Northern New York 2009 Winter Camping Trip


(our campsite last year started out with about 2 feet of snow on the ground, so we dug paths to make moving around easier)

A number of Zombie Squad members from the Northeast USA (and in some cases, from outside that area) will be getting together for our second annual winter camping trip from February 13 to 15 of 2009 in Northern New York. This will be a good chance to meet face to face, test out our gear, watch some zombie movies, and indulge in some cold-weather cocktails, and generally enjoy being hardasses.


(the outhouse seemed a luxury until you tried sitting on the seat at almost -20 degrees...screamtastic)

We'll be camping at Polliwog Pond, at roughly N 44? 20.380 W 074? 21.030. The campsite is roughly: 3.5 hours from Albany, NY; 3 hours from Syracuse, NY; 2 hours from Montreal, QC; and 2.5 hours from Burlington, VT. I've attached a map with the campsites and some other useful pointers to allow some pre-planning for those who may be interested in the camping trip. The Google Map can also provide directions.


View Larger Map

You can see some pictures of the trip in the thread from last year at ZS or from my blog.

Nitty Gritty

Required Clothes: Multiple layers of warm clothes (fleece and poly-pro a plus), wind/water resistant/proof outer layer, multiple hats/gloves/socks

Required Gear: Tent or space in someone else's (I've got room in mine for 1 or 2 people), sleeping bag (rated down to at least 0 degrees, it got down to almost -20 during last year's trip), cookset

Required Food: lots of calories, lots of fat, lot of protein (we can talk about this more as the dates get closer)

Any other gear and clothes and food (and drink) that you are able to bring and/or interested in testing out will be great and add to the fun and learning...


(after the sun went down, at around 4pm, it got cold quickly, and was a good thing that we had plenty of firewood)

There are lots of things that we could do, in addition to simply surviving the cold, including:

I'll bring some firewood for a big socializing fire one of the nights.

Weather: Ranging from cold to barbarically cold, probably snow on the ground...maybe in the air (sometimes freezing rain)...February 15th in 2006: Max Temperature: 44 ?F / 6 ?C, Min Temperature: 30 ?F / -1 ?C...February 15th in 2003: Max Temperature: -2 ?F / -18 ?C, Min Temperature: -36 ?F / -37 ?C...below you will find the current weather in the Polliwog Pond Area...

Click for Lake Clear, New York Forecast

Important Note:

For those with concerns about their abilities/gear in winter camping, let me point out a couple of things: we'll be a short/no walk from vehicles, we'll be within 10 miles of Casa NFA, we'll be within 15 miles of a hospital, we're 5 miles from a bar (if we need to seek shelter from the cold one night), I'll bring some extra warm stuff, and we'll all agree to keep an eye out for each others' well-being.


(the first morning we woke up to extreme cold, and a breeze off of the pond brought the temperature down even further...make sure to bring plenty of warm stuff)

What we will be doing

Friday, February 13th, 2009 -

Saturday, February 14th, 2009 -

Sunday, February 15th, 2009 -


(it was cold enough to explode all of the beers that weren't buried deeply enough in the snow, and to freeze the ouzo in this bottle)

How much will it cost?

Nothing...but it would be cool if everyone who attends could bring 3-5 cans of canned goods or some drygoods to give to the Tri-Lake Community Foodbank...

How do I sign up?

It's easy!...send an email to me jsheffield@gmail.com expressing your interest in attending, and we'll get in touch with a registration form and liability waiver (once we develop them)...


(despite the cold, we all had a great time last year, and hope that you'll come join us this year!)

Other points of interest:

Firearms - We may end up taking a trip to a nearby spot for some shooting, but all firearms and anyone handling them must by NY legal, and the firearms must be locked up at all times except when we're at the range.

Alcohol - The legal drinking age will be observed. If you drink we ask that you drink responsibly.

Drugs - We will not be able to hold/administer/supply any form of medication, including anything as minor as aspirin, so be sure to bring your own. We will not tolerate any illegal drug use on the camping trip.

For more information (or if you have questions, please feel free to get in touch with me via email at: jsheffield@gmail.com, or participate in the ongoing thread in the ZS forums.

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