Crossing IPB @ this time of year

[iceNsnow]

I am curious if anyone has explored another route to cross Indian Pass Brk when the ice is iffy or non-existent.
Maybe it is not too bad if one breaks thru the ice? How deep could one expect the water to be at this time of year?
Any guesses are appreciated.

Maybe waders would be advisable?

Thanks,
Inge

 

[--M.]

Was there this weekend.

Hey,

While I can't answer your first question, as it was my first time there*, I can say that the water was around knee level at the second ('Wallface') lean-to. We even skied on the ice briefly, until the odds seemed to drop below our tolerance. We each dunked a ski or snowshoe in it once or twice on subsequent crossings, relying on the ambient temps to keep our feet warm; the whole day was pretty slushy. By the time we returned to the crossing-with-the-bridge-out, the ice was becoming questionable, though still okay. Going in the water there looked as if it would be a real concern.

http://www.vftt.org/trail/ny/4495.html

Hope this helps,

--M.

*Assuming you mean the brook from Wallface to Henderson Lake at Tahawus (right?).

 

[iceNsnow]

--m!

I am sorry not to be more clear in my question.
The section of IPB that concerns me is the crossing of the Street/Nye herdpath - quite a bit lower than where you were trapsing this weekend.
Maybe I can assume that the level will be higher than knee-hi. But does it ever get waist high???! That seems outa the question to me, but I've never been there at this time of year...

Thanks for your response, --M !

 

[--M.]

Just goes to show...

I was commenting to my buddies this weekend that there seems to be a lot of re-used names here. I was noticing how many "Buck Mountains" there are and mused that "Indian" must show up all over the place, to say nothing of how many "Duck Hole"s there are.

Isn't it strange that two distinct brooks on opposite sides of a height-of-land have the same name? What were they thinking?!

Now about this habit of not marking trails on maps....

I guess I'm really a Whites guy at heart (like being a "wash-ashore" on the Cape).

Good luck,

--M.

 

[iceNsnow]

yeah, I know whatcha mean...

And I would probably be a White Mt Gal if I lived closer, but my heart is where my body is.

So has anyone ever carried waders?!
Maybe i could cut off the bibs and just have thigh-high boots?!

 

[TCD]

Hi Inge!

In early summer after heavy rain, IPB can be waist deep at the crossnig for Street and Nye. Our group of 5 people crossed it one night on the way out and it was waist deep. We had to unbuckle packs and form a human chain for safety to get across.

I don't know if it's still there, but 20 years ago there was a VERY large tree down across IPB, about 3/4 mile upstream of the regular Street and Nye crossing. I used the tree one time when the brook was too high and cold to wade. Tree could be rotten by now, I don't know, but at the time, it was very solid, and extended well into the woods on either side of the brook.

Have fun!

Tom

 

[iceNsnow]

Thanks Tom!

I may go hunting for that trunk or just wait, instead of wade.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Yep. Waist deep is not uncommon.

As far as I know, there is no common 'high water crossing". Some go upstream, and some go downstream. As near as 5 years ago, there was a large tree, only a few hundred yards upstream of hte 'traditional' crossing, but high water moved it making is much less useful.

"Seek and ye shall find."

 

[lumberzac]

A bit off topic

As a side note, I’ve found it useful to refer to the Indian Pass Brooks as Indian Pass Brook Hudson and Indian Pass Brook Ausable or Tahawus side and Heart Lake side. The brooks become very confusing especially since the same trail (Indian Pass Trail) crosses both.

 

[Mike P.]

It was too high back in December when I tried crossing it, I was trying to stay dry.

All these comments about waist deep have me curious, is it ever low enough to cross without getting wet?

I was thinking I was going to get back there either in summer or December again. If I have to get wet, December is out for me.

 

[Tom Rankin]

It was too high back in December when I tried crossing it, I was trying to stay dry.

All these comments about waist deep have me curious, is it ever low enough to cross without getting wet?

I was thinking I was going to get back there either in summer or December again. If I have to get wet, December is out for me.

Several options have been discussed recently:

Take off your shoes.

Bring a rope.

Use garbage bags, with or without your boots on.

 

[Gandalf]

All these comments about waist deep have me curious, is it ever low enough to cross without getting wet?

In September of 2004 it was an easy rock-hop across. I'll bet it's rarely very easy in the spring though.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

I'll bet it's rarely very easy in the spring though.

It frequently is. It is a brook that rises and falls quickly. A cool spring week with no rain, and it'll be easy to cross. An august after a large thunderstorm may be tough.

Note also, that the waist deep poses other problems than getting.... how should I say this...guys tend to jump when cold water reaches a level about 5 inches below the belt. The other problem when the water is that deep, is the current. Standing in near waist deep moving water, is not easy.

 

[iceNsnow]

Steet/Nye brook xing update

As of 3pm, March 21st, the IPBrk was passable just upstream from the usual herdpath crossing. Some icy rock hopping and balancing on large disheveled ice slabs was necessary, but safe!
Caution will be needed soon!

 

[Jay H]

A group of 3, including myself, crossed IPB on the way to Street and Nye this past sunday. The first crossing was OK in the morning and marginal on the way back, a few spots were breaking in, but not enough to really cause problems. However, like iceNsnow mentioned, don't know how long that will last.

I put a trip report in the NY section...

Jay

 

[JimB]

We got caught at the rocky Falls leanto when the water in IPB rose quickly on 4/21/01. It was very dangerous crossing the brook about 1/4 mile below the falls and my son took this pic of me freezing as I risked my life .

 

[AntlerPeak]

We got caught at the rocky Falls leanto when the water in IPB rose quickly on 4/21/01. It was very dangerous crossing the brook about 1/4 mile below the falls and my son took this pic of me freezing as I risked my life .

And I thought nobody else would be that foolish. Pic is at bottom right of page showing another intreped explorer defying logic and fording that stream. This was in March many years ago.
http://mysite.verizon.net/antlerpeak/