Graham/Balsam Lake Mt. 10/29/06

[MattC]

Due to all the recent rain, I shelved plans to go via the Beaverkill/Tunis Pond route, but I did make it up these peaks the more conventional way, from Millbrook Rd. Light dusting of snow right from the beginning, and lots of standing and running water in places throughout the day. The deepest the snow ever got was about 3 inches towards the top of Graham. I hit Graham first, and of course it was windy as anything. Great views, but I lingered on top for only five minutes or so, and then hightailed it down. Due to all the water and snow, it had been very difficult to keep my feet dry, and now they were getting cold. I was wishing I had worn my winter boots. On the way back from Graham, I managed to generate enough heat to rewarm my feet a little.

Climbing Balsam Lake Mt., I was at least now in the lee somewhat, but the water on the trail was still unrelenting. There is one medium sized fir down over the trail in the first flat area, right after it becomes state land. There was a great deal of standing water in all the flat areas. By the summit, my feet were soaked, and once again getting cold. I added a sweater to my base and shell and climbed the fire tower. Outstanding vistas, but the wind was just punishing. I descended after just a few minutes and decided to do the loop back down. I had never done this loop before, and I figured I might be able to stop at the leanto to re-warm my feet a little.

Unfortunately, the leanto faces west! It seemed to be more SW than NW at least, so there was a little wind protection anyway. I swept the dusting of snow off the floor, had a seat and took my boots off. I didn’t have down booties, so I stuck my feet in my mittens! I then wrapped my fleece around both feet and quickly ate a bagel w/ cheese and a Clif Bar. My feet warmed up a little, but then I had to stick them back into my cold, wet boots.

I zipped and fastened everything on my upper body, pulled my hood up over my hat, and even put my mitts on over my gloves, and then took off as fast as I could safely descend the steep trail. I wanted to create enough excess heat that it would have no place to go but my feet. It worked, and by the time I was back on the blue trail, everything was warm, feet included. As I started back on this trail, I was once again in the lee, and also the sun, so I was as warm as I ever got all day.

I am really glad I choose to do the loop, because the section of the Dry Brook Trail between the two junctions w/ the Balsam Lake Mt. trail is really nice, if a bit overgrown.
It apparently is an old road, and it is masterfully cut into the side of the steep slope that drops off Balsam Lake Mt. into the Black Brook ravine. I could hear the brook roaring away a couple hundred feet below, and there were some nice views as well. Across the ravine stood the slopes of Schoolhouse Mt., w/ a band of conifers cutting across the hardwoods. To the south the several summits of the Beaverkill Range could be seen.

I soon passed the other junction and began the tramp out the last two miles. Most of the snow on the lower slopes was now melted, but of course there was more water than ever. At least my feet were now just clammy, instead of cold. I noticed in the register book that Dr. Kudish had recently been up exploring Schoolhouse Mt. I’ll have to check that little hill out sometime. I was back at the car a little before 2, about 5 hours after I had started.

Matt

[Mark Schaefer]

Nice TR.

I am really glad I choose to do the loop, because the section of the Dry Brook Trail between the two junctions w/ the Balsam Lake Mt. trail is really nice, if a bit overgrown.
It apparently is an old road, and it is masterfully cut into the side of the steep slope that drops off Balsam Lake Mt. into the Black Brook ravine. This section on the trail is part of a pre-1901 reroute of the Old Tappan Road, The Catskill Forest, A History, Michael Kudish, page 92. At the north end the original pre-1875 Tappan Road came up Turner Hollow, and ran east of East Schoolhouse Mountain. It descended south along the Gulf of Mexico brook, where at its lower elevation it has recently been used as a logging road, and passes through the two narrow strips of private land. The Tappan Road was later rerouted west of West Schoolhouse Mt where it is now the Dry Brook Trail.

I noticed in the register book that Dr. Kudish had recently been up exploring Schoolhouse Mt. I’ll have to check that little hill out sometime. I was back at the car a little before 2, about 5 hours after I had started. East and West Schoolhouse are just off the herd path / old road to Graham Mt, east of the Dry Brook Trail. The names were recorded courtesy of Ed West, and thankfully preserved by Dr. Kudish. I don't think I have ever seen the names on old maps. Neither summit is on the HH list:
3480 (E Schoolhouse Mtn): 180' E from Balsam Lake Mtn
3440 (W Schoolhouse Mtn): 120' E from Balsam Lake Mtn
The 180' rise on E Schoolhouse is actually measured from the 3300' col between the two Schoolhouse summits, but the west summit is lower and is a subpeak of Balsam Lake Mt. So for list making purposes the rise of the east summit is considered from the next higher summit, Balsam Lake Mt. OK OK, Enough of the peak geek speak. :rolleyes:

West Schoolhouse Mt's claim to fame is that it is perhaps the most studied summit in the Catskills, being monitored frequently by Dr. Kudish since 1970. The balsam fir species is in a slow decline in the Catskills. Not a disease or blight, just for most part natural succession. From Michael Kudish's book, page 24.
In June of 1970 when my sample plot for the summit of West Schoolhouse was first measured, there were two live firs, one dying, and one dead fir recorded. When I returned to the summit in May of 1997, there were no live fir. Several small trees, lying on the ground and dead for a number of years, were still identifiable as firs because of the pattern of the few branches still attached to them. The firs atop West Schoolhouse have been extinguished in my lifetime!

