Camping: Cape Cod 2026, Day Five

Thursday, September 24, 2026, was the last of five days of camping at Shawme-Crowell State Forest in Sandwich, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod.

For the previous day of this five-day camping trip, see Cape Cod 2026, Day Four.

Activities

After falling asleep very early at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday night, I woke up for two hours at 11:30 p.m. I went back to sleep from 1:30–6:00 a.m. for a total of 9.5 hours of sleep. I was still very tired from my 35-mile bicycle ride on Tuesday.

Although the temperature was not especially cold, with a low of 55 °F, at first I was a little chilly in my sleeping bag, which is rated for 32 °F. (I know better than to believe this.) I have a good inflatable sleeping pad that keeps me insulated from the ground, and I use a silk blend sleeping bag liner for extra warmth. I put on light hiking socks to keep my feet warm and a Fred Lebow Half Marathon stocking cap to keep my head warm. These kept me warm all night. In colder temperatures, I would add long polypro or wool underwear.

It was windy overnight, and because of an approaching nor’easter, I decided to leave a day early. I had most of my things packed by 8:15 a.m. Ants had gotten into my chocolate chip cookies (only three were left), so I threw the cookies into the bushes for the ants to finish.

Since I was not in a hurry to leave, I did some walking and bicycling. At 8:35 a.m., I left my campsite to walk on the hiking trails northwest of the campground.

The trails pass under the transmission lines from the Sandwich Canal Power Generating Plant. In the far distance beyond the power plant is Cape Cod Bay.

Transmission Towers and Sandwich Canal Power Generating Plant

Pitch Pine and Scrub Oak Forest at Mt. Perry

I returned to my campsite at 10:35 a.m., having walked 4.46 miles in two hours in sunny weather, 59 °F, with gusty winds.

I rode my bicycle on all of the paved campground roads. This was high intensity interval training because the roads have some very steep (but short) hills. My watch said I rode 4.61 miles.

Exercise finished, I finished packing. I discovered that, as long as I removed the pedals and turned the handlebars, I could put my Trek bike in a Honda Civic hatchback without having to remove the front wheel. This encourages me to make more day trips in a car, carrying my bike to begin a ride far from my home.

My Trek Bike in the Back of a Honda Civic Hatchback

The Drive Home

I left Shawme-Crowell State Forest at 12:30 p.m. Checkout time is at 11:00 a.m., but I had paid for the site for one more day, so I didn’t have to worry about vacating the site on schedule.

Sometime in the future I want to camp, hike, and bicycle in Myles Standish State Forest, which is only 24–26 miles from Shawme-Crowell State Forest by bicycle. Since I was nearby, I drove to Myles Standish State Forest via Route 6A (Sandwich Rd.), the Bourne Bridge, State Route 25, I-495, State Route 58, Tremont St., Cranberry Rd., and Lower College Pond Rd., ending up near Three Cornered Lake after a 45-minute drive.

This route would not be suitable for bicycling. If I ride down to Myles Standish from home, I would likely stay in the campground near Charge Pond.

It was early cranberry harvest season; this area of Massachusetts is full of cranberry fields, including an occasional flooded field where harvesting was taking place.

I drove home from Myles Standish State Forest, leaving at 2:00 p.m. The route I took, Tremont St. and Federal Furnace Rd. into Plymouth, and State Route 3A heading north from Plymouth, is bikeable; but I would be unlikely to ride that route.

I encountered very heavy stop-and-go traffic on State Route 3 approaching Boston and on I-93 through Boston. After putting gas in the car, I arrived home at about 4:00 p.m.