windham high peak on 12/28 anyone

[coldfeet]

My son is snowboarding at windham tomorrow on 12/28..thinking about doing my 2nd peak..should i try it? Anyone interested? Sorry for short notice..thx

 

[MattC]

Coldfeet,

Unless you had your heart set on doing the Club hike on Saturday w/ Tom, you might want to take advantage of the fact that you're there anyway and go for the summit. WHP is one of the smallest of the Catskill high peaks and there's a great view at the summit. I did it after going over Thomas Cole-Black Dome-Blackhead-Burnt Knob in October and didn't enjoy it as much as I should have since I was so fatigued. I'd love to go tomorrow but have to work. I miss my old job where I could take a day off at a moments notice.

There's some magnificent stands of norway spruce on the west side of WHP, around 2500 feet. If you do a loop from the end of Big Hollow Road to the Peck Road trailhead this will be one of the last highlights of your hike. You could also go in this way and back out. Anyway you do it should be fun. If you go, be sure to post a report.

Matt

 

[coldfeet]

Thx Matt..now you really got me thinking..How far is the trail from the ski resort? I'll check out maps later but maybe you already know..thx

 

[MattC]

How far is the trail from the ski resort?

Not being a skier, I'm not sure, but I don't think it's too far. The northern terminus of the Escarpment Trail has a parking area right on route 23. The ski center is probably only a few miles from there. Going in from this trailhead would probably be your best bet. Depending on how long your son will be 'boarding, you might just want to go in and back the same way and save the loop for a day when you have more time. You'd still get to go throught the lovely norway spruce.

Matt

 

[hikethe115]

Another possibility is to do Hunter so you can save WHP for Saturday. It isn't that far away. If you go up the Becker Hollow Trail it is about a total of 6 miles. It's fairly steep, rocky, and could be icy so I would recommend bringing crampons. The stream crossing should be okay especially if you bring poles. It has a firetower on it so you can get some nice views.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Another possibility is to do Hunter so you can save WHP for Saturday. It isn't that far away. If you go up the Becker Hollow Trail it is about a total of 6 miles. It's fairly steep, rocky, and could be icy so I would recommend bringing crampons. The stream crossing should be okay especially if you bring poles. It has a firetower on it so you can get some nice views.

Actually, it's about 4.9 miles, from what I can tell. I've done Hunter 5 times this year. I love that mountain, and especially the view from the tower!

There is a large log that will help you over the stream crossing. This is the stream you will hit soon after the wooden bridge.

A word of caution. I did this hike last Winter, and it looked really easy starting out. The trail was hard packed and I was making good time. But up around 3300', I came to a section where the packed trail disappeared, the wind was blowing, and the trail slants steeply down to the left. It was very difficult getting past this section, as I would take a step forward, and then sink into the snow and fall down to the left. This was with snowshoes on. Once you get past that section, the rest is pretty easy.

As with many mountains, it is not the mountain, but the conditions that day, that will determine how hard the hike is. (See my trip report on Cascade and Porter for an example).