Got the Skillz to hike the Catskills?

“Phantom Soul
Pennsy
Mousespray
Twinkle Toes
Lt Hiker
ENS
Sacco
Stoopid”

“Hey Pennsy what about bagging Friday Mtn? Huh Huhu what do you think. Can you get the Lat/Lon for the peak? Then if we have time we could run over ther from Whitenberg.
I've been up there so many times it seems a shame to pass it again without stopping.”

“if we have time and energy that would be cool”

“Hey Twinkles you ok with the 8:36 pick up time?”

“Good lord, are you insane? LOL! I bushwhacked to Friday Mt from the Neversink and that was insane. The bushwhack to Friday from the WCS trail is supposed to be worse and reputed as being the nastiest mile in the Catskills. I've got the co'ords in my GPS if you want em, but it's so thick, a GPS is very unreliable.”

“I'm new to the site, but this looks like a cool trip.

Is there a flat spot near the trail head? I can get in kinda late on Friday, but I'd like to avoid sleeping in the car if I can.”

“me thinks we should save Friday for another day. 13 miles will be a full slate Saturday.”

“We will have to see when we get there.

Fels your welcome to come. Change your name froma maybe to a definate and we will see you Friday night. The problem with setting up a tent at the trail head is that there is no camping allowed there. I wonder if sleeping in a car is allowed but we will see.”

“ENS I hope it doesn't take us 16 hours.”

“Here is some weather info for Pheonicia, the closest town.
They are calling for 2.5 inches of snow during the day, in the valley Friday.

Friday Night
Low 17° F
Minimum RealFeel® -1° F
RealFeel Shade® -1° F
Winds N at 14 mph
Wind Gusts 24 mph
Maximum UV 0
Thunderstorm Probability 1%
Amount of Precipitation 0.00 in
Amount of Rain 0.00 in
Amount of Snow 0 in
Hours of Precipitation 0
Hours of Rain 0

Saturday Daytime
High 32° F
Maximum RealFeel® 17° F
RealFeel Shade® 16° F
Winds NNW at 17 mph
Wind Gusts 33 mph
Maximum UV 2
Thunderstorm Probability 0%
Amount of Precipitation 0.00 in
Amount of Rain 0.00 in
Amount of Snow 0 in
Hours of Precipitation 2
Hours of Rain 0

Saturday Night
Low 18° F
Minimum RealFeel® 5° F
RealFeel Shade® 5° F
Winds N at 10 mph
Wind Gusts 25 mph
Maximum UV 0
Thunderstorm Probability 0%
Amount of Precipitation 0.00 in
Amount of Rain 0.00 in
Amount of Snow 0 in
Hours of Precipitation 0
Hours of Rain 0


Looks like a very chilly night Friday and Saturday. Better bring the long johns!”

“Yeah, a tent would probably help, it sounds like it'll be a bit chilly. With the early departure, maybe something could be discreetly poached nearby? But if not, I guess I can improvise something.”

“me thinks we should save Friday for another day. 13 miles will be a full slate Saturday.”
earthnsky

I'm saving Friday Mt for another lifetime. I'm in no hurry to do that one again.
It's gonna be a chiller up on GL Sat night, but I like the clear weather forecast. I'm thinking of just bringing a bivy for shelter.

I'm just a bit concerned about the potential trail conditions up high, and I might carry crampons. I have 2 pair of yaktrax if anybody wants to borrow a pair.”

“the trail almost literally goes through one of Woodland Valley's campsites, about 100' from the road. A quiet stealthy camp might work there, but I don't know if they patrol that area.
last edited: 11/11/04 5:31:09 PM”

“You guys are going to have a blast. I should be in the areas on Saturday. I'm going up Big Indian with my wife and dogs. I'll try to stop over at Giant Ledge if it doesn't get to late. Hope to run into the bunch of you.”

“Kewl. It would be good to see you again.”

“hey pennsy, would the yaktrax fit me?

i'm a 10.

if you think they would fit then i'd really appreiciate a pair.”

“pennsy, should i bother to bring a little fire wood incase we think it's safe to try one at that campsite 100' from the road?”

“time to pack.”

“Yes to question 1 and No to 2. :o)

Yeah, I wear 9 1/2 so the yaks will fit you. I get them at work but I have yet to use them, but I could see where they might help this weekend.

I think a fire would attract unwanted attention.”

“but I do think you should pack some wood for Giant Ledge.”

“yup I agree, firewood for Giant Ledge. Sacco, you are now official Firewood for Giant Ledge Guy.”

“woohooo”

“Pennsy are you bringing full crampons?”

“Looks like we have some serious snow in the forecast for tomorrow...

That said, Pennsy: a couple of things: anyone using that second yaktrax? and will they fit a 13?

This is going to get pretty white...”

