Awash in B’s Vapor Trail During Rapid Ascent to the Peak on Plateau Mountain
Welp, here we are at the endish of March. A few things of note from the past few weeks–
One of my good friends from high school came to NYC and we ran the NYC half marathon together. It was a pretty awesome experience, all things considered. Other than that, I continue to be kinda sick of cold weather running for this winter. But apparently not sick of Hiking! Last weekend we had a mixed bag of weather. After a total wash on Saturday, Sunday ended up being sunny and warm, albeit more than a bit windy. We tackled Plateau Mountain via Mink Hollow. In terms of mileage, it was a relative shorty (just shy of 4 miles round trip). But what it lacked in latitudinal distance, it made up for in altitude gain. This hike was super steep, and there were still 2ish feet of week old snow. There were a couple of inches of mashed potato-style slush on top of roughly 18 inches of crusty freeze/thaw base. It ended up being mostly fine in normal boot without snowshoes or crampons, except for the occasional spots, typically around buried flowing water, where one leg would sink in down to the knee.
At any rate, we made it to the top without seeing another soul that day. It was super sunny, got into the low 50’s, and we were generally on the leeward side of the mountain. While we could hear the wind howling in the trees on the other side, we weren’t directly affected by it. We climbed 1240′ in less than a mile. Monday morning when I was walking up the subway stairs, my quads and calves reminded me of what a great hike I had.
B, Looking out from the Plateau Summit
X Marks the Spot
Facing NE from the Plateau Lookout. Maybe Kaaterskill? B Could Tell You. Ask Her.
Switching gears slightly, but don’t worry, still hiking related– B’s hiking club partnered with one of the local Catskills breweries on an APA as a tribute to its unofficial mascot. The 3500 Club (named for the Catskill peaks above 3500′ of elevation) teamed up with Westkill Brewing on ‘Bicknell’s Thrush.’ Britt and I first discovered Westkill Brewing while we were still aspiring Catskill dwellers during a weekend stay at a ‘bed and bar‘ that is located less than a mile down the road from the brewery. The brass of the 3500 Club had a release party at the brewery on Sat. Given the aforementioned weather, B and I opted not to attend. But we were pleasantly surprised that our local provisions spot just down the hill was already stocked up with cans of the fresh brew.
And finally- blue hour has been pretty great lately. There is still a good amount of snow on the ground, but we have had some nights with really clear skies. A couple recent aerials from such nights below-
