Jay H
New member
This frigid morning, had me waking up, getting geared and ready to roll and just as I'm about to pack the good ole' subaru, I get a call from Dave H who lives in NYC, saying he has subway problems and couldn't make it. When he couldn't get in touch with Maria who was going to pick him up at the train station, he called me and I called Maria to let her know not to pick him up... Bummer, seems like something always screws up a well-made plan!
Anyway, I have the thruway timed to a science and our planned meeting time at 8am has me pulling into exit 18 for new Paltz at exactly 8:00 according to my Outback's clock. I drive up there enough I have all the exits timed.
Anyway, get to the trailhead and it seemed we had to park on Platte Clove road as the red cabin was nowhere in sight but after getting our stuff together in the bitter cold, we walk up and I see Mudhook, coldfeet (whose feet are not cold yet), some frozen bagels, and Indian Chris trying to make breakfast.... After feeling up the frozen bagel and some usual -10deg pleasentries, eventually we all head up the trail to the new clearing which I gather will be the summer parking lot in the near future. Mudhook, Maria, and I plan on doing the loop and IC, Coldfeet, and a leftover from the 3500 club hike, Bob, whose glasses froze up, so the 3500 club decided to drop him like Jet's old head coach. Anyway, Bob, the hiker would hook up with Coldfeet and IC and head up Indian Head via the Jimmy Dolan trail to the JD notch and up IH while Mudhook, Maria and I would do the loop.
Soon we were joined by 2 backpackers who we saved from floundering by pointing out to them where the leanto was and that there is no leanto in the platte clove preserve.. So as they headed towards Echo lake, the three clowns headed up the east face of Indian Head, to the Chin. A quick search for the buddha turns out nothing, perhaps he is under the snow but the cairn is still there..
We basically have used snowshoes since the JD/DP junction and we snowshoe up the ledges til we crest the chin and descent lightly to the true summit. Before at one of the viewpoints, we run into Coldfeet, Chris, and Bob, all enjoying some food and the views. After leaving them to go towards Twin, we run into some remnents of I gather the 3500 club who decided to do IH too, as they were headed to Twin first.
Some nice bootsliding down to the JD notch, we run into an AMC club and some more 3500 club folks before we ascent the east peak of Twin, or as Mudhook calls it, Little Twin.
Up to the twin summits of twin, nice views towards Mt Tobias, Cooper Lake, Overlook, Olderbark, Hunter, Sugarloaf, Mink Hollow, the Burrough's range... New Paltz, etc...
Back to the car after some descending and marvelling at some silly new switchbacks on the JD trail... And seems like everybody is gone, except the frozen bagels placed on mudhook's comfy chair. (Thanks David! I had my bagel on sunday for lunch and I still have the 2 meant for Tony/Nicole, frozen in my freezer)...
Pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cycleslugyahoo/IndianHeadAndTwin1172009
Anyway, I have the thruway timed to a science and our planned meeting time at 8am has me pulling into exit 18 for new Paltz at exactly 8:00 according to my Outback's clock. I drive up there enough I have all the exits timed.
Anyway, get to the trailhead and it seemed we had to park on Platte Clove road as the red cabin was nowhere in sight but after getting our stuff together in the bitter cold, we walk up and I see Mudhook, coldfeet (whose feet are not cold yet), some frozen bagels, and Indian Chris trying to make breakfast.... After feeling up the frozen bagel and some usual -10deg pleasentries, eventually we all head up the trail to the new clearing which I gather will be the summer parking lot in the near future. Mudhook, Maria, and I plan on doing the loop and IC, Coldfeet, and a leftover from the 3500 club hike, Bob, whose glasses froze up, so the 3500 club decided to drop him like Jet's old head coach.
Anyway, Bob, the hiker would hook up with Coldfeet and IC and head up Indian Head via the Jimmy Dolan trail to the JD notch and up IH while Mudhook, Maria and I would do the loop. Soon we were joined by 2 backpackers who we saved from floundering by pointing out to them where the leanto was and that there is no leanto in the platte clove preserve.. So as they headed towards Echo lake, the three clowns headed up the east face of Indian Head, to the Chin. A quick search for the buddha turns out nothing, perhaps he is under the snow but the cairn is still there..
We basically have used snowshoes since the JD/DP junction and we snowshoe up the ledges til we crest the chin and descent lightly to the true summit. Before at one of the viewpoints, we run into Coldfeet, Chris, and Bob, all enjoying some food and the views. After leaving them to go towards Twin, we run into some remnents of I gather the 3500 club who decided to do IH too, as they were headed to Twin first.
Some nice bootsliding down to the JD notch, we run into an AMC club and some more 3500 club folks before we ascent the east peak of Twin, or as Mudhook calls it, Little Twin.
Up to the twin summits of twin, nice views towards Mt Tobias, Cooper Lake, Overlook, Olderbark, Hunter, Sugarloaf, Mink Hollow, the Burrough's range... New Paltz, etc...
Back to the car after some descending and marvelling at some silly new switchbacks on the JD trail... And seems like everybody is gone, except the frozen bagels placed on mudhook's comfy chair. (Thanks David! I had my bagel on sunday for lunch and I still have the 2 meant for Tony/Nicole, frozen in my freezer)...
Pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cycleslugyahoo/IndianHeadAndTwin1172009
