Slide Mtn. Loop Wknd of 1/30/05

“Wondering if anyone's been up here lately. I'm thinking of doing it this next wknd,-start on Sat. AM, stay overnight somewhere on the trail(any suggestions) and hike out Sunday. Probably start at Woodlands Campground.
Comments..suggestins?
thanks.”

“a bunch of us did this loop in November and we had a great time. The snow made the scrambles interesting, but we got through them all. I imagine there is more snow there now and that could make the scrambles all the more interesting. It's a great loop though. We camped below Giant Ledge. The original plan was to camp on Giant Ledge, but it got dark on us.”

“ENS - How are you feeling?
Did you use snowshoes,crampons..etc? How long did it take you from Woodlands to get to Giant Ledge where you camped?”

“I'm feeling a ton better today. I feel the best I have felt in 10 days today.

The snow was only about 4 inches deep so crampons or snow shoes weren't necessary.

We started hiking about 8 in the morning and we didn't get to the spot where we camped until 6ish. We hiked a good 14 miles that day though and it was a hard hike. There is a good camping spot in between Cornell and Slide.
last edited: 1/23/05 3:31:05 PM”

“You can camp in the col between Cornell and Slide (campsite is right on the trail), or you can cut it over to Giant Ledge and camp there. There are several campsites either up on Giant Ledge (which could be a bit chilly and especially windy this time of year), and there is also a slightly more sheltered campsite on the Phoenicia-East Branch Trail about a 1/4 mile east of the Giant Ledge junction on the south side just before it starts to go down the hill.”

“This is a great hike. I've done it 4 or 5 times. Check with Views From the Top for trail conditions. If you're lucky, someone's been up there this weekend to report on how much snow they got.

I'd highly recommend bringing crampons, no matter what you hear. You'll probably need them above 3500 feet, notably the final climb up Wittenburg, a dicy spot between Wittenberg and Cornel, and the climb up to Slide.

Have you been up there before? Getting to Giant Ledge (or the campsite below) in winter with full packs probably isn't practible. There's about 4 designated campsites in the col between Cornel and Slide. Water is scarce, so you'll probably have to melt snow or bushwhack down to the Neversink River.

However, being winter, you're allowed to camp above 3500 feet. You could camp on top of Slide if the conditions permit. I've always wanted to camp up top in winter. Slide summit is about 7 miles into the hike. There's a great spring 3/4 the way up Slide so you'll be able to haul some up with you to camp. The spring is on the right, about 50' off the trail.

The rest of the hike from Slide summit is much easier. The descent from Slide is gradual to the Slide parking area. Then you have the road walk (about a mile). It rolls up and down, and right after Winnisook Lake, bear right onto an easement trail. (it shows on the map if you have one). The easement trail is a slight uphill to where it intersects with the Giant Ledge and PE Trails. If it's a nice day and you have time, hike up to GL. The views are great there.

Otherwise, turn right on the PE Trail (yellow) for the remaing 3 miles to Woodland Valley. It's mostly downhill, with the exception of the infamous "Stairs of Death."
last edited: 1/23/05 4:09:04 PM”

“Thanks for all the great informationi. I'm not sure yet how much/how long we'll be hiking. Company is always welcome!”

“I can't get away next weekend, or I sure would consider it. Holler if you need more specific info.”

“Below is a paste from VFTT about Windham High Peak trail conditions on Sat, Jan 22.

Conditions: Barebooted it on packed snow to the summit. Storm rolled in on the way up dumping lots of powdered snow. Need snowshoes for the hike out on Sunday.

Special Required Equipment: Snowshoes are now essential

Windham is a bit north of Slide, but I imagine conditions are similiar. Looks like full winter gear for you guys.”

“Thanks for the update Pennsy. We're still making up our minds. Time restraints (--family and friends--)may change our plans. A quick hike in the Delaware Water Gap, with an overnight camp at the Backpacker Site may become a reality instead.”