I don’t know if it qualifies as willdernes trip, but we’ve been having a relatively warm winter here in southern New England, so the local crew decided to get one more camping trip in before the end of the year. Without too much arm-twisting we got a group of 5 together for an overnight trip at the Burlingame Canoe Campsites on the Pawcatuck River – me, Bob, Dan, John and Chuck.
The weather forecast was mixed with slight chance showers Saturday afternoon, day-time temperatures in the 40’s, and night-time temperatures dropping into the 20’s. I met the group at the Bradford Landing for the 4-mile trip up to the campsite. With several inches of rain over the past two-weeks, the river was high and it was a bit of a slog paddling upstream in loaded boats.
At Burlingame there is an open field and five smaller wooded sites. We decided to camp in the field, and lugged our gear up from the river. The tents went up first, then the rain fly, then the kitchen. We got a short rain shower after everything was set up, but we stayed dry under the tarp while we enjoyed John’s chili for lunch.
After lunch we took a walk to check out the other campsites before lighting the campfire. Dan cooked nachos in his reflector oven for an afternoon snack, quesedillas in his Big Daddy Skillet as an appetizer, and Tuscan White Bean Stew with grilled garlic bread for dinner. Desert was Strawberry Shortcake with Bob’s homemade biscuits baked in his Camper’s Cook All Camper Kitchen baking pan.
The sky eventually cleared, and we got a great view of the night stars as we sat around the fire. We heard coyotes, owls, and the Amtrak Acela on its hourly run between Boston and New York (not exactly wilderness). After many tall-tales and war-stories we finally turned in for the night at around 10:00. Temperatures dropped into the 20’s, but I stayed snug and warm in my winter sleeping bag.
Before I knew it I heard someone moving around outside. It was Dan getting the morning fire started. I got the coffee perking and fired up my Dutch oven to make a batch of my grandmother’s cinnamon rolls. Dan cooked bacon and homefries in his Big Daddy Skillet, and I cooked omelets on the stove. John said this trip was all about the food, and he was right - we didn’t go hungry.
After breakfast we packed up camp for the trip back to Bradford Landing. Dan had his drysuit on, so he did a New Year’s Polar Plunge off the rope swing before we left. With the high water, we were able to take a detour to explore the marshland along Poquiant Brook, which flows from Watchaug Pond in the Burlingame State Park to the Pawcatuck River. Great trip and a nice way to end the year.
You can check out John’s video here.
For those interested, there is some good video of Bob baking biscuits in his Camper’s Cook All Camper Kitchen baking pan starting at around 5:02.
Few pictures here.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/eckilson/albums/72177720313729551
from just our body heat.