Graham, Doubletop

[mudhook]

What a nice day!

[Snickers]

It was a nice day with some really great people!!! Thanks everyone for coming out. Group two, sorry we didn't get to spend much time together, we will make up for it next time. :) Haunted Fox, I hope your knee gets better soon, glad to hear you made both peaks, great job. :tup:

Happy Trials - Cindy

[imarchant]

It was nice getting to meet a few more people from this forum.

We met at the Seagar Trail Head at 8:00 AM. After making introductions the twelve of us: Snickers, Joe, Jay H, Pudgy Groundhog, Steve, Mudhook, Rockysummit & his Daughter, DaLunartik, Hauted Fox, Chip and Myself, head out along the trail. After about 20 minute, just after crossing the stream in Drury Hollow we started the bushwack up the ridge. After about 1/2 an hour it became apparent that it would be difficult to keep such a large group together. We split into two groups. I joined the faster group consisting of Snickers, Joe, Jay H, Pudgy Groundhog, Steve, Chip and Myself. It was a straight forward an relatively easy bushwack the whole trip as far a navigation and thickness of the brush. Most of the route was quite steep. We reached the summit of Graham at about 10:15. We hung around for about 1/2 an hour.

We left the summit shortly before 11:00 am. We reached the Col, after a steep descent at 11:30. The summit of Doubletop was obtained an hour later. We stayed at this summit for close to a 1/2 hr. again. We made the bushwack decent of 1.8 miles in less than 1-1/2 hrs. We hit the trail at 2:20. It was a quick 3/4 mile back to our starting point.

We arrived back at the car before 3:00. On checking the trail register and the cars in the lot we noticed the other group had not returned, we surmised that they must have continued on to Doubletop, We thought maybe they would return directly from Graham. I am interested in hearing how they did.

The weather was quite warm with no snow except for a light dusting on North facing slopes. After the rains from the previous days it was surprisingly dry. Stream crossings presented only minor challenges.

I really enjoyed the day with some great people. I look forward next time. I also realized I need to get into better shape as I was near the back of the groupo for most of the day. This six mile hike was a bit more challenging than I expected.

Here are a few pictures (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2681844580010942124XgHduw)I took during the day.

[chip]

Great day in the woods ! There was even a little snow about.
We roused two ruffed grouse in the Col, which always wakes you up.
Pretty area with some interesting, ledgy semi-scrambles.
I was happy to see some that I know and to meet a few more.
Good job all !

[Jay H]

What a nice day!

My vote for the most descriptive trip report..ever! :eek:

Did you partake in the pig's feet?

;)

Jay

p.s. pictures to be posted tonight!

[Snickers]

Great TR Imarchant. :tup:

[TFR]

My vote for the most descriptive trip report..ever!I don't know who said it, but someone once wrote something to the effect of:

"I don't have time to send you a short letter, so I am sending you this long one."

SIC!

[rockysummit]

Well, group two had en excellent trip too! Had to make sure Haunted Fox's knee didn't develope any problems, and all went just fine. Had a great time with some new faces, identifying trees and animal signs, and scrambling onto the usual ledges with great views. Until recently finding this route up and down Graham, this mountain was on the bottom of my list.This loop has now become one of my favorites!

[chip]

A few pics;
http://www.parazz.com/hires/45740742290_13281.jpg
http://www.parazz.com/hires/75469242686_13281.jpg
http://www.parazz.com/hires/03093634441_13281.jpg
http://www.parazz.com/hires/46444192336_13281.jpg
http://www.parazz.com/hires/24352425410_13281.jpg

[daLunartik]

We made it to the summit of Graham around 11:30, after pausing for a bit at a view point clearing just below the summit. Mudhook climbed up the structure a bit, and counted 31 of 35 high peaks. As we were making our way down the col, we all heard voices ahead, which we assumed was the first group making there way up DT (this was after we all confirmed that these voices were different than the ones in our head :D ).

