KHP Sunrise Hike 5/31/2010

[niceguyted]

After a nice bbq at my parents' place with family friends, my buddy Scott the Fat Vegan and I decided to swing on up to the Cats and catch a sunrise from one of the peaks he has left for his 3500 Club membership.

We decided on KHP, hit up a diner around 1AM on Monday and were at the trailhead at about 3:30. We parked at the parking area where the Long Path intersects Platte Cove Road (16). The lot wasn't plowed, but we were still able to get in because there wasn't any snow.

We proceeded to climb KHP via the Long Path, which I'd always considered 'the long way'. I've climbed KHP three times in the past - the first time from Josh Road (forgive me, hiking/cartography gods, but I didn't know what "KO" stands for), and twice from Gillespie Road. The former time was 5/9/2009, which meant I could kiss goodbye any chance of this peak counting toward my grid (the third time such an event has occurred), and the latter two were when there was snow on the ground. Every time, my approach had been via the Twilight Park Trail from the south; never from the north.

Holy sh*t that way was easy! First a nice wide trail, and then an almost un-missable herd path to the summit. From my previous encounters, I'd always considered KHP to be one of the most 'untamed' of the 35. And hoo-boy, was I wrong. There were herd paths all over the summit - even the Twilight Park Trail on the way back down (going south) was pretty much impossible to miss.

After following the Long Path to the junction of the bridle/snowmobile trail, we 'whacked for about a hundred yards to the southeast before coming across the herd path (we decided not to make a right on the snowmobile trail and find the left-turnoff for the Twilight Park Trail, which turned out to be a good move). The moon was almost full on our way up, so it wasn't pitch black, but we enjoyed a few quiet moments of just standing still in the dark (headlamps switched off), listening to the semi-silence. We also had an enjoyable time setting our headlamps to boogie while we disco-downed and checked out the trail. That was short lived, though, because neither of us were particularly keen on triggering a seizure or rolled ankle.

I've got to say, fellow hikers, backpackers and peakbaggers, the Twilight Park Trail to the summit of KHP from the north was absolutely gorgeous.

We didn't need our headlamps anymore once we hit the turnoff for the bridle/snowmobile trail, and didn't quite make it to the summit for the sunrise, but we caught the view from around the 34-3500' line. One of these days I'll figure out how to ftp images to my website and I'll be able to post some pics in these trip reports (and my blog posts). So for now you'll just have to trust me that the sky was clear and the sunrise was gorgeous. Friend me on facebook (I'm an open facebooker) and you can dig through my pics there.

We summitted just before 6 and wandered around for a bit, checking out the different herd paths up there. There's a piece of plane wreckage right at the summit clearing - I kind of think someone dragged it there.

Scott wanted to go back down the way we came, but I knew y'all would kick my skinny beefsticks if I didn't take his ass to Hurricane Ledge. So we did that and took the Twilight Park Trail (south) back down to the snowmobile trail, banged a louie onto it, and then 'whacked for a few hundred yards back to the Long Path where they're close together in the east.

We were back to the car by 8 or 8:30 and rolled back to NNJ, whereupon I took a shower and a two-hour nap and headed off to another bbq.

Anyway, I haven't posted a trip report in a bit, and I was afraid I'd lose some woods cred with y'all. Scott and I also hiked West Kill on Saturday and SW Hunter the Saturday before (both of which did, in fact, count towards my grid completion). Here's the trip on my EveryTrail page.

So happy trails to you, dear reader: may they rise to meet your feet and the rocks not be pointy, slippery, or the kind that move (not that that's going to happen in the Catskills - those are the only kind of rocks we have, lol). I look forward to stumbling across you out there soon.

[daLunartik]

Originally Posted by niceguyted

So for now you'll just have to trust me that the sky was clear and the sunrise was gorgeous.

I'm gonna guess it look a little like this (minus the eastern view of the sun):

Sorry I didn't stop to chat, but I was chasing after visions of a hot cup of coffee.

[Jay H]

The KO is, as far as I know, Keep Out. But the Bruderhof folks are as friendly folks as I've ever met though the usual respect for private property applies. A group I was with were invited over to their main house after meeting them at Hurricane Ledge and they are commonly found hiking in that KHP or DP area they are in. Sometimes singing!

Sounds like a good way to burn those calories off from the BBQs..

jay

[niceguyted]

Originally Posted by daLunartik

I'm gonna guess it look a little like this (minus the eastern view of the sun):

Sorry I didn't stop to chat, but I was chasing after visions of a hot cup of coffee.

Yup, that's pretty much what it looked like. Did you meet the dudes from Brooklyn with the Pit, or were we the ones who woke them up?

I had the same visions - and the fixins for coffee in my pack - but Scott wanted to keep moving. Next time we pass each other I'll trip you, say hello and share my coffee. =)

[SoloJoe]

All night, all right. Lemme get this straight: BBQ, diner, 8-mile hike, 2-hour nap, bookend BBQ. What a weekend. Good on ya, mate. Now that's how it's done.

[daLunartik]

Originally Posted by niceguyted

Yup, that's pretty much what it looked like. Did you meet the dudes from Brooklyn with the Pit, or were we the ones who woke them up?

Oh yeah, met 'em the night before. In case ya didn't know, KHP belongs to them. The pit was very friendly and happy, but under zero verbal control.

Now if I had known you had the fixings for coffee on you....