I've been thinking about the hiking season just starting, and contemplating what trips I might make. I'm getting started late and at a questionable level of conditioning because of lots of time spent with family obligations, and those come first. I do expect the schedule to loosen significantly in May or so.
Anyway, a couple of the trips that I have my eye on exceed my personal risk tolerance for solo trips, for various reasons. I'm wondering if anyone here might be interested in accompanying me on one or another of them. This has been a congenial group, and I thought I'd float a trial balloon here first.
One possibility is an extended (likely 3- or 4-day) bushwhack in the Catskills. I was thinking of starting from near Denning, NY, and following the Finger Lakes trail about a mile and a half to the Neversink River. Then we could make our way to near the headwaters. There's an unmarked fishermen's path that parallels the stream. I was thinking of making a base camp somewhere near there, and going for the four trailless Catskill peaks (Lone, Rocky, Balsam Cap and Friday) with light packs, with most of the heavy stuff left in camp. A possible variant would be to enter or exit on different trails, allowing for visits to some set of Table, Peekamoose, Wittenberg, Cornell or Slide Mountains, all of which are on trail (although some of the trails are seriously tough!). The hard-core bushwhackers do the nine-peak loop in a day, but they come out (literally) bruised and bleeding. I'm planning a much more leisurely approach.
Another possibility is to do some section of the Northville-Placid Trail. I'd be up for almost any distance between a minimal section hike with car shuttle and a thru (133 miles). This trail is at low elevations for the most part; its scenic features are pretty ponds and meadows, rather than majestic mountain vistas. It's among the oldest hiking trails in America. The reason this one would be uncomfortably risky for me is just the distance between possible exits; in particular, there is no highway access for the Cold River section, from the Long Lake parking lot at mile 96.1 to Averyvill Road at 133.1. Thirty-seven miles with absolutely no road access is uncomfortably long for me: it means that in the middle, I'm looking at at least a day-and-a-half walk out if anything happens.
On the NPT, there are also sections where map and compass work will likely be needed, because beavers relocate the trail with some regularity.
If a thru were contemplated, resupply can be arranged fairly readily in the hamlet of Piseco (the post office is at mile 34.6, or I could plan to stay at the motel and leave a package for myself there), at the Lake Durant campground (mile 80.3, or a 3.3 mile roadwalk/hitch from State Route 30 at mile 85.5 into the village of Blue Mountain Lake), or the village of Long Lake (a 1.2-mile roadwalk from State Route 28N at mile 95.4). The southern section begins with a 10.3 mile roadwalk that isn't required to get credit for a thru, and that I'd be inclined to skip. I *would* be inclined to zero in Blue Mountain Lake and check out the Adirondack Museum.
My pace would be relaxed; I don't want to plan more than 8-10 mile days on the N-P trail, and shorter for the Catskill outing, where there will be brush and rock scrambles to contend with. Sorry. I'm slow.
Ideal time for the Adirondack trip would be in the fall colors, but earlier could also work. It could be any length (with the caveat that road crossings are few; there are two sections of over thirty miles that have none). I will not do it before late June, because I do not wish to be eaten by the blackflies.
The Catskill trip could work almost any time between May and October.
These are probably totally dumb ideas. gif.010 Anyone stupid enough to want to join in?
Anyway, a couple of the trips that I have my eye on exceed my personal risk tolerance for solo trips, for various reasons. I'm wondering if anyone here might be interested in accompanying me on one or another of them. This has been a congenial group, and I thought I'd float a trial balloon here first.
One possibility is an extended (likely 3- or 4-day) bushwhack in the Catskills. I was thinking of starting from near Denning, NY, and following the Finger Lakes trail about a mile and a half to the Neversink River. Then we could make our way to near the headwaters. There's an unmarked fishermen's path that parallels the stream. I was thinking of making a base camp somewhere near there, and going for the four trailless Catskill peaks (Lone, Rocky, Balsam Cap and Friday) with light packs, with most of the heavy stuff left in camp. A possible variant would be to enter or exit on different trails, allowing for visits to some set of Table, Peekamoose, Wittenberg, Cornell or Slide Mountains, all of which are on trail (although some of the trails are seriously tough!). The hard-core bushwhackers do the nine-peak loop in a day, but they come out (literally) bruised and bleeding. I'm planning a much more leisurely approach.
Another possibility is to do some section of the Northville-Placid Trail. I'd be up for almost any distance between a minimal section hike with car shuttle and a thru (133 miles). This trail is at low elevations for the most part; its scenic features are pretty ponds and meadows, rather than majestic mountain vistas. It's among the oldest hiking trails in America. The reason this one would be uncomfortably risky for me is just the distance between possible exits; in particular, there is no highway access for the Cold River section, from the Long Lake parking lot at mile 96.1 to Averyvill Road at 133.1. Thirty-seven miles with absolutely no road access is uncomfortably long for me: it means that in the middle, I'm looking at at least a day-and-a-half walk out if anything happens.
On the NPT, there are also sections where map and compass work will likely be needed, because beavers relocate the trail with some regularity.
If a thru were contemplated, resupply can be arranged fairly readily in the hamlet of Piseco (the post office is at mile 34.6, or I could plan to stay at the motel and leave a package for myself there), at the Lake Durant campground (mile 80.3, or a 3.3 mile roadwalk/hitch from State Route 30 at mile 85.5 into the village of Blue Mountain Lake), or the village of Long Lake (a 1.2-mile roadwalk from State Route 28N at mile 95.4). The southern section begins with a 10.3 mile roadwalk that isn't required to get credit for a thru, and that I'd be inclined to skip. I *would* be inclined to zero in Blue Mountain Lake and check out the Adirondack Museum.
My pace would be relaxed; I don't want to plan more than 8-10 mile days on the N-P trail, and shorter for the Catskill outing, where there will be brush and rock scrambles to contend with. Sorry. I'm slow.
Ideal time for the Adirondack trip would be in the fall colors, but earlier could also work. It could be any length (with the caveat that road crossings are few; there are two sections of over thirty miles that have none). I will not do it before late June, because I do not wish to be eaten by the blackflies.
The Catskill trip could work almost any time between May and October.
These are probably totally dumb ideas. gif.010 Anyone stupid enough to want to join in?
I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.
