Recent content by John Graham

On Sunday, the 15th, two of us and a dog did an in and out from the end of Maplecrest Road. The last 50 yards to the parking area were unplowed and quite icy. Well packed trails meant that we wore microspikes & stablizers all day, and carried our snowshoes. Temperatures were cool, despite the...

I have in the past criticized the DEC in Region 3 for failing to utilize potential resources to enable rapid and effective response to missing person’s searches, particularly as a result of a tragedy in the summer of 2002 on Friday Mountain. Now it is time for me to acknowledge a remarkable...

I have the older stabilizer label, bought at Campmor this fall, and apart from the screws loosening up, with a couple falling out, I also had a problem with the velcro on the straps coming unstitched after a couple of uses. Rather than take them back, I stitched the ends of the velcro that were...

ATV enforcement can be difficult, and even dangerous for the officers involved. Cooperation from local law enforcement is needed. This can be complicated by the fact that many cops are quad riders, and local JPs who will hear any case will no doubt have friends and neighbors who are riders...

I have talked to rangers who are assigned to the area about the rampant abuse of the area by ATVs, and they told me they were just as frustrated as I was. When they have attempted to apprehend illegal ATV riders, they have been told to lay off by their superiors, who fear the local political...

This is the quote that most disturbed me, it implies that at least one person in the party hoped to see avalanche conditions. When my party climbed half way up the slide in dangerous conditions some years ago, we were in the jeopardy as soon as we moved out into the fall line, but we were so...

I've only climbed the Macomb slide a couple of times in winter, once in heavy deep new snow. This was before the deadly avalanche on Wright, and none of us carried shovels, avalanche probes or transponders, and we got a little nervous and moved into the trees. The accident on Wright served to...

Even in the Catskills, the snow seems very avalanche prone. We were at Bearpen on Sunday, at the top of the old ski slopes, and the snow made a series of very ominous crumps as we traversed them. There is a over a foot of heavy snow over a band of crust made by sleet. We didn't see any snow...

I have only come up the ski run road a couple of times, as it is a longer drive for me, though admitedly nicer. The perspective from that direction is different. I have GPSd it , and I use a mapping GPS, so I can refer to it on the mountain, though the GPS map lacks the kind of detail of the...

Really Mark, only a couple of inches? Looking at the topo it is more like 10 to 20 feet. It may be silly nitpicking, but if you can go up from where you are, you are not at the top, even if it is nasty brush. I'm going there on Sunday with some aspirants, and I may have a bit of fun with them...

One interesting point is that the summit of Bearpen is marked on the 7.5' Prattsville USGS quad as being on a lesser spur of Bearpen at an elevation of 3520', while simple counting of contour lines show the actual summit to be 3600', southeast of this point. These peaks are the only 3500 Club...

I have the Gaia Noon-sight map case, but I find it too bulky. I prefer The Ortleib map case http://www.ortliebusa.com/cartgenie/prodInfo.asp?pid=47&cid=2 It is totally waterproof, with a roll top velcro seal, visible on both sides, but compact enough to be rolled up and put in a pouch or thigh...

I have found that drinking hot electrolyte drinks can be most beneficial in winter, but I prefer Hydralite (Gookinaide) to Gatoraide, as it is less sweet. I carry the foil drink mix packets and mix it up as needed, carrying hot water in a thermos or insulated bottle cover. I also have found...

I think they were hiking the cliffs above Perkins Drive, on the south western slope of Bear Mt. The big issue there would be the possiblity of knocking rocks down onto cars. Yes, technically, hiking off of marked trails is against the regulations, but this is enforced very seldom, and many...

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