Zer0-G
New member
The Catskill Mountains
Looking at the weather forecast going into this weekend was an adventure to begin with.
Remnants of a hurricane moving through bringing with it a promise of 100% possibility of rain on Saturday. Four peaks were on the menu for the completion of the summer round, Friday, Halcott, North Dome and Sherril.
Undaunted, I hooked up with Ralph (Hermit) who remarked to me sometime on Friday afternoon - "I remember when I was hiking the 35 x12,it did not matter what the weather was. It still does not matter, it's always great to be in the hills."
An 8AM Saturday morning rendezvous on Moon Haw Road. Off and on drizzle accompanied us all the way up to the col between Friday and Balsam Cap. Hermit was taking me up a route that I have never been up before and the going was real easy in spite of the intermittent rain. Ralph twisted my arm at one point by asking me,
Hermit: "Hey Ronnie, while we are up here, do ya wanna grab Balsa......"
Me: SURE !!!!!!!
Big struggle there.
Making long stories short, Balsam Cap and Friday were tallied without much trouble at all.
Hiking with Ralph is a pure pleasure. Good conversation, stories, history lessons all in good supply.
The conditions were such that keeping dry was impossible. The high humidity, sweat and intermittent rain reminded me of my recent trip to Maine where hiking soaked to the bone was the order of most of the days on the trail.
Ralph and I parted ways on Moon Haw and off I went to Halcott.
Taking a back road up to Halcott's back door brought me into a meeting with a landowner who had a different opinion than I did of where the state land was. He stated that it is impossible to get onto state land without tramping on his property and he suggested that the only legal way to climb Halcott was from 42.
We had a brief somewhat testy but friendly interchange which ended with me saying "Well, since I am already here may I have your permission to hike across your property over there?" He replied, "Sure, go ahead".
I thanked him and promptly departed into a Rats nest of prickers taller than I and Nettles up to my armpits for a good portion of the climb up to Halcotts Draconian summit. That combined with the intermittent light showers and other moisture producing actions made the 3 hour experience one of the most challenging and amusing I have had in the Catskills in quite some time.
Sunday morning on route 42 west of Phoenicia at the parking area at the end of the ridge up to Sherril. I met up with Bill (wmschirmer). North Dome and Sherril were on the menu. The day was a beauty, bright sun, partly cloudy. A great change of pace from the previous day.
We drove around to the Devils Path terminus and headed out on the DP to any point that looked like it might set us off on the right foot for our climb up North Dome. Up through a drainage thick with Nettles as far as the eye can see.
We looked for alternate routes up only to be met time and time again with Nettles so thick that seeing the ground below them was impossible. The only respite in the carpet of Nettles came on very steep sections or where the shade of the trees provided a less desirable spawning area for the Nettles.
Donned in Rain Paints for protection, eventually we made the summit and then headed out for Sherril. The way between North Dome and Sherril was less tiresome with respect to the Nettles. At the summit of Sherril, we took a lengthier break and acknowledged my completion of the summer round of 35.
The walk down off Sherril to 42 was a horror show of Nettles. A virtual sea of Nettles covered many large areas of the long gradually sloping ridge. It was slow going as the ground was also slippery from the previous days precipitation. And, did I mention the Nettles?
What was most striking to me personally was the fact that in early spring I climbed Sherril to North Dome and I was able to pass through very easily with great visual contact of the surrounding mountains without any concern for Nettles or for that matter, really never seeing any Nettles on this entire traverse. Not only were the expansive views gone but the Nettles dominated close to 80 percent of the ridge line.
I would say, unless you have to, for example, for some dumb list, don't do these peaks in the summer or early fall unless you are as big a fan of Nettles as I am.
So, I had two days of hiking in which I paired up with two outstanding people, Ralph and Bill, and managed to complete the summer round of 35. It was a good weekend. Oh, did I forget to mention the Nettles?
