Mt Jo

Not satisfied with only three hours of hiking, I headed up to Mt Jo which rises above Heart Lake.  With a meal waiting, it would be much more enjoyable with some extra mileage.  

There are about two miles of trails leading to its summit.  A short trail which is a bit steeper and a long trail which is less steep but gets icy.  I decided to take the short trail up and the long trail down.  Then I would circle Heart Lake before checking into the Loj.

Mt Jo rises a little less than 1,000 feet from Heart Lake.  Near the summit, the trail gets quite steep with some nasty ledges.  Some of them have ladders.  Though under snow they seem to be less useful.

The summit exposes one to the elements.  The wind was fierce, but not enough to take in the awesome views.  Heart Lake is obvious down below.  Wright, Algonquin are visible near by, but were in the clouds.  I could see Marcy in the distance.  Colden and its awesome slides are in the near distance.  Unfortunately my hands had enough.  On to dinner and a new year!

Mt Colden

Wallface

Cascade and Porter

Wright and Algonquin in the clouds

Wright Mt New Year's Eve

Wright from Marcy Dam (on a day it was not in the clouds)

Since I have had a great time in the Adirondacks the past few years for New Year's, I figured I would make it another.  Today would be the third year in a row I would stay at the Adirondack Loj.

Originally I planned to do Couchsachraga, but with the weather forecasting snow along with the long drive, I chose to stay close.  Wright's summit can be reached via trails in just under 3 miles from the Adirondack Loj.  Of course, almost all of this is steep climbing.  Based on the trail reports I read, microspikes would be all I would need.  The trail was firmly packed of snow with no chance of post-holing.

The forecast called for snow around 3pm.  Of course I didn't get started until just before noon.  I made good time and reached the junction for Wright just after 1 pm.  I met quite a few people heading down and they all turned around because of the winds.  That is except for one guy who was with some friends.  He said he made it by crawling.  I then met another group which informed me that I was the last one going up.  I would be alone on a summit exposed to some cold, fierce winds.

I reached tree line after making my way by some tough ledges.  The microspikes performed extremely well.  The wind was quite fierce.  I continued to proceed, but then turned around looking at the summit encased in clouds.  I did not have my compass, so I had no desire to get disoriented on a day like today with nobody around.

Once below tree line and into the trees, the forest was quite peaceful.  I thought to myself, I should not have turned around.  But that's the trap.  The mountain will be there forever.  I won't.  

Mornings With Chris Hiker (Olanna)

We had our first real snowfall in almost two years.  I needed to get out, no matter how short of a hike.  Olanna is close by and easily accessible.  Today was a bit warmer, but the next few nights will be dropping into the teens.

Snow!

A few days earlier driving over the Rip Van Winkle

Sunset Peak

I made a quick trip to Southern California to visit my brother and his family.  He lives right at the base of the San Gabriels and he's incredibly close to some prime hiking destinations.

Sunset Peak is located just north of Claremont.  A beautiful drive up into the mountains along Baldy Mt Road and a slightly precarious drive along Glendora Ridge Road leads to the trailhead.

Unlike the Potato Mountain hike in March, Sunset Peak has a good amount of shade.  I was quite surprised at the amount of large trees along the way.  There were also some unidentified desert plants that I have never seen before but were quite beautiful.

The summit offered some great views of the San Gabriels and the Inland Empire.  In one direction there is almost no sign of civilization, in the other there is never ending suburban sprawl.
 

Mornings With Chris Hiker (Harlem)

While waiting for the bus to LaGuardia, I walked along 125th street at 2am.  The street had so many Christmas lights and put me in great spirits despite being so tired.

Mornings With Chris Hiker (Burger Hill)

I woke up at a decent hour and headed out on Thanksgiving morning before I headed out for the feast.  While walking up at a relatively brisk pace, I had some sharp pains in my back.  I slowed down and they went away, but it was quite scary.

Ferncliff Forest and its tower

The village of Rhinebeck

Looking across the river towards Port Ewen

Mornings With Chris Hiker (Ferncliff Forest)

Another morning, another light hike in the Hudson Valley.  Today I hit up Ferncliff Forest.  The trees were significantly more bare, but I was surprised to see as much as I did.  Autumn's warmth has left many leaves on the trees.

Bearpen and Beyond

Bearpen from the pond

Today I met up with my friend Caysey and his girlfriend Ula and their friend Belinda.  When I reached the trail head on the north side of Bearpen, the house displayed the ever welcoming Confederate flag.  I was surprised there were no Trump signs to accompany it.  When Caysey showed up, he jokingly told me to peel off any Hillary bumper stickers I may have.

After spotting cars, we walked up the moderately steep old logging road to the saddle of Vly and Bearpen.  We debated numerous times about bushwacking to cut off some mileage, though this may not have cut much time, thus the decision to stay on trail.

Bearpen used to have ski slopes and we had some fun checking out some of its remains.  We finally hit the view points after some steep climbing.  We continued past where I normally stop.  Caysey tells me, "No, there's a much better view up ahead."  He was right.  I can count at least six previous ascents of Bearpen and I never knew there was another great view point.  This spot provided the views north to Hunterfield and the Schoharie Reservoir.  There were also views to the south and west.  Plattekill ski center could be spotted.

Schoharie Reservoir

Huntersfield

The route we would be taking

The Plattekill Ski slopes

We continued on.  There are countless logging roads.  Fortunately, we did a pretty good job of picking the correct ones.  Just below Bearpen is a small pond.  I tried walking across as it was partially frozen.  Another spot I knew nothing about until now.

Caysey, Ula and Belinda walking by the pond

The trail then skirted NW Bearpen which happens to be the high point of Delaware county.  A short bushwack and we were higher than anyone in the most economically depressed county in NY.

After some confusing intersections, we reached the saddle to Round Top.  This should not be confused with the Round Top near Kaaterskill High Peak or the half dozen other Round Tops in the Catskills.  It was a quick walk to the summit and it's one of three Round Tops that are one of the Catskills' 100 highest.

We bushwacked down a little ways and crossed a few logging roads before we found the one we wanted.  Just another wonderful day in the Catskills.

Great time for a head stand!