February 2012 – Eastern Outdoor Experiences

Connie’s Way Ski Tour (Pinkham Notch) –February 21, 2012

Posted on February 21, 2012 by EdMoran

Posted in Trip Reports Leave a comment

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On a vacation day, I skied a solo loop from Pinkham Notch consisting primarily of Old Jackson Road (OJR), the Mount Washington Auto Road, and the Connie’s Way ski trail. I used waxless skis, no skins. Most of the route is not too steep and skins are not necessary, but with the firm conditions there were a couple of short sections on the OJR that were a bit of work to ascend.
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23 hours ago From one of our climbs of Mount Washington via the Tuckerman Ravine Trail. Tuckerman Ravine is a spectacular glacial cirque on the east side of Mount Washington. It is located directly below vast open slopes above timberline that lie to the east and south of the Mount Washington summit. In the winter, high winds, predominantly from the west, transport huge amounts of snow into the ravine completely burying all of the features that you can see in these summertime photos, except a couple of the larger outcrops on the steep headwall at the top of the ravine. It is this
2 days ago There are a number of beautiful waterfalls on Mount Washington. The Cutler River originates on the eastside of Mount Washington in Tuckerman Ravine where during relatively dry summer periods it displays the lacy waterfalls shown in the first photo. During the annual melt out, these same waterfalls initially undermine the winter snowpack in the ravine creating hazards for spring skiers. Below Tuckerman Ravine, the Cutler River joins with the Ellis river which then spills over the beautiful Crystal Cascade just above Pinkham Notch (second photo), then over the even more impressive Glen Ellis Falls in Pinkham Notch (3rd photo). These last
3 days ago Great hike yesterday with Lyn. We did a thru-hike that included the Hunter Mountain summit and fire tower, the canister on the summit of Southwest Hunter, Diamond Notch Falls, and Diamond Notch itself. In addition to the great views, we saw harmless snakes hurrying away from us, fall wildflowers, a couple of Lean-tos, waterfalls, and crossed what appears to be an old landslide. Another fantastic hike in the Catskills
5 days ago Giving each other a hand in the Cornell Crack”, which is the local name for a large ledge with a v-shaped gap that must be negotiated between Cornell and Wittenberg Mountains. This was on a backpacking trip through the Burroughs Range where we camped at a designated site in the col between Cornell and Slide Mountains. It is one of my favorite backpack routes and also one of my favorite day hikes. The photographer at the bottom was not with our group and was taking photos for Backpacker Magazine but I don’t think we ever made the cut
6 days ago We enjoyed this view from the Buck Ridge Lookout on Westkill Mountain. Westkill is the westernmost of the 3500-foot peaks on the Devil’s Path (St Annes Peak to its west at 3420 feet is close). There are no views from the summit of Westkill, but in addition to the Buck Ridge Lookout, the section of trail through Diamond Notch is spectacular. It’s also nice when you can grab a refreshment after the hike @westkillbrewing
7 days ago The bluestone dais at Dibbles