Edgar,
Slide! Mountain, that is. I climbed it three times. Doing the circular trail
over Slide, Wittenberg, and Cornell mountain. I love that area. And I love
that hike. About 26 miles, I think, over the three peaks. I did the walks in
different directions over a six-year time or so, every few years coming back.
As to approaches to Slide, I remember one dir. was very steep, and difficult,
and one was gradual. One of them was called "the Jeep trail".
We don't have GREEN like that in S. Arizona. My eyes ache for it.
But when I am back there -- or elsewhere -- and see such green again, my eyes
then ache from THAT. It's like suddenly landing in IRELAND. Too, too green,
after decades of desert. Just too impressive on the system. But not all as
hard to take as I make it out to be. ;-)
I never did do Mt. Marcy 'way up in the Adirondaks, highest point in NY State.
Just over a mile high, i think. My transportation was via bus from Port
Authority at 42nd St., and I usually didn't travel as far as the Adirondacks,
nor could spend so much more time out, away on "school" (college) vacation --
and then work -- during all those hiking years. For Slide Mt., I'd get off the
bus on the highway at Phoenicia, and scramble to find the trail-head. Driver
would open the luggage compartment outside for me, I'd take out my pack, and
off I'd go. To hail the bus on the highway five days later. I carried the bus
sched. in my pocket; and wore a watch, in those days.
THE NEW YORK WALK BOOK is still a favorite tome. It's the book, too, that
stimulated me to take up outdoor sketching and drawing, which I always did up
in the hills and out on the trails. If you own the book, you'll recall the
many drawings. I think there's also a NEW JERSEY WALK BOOK, nowadays.
Closer to the City, do may remember "Schunemunk"?, around West Point and
Harrimann. Fascinating conglomerate rock underfoot. Big quartz cobbles in a
brown shale matrix. Quite beautiful. We had to cross a farmer's posted land
to get to the trail, but I think he provided a narrow easement. Memory fades,
there.
--Joe
> Edgar Owen <edgarowen@...> wrote:
>
> Mike,
>
> Great story! Reminds me of the day I climbed the highest mountain in the
> Catskills for the view. At the top we couldn't see more than 10 feet in any
> direction for the fog!
>
> Also reminds me of the day I climbed Mt. Fuji illegally in November way out
> of season. Started walking up the road from the bottom mid afternoon. By the
> time it was dark a heavy snow was falling. The road was closed and there was
> not a single car on it, only the mountain and the trees and the snow and mile
> after mile of steadily rising totally empty road and me totally alone. Total
> magical silence in the night. A wonderful many hour walking meditation on the
> light within! Finally reached base camp where the road ends in the middle of
> the night. Only a single custodian there who gave me a bunk in the otherwise
> completely empty inn. Unfortunately was unable to finish the climb to the top
> as the snow was much too deep toward the summit....
>
------------------------------------
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