“they have yax trax at EMS and I think they have ice walkers at campmor. I recommend ice walkers of yax trax. yaxtrax break easily on rocks.”

“that's all I have, with the exception of Yaktrax. Probably overkill, but if there are a few inches of snow on the ground at the trailhead, I'll most likely carry them.”

“It's been cold enough this week to support full snow accumulation. Just to be safe, we may see more than the forecast is predicting -- especially in the higher elevations.”

“I'm bringing both my ice walkers and 12 point crampons.”

“my reponse of "that's all I have" was about my crampons, not the yaktrax. The second pair is not spoken for but they are mediums which supposedly fit sizes 9-11. I'll look around at work tomorrow for a larger size.”

“I'm going to my full crampns I guess I am going to EMS tommorrow, I'll look for insteps or yaktrax.”

“Pennsy do you have the prolite 3 or 4 thermo rest? If it is the 3 are you happy with the 1 inch thickness. Also they rate the 4 for 4 season use. hmmm I want to get a new full lenght pad.”

“I have the 4. I love the full length and 1.5" thickness, especially when it packs small and weighs less than a lb and a half.”

“Don't Sweat it. YakTrax aren't the most expensive ticket. I'll swing by EMS after work tomorrow night and pick up a pair of large ones that will fit my shovels feet.

Thanks anyway, though.”

“I'm new to the site, but this looks like a cool trip.
fels

welcome aboard. look forward to hiking with you. There are a few NJians, Phantom Soul is one of them and he is going on this trip. I'm from PA. Everyone on the trip is pretty much from the PA, NJ, NY and CT area.

This trip should be a lot of fun. The Catskills offer up some of the hardest hiking in the Mid-Atlantic.

Are we still planning on getting breakfast in Phoenicia Sunday morning?
last edited: 11/11/04 8:51:53 PM”

“I know you're anti-gators, but considering that we will encounter snow on this hike, do you want to borrow my old gators? I serriously recommend them.
-
in other news... I didn't upgrade my stove so I am hoping that my Pocket Rocket canister stove will withstand the low temps. Is anyone bringing a white fuel stove on this trip?
last edited: 11/11/04 9:05:36 PM”

“Twinkle you have mail at your hotmail address.

Breakfast sounds good to me.
last edited: 11/11/04 9:20:09 PM”

“I guess you can bring the gators, but I'll decide whether I succumb to them when I get there...”

“anyone packing spirits? A lady at work was talking today about Coconut Rum mixed with pinapple juice. That got me thinking about what kind of spirits I should pack.. hmmm Something strong to keep warm.”

“Ummm, I'll just drink what you bring. Last weekend, we had hot chocolate with peppermint scnaups. That was awesome, but my bar is empty. :o( I forgot about spirits, but maybe I'll have time tomorrow to grab something.

I'm bringing a white gas stove, so if your pocket rocket craps out, you can borrow mine. When you get to camp Sat night, grab your canister and keep it close to your body for a while to warm up. That will help.”

“hey penss-
what's a good white gas stove again?

(sorry to hit you on this thread)”

“hit me anywhere Yammy. :o)
For boiling water with limited simmering control, I'd highly recommend the MSR Whisperlite (hmm, is it lite or light?). Since some of the stuff I cook requires a low simmer, I prefer the MSR Dragonfly or the Optimus (Brunton) Nova.”

“Hey Twinks you out there? did you get my e-mail? Whats going on? 8:36 at the Beacon Train Station right?”

“Ok they have upgraded the snowfall amounts to 3-6 inches in Phoenicia. WooHoo, I am beginning to wonder about snowshoes. Full Crampons will not be such overkill now.
If there is 6 inches in the valley how much do you think there will be on the peaks?”

“don't worry if you don't see me tonight. I'm considering leaving real early in the morning to avoid driving in bad weather tonight. One way or another, I'll be there tomorrow morning, and if I'm late, don't wait for me.”

“pennsy, thanks in advance for the yaks.

so LT, when do you think you'll be getting there, 9:30ish?

what do you drive?

i'll be in a blue explorer.

oh, and i'll be bringing a little brandy for warmth.”

“I'm bringing my simmerlite (similar to whisperlite, but better simmering, and I think more reliable in cold) I'll figure out how much white gas to bring when I see whther we'll get water from filtering or boiling.

I wonder if crampons are useful if there's that much snow. Mine aren't great for hiking, and tend to snowball alot, so I think I'd prefer snowshoes. I guess I'll bring both and sort it out tomorrow.”

“huff”

“Hey Twinkle am I picking you up or what?????????????????????????????????????????”

“Twinkle if I don't get a response I am going to assume that you have bailed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“I'm off, I have a date tonight and I'll see everyone at the trailhead tomorrow morning. :) Woohoo!!! Hot date and awesome backpack in the snow, it doesn't get better than that!”