Recent content by kurtq

I've got the Powermatic 200's and I love 'em. I'm 180 lbs, so a bit lighter than you. But my size 12's fit great, the support is great, they don't feel overly heavy. I treat them with a bees wax product occasionally and they are very waterproof. I wore them all winter for day hikes no...

I'll guess a few: 5. Echo Lake 7. Trail to Ashoken High Point 8. View from the Table look out

Date of Hike: March 7, 2009 Trail Conditions: Deep, soft, and heavy snow. The warm weather has really softened the packed tracks and made for heavy work. And the unpacked open woods are just as you'd expect: soft and deep. There were many stream crossings over the Neversink and...

Recommend Beaver Point LeanTo I stayed two nights at the Beaver Point lean-to last July. I highly recommend it. Here's a pic of the morning view from the lean-to:

Sunday, March 30, 2008 Trail Conditions: Happily there was much more snow than I expected, and with the cold at night it was quite hard packed and firm. Although as the sun came up, some areas were warmed and turned to mash potatoes, but underneath was still firm. The was no blowdown to...

MEC Ferrata Ultra pants (softshell) over polypro tights or micro-fleece long johns, depending on temperature. If climbing and working hard, just a polypro long sleeve shirt and fleece vest on top. Sometimes add to that a long sleeve micro-fleece, or heavier fleece, and/or a non-Goretex shell...

From the parking area at the end of Big Hollow Road, there were 4 inches or more of crusty snow on the Red trail and more on the Blue Escarpment trail. Entire way was bare bootable if so inclined, but I used MSR snowshoes once it was deep enough and I needed some extra grip, though it was a...

Thanks all for the thoughts and suggestions. As blacknblue says, I don't want to skimp on my usual gear and be caught unprepared on a summit with winds and rain, so I'll probably strap on my day pack (older model Mountainsmith Approach) and use it for summit excursions. My backpack is the EMS...

For the most part I'm a day-hiker, but a friend and I are planning to back pack into Lake Colden in mid-July for a few days and setup base camp, then do some day hikes to some surrounding peaks, like Colden, Algonquin and Wright, etc. We'll be lugging in large back packs with a tent, sleeping...

QUOTE]In the back of my mind I have a gnawing thought that I have seen an annotated profile plaque somewhere in the Gunks. I too remember such a plaque. I believe it is on the front porch of the Mohonk Mountain House itself. There are (were) a bunch of rockers on the porch and on the railing...

We hiked Lone and then Table yesterday (Friday), thanks for the info. We found conditions at elevation to be very hard packed but with 2 inches of fresh powder from Thursday night. We used crampons much of the time and they were very helpful. In the valley it was a little softer but not...

Has anyone been across the Neversink on the Peekamoose-Table (PT, blue) trail lately? Am hoping to head up the Fisherman's path to Lone Mtn on Friday and maybe also Table on the way out, but am curious about the conditions in the area (how much snow is left?), and particularly if the bridge is...

Thank you all for your thoughts. As Mark pointed out, without a map which indicates the viewpoints or ski slopes and without a GPS, it was unclear to me where we actually stood in relation to the true summit. I agree that the flat summit area nearby the ski trails is likely the high point. In...

This past weekend myself and two friends climbed Bearpen mountain. It was a great hike. We started from the south on Johnson Hollow Road, climbed the col and turned roughly northwest at the hunter's cabin, followed the old road for a bit, then climbed the fall line up to the ridge. From there...

Keen shoes Comfortable? Yes (got 'em on my feet right now). Loved 'em for winter and spring, but I find them a bit too warm now that we're getting into summer, so I need to find a cooler, comfortable, and casual shoe suitable for the office. (I know folks will say the sandals are great for...