Winter - completed, Spring - completed, Summer - completed, 3 to go in fall. 35x12: 173/420
Looking at the weather forecast going into this weekend was an adventure to begin with.
Remnants of a hurricane moving through bringing with it a promise of 100% possibility of rain on Saturday. Four peaks were on the menu for the completion of the summer round, Friday, Halcott, North Dome and Sherril.
Undaunted, I hooked up with Ralph (Hermit) who remarked to me sometime on Friday afternoon - "I remember when I was hiking the 35 x12,it did not matter what the weather was. It still does not matter, it's always great to be in the hills."
An 8AM Saturday morning rendezvous on Moon Haw Road. Off and on drizzle accompanied us all the way up to the col between Friday and Balsam Cap. Hermit was taking me up a route that I have never been up before and the going was real easy in spite of the intermittent rain. Ralph twisted my arm at one point by asking me,
Hermit: "Hey Ronnie, while we are up here, do ya wanna grab Balsa......"
Me: SURE !!!!!!!
Big struggle there.
Making long stories short, Balsam Cap and Friday were tallied without much trouble at all.
Hiking with Ralph is a pure pleasure. Good conversation, stories, history lessons all in good supply.
The conditions were such that keeping dry was impossible. The high humidity, sweat and intermittent rain reminded me of my recent trip to Maine where hiking soaked to the bone was the order of most of the days on the trail.
Ralph and I parted ways on Moon Haw and off I went to Halcott.
Taking a back road up to Halcott's back door brought me into a meeting with a landowner who had a different opinion than I did of where the state land was. He stated that it is impossible to get onto state land without tramping on his property and he suggested that the only legal way to climb Halcott was from 42.
We had a brief somewhat testy but friendly interchange which ended with me saying "Well, since I am already here may I have your permission to hike across your property over there?" He replied, "Sure, go ahead".
I thanked him and promptly departed into a Rats nest of prickers taller than I and Nettles up to my armpits for a good portion of the climb up to Halcotts Draconian summit. That combined with the intermittent light showers and other moisture producing actions made the 3 hour experience one of the most challenging and amusing I have had in the Catskills in quite some time.
Sunday morning on route 42 west of Phoenicia at the parking area at the end of the ridge up to Sherril. I met up with Bill (wmschirmer). North Dome and Sherril were on the menu. The day was a beauty, bright sun, partly cloudy. A great change of pace from the previous day.
We drove around to the Devils Path terminus and headed out on the DP to any point that looked like it might set us off on the right foot for our climb up North Dome. Up through a drainage thick with Nettles as far as the eye can see.
We looked for alternate routes up only to be met time and time again with Nettles so thick that seeing the ground below them was impossible. The only respite in the carpet of Nettles came on very steep sections or where the shade of the trees provided a less desirable spawning area for the Nettles.
Donned in Rain Paints for protection, eventually we made the summit and then headed out for Sherril. The way between North Dome and Sherril was less tiresome with respect to the Nettles. At the summit of Sherril, we took a lengthier break and acknowledged my completion of the summer round of 35.
The walk down off Sherril to 42 was a horror show of Nettles. A virtual sea of Nettles covered many large areas of the long gradually sloping ridge. It was slow going as the ground was also slippery from the previous days precipitation. And, did I mention the Nettles?
What was most striking to me personally was the fact that in early spring I climbed Sherril to North Dome and I was able to pass through very easily with great visual contact of the surrounding mountains without any concern for Nettles or for that matter, really never seeing any Nettles on this entire traverse. Not only were the expansive views gone but the Nettles dominated close to 80 percent of the ridge line.
I would say, unless you have to, for example, for some dumb list, don't do these peaks in the summer or early fall unless you are as big a fan of Nettles as I am.
So, I had two days of hiking in which I paired up with two outstanding people, Ralph and Bill, and managed to complete the summer round of 35. It was a good weekend. Oh, did I forget to mention the Nettles?
Winter - completed, Spring - completed, Summer - completed, 3 to go in fall. 35x12: 173/420
