Yesterday afternoon I biked over to where I could pick up the Tunxis trail about 3 miles from my front door. I had checked out a map and picked a likely place to camp next to a little tiny pond, right near where the trail crossed a small river. It was about a 2 mile hike over some steep hills to the spot.
I left the house at about 3 pm, but didn't make it to the camp spot until about 5 pm. I had a very difficult time finding where the trail went from the road into the woods (a 4-5 year old walking along the road with his grandmother was able to point me in the right direction), and I got turned around a little on the trail itself where it made a sharp turn without any warning (and another trail continued in a straight line)
Some nice ferns:
So I made it to where I wanted to camp and discovered that the little pond really was tiny. Only about 50 meters long and about 30 wide. At one end was a dam which gave me some nice water flowing sounds all night. Once I arrived at my spot I sat down to have a snack and I heard some rustling behind me where I had just come down the trail. I looked back and saw a black bear pop out onto the trail about 15 or 20 meters behind me. It paused and I made a little bit of noise (a friendly greeting) to let it know I was there, and it walked off on the other side of the trail.
I kept it super simple last night. For shelter, I only took my MSR E-Bivy, with no sleeping bag or blanket. I brought along a long sleeve athletic shirt, and I wore a spandex-y t-shirt and shorts. It rained pretty hard for a little while, and I wished I had brought my tarp, but it cleared up and everything was fine. I hardly got wet at all because I was under the leaf cover. I was a little chilly in the middle of the night, and I don't plan on leaving my blanket at home anymore.
Looking up, at dusk:
I brought a bratwurst for dinner, which I cooked over a very small fire (I used almost none of the larger wood in the photo, almost all kindling and pinkie sized pieces).
I had a very nice afternoon to myself in the woods, just relaxing and enjoying the sounds of water.
Some fun with my headlamp and a long exposure after dark:
What I woke up to:
I cleaned up and headed out almost soon as I woke up, eating an apple on the way out for breakfast.
I left the house at about 3 pm, but didn't make it to the camp spot until about 5 pm. I had a very difficult time finding where the trail went from the road into the woods (a 4-5 year old walking along the road with his grandmother was able to point me in the right direction), and I got turned around a little on the trail itself where it made a sharp turn without any warning (and another trail continued in a straight line)
Some nice ferns:
So I made it to where I wanted to camp and discovered that the little pond really was tiny. Only about 50 meters long and about 30 wide. At one end was a dam which gave me some nice water flowing sounds all night. Once I arrived at my spot I sat down to have a snack and I heard some rustling behind me where I had just come down the trail. I looked back and saw a black bear pop out onto the trail about 15 or 20 meters behind me. It paused and I made a little bit of noise (a friendly greeting) to let it know I was there, and it walked off on the other side of the trail.
I kept it super simple last night. For shelter, I only took my MSR E-Bivy, with no sleeping bag or blanket. I brought along a long sleeve athletic shirt, and I wore a spandex-y t-shirt and shorts. It rained pretty hard for a little while, and I wished I had brought my tarp, but it cleared up and everything was fine. I hardly got wet at all because I was under the leaf cover. I was a little chilly in the middle of the night, and I don't plan on leaving my blanket at home anymore.
Looking up, at dusk:
I brought a bratwurst for dinner, which I cooked over a very small fire (I used almost none of the larger wood in the photo, almost all kindling and pinkie sized pieces).
I had a very nice afternoon to myself in the woods, just relaxing and enjoying the sounds of water.
Some fun with my headlamp and a long exposure after dark:
What I woke up to:
I cleaned up and headed out almost soon as I woke up, eating an apple on the way out for breakfast.
i've been wondering where you've been.... 
