It was a lovely 4th of July, happy birthday America! - I had an easy border crossing and a very fun drive through the north country, seeing the many small towns decked out for celebrations. I may have briefly and inadvertently joined a few local Independence Day parades myself, my hatchback mom-car with Ontario plates did some awkward merging between decorated fire trucks and lawn tractors on main street, but it did not seem to cause any ill will, just momentary confusion. Fair.
Catamount was the plan upon arrival. There's such a beautiful view of it on the drive from the west. The trail starts out very nicely managed, forest path, a little boardwalk over a tiny stream, one demure switchback, all very sweet, and then it's as if the trail developers say "wasn't that nice, now just go up there *gestures skywards* lotsa luck"
I wished myself luck and started in on the up, taking big breaks and leapfrogging with two other ladies on the trail. We marvelled at the chimney section, and none of us were wafer thin, but we passed through that squeezy part without harm to ourselves or the mountain. They were enjoying their day very much, but quietly, and god bless them for that. (May I say this, cause I'm the exact same demographic and indeed have committed this crime myself, but I am completely over that thing where women will go out, for example, in pairs for a lunchtime walk "for their health" and pass the entire time vigorously ragging on Cynthia from accounting, while everyone in earshot regrets being trapped in the same county) My co-climbers and I were there to Enjoy the Day and some type 2 fun and see if we still had "it" in the hiking department. And We Did!
Catamount was hard and steep! and the many many scrambles were scary if you thought about it or looked down - but there were a number of options and workarounds available for the spookier bits. And the rock was warm and grippy, and my hiking shoes were doing their job very well. I did read up and study this trail - but forgot there was a false summit, so OH DEAR NO I had a moment of shock at seeing the rest of it... It was a beautiful day though and I carried on - I think the hardest portions of the trail are before the false summit, and the rest of the hike went as it should. A warm sunny (and buggy) time up on top seeing Esther, and Whiteface with a cloud pulled down around its ears. The way down was approaching type 1 fun, planning each little descent section without rushing. I strayed onto a herd path for a while in the trees, but it was pretty well trod and rejoined the main trail in due course.
Where to stay the night? I popped into nearby Taylor Pond Campground to check it out, it's a lovely spot! Nobody was around to tell me if there was a site available, and it looked pretty full, so I had a good drive down to South Meadows lane where there were lots of available dispersed campsites, even on a holiday weekend. Next morning, I made some coffee and some plans on the map. I had always wanted to see the Nun-de-ga-oh ridge, so I decided to start with Big Crow, which was one of the LP9ers anyway. I stopped first at Keene Stewarts for a trail treat, this time a whoopee pie that looked very toothsome. Some beautiful cans of local craft beer also caught my eye, so I chose an assortment to bring home. It was not yet 7am and the cashier and I admired my ambitious breakfast combo.
The drive up up up to the trailhead was great, there were a few deep ruts but you just have to go slow. The trail up to Big Crow was terrific! A good steep challenge in itself but far easier than Catamount, I thought. Summit reached in a half hour or so. It was getting warm, and I discarded the idea of the loop hike and kept going to Little Crow instead, which was a very fun time and nice little treed-in summit. I still want to do the Nun-De-Ga-Oh loop hike - I think in the fall is better maybe? I was happy with my two Crows and looked and looked at all the High Peaks within view. There are a couple monsters out there that I have not done yet, and I'd like to. But I think it would be smart of me to get stronger and lighter for something like Haystack or Giant to be anything like a reasonable solo objective. It could happen. In the meantime, life has been challenging, with some losses in my immediate family. Not much time for getaways, but I filled up my emotional tank just a bit with my 36 hours of fresh smelling air and no cell service (that's what I told everyone back home, anyway).
Catamount was the plan upon arrival. There's such a beautiful view of it on the drive from the west. The trail starts out very nicely managed, forest path, a little boardwalk over a tiny stream, one demure switchback, all very sweet, and then it's as if the trail developers say "wasn't that nice, now just go up there *gestures skywards* lotsa luck"
I wished myself luck and started in on the up, taking big breaks and leapfrogging with two other ladies on the trail. We marvelled at the chimney section, and none of us were wafer thin, but we passed through that squeezy part without harm to ourselves or the mountain. They were enjoying their day very much, but quietly, and god bless them for that. (May I say this, cause I'm the exact same demographic and indeed have committed this crime myself, but I am completely over that thing where women will go out, for example, in pairs for a lunchtime walk "for their health" and pass the entire time vigorously ragging on Cynthia from accounting, while everyone in earshot regrets being trapped in the same county) My co-climbers and I were there to Enjoy the Day and some type 2 fun and see if we still had "it" in the hiking department. And We Did!
Catamount was hard and steep! and the many many scrambles were scary if you thought about it or looked down - but there were a number of options and workarounds available for the spookier bits. And the rock was warm and grippy, and my hiking shoes were doing their job very well. I did read up and study this trail - but forgot there was a false summit, so OH DEAR NO I had a moment of shock at seeing the rest of it... It was a beautiful day though and I carried on - I think the hardest portions of the trail are before the false summit, and the rest of the hike went as it should. A warm sunny (and buggy) time up on top seeing Esther, and Whiteface with a cloud pulled down around its ears. The way down was approaching type 1 fun, planning each little descent section without rushing. I strayed onto a herd path for a while in the trees, but it was pretty well trod and rejoined the main trail in due course.
Where to stay the night? I popped into nearby Taylor Pond Campground to check it out, it's a lovely spot! Nobody was around to tell me if there was a site available, and it looked pretty full, so I had a good drive down to South Meadows lane where there were lots of available dispersed campsites, even on a holiday weekend. Next morning, I made some coffee and some plans on the map. I had always wanted to see the Nun-de-ga-oh ridge, so I decided to start with Big Crow, which was one of the LP9ers anyway. I stopped first at Keene Stewarts for a trail treat, this time a whoopee pie that looked very toothsome. Some beautiful cans of local craft beer also caught my eye, so I chose an assortment to bring home. It was not yet 7am and the cashier and I admired my ambitious breakfast combo.
The drive up up up to the trailhead was great, there were a few deep ruts but you just have to go slow. The trail up to Big Crow was terrific! A good steep challenge in itself but far easier than Catamount, I thought. Summit reached in a half hour or so. It was getting warm, and I discarded the idea of the loop hike and kept going to Little Crow instead, which was a very fun time and nice little treed-in summit. I still want to do the Nun-De-Ga-Oh loop hike - I think in the fall is better maybe? I was happy with my two Crows and looked and looked at all the High Peaks within view. There are a couple monsters out there that I have not done yet, and I'd like to. But I think it would be smart of me to get stronger and lighter for something like Haystack or Giant to be anything like a reasonable solo objective. It could happen. In the meantime, life has been challenging, with some losses in my immediate family. Not much time for getaways, but I filled up my emotional tank just a bit with my 36 hours of fresh smelling air and no cell service (that's what I told everyone back home, anyway).
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