Sun. Feb 6th: A very good group of Cats 3500 worked their way up the slope of Friday over a semi-supportive base of snow. Don't wander off the pack track it makes for a longer day. We all wore snowshoes the entire day, no need for crampons or such. Great weather and a group spirit to match. The upper reach of Friday gives way to some nice rock formations. We travel thru Hermit's chute to a level area before the final short climb to the summit canister.
We returned thru the chute, contour along the ledges to more open woods of the col. Eventually we reached the evergreen approach to Balsam Cap. The woods thicken but are never bad. Following some old tracks, bearly visible with the last weeks' snow fall we reached the canister of Balsam Cap.
The return via our track made the trip down mindless. The climb offers great views of the reservior, Cornell, Wittenberg, and points beyond. Very nice Catskill climb.
We returned thru the chute, contour along the ledges to more open woods of the col. Eventually we reached the evergreen approach to Balsam Cap. The woods thicken but are never bad. Following some old tracks, bearly visible with the last weeks' snow fall we reached the canister of Balsam Cap.
The return via our track made the trip down mindless. The climb offers great views of the reservior, Cornell, Wittenberg, and points beyond. Very nice Catskill climb.