[MattC]

Interesting info. List or no list, I'll have to check out those little summits next time I'm heading to or from Graham. So I imagine that northern part of Old Tappan Rd. was the old grown-in road down to Turner Hollow, which is still visible as a left turn off the Graham road/path. It blows my mind the roads that these people drove carriages along. Some of the dropoffs along that part of the Dry Brook Trail, while not vertical, are very steep. Must have been an exciting ride. And we worry about Platte Clove Rd.

Very interesting about the fir, or lack thereof. I wonder what the band of conifers I noticed consists of. It was probably between 2500' and 3000' on the slope of the Schoolhouse ridge. It would be interesting if those were fir since there are none at the summit. Could be spruce I suppose. Or even hemlock, since they seem to often be found in or near watery ravines. Anyway.

I have always found it odd they there are so few fir on Graham itself, and none at all on the very top. I believe it's mostly mountain ash up there and some other scrubby hardwoods. I'm sure there is something in Kudish's book about that as well. I used to think pretty simplistically about forest types-ie, the further north and further up in elevation you go, the forest changes from northern hardwoods to transition to boreal to alpine tundra. While this is true, after having that book out of the library I now realize there's a lot more to it than that. Case in point, Graham and it's little neighbors don't have the boreal forest on top, and yet Balsam Lake Mt, at about the same height and latitude does.

Matt

[Tmax]

You're a brave man Matt! I never would have climbed up the firetower in those winds! Keep me in mind when you do some of that Catskill exploring. It's nice when there's no list...

[TFR]

You're a brave man Matt! I never would have climbed up the firetower in those winds! Keep me in mind when you do some of that Catskill exploring. It's nice when there's no list...There's always a list! BWAHAHAHAHA!

If you don't believe me, read this:

http://viewsfromthetop.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14713

[MattC]

It's nice when there's no list...

Umm, actually I'm now climbing the 35 in all four seasons. Ahem...
Of course what it's really about is just continuing to explore, which is what it was all about in the first place.

Matt

[TFR]

actually I'm now climbing the 35 in all four seasons.You see! Now you've given me another list to work on! :eek:

:D

[Mark Schaefer]

So I imagine that northern part of Old Tappan Rd. was the old grown-in road down to Turner Hollow, which is still visible as a left turn off the Graham road/path. It blows my mind the roads that these people drove carriages along. Some of the dropoffs along that part of the Dry Brook Trail, while not vertical, are very steep. Must have been an exciting ride. And we worry about Platte Clove Rd. Yes, the Turner Hollow Road is the old Tappan Road. Those draft horses were/are amazing creatures, and no doubt the carts had good brakes.

Very interesting about the fir, or lack thereof. I wonder what the band of conifers I noticed consists of. It was probably between 2500' and 3000' on the slope of the Schoolhouse ridge. It would be interesting if those were fir since there are none at the summit. Could be spruce I suppose. Or even hemlock, since they seem to often be found in or near watery ravines. It is hemlock on the ridge, and some fir along the brook. All of the following page references are from The Catskill Forest, A History by Michael Kudish. On page 62 there is a table of 16 "first growth eastern hemlock stands". One of these is on Black Brook Ridge south of West Schoolhouse Mt, 3100' down to 2528'. Just a side note there are hundreds of second growth stands elsewhere in the Catskills. Also the map of balsam fir distribution on page 22 shows balsam growing nearly the entire length of the Black Brook; on the summits of Balsam Lake, East Schoolhouse, and Doubletop Mts; on the north and east slopes of Graham; and in the Beaver Kill Valleys. But it seems to be lacking on West Schoolhouse and Graham summits. Dr. Kudish's mention of the disappearance of fir on West Schoolhouse pertains to the summit. Apparently there is some on various slopes. Balsam Lake Mt also appears to be the western limit of fir in the Catskills. The red spruce distribution map on page 45 shows the nearest red spruce stand to be on Big Indian Mt, which along with Eagle Mt are the western limits of red spruce in the Catskills. It is somewhat perplexing why a species exists on one mountain and not on a nearby mountain. Dr. Kudish also mentions that red spruce is inexplicably missing on Slide Mt, but it exists on all of the surrounding high summits.

