Balsam Lake (catskills)

[coldfeet]

Big thx to George and 3500 club for organizing, beautiful weather yesterday (8/6) started about 10 am and back in the car at 3:30. Easy kid friendly hike, there were 6 adults and 4 kids, I took my son (13) his first hike since Marcy last summer. Easiest hike in my life, old horse and cart path. To make it longer we continued past the junction, went down the mtn towards the lean to and looped back up the other side up to the fire tower.

Pete and his son were the tower volunteers and he provided us with lots of great info, past and present. The views were wonderful, and I was so happy for my son. We stayed there app 30-45 min, I was amazed just looking around thinking of how it must look in winter. The last tower I did was Hunter and it was a cloudy winter day.

The trip down was really easy on my knee and I was thankful to the hiking gods for that . Drove home 180 miles and got home almost in time for a friends dinner party, so i wasn't in that much trouble with the Mrs.

Oh yea, the question about bears in this part was answered sort of. The path we took was very overgrown and I slipped on something, I thought it might have been a fern but my son said "hey dad, look what you stepped in!"..it was a huge pile of crap! The group confirmed that it was from a bear, lucky me maybe a new avatar?

 

[MattC]

Nice to see you're back in the swing of things, CF. It's especially great that your son came along. That peak has a great reward to effort ratio. You may already know, but Laurie's dad used to be the observer in that tower years ago.

Watch out for those bear piles! The bruins do often "leave their mark" right on the trail. One day last Sept. I was on the Pine Hill-West Branch Trail doing Haynes, Eagle and Balsam, and there must have been 7 or 8 "land mines" all up and down that trail!

Matt

 

[Mad Townie]

Easiest hike in my life, old horse and cart path.

Gee, Coldfeet, I thought Cabot was your easiest!


It's fun hiking with the kids, isn't it?

Hope to see you at the Sept. Gathering.

 

[coldfeet]

Hey Pete, good to see and hear from u....man I've been reading about Rainier....wow...i've gotta get into shape..did start my 5th diet of the year but i think i can really do it now...hope to see you at one of the gatherings...David