Fir & Big Indian – A Winter Bushwhack Adventure – February 19, 2011

[Jim Kennard]

There was a Winter Wind Advisory for the region of winds from 35 to 40 mph and gusts to 65 mph, a wind chill of -10 degrees or more, with snow in the forecast.

Do we still do this hike? ……. ABSOLUTELY!!!

It’s all about Winter adventures and new Catskill peak experiences (a book by the same name by Carol White) and knowing when to turn back when the risk gets too high.

Hike Plan: Hike approximately 2 miles to the Pine Hill West Branch trail lean-to then bushwhack straight for the summit of Fir. At the summit of Fir bushwhack over to Big Indian via the narrow col between these two mountains. Then head west to the marked trail and back to the Biscuit Brook PA.

Hike Trip Report:
Doug (Sparty), Andy, and I head out from the Biscuit Brook PA. The wind was howling. The register indicated that the last group through here was the Hudson Valley Hikers one week ago. The trail to the lean-to was packed but blowing snow put 2 to 4 inches of cover over the top of it so it was not always obvious until you stepped off the trail. Just off to the side the snow depth was 12 to 18 inches deep. We ended up stepping off the packed trail a few times and uttered a few unmentionable words.



It had been reported that a few others had hiked up to Fir on the past month. Just past the lean-to we looked for evidence of a broken out trail, unfortunately there were no signs of one. The next ½ mile was a tough one as we ended up punching 12 to 18” though the crust of the snow as it was not strong enough to hold us most of the time. Around the 3000 feet in elevation the crust started to become more firm so now only every 20 steps or so would we punch though.



It was at times a tireless trek to Fir while the strong winds blew snow in our faces and trees were groaning and cracking all around us. Finally we reached the summit of Fir. The winds at the summit were gusting so high that at times they came close to knocking us down. The wind chill must have been lower than -20 degrees. In just the few moments that it takes to sign the register we were starting to get cold standing there. We just had to keep moving and there was no time or place to stop for even a quick lunch break.



Doug has led several hikes up to Fir and Big Indian in the past. At the summit he took a compass bearing to the direction of the col and we hit it perfectly. We were still punching through the crust of the snow on top but not quite as bad as we had experienced in the lower elevations. There are a lot of small beech trees along the way which give you a good whipping every so often. Fortunately, this time I was wearing goggles so I only got whipped half as hard!

At the summit of Big Indian the wind and temperature conditions were exactly the same as they were on Fir, so we stayed for only enough time to sign the register. We noticed that 3 other hikers (Hans & ??) had signed in sometime earlier in the day. We saw no signs of their tracks as the wind had blown the snow over them. We bushwhacked to the marked trail and headed back to the PA. I suspect that the group of 3 must have come from a different direction than from Biscuit Brook as there were no signs of a broken out trail. The trail back to Biscuit Brook to the lean-to was snow covered by 6 inches or more in places making a quick return not so easy. We occasionally would punch though into 12” to 24” depths. When we got to the lean-to there were two hikers that had just arrived and would be camping overnight. They had a small fire going which was putting out more smoke than heat. We took our first break of the day there out of the chilling winds and then headed back to the PA.



It was dark as we hiked out the last mile and utilized our headlamps. Even though we and the two hikers at the lean-to had been over this trail today the wind in a short time had blown the snow back over the broken out trail by 4 to 6 inches.

All went well and it was another memorable hiking adventure in the mountains of the Catskill’s. Cheers, Jim

Fir & Big Indian Hike pics:
https://picasaweb.google.com/kennard...dian_2_19_2011