking. The forest is dry. It has me worried about the Spongy Moths in the coming weeks.

I was inspired by the trail work. Multiple large White Birches were sawed through. A few other trees too. The trail was in great shape.

Now I have good news and bad news.

Good news first! My Volunteer Stewardship Agreement came through! So at the next available moment I will be heading out into the forest with my saw!

Bad news next.... My 93 year old mom's health has diminished and needs me and my 2 other bothers to spend time with her. I am spending weeks at a time on Long Island.

Would have thought? It figures!

[FlyFishingandBeer]

Sorry about your mom's health, but good for you for getting your docs submitted and being willing to do some work.

[Yury]

My Volunteer Stewardship Agreement came through! So at the next available moment I will be heading out into the forest with my saw!

What is "Volunteer Stewardship Agreement"? How do you get one?
Have you got a personalized saw with your own VIN number?
What model is this?
Is this gas, electric or manual saw?

[Makwa]

Sounds like she raised some good sons. The mountains will wait for you.

If you're looking for some things to do down on Long Island I seem to recall that there were a half dozen or more fire towers standing down there at one point. I'm pretty sure all are gone now but maybe you could hike to the top of each of those hills. Would have to do some research though. I've never doped them out so I'm unsure if any of the hills are on private land.

[Makwa]

Thanks.

I now wonder if Dix Hills is named after John Adams Dix for whom the Dixes in the ADKs are named for.

[SeaLevel]

No relationship! Another land swap with the indigenous of the area.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dix_Hills,_New_York

[Makwa]

If only I had a device where I could look up facts and trivia. I am so lazy. I can't even google something! Thanks.

[FlyFishingandBeer]

Along the same lines as Makwa suggested, don't forget about Caltopo. I've made it a point to fire it up virtually everywhere I travel to. You never know what sort of little hiking or casual walking gem might be just around the corner that you never would have known about otherwise. Sometimes the routes you'll find are just some local's daily jogging route, and sometimes you'll have the perfect afternoon stroll mapped out for you, and it'll be something that doesn't show up on any NatGeo map.

I'm no expert on long Island terrain, having only ever been out as far as Massapequa Park a few times, but Caltopo indicates the further east you go the more promising some of the island's green spaces become.

[Makwa]

I assume you are using the MapBuilder layers or overlay and just hunting for red lines?

[FlyFishingandBeer]

Makwa Both. I start by opening up MaBuilder Topo and hunting for red lines, and if an area looks interesting I'll play with the overlays to do some "e-recon."

[Bunchberry]

Having lived on Long Island I do not even walk in the woods in the spring the ticks are so bad.

This was my calendar of activities:

Spring time/ Early summer = Road Biking
Late Summer/fall = Mountain Biking / hiking - All on wider trails
Winter = Mountain biking and hiking

My son was mountain biking in Rocky Point and went off the trail and had to put a foot down. That leg had like 10 ticks on it. Needless to say I rode very carefully in the warmer months.

I hated living there.

[SeaLevel]

Ticks are abundant no doubt, that's why you need to stick to the water, no ticks/poison ivy! The waters offers similar "wilderness" experiences as in the ADK's; solitude, ever changing environment, chance encounters with marine life and beautiful dark night time skies! It is part of the reason my 43/46 have all been wintertime endeavors! (I like no rocks, no roots, no bugs, no mud)! Message me if you would like to go sailing sometime, I am on the North Fork.

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