We stopped for lunch just below the summit of Doubletop, at a ledge with excellent viewpoints of Graham, where we had a great time laughing and sharing stories (HauntedFox and I laughed about that Canoe trip story the whole way home:tup: ).

We signed in at the canister, and started our way down the herd path. After some confusion regarding which way was left and which was right :D , we made our way down to the trail, striking the road just above the bridge. From there, it was a short hop and skip back to the cars.

While this was my first trip to these two mountains - I have to agree with Rockysummit - that one section of moss covered rocks on the way up Graham was just spectacular. I'd love to see that in summer foliage with the sun streaming in!

It was a great trip, and a great day in the woods with new folks. It would have been nice to have spent more time with the larger group, but at the same time it was a bit a large of a group to be off trail with. As it was, it was a good in the field lesson on herd path formation - we came across the first groups tracks a number of times, particularly around and up/down the cliffs where terrain features funnel foot traffic.

Summitwise, these two peaks put me at 29/35, HauntedFox at 25/35 and Rockysummits daughter at 30/35.

[mudhook]

My vote for the most descriptive trip report..ever! :eek:

Did you partake in the pig's feet?

;)

Jay

p.s. pictures to be posted tonight!

Well, it was a nice day!:)
Sorry, pickled pigs feet must be partook with saltines and we were plum out.:cry:
Next time.:rolleyes:

[chip]

We stopped for lunch just below the summit of Doubletop, at a ledge with excellent viewpoints of Graham,
I really enjoyed the scrambles and those ledge terraces. I wonder what caused them ? They looked natural. We kept saying "This would be a GREAT place to camp (if it was legal)."

[Mark Schaefer]

Sounds like a fun hike and another mini gathering.

I really enjoyed the scrambles and those ledge terraces. I wonder what caused them ? They looked natural. We kept saying "This would be a GREAT place to camp (if it was legal)." The general explanation of ledges in sandstone mountains is that the various layers of sandstone have varying degrees of hardness. The Catskill sandstones were laid down for over 50 million years. Many different climate changes affected how fast the sediments collected. There were different mineral contents of the sea water. Different plants and animals lived in different eras and became fossilized with the sand that became rock. Some layers are mostly sand, others have significant amounts of silt and became shale. All of these and probably many other factors affected how hard each layer of sandstone was to become.

As the glaciers and time wore down the Catskill plateau the hard layers resisted erosion for longer periods of time forming a ledge. When the hard layer was eventually worn through the softer layers below wore away faster until another hard layer was reached that formed the next lower ledge. The results are the stair step slopes of the Catskills. However, heads of valleys tend to be more vertical. That is where the glaciers met an immovable mass, as opposed to sliding and scraping by a slope.

[chip]

Neat. Thanks Mark !

[daLunartik]

As close to a group picture (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2155428200090556846ETYpmm) as I could get (note Rockysummits elbow on the right).

On our way to the Col (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2774464520090556846jDiKFi)

Coming off of Doubletop, we enountered a Sapsucker Tree (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2445397580090556846scfvMX) Close up (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2012248640090556846STqcIV)

Striking the trail (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2027257550090556846kGlRAe)

A pano from the first view point on Graham (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2359937790090556846KQkLMN)

A pano of Graham (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2906116570090556846NDakkR), from the "lunch ledge" on Doubletop

Topo (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2493626440090556846ldoVre)

[rockysummit]

Really was a great trip. Nice shots, daLunartik. And you definately captured my better side in the group shot! Enjoyed hiking with you guys.

[Jay H]

Two small pictures from the first group at Graham. Apparently, you all got ugly by the time we got to Doubletop and I didn't take any photos there.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/556909551SfCDWW

Jay
:)

[mudhook]

Two small pictures from the first group at Graham. Apparently, you all got ugly by the time we got to Doubletop and I didn't take any photos there.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/556909551SfCDWW

Jay
:)

Who are all these people? Not the same group we were following, I'm sure.
You should see our group shot (hint hint );)