Rob S
Active member
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2003
- Messages
- 685
- Reaction score
- 30
Fantastic day in the woods with Ralph Ryndak. 14+ miles, 9.9 miles of which were off-trail. This hike truly does have it all - - - old woods roads and foundations that were once part of the Stickle farm, 2 plane wrecks (one has a memorial plaque), bear holes, buck rubs, a rock amphitheater, several amazing viewpoints, and the most beautifully open woods that you could hope for (especially having climbed Olderbark & Little Rocky just a week ago)!
On Friday, the forecast was only 20% chance of rain for Saturday, but it changed to 70% the morning of the hike. We were fortunate that it only rained very lightly for a few minutes, and the sun came out by the time we hit the summits and viewpoints. Could not have timed it better. And it didn’t rain on us again the rest of the day; although we could see it was raining in other areas to the north and south.
I don’t write trip reports much anymore, but I thought this hike was one of the top 5 hikes I’ve ever done. This one will definitely be repeated. I’d like to explore the southern slopes around Van Wyck in the spring when the ground is carpeted with wildflowers. And I’d like to explore Bear Hole Brook a bit, although as Ralph mentioned, the drainage might be choked with blowdown from Hurricane Irene. Only one way to find out!
The GPS showed over 3800 feet of total elevation gain for the day, but both mapping programs I use showed just over 4200 feet …… split the difference and call it about 4000.
Thanks again to Ralph. He really knows these woods well. And he’s a lot of fun to hike with.
I haven't had time to caption them yet, ... but here are the PICS
On Friday, the forecast was only 20% chance of rain for Saturday, but it changed to 70% the morning of the hike. We were fortunate that it only rained very lightly for a few minutes, and the sun came out by the time we hit the summits and viewpoints. Could not have timed it better. And it didn’t rain on us again the rest of the day; although we could see it was raining in other areas to the north and south.
I don’t write trip reports much anymore, but I thought this hike was one of the top 5 hikes I’ve ever done. This one will definitely be repeated. I’d like to explore the southern slopes around Van Wyck in the spring when the ground is carpeted with wildflowers. And I’d like to explore Bear Hole Brook a bit, although as Ralph mentioned, the drainage might be choked with blowdown from Hurricane Irene. Only one way to find out!
The GPS showed over 3800 feet of total elevation gain for the day, but both mapping programs I use showed just over 4200 feet …… split the difference and call it about 4000.
Thanks again to Ralph. He really knows these woods well. And he’s a lot of fun to hike with.
I haven't had time to caption them yet, ... but here are the PICS