I have always found it odd they there are so few fir on Graham itself, and none at all on the very top. I believe it's mostly mountain ash up there and some other scrubby hardwoods. I'm sure there is something in Kudish's book about that as well. I used to think pretty simplistically about forest types-ie, the further north and further up in elevation you go, the forest changes from northern hardwoods to transition to boreal to alpine tundra. While this is true, after having that book out of the library I now realize there's a lot more to it than that. Case in point, Graham and it's little neighbors don't have the boreal forest on top, and yet Balsam Lake Mt, at about the same height and latitude does. There is a photo from Graham Mt on page 11 with the caption:
The dwarf pygmy hardwood forest atop Graham Mountain is unique in the Catskills. Wind shear and ice and snow damage keep the black cherry, beech, red maple, yellow birch, and mountain ash severely stunted. On page 83 he further explains that trees in first growth forests in the higher elevations of the Catskills tend to be 20-40' high max, but often shorter due to shallow soils and wind/ice damage. He cites the pygmy hardwood forest on Graham where the trees are no taller than the average hiker.

[Mark Schaefer]

I found a crude Town of Hardenburgh map (http://www.co.ulster.ny.us/archives/Beers/large/Page022-023.jpg) which shows the original Tappan Road from Seager to the Gulf of Mexico valley west of "Tunis Lake" in the 1875 Beers Ulster County Atlas (http://www.co.ulster.ny.us/archives/Beers/BeersToC.html). It may help to enlarge the map in your browser. The map does not have much detail on mountain contours. There is wealth of other interesting old maps and pictures in that old atlas.

The rerouted Tappan Road is shown on the 1904 Margaretville USGS quad (http://docs.unh.edu/NY/marg04se.jpg). The 1904 map maker erred in only showing one summit of Schoolhouse House, which is perhaps is why it was only given one name. Perhaps there was a one room schoolhouse in Seager at the northern base of the road, which gave the mountain its name. That Dry Brook valley appears to have been more settled, and more likely to have had schools than the Beaver Kill valley. Neither the 1875 nor the 1904 maps put a name on Schoolhouse Mountain.

Just an observation on all of the info in Dr. Kudish. Most of us are content to hike to summits, visit a few ponds, lakes, and old quarries on the way, but Dr. Kudish seems to have hiked everywhere on all slopes of all mountains. And in the process has the knowledge to make sense of it all. It never ceases to amaze me how much information is in that book.

[MattC]

Interesting how those old atlas maps are crude in terms of the topographic and terrain features, but precise with the lot layouts. Must have been a rude awakening to just look at squares on a map and later realize how difficult it would be to exploit the land for anything. Of course now with our different views of usage, we embrace that very ruggedness.

Excellent point about Dr. Kudish's travels. I would say that while tagging the summits of Balsam Lake Mt and Graham was fun, the most fun part of the hike was walking that one little section of the Dry Brook Trail. Very special place there. I just requested the Kudish book again from my local library. I think I'll appreciate it more this time. Eventually I'll buy it I'm sure.

Matt

[billandjudy]

Judy and I often comment on the sharp lines of tree changes as you summit Catskill Peaks. It seems as though someone draws a line to seperate the hardwoods and conifers, but there are many w/o the conifer tops. Yesterday I walked through a thick band of wild Cherry on the way up Winnisook-it was something I had not seen before, but there was a definate beginning and end.
It's fasinating stuff--I need to get Dr. K's book

[Deb]

Nice trail report Matt, and lots of good follow-up info.

When you live down in the nice warm Hudson Valley, it's easy to get fooled by how wintery it is in the western Catskills during the transition between seasons. I made the mistake of leaving my winter boots home last week and had the same experience with wet feet. Thank goodness for wool socks.

[Jay H]

Go west on Rt 17, you'll notice the distinct change of seasons as you approach Monticello and eventually Livingston Manor... There is a part of Rt 17 that must be constantly windy and cold because all of a sudden, I look to my left and all the trees are bare and the leaves have already fallen.. which was in distinct contrast to the fall conditions east of it.....

The snow out west by Mongaup was only about an inch at 3000' and was kind of corn snow...

Jay

[Laurie Rankin]

Just had to chime in on a few things with this thread:

#1- Way to go Matt, a climb up the tower in such winds is if nothing else, a reminder of just who is in charge...

#2- Walked the Old Tappan Road from Dry Brook a few years ago in the spring after obtaining permission from the Gould family to do so. It was quite easy to follow, with occassional "updates" due to some logging operations, but they don't lay up beautiful stone walls for those, so when in doubt I followed the old walls. The stream bed is filled with falls and pictures that we took that day which ended up being mirror images of those in Picturesque Ulster from 100 years previous. It was quite amazing.

#3 - Part of what Mike Kudish has been looking for on Schoolhouse in his recents trips are the remains of the old road. He has followed it up from both sides, but it has not yet become evident just where it crossed the height of land.

#4 - Also of note on Schoolhouse is another plane crash. According to the Catskill Mt News from 7-19-46, a plane from Stewart Field in Newburgh crashed there. Two men on board perished. The search crew was led to the scene by the Observer on Balsam Lake Mt at the time, Gus Stewart.

#5 - And finally, the balsams. I call them the Catskill altimeter as they usually begin to show themselves somewhere around 3000 feet, though not always. While Mike Kudish has seen them disappear on Schoolhouse, he has seen them multiply on Haynes????? He is still trying to find the answers to just why.