imarchant
Active member
I met the Bill half of billandjudy (ADKHighpeaks) at the end of Spruceton Road. We headed out at 9:30. It had snowed the night before. There was about 1-2" of fresh wet snow covering the ground, a bit less than had been predicted. I had planned a later start in hopes that the weather would clear. The air was cool and heavy with dampness and fog. I was wearing stabilicers and Bill was bare booting. The near level Diamond notch trail was a combination of snow covered rocks and ice slabs. We made good time to the Diamond Notch Falls. We stopped for a few pictures, since the water was running quite high. We crossed the bridge and turned up the Devil's Path. From here the grade was a moderate but steady climb, The fresh wet snow was clinging to the trees under still gray skies. The high humidity and mild temperatures along with the increased effort made us soon shed layers. The wood were quite serene with no wind.
Once we reached the spring at 3,000' elevation Bill put on his snowshoes for added traction, I was doing fine with stablicers. As we continued the snow depth increased and we would come to an occasional steeper section. The snow depth was steadily increasing, making for some nice winter scenery. Before long we reached the cave just below the 3,500' sign. From here on there was very little steep terrain left. The trail traverses a few false summits. About a 1/3 mile from the summit, Bill told me to take the lead again to make the final push. The last steep section brought us to Buck's Ridge Lookout. Unfortunately there were no views to be had, so we continued on the short distance to the summit sign.
I was a Winter 3500 completer!! Bill congratulated me. I had a real sense of accomplishment. We took a quick bite to eat before we headed back. We knew the trip would be wet, with the melting snow falling from the trees. The descent was quite easy, slowed only occasionally by the steep slippery sections. By the time we reached Diamond notch again, most of the new snow had melted and there were large sections of bare ground. Before I knew it we were signed out at the trail register and saying our good-byes.
Thanks, Bill, for your company on my Winter completion of the Catskill 3500 peaks. Even though we didn't get the views I had hoped for, completion is a good reward.
Once we reached the spring at 3,000' elevation Bill put on his snowshoes for added traction, I was doing fine with stablicers. As we continued the snow depth increased and we would come to an occasional steeper section. The snow depth was steadily increasing, making for some nice winter scenery. Before long we reached the cave just below the 3,500' sign. From here on there was very little steep terrain left. The trail traverses a few false summits. About a 1/3 mile from the summit, Bill told me to take the lead again to make the final push. The last steep section brought us to Buck's Ridge Lookout. Unfortunately there were no views to be had, so we continued on the short distance to the summit sign.
I was a Winter 3500 completer!! Bill congratulated me. I had a real sense of accomplishment. We took a quick bite to eat before we headed back. We knew the trip would be wet, with the melting snow falling from the trees. The descent was quite easy, slowed only occasionally by the steep slippery sections. By the time we reached Diamond notch again, most of the new snow had melted and there were large sections of bare ground. Before I knew it we were signed out at the trail register and saying our good-byes.
Thanks, Bill, for your company on my Winter completion of the Catskill 3500 peaks. Even though we didn't get the views I had hoped for, completion is a good reward.
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