5/22/07 - Kaaterskill High Peak

[mountainmeijin]

I realized that with college classes out I can now hike midweek so long as it doesn't conflict with my work schedule. So why not today, if the weather was going to be so nice?

I started out of the Long Path PA on Platte Clove Road at about 10:45 AM. The plan was to follow the LP around to the north side of Kaaterskill High Peak and pick up the snowmobile loop trail. From there I would loop around to the south side and take the unofficial blue marked trail up and over the summit and eventually work back to the LP. Once your legs get use to the moderate initial gradient, the rest of the hike is very easy, since the long flat stretches make for great moving breaks.

The snowmobile trail was quite wet, but I made good time, and didn't take a break until I was below the rock chutes that lead up to Hurricane Ledge. I'd hate to be anywhere near there in winter time. I was on the ledge by 1:30 pm. The view was topnotch, with only a slight haze softening the outlines of the DP Range. Predictably the camera battery died, so I took the batteries out of my GPS to power it. I turned the GPS off anyway when it gave me a moving speed of 48.3 mph and an elevation reading of 98,273 feet.

At 2:30, I started moving again, and found the summit bolt in good time. It's apparent that other people consider this a party mountain as well, with all the broken glass strewn around the summit. I cleaned up what I could but anyone who's cleaned glass out of a carpet knows what it's like. No barefoot hiking around there anytime soon.

I descended the north side slowly and methodically, not wanting to break my leg having just completed my 35. The biggest annoyance came on the return trip to the junction on the snowmobile loop, when I sank about 14 inches into wet mud and wound up hiking the last 4 miles or so in soaking wet muddy boots. Still worth it.

I'll try to have pictures up by tomorrow...I'm not 100% sure they'll work as I intend them to.