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Recommendation for overnight hike?

Post future hikes, Looking for hiking partners.
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augustwest
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed May 03, 2017 8:33 pm

Recommendation for overnight hike?

Unread post by augustwest »

Hi All,

First post here! I am trying to keep working on my 3500s and would like to do an overnight hike, looking for some recommendations. Last weekend I did the Blackhead range + Acra Point (10 miles), started at 12 and was back at the car by 6, a little earlier than i'd hoped. I was fully loaded with all my gear, anticipating i'd sleep out there, but I couldn't bring myself to camp out with the thought of wings and beer a short ways away....

So basically what i'm looking for is something that I can't easily finish in one day (maybe 14-18 miles?), otherwise I know i'll bail out and end up going home if I finish early. I was thinking Fir + Big Indian + Eagle and back, ~14 miles. I've never done a bushwhack, but I hear Fir is pretty easy, and I carry a GPS.

Here's what I've got left:
  • Graham
    Cornell
    Doubletop*
    Table
    Peekamoose
    Plateau
    Sugarloaf (Mink)
    Wittenberg
    Southwest Hunter*
    Lone*
    Panther^
    Balsam Lake
    Big Indian*
    Friday*
    Rusk*
    High Peak (Kaaterskill)
    Twin
    Balsam Cap*
    Fir*
    North Dome*
    Eagle
    Balsam^
    Bearpen
    Indian Head
    Sherrill*
    Vly*
    Windham High Peak
    Halcott*
    Rocky*
Thanks guys!
Gabe
dundee
Posts: 95
Joined: Mon Jun 09, 2014 5:01 pm

Re: Recommendation for overnight hike?

Unread post by dundee »

That beer has a pretty strong lure...

Fir is easy in the sense that the woods are open, but there are few if any landmarks to steer towards; take a compass bearing and go. The traillesss Catskill peaks have a notebook inside a canister in a tree on the summit.
They are orange in color, but the summits are flat and often it is hard to spot the can right away. You can make overnight trips out of Doubletop, Fir, Big Indian; Table & Peek; "the four trailless" (BALSAM CAP, FRIDAY, LONE & ROCKY), etc. Take a look at the map set published by the NYNJ Trail Conference and you'll see lean-to's our tent site near most of the peaks you need. Most of the peaks can be done on day trips, but with the lean-tos, they can be stretched to an OVN.
maphiker
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2016 3:34 pm
Location: Windham, NY

Re: Recommendation for overnight hike?

Unread post by maphiker »

You could also try Fir, Big Indian, Double Top and back. I did this once in the winter. I started from the Biscuit Brook PA following the trail to near the leanto area, went up the SW ridge to Fir and over the land bridge to BI. From BI you find the trail, go south for a short distance and then head WSW to Double Top. To return retrace your steps to the Trail and head back to the PA. Seems like it took me 12+ hours to complete but it was in the snow and you sound much quicker than I am. It's a great hike and a good one to test your GPS/compass skills.

PM me if you want/need the GPS tracks.

PS Sorry to duplicate. I now see that Dundee already suggested this.
augustwest
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed May 03, 2017 8:33 pm

Re: Recommendation for overnight hike?

Unread post by augustwest »

Thanks for the tips, guys!

I ended up doing Fir and Big Indian on Saturday, and sleeping near the Biscuit Brook lean-to. These were my first bushwhacks, and to be honest it was A LOT more than i'd bargained for!! Specially when it started to downpour between Fir and Big Indian. It kind of felt like an episode of "I shouldn't be alive". Pushing through the vegetation was pretty rough.. i'll definitely need some protective eye wear and gloves next time, and i'll probably wait for the 3500 club guided hikes :lol:

Question: what kind of animal makes this huge nest in the trees? See image below. It's got some huge branches that look like they were placed there as part of the nest.

Image
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mike
Posts: 1442
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:20 pm
Location: Ravena, NY

Re: Recommendation for overnight hike?

Unread post by mike »

Bushwhacking works the best when the leaves are not on the trees.

Hawks and squirrels make nest on the tops of the trees. Great Horned Owls will also use an abandon hawk nest. Too lazy (or smart) to make their own nest.
maphiker
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2016 3:34 pm
Location: Windham, NY

Re: Recommendation for overnight hike?

Unread post by maphiker »

Congrats on your successful bushwhack. What a bummer that it rained on you.
Since you say you are new to bushwhacking, I'd be interested in how you navigated. Typically what I do is the following: First I plan out my hike on an electronic or paper topo map. I may do a search online for what others have done. Sometimes someone has posted a gpx file for download. I try to be very selective about downloading a gpx file and only use someone I think is reliable. But I always have a route with waypoints programed into my GPS. When on the hike I navigate the planned route from waypoint to waypoint. I typically use the GPS to get a bearing to the next waypoint and then use my compass to hike in the appropriate direction.

I have found that trying to just follow the tracks on the GPS, ie watching the map on the GPS screen and attempting to go in the correct direction ( a little more right or left), is not very efficient and quite frustrating.
Sorry if this seems too obvious. Of course there are many ways to bushwhack including map and compass without a GPS. I enjoy the challenge of finding my way through a trailless hike. It's an important skill to develop for anyone who plans to do serious hiking. It is actually pretty simple but requires some practice to become proficient.
augustwest
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed May 03, 2017 8:33 pm

Re: Recommendation for overnight hike?

Unread post by augustwest »

Yes, the rain was a major bummer! Specially since my only (reliable) form of navigation was going to be my cell phone, in a sandwich bag, so I couldn't even take it out that often once it started to downpour. My dog did not enjoy the rain either, he got a little cold.

Here is my actual route if you're interested. After the hike I stopped by the lean-to and camped there, and never resumed recording on the route.
https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/tra ... 9738bf378/

My navigation strategy was pretty weak, shooting from the waist, playing it by ear, as I do at times. We're in the Catskills, not the Great Alaskan Range, so that's how I justify my slightly risky behavior. In the end, I was fully loaded with a shelter, 20 degree down bag, food, and all of that if I really needed to stay put for a bit.

I brought a compass that I'd found on a trail once. I'm not sure if it works, and I honestly don't know 100% how to use it. I imagine you just spin the dial so that North on the dial aligns with the floating arrow, then you know what you're bearing is based on where you're facing. Long story short, the string on it kept getting caught on trees, and I was mostly using my phone, so I put it away. I used Gaia GPS, in conjunction with a screenshot of a route that someone else had taken (link below) and winged it. I think I kind of ended up following his tracks, at least from the top of Fir to Big Indian. On Gaia GPS you can enable a compass mode as well, so it shows you what way you're facing in relation to the map.

https://www.hikingproject.com/trail/701 ... n-mountain

Any tips or basic next-steps would be greatly appreciated. I will be doing some more research anyhow, I know there's literature out there. Some lessons learned are: put the trekking poles away, wear long sleeves, maybe grab some gloves, protective eye wear, learn to use a compass, and download the GPX files next time.
augustwest
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed May 03, 2017 8:33 pm

Re: Recommendation for overnight hike?

Unread post by augustwest »

mike wrote:Bushwhacking works the best when the leaves are not on the trees.

Hawks and squirrels make nest on the tops of the trees. Great Horned Owls will also use an abandon hawk nest. Too lazy (or smart) to make their own nest.
Interesting. I also posted elsewhere and folks suggested it might be a Bear's "nest": https://naturallycuriouswithmaryholland ... bear-nest/

To be honest, I do think it might be from a bear, as the branches that are part of the nest are as long as a broom handle.
maphiker
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2016 3:34 pm
Location: Windham, NY

Re: Recommendation for overnight hike?

Unread post by maphiker »

It looks like you did a good job navigating. That's a cute dog and brave to be out there with you.
I hope you will continue to explore, hike and bushwhack. Sit down with a topo map and compass and read up on some basic orienteering. Admittedly it is a little confusing at first but if you practice it in the field it will quickly become second nature. I promise. Note the operative word is "practice."
By the way, "heading" is the direction in which you are actually traveling. "Bearing" is the map direction from your location to your next waypoint, ie the direction you want to go. They will not always be the same because in the field you will be avoiding obstacles like boulders, blowdown, etc. The "bearing" is the more important value to keep in mind to get you to where you want to go.
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