Doodles
Active member
The 35 3500ft peaks are indeed spectacular, but the next 67 highest peaks give you a whole different perspective of the magnificent Catskills. Vantage points from the outside looking in as well as from within.
Today was my completion of the Catskills HH. Zer0-G and Snickers met me and my bride at the bagel shop for what we thought was going to be a wet cloudy day. Jerri wasn’t hiking, but she came to give me a HH pre-completion kiss. We had our bagels, tea and coffee and Jerri went off to work and the hiking team was headed for Tannersville. As we drove, the clouds began to break up. A little further up the road the blue skies peaked out above the clouds.
The first peak of the day was to be Onteora. We did our door knocking, explained our quest and were granted our pass for this first peak. By the time we strapped on our snowshoes, the sun was shining bright and extra layers of clothing was not needed. The snow depth was between
3” to 6” with lots of melting and running water on the Southeastern slope. The woods were open with little evidence of any pickers. We picked up the trail that would lead us to the top. The views looking back towards the Devils Path were absolutely breathtaking. We made our way to the summit where we took our lunch break and summit picture. With one more peak to go, we gathered our packs and made a loop for our descent.
Back at the car, we needed to move over one country block to where East Jewett summit was to be found. Once more we knocked on some doors and once again stated our mission. The biggest problem (well not really a problem) with door knocking is that everyone is so incredibly nice and interested in what we do. It is hard to break off the lengthy conversations and get on with the hike. I do have to admit I have enjoyed speaking to each and everyone and they have all been very receptive to our peak-bagging quest.
We once again geared up and headed up. This was a steep approach. We started on a logging road but soon found ourselves headed up and avoiding the switchbacks. Once again as we gained elevation, the views were stunning. We made our way up over some short cliff sections before reaching the top. The summit top was quite thick and we got pretty wet pushing our way thru to the true summit. Zer0-G confirmed our summit location and #102 was in the books. We took our summit picture and Snickers broke out the champagne and chocolate. A little celebrating and it was time to head back down.
We made good time heading down since this was a very short hike. Back to the car by 3:00, I asked Zer0 if he needed any other peaks in the vicinity. Just kidding.
This rainy morning turned out to be a wonderful day for a HH finish with two great friends.
A few pictures from the day.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/561934031oqPQKb
Today was my completion of the Catskills HH. Zer0-G and Snickers met me and my bride at the bagel shop for what we thought was going to be a wet cloudy day. Jerri wasn’t hiking, but she came to give me a HH pre-completion kiss. We had our bagels, tea and coffee and Jerri went off to work and the hiking team was headed for Tannersville. As we drove, the clouds began to break up. A little further up the road the blue skies peaked out above the clouds.
The first peak of the day was to be Onteora. We did our door knocking, explained our quest and were granted our pass for this first peak. By the time we strapped on our snowshoes, the sun was shining bright and extra layers of clothing was not needed. The snow depth was between
3” to 6” with lots of melting and running water on the Southeastern slope. The woods were open with little evidence of any pickers. We picked up the trail that would lead us to the top. The views looking back towards the Devils Path were absolutely breathtaking. We made our way to the summit where we took our lunch break and summit picture. With one more peak to go, we gathered our packs and made a loop for our descent.
Back at the car, we needed to move over one country block to where East Jewett summit was to be found. Once more we knocked on some doors and once again stated our mission. The biggest problem (well not really a problem) with door knocking is that everyone is so incredibly nice and interested in what we do. It is hard to break off the lengthy conversations and get on with the hike. I do have to admit I have enjoyed speaking to each and everyone and they have all been very receptive to our peak-bagging quest.
We once again geared up and headed up. This was a steep approach. We started on a logging road but soon found ourselves headed up and avoiding the switchbacks. Once again as we gained elevation, the views were stunning. We made our way up over some short cliff sections before reaching the top. The summit top was quite thick and we got pretty wet pushing our way thru to the true summit. Zer0-G confirmed our summit location and #102 was in the books. We took our summit picture and Snickers broke out the champagne and chocolate. A little celebrating and it was time to head back down.
We made good time heading down since this was a very short hike. Back to the car by 3:00, I asked Zer0 if he needed any other peaks in the vicinity. Just kidding.
This rainy morning turned out to be a wonderful day for a HH finish with two great friends.
A few pictures from the day.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/561934031oqPQKb
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