mountainmeijin
03-24-2007, 12:36 AM
Time to have a nice fun leisure hike for a change. I started out of the Woodland Valley PA at about 10:45 PM. I barebooted the first half mile then changed to snowshoes. The melting snow was very soft...even with the snowshoes it was quite unsupportive in places. Progress was slow.
It took me 4 hours and 45 minutes to reach the summit of Wittenberg...a slow pace, to be sure, but the ledges on the upper part of the trail were quite tricky and required some forethought. The summit of Wittenberg, of course, is a fine reward. For a cloudy day, the views were very clear, and the sun even began to peak out later on...maybe a sign of good fortune?
After about a 45 minute break on top of Wittenberg (It's always hard to leave there) I started towards Cornell. The col is short, shallow and steep-sided, so the trip to Cornell took little time, though the snow was very soft.
I always said that mountains get their kicks from teasing hikers...Cornell is a perfect example...it levels out nicely, you can look back and see Wittenberg is lower than you...it's just and easy walk up to the summit...whoops, forgot about the Cornell Crack. Did anyone ever notice that the large overhanging rock to the left of the crack resembles an alligator mouth with a tongue hanging out? Cornell is lickin' her chops for you.
I found the crack thoroughly covered with snow in the lower part and bare ice in the upper part. I started up, postholing significanly. I reached the beginning of the ice, about 3 feet below the top of the ledge when I slipped and slid all the way back down to the base. A second attempt saw me climb to about 5 feet below the top before postholing my left foot very deeply, spinning around to the right, landing on my back and sliding back down to the very bottom. My third attempt was the closest to success. I had gotten handholds near the top of the ledge and was bracing myself to swing my snowshoes up into the crack and climb up. I was nearly reaching the lip when my left snowshoe lost traction and....back to the bottom.
I noticed the smaller ledges off to the right and decided to try them. I soon found myself in a precarious position with my left snowshoe half balanced on a tiny shelf, my right foot hanging in mid-air and my left hand grasping onto a tiny, wet point of rock behind me and to the left...this last bit was the only thing keeping me from falling. To climb up, I would have to somehow swing my left snowshoe up the knee height, level it out and plant it on a ledge just above, not more than 9 inches wide and covered with a slanted sheet of ice, while simultaneously swinging my right snowshoe onto the even smaller ledge on which I was currently standing (hardly big enough for one snowshoe, let alone two) to be able to support myself, while maintaining a firm grasp on the rock precipice behind me. Even if I pulled off that little bit of acrobatics, I still wouldn't be over the cliff. It dawned on me, in a brief moment of sensibility, that no matter what I did, I was going to fall the second that I moved my left foot. And it would be a vertical fall...at least the Cornell Crack has a slight incline to slow you down. So I descended as gracefully as I could from the ledge.
That's when a sudden "duh" moment came to me. I had read all about Cornell and seen plenty of pictures...but I had never actually done a complete Burroughs Range through-hike (I know, shame on me). Thus, for me Cornell was not optional. How ignorant could I be? I tried a fourth and final attempt at the crack before falling again and realizing that there was just no good way to do it...so I turned back.
I consoled myself by spending some more quality time atop Wittenberg before hiking down at about 6:15 PM. Once I descended the ledges of Wittenberg I took my time...it was now just a pleasant night stroll through the woods. I have got a plan. Someday I'd like to hike Wittenberg at night. I've always wondered what a clear, starry night sky would look like from atop Witt. On these clear winter nights, it's easy to picture the ghost of John Burroughs emerging from the lofty balsams and settling down beneath the night sky canopy to survey his Hudson Valley domain. Maybe nearby his hiking buddy Rip Van Winkle is stoking up the campfire. Makes a lovely picture, don't it? But that will have to wait for a sultry summer night.
Here's the main point, sorry for taking so long to get to it. I now have too many mountains to finish and not enough free time. So, I've decided that I won't be a 35'er in time for the club dinner. I will now be able to take things at my own pace and hike the mountains I need in good conditions. Additionally, I'll be able to visit mountains I've been wanting to, but not been able to because of my trying to finish up. I think this is just for the better. I'm not sad about it. A good day in the Burroughs Range is always worth the trouble.
I'm having trouble with the pictures, but I promise they'll be up in a few days.
It took me 4 hours and 45 minutes to reach the summit of Wittenberg...a slow pace, to be sure, but the ledges on the upper part of the trail were quite tricky and required some forethought. The summit of Wittenberg, of course, is a fine reward. For a cloudy day, the views were very clear, and the sun even began to peak out later on...maybe a sign of good fortune?
After about a 45 minute break on top of Wittenberg (It's always hard to leave there) I started towards Cornell. The col is short, shallow and steep-sided, so the trip to Cornell took little time, though the snow was very soft.
I always said that mountains get their kicks from teasing hikers...Cornell is a perfect example...it levels out nicely, you can look back and see Wittenberg is lower than you...it's just and easy walk up to the summit...whoops, forgot about the Cornell Crack. Did anyone ever notice that the large overhanging rock to the left of the crack resembles an alligator mouth with a tongue hanging out? Cornell is lickin' her chops for you.
I found the crack thoroughly covered with snow in the lower part and bare ice in the upper part. I started up, postholing significanly. I reached the beginning of the ice, about 3 feet below the top of the ledge when I slipped and slid all the way back down to the base. A second attempt saw me climb to about 5 feet below the top before postholing my left foot very deeply, spinning around to the right, landing on my back and sliding back down to the very bottom. My third attempt was the closest to success. I had gotten handholds near the top of the ledge and was bracing myself to swing my snowshoes up into the crack and climb up. I was nearly reaching the lip when my left snowshoe lost traction and....back to the bottom.
I noticed the smaller ledges off to the right and decided to try them. I soon found myself in a precarious position with my left snowshoe half balanced on a tiny shelf, my right foot hanging in mid-air and my left hand grasping onto a tiny, wet point of rock behind me and to the left...this last bit was the only thing keeping me from falling. To climb up, I would have to somehow swing my left snowshoe up the knee height, level it out and plant it on a ledge just above, not more than 9 inches wide and covered with a slanted sheet of ice, while simultaneously swinging my right snowshoe onto the even smaller ledge on which I was currently standing (hardly big enough for one snowshoe, let alone two) to be able to support myself, while maintaining a firm grasp on the rock precipice behind me. Even if I pulled off that little bit of acrobatics, I still wouldn't be over the cliff. It dawned on me, in a brief moment of sensibility, that no matter what I did, I was going to fall the second that I moved my left foot. And it would be a vertical fall...at least the Cornell Crack has a slight incline to slow you down. So I descended as gracefully as I could from the ledge.
That's when a sudden "duh" moment came to me. I had read all about Cornell and seen plenty of pictures...but I had never actually done a complete Burroughs Range through-hike (I know, shame on me). Thus, for me Cornell was not optional. How ignorant could I be? I tried a fourth and final attempt at the crack before falling again and realizing that there was just no good way to do it...so I turned back.
I consoled myself by spending some more quality time atop Wittenberg before hiking down at about 6:15 PM. Once I descended the ledges of Wittenberg I took my time...it was now just a pleasant night stroll through the woods. I have got a plan. Someday I'd like to hike Wittenberg at night. I've always wondered what a clear, starry night sky would look like from atop Witt. On these clear winter nights, it's easy to picture the ghost of John Burroughs emerging from the lofty balsams and settling down beneath the night sky canopy to survey his Hudson Valley domain. Maybe nearby his hiking buddy Rip Van Winkle is stoking up the campfire. Makes a lovely picture, don't it? But that will have to wait for a sultry summer night.
Here's the main point, sorry for taking so long to get to it. I now have too many mountains to finish and not enough free time. So, I've decided that I won't be a 35'er in time for the club dinner. I will now be able to take things at my own pace and hike the mountains I need in good conditions. Additionally, I'll be able to visit mountains I've been wanting to, but not been able to because of my trying to finish up. I think this is just for the better. I'm not sad about it. A good day in the Burroughs Range is always worth the trouble.
I'm having trouble with the pictures, but I promise they'll be up in a few days.