A Beautiful & Memorable Weekend
- The Site
The camp site was absolutely beautiful. We arrived to a clean, dry, and tidy bell tent in a small, sunny clearing in a field of wildflowers and tall grasses. A pair of folding chairs were already at the site for us, which made sitting around our small campfire pit (about 15-20 feet from the tent) comfortable. In addition to the campfire pit we were provided with a small charcoal grill.
Having running water and a proper toilet in the mudroom of the nearby house was great, and though we weren't able to figure out warm water for the indoor shower, we had more fun using the outdoor shower (also with warm water) in our swimsuits.
- Nearby
The town of Lexington is a quiet and lovely place to walk around, especially around sunrise and sunset. From what we experienced, there wasn't a lot in terms of stores or restaurants in Lexington (just a van across the street selling wonderful baked goods), but we had brought all of our own camping food, so that was fine. There's also a nice swimming hole in the river about 4 minutes' walk from the bell tent. The water was super chilly this time of year, but we still had fun splashing around on the warmer afternoon.
We also did some "bushwhacking" by hiking through the field of wildflowers and going straight south into the forest on Rusk Mountain. We made sure to have a working compass and roaming data to access a topographical map, but it proved to be a lovely (albeit steep) exercise, up to a little over 3,200 ft. I recommend bringing a good pair of hiking boots with ankle support and long pants to protect from thorns (there were a lot of wild rosebushes) and to keep warm in the shade.
- Hosts
Our host Alejandro and the folks living/working at Lexington Arts + Science were friendly, helpful, and accommodating. On arrival they showed us where things were and even provided a nice little printed map of the grounds. We were also invited to join in on a Chekhov reading and a bonfire, which we kindly declined since the point of our trip was to try taking a break from social interaction. Maybe next time, though!
- Atmosphere
We stayed here in the second week of September, so we experienced a range of temperatures peaking at 75 F during a sunny day to a low of 39 F at night. We even had a little rain one afternoon while we were hanging out in the tent. We were glad we brought heat packs, thermal socks and underwear, and extra layers, which were essential for the colder nights.
We're early risers and were usually up before 8am each day, but noticed what sounded like drum practice coming from the nearby barn at around 9am one morning, which could be a little disruptive if you're trying to sleep in and don't have earplugs. We also heard occasional sounds from hunting activity in the mountains, but nothing very close by.
- Getting There from NYC
We came up from the city via Trailways bus with the intent on taking Ubers/Lyfts/Taxis for short trips between towns and to/from hiking trailheads (our Uber and Lyft apps said there were drivers in the area).
We were either unlucky with timing or overoptimistic because there were no car services available in the area when we arrived, so we ended up having to hitchhike with a kind local from where the bus dropped us off in nearby Shandaken to get into Lexington. We still ended up having a lovely and memorable few days, but if we were to do this again we would probably bring our own car.