Catskills. 2 Nights, 24 Miles, 5 Peaks Above 3,500 ft. Snow, Ice and Wind

**Dirtbaghiker** · 11-18-2021, 08:12

This time Bob and I decided to do 24 miles of the NY Long Path which cuts through the rugged Slide Mountain Wilderness in the notorious Catskill Mountains! We had to shuttle our own cars, leaving 1 at the southern trailhead off Peekamoose road and driving the other to the northern trailhead on Lane street in Phoenicia, which was a 30 minute drive. We started the hike on a fairly new section of trail for the NY Long Path ( Phoenicia East Branch trail ). It was rocky.. very rocky. Then again, where in NY are the trails not? My starting pack weight was 14 lbs base, about 21 lbs after food and 2 liters of water added. Not bad considering we would be hiking about 24 miles through snow, hail and sleet, about 2 inches of accumulations, climbing up and down ledges of ice, sleeping in 24° temps with wind 10- 15 mph and gusts reported up to about 20 mph., all the while crossing 5 peaks above 3,500 ft. Wittenberg Mt. (3,780), Cornell Mt. (3,860), Slide Mt. (4,180), Table Mt. (3,847) and Peekamoose Mt. (3,843). I slept in my MLD eVent Soul bivy and used my Borah Gear Silpoly Solo tarp (5.8×9) for overhead protection. This was actually my first time ever using a tarp with just knots. I recently removed all line locs and have been practicing in my yard at home using only knots. I have to say, it felt kind of liberating! So simple..although it did take a few minutes longer then I would have liked, but I got it done and it worked perfectly, even with some rain, snow, sleet and wind. I will continue to go this way from here on.

Day 1 approximate 8 miles hiked. Day 2 approximate 9.5 miles hiked. Day 3 approximate 7 miles hiked.

Enjoy our footage from this trip and feel free to comment, criticize or ask any questions.

**ObdewlaX** · 11-18-2021, 09:30

Nice video Dirtbag.

I think the thing I like about snow on the trail, the few times I've hiked in it, is how quiet it is in the woods. plus, it's always neat to see animal tracks in the snow & it gives you a sense of all the activity in the woods & on trail. Without it, you may never have even realized that bear was wandering around on the mountain. Kinda like the mountain lion tracks I saw on the trail & in my campsite when I did my overnighter on McKittrick Ridge in the Guadalupe Mtns. Nat'l Park this past New Year's.

What kind of footwear were you guys using? I imagine trail runners would get a little soggy hiking through the snow.

Thanks for posting.

**Dirtbaghiker** · 11-18-2021, 09:58

Thanks @ obdewlax!
Agreed about seeing all the activities in the snow, it is awesome. My boots were the Salomon x ultra mid winter cs waterproof boots. I actually picked them up towards end of last winter to use on trips like this, instead of my Tundra winter boots.. or trail runners. I have to say, they were perfect for this kind of trip. Comfortable and kept my feet warm and dry. Though at 1 point I stepped in thin ice, mush and my foot sank and some water did seep over the top of the boot.. no biggy as my foot stayed warm and mostly dry, lol.

**cmoulder** · 11-18-2021, 10:37

Originally Posted by ObdewlaX

Nice video Dirtbag.

I think the thing I like about snow on the trail, the few times I've hiked in it, is how quiet it is in the woods. plus, it's always neat to see animal tracks in the snow & it gives you a sense of all the activity in the woods & on trail. Without it, you may never have even realized that bear was wandering around on the mountain. Kinda like the mountain lion tracks I saw on the trail & in my campsite when I did my overnighter on McKittrick Ridge in the Guadalupe Mtns. Nat'l Park this past New Year's.

What kind of footwear were you guys using? I imagine trail runners would get a little soggy hiking through the snow.

Thanks for posting.

Thanks for linking your report, Obdewlax... somehow I missed it the first time, and I've always wanted to hike the Guadalupes.

I was using my Vasque Snowblime boots and they worked well but I had a hot spot around my left big toe joint. Wasn't too bad and I taped it before it caused any major abrasion. However, I am looking at some lighter boots for 'in-between' conditions such as we experienced. We also used Microspikes from just past the summit of Cornell (couple of very sketchy little drop-offs there) to just past the summit of Slide Mtn. I put them back on for the descent of Table Mtn but they really weren't necessary.

It was really cool seeing the good-sized bear track, although it was ironic that I had confidently stated to Joe that bears were gone from the higher peaks for the season and down low getting ready to hibernate. Ha! Well they proved me wrong, and now I've got to study up a bit and see what the heck they're doing up there with not much to eat, although there were plenty of rabbit and other rodent tracks in that area as well.

**Dirtbaghiker** · 11-18-2021, 10:52

BIG BEAR!! Those prints were healthy and fairly large too!

**cmoulder** · 11-19-2021, 08:23

Originally Posted by Dirtbaghiker

BIG BEAR!! Those prints were healthy and fairly large too!

I emailed NYSDEC to see if someone might provide some insight about what they were doing up there!

On a recent backpacking trip with a friend, I confidently informed him that there were no bears in the higher peaks of the Catskills because they would be down in the valleys where there were still some food sources for foraging.

So on Nov 15 we were surprised to see some rather large (about 4" across) and very fresh bear tracks on the top of Table Mountain in about an inch or two of fresh snow, and also some smaller tracks from what was probably a cub born last spring. We did not actually see any bears.

Since they don't expend energy/effort without good reason we are wondering what they might be doing up there. Are they still foraging (and for what) or perhaps looking for a den... or something else?

Thanks for answering this rather trivial question if you can,

**Dirtbaghiker** · 11-19-2021, 09:48

Awesome Bob!!! Keep me posted on that. My theory is that they were looking for us!!!! Maybe they smelled my beef pasta dinner from that night?? Lol

**cmoulder** · 11-19-2021, 10:06

Originally Posted by Dirtbaghiker

Awesome Bob!!! Keep me posted on that. My theory is that they were looking for us!!!! Maybe they smelled my beef pasta dinner from that night?? Lol

GULP!!

**cmoulder** · 11-19-2021, 10:10

For anyone who might want to do this awesome hike, here's my Caltopo link to it.

Phoenicia_Peekamoose_MERGED.jpg

**cmoulder** · 11-19-2021, 10:35

Originally Posted by Dirtbaghiker

Awesome Bob!!! Keep me posted on that. My theory is that they were looking for us!!!! Maybe they smelled my beef pasta dinner from that night?? Lol

From DEC... already!

Hi Bob,

Please be advised that there could still be some bears near the tops of the mountains. They could be in search of dens, but most likely are continuing to explore for food. They have a very strong sense of smell, so if they have happened upon a scent trail that takes them towards the top of the mountain, they will follow it. In the Catskills, there are some Oak trees near the top that would have dropped some acorns. There are probably some acorns on the ground and that could be what they are gathering.

Please see the following link for more interesting information about Black Bears:
https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/6960.html

Not trivial at all, and thank you for your interest in this beautiful wildlife species.