NorthShore
Member
Hiked from Biscuit Brook PA over PHWB trail and bushwhacked to Fir starting just after the lean-to.
The bottom half mile or so of the trail from Biscuit Brook PA to the first turn where the trail flattens was pretty bare; above that microspikes were needed the entire way. No more than a few inches of hard snow on the way up Fir.
There was a bit more snow between Fir and Big Indian...just enough for a couple of sudden jarring postholes punching through the hard crust, but snowshoes were not appropriate.
A couple of the water crossings on the trail just north of the lean-to have steeply eroded banks and it looks like these crossings could be a real problem with more ice on the banks or higher water flow, but they weren’t much of a barrier this day. Our navigation was spot on to Fir, but then we slightly overshot the left turn off of Fir and had to sidehill back a little for the ridge to BI. Other than that no problems.
I wouldn't go anywhere in the Catskills right now with out carrying both the microspikes and crampons. This despite the young man who showed up on top of Fir wearing topsiders. There is a lot of ice and not much snow most places.
The bottom half mile or so of the trail from Biscuit Brook PA to the first turn where the trail flattens was pretty bare; above that microspikes were needed the entire way. No more than a few inches of hard snow on the way up Fir.
There was a bit more snow between Fir and Big Indian...just enough for a couple of sudden jarring postholes punching through the hard crust, but snowshoes were not appropriate.
A couple of the water crossings on the trail just north of the lean-to have steeply eroded banks and it looks like these crossings could be a real problem with more ice on the banks or higher water flow, but they weren’t much of a barrier this day. Our navigation was spot on to Fir, but then we slightly overshot the left turn off of Fir and had to sidehill back a little for the ridge to BI. Other than that no problems.
I wouldn't go anywhere in the Catskills right now with out carrying both the microspikes and crampons. This despite the young man who showed up on top of Fir wearing topsiders. There is a lot of ice and not much snow most places.
