It’s been a busy week…with the Appalachian Mountain Club while still responding to inquiries for IT help via MarcB IT.
At the Corman Harriman Outdoor Center, the entire New York–North Jersey Chapter of the AMC arrived yesterday for a full weekend of activities like hiking and yoga. I had to drive the shuttle to pick up several passengers from the Sloatsburg Station and bring them into the backcountry camp that is CHOC (Corman Harriman Outdoor Center).
What impressed me most? Many of the visitors came up from New York City and Hoboken without cars. Instead, they relied on public transit—boarding the Metro-North-operated (technically NJ Transit) Port Jervis Line in either Hoboken or Secaucus.
Just before I headed out for a pickup, I took a call from an anxious guest from Hoboken. She was afraid she’d miss the train to Sloatsburg. I could tell by her language — she dropped a lot of F-bombs — that stress levels were high. But as she stayed on the line, I overheard the announcement: “Train to Sloatsburg departing on Platform F!”
Sure enough, she made it. Later, she admitted to me that she might’ve overdone it with the cussing. I reassured her — anyone who’s feared missing a critical train knows how frustrating that feels.
Back at camp, I spent the rest of the shift checking in the remaining guests. But I also got a chance to flex my tech skills. A guest needed to stream a 45-minute presentation from her PC, but the camp’s Wi-Fi only works well in a small radius. Thankfully, I had my new Verizon Wireless mobile hotspot, which made it possible to connect quickly and securely.
So next week will likely be another busy one at CHOC, as June rolls in and warmer weather draws more people north from NYC to cool off in the woods. But on my days off, I’m all in on building MarcB IT.
In fact, as I write these lines, a new inquiry just came in — someone needing help with a data transfer from two older PCs (Windows 7 and 10) to brand-new Windows 11 machines. Luckily, I’ve got the tools ready to go — including a fresh Seagate 1TB portable hard drive — to make it happen.
Onward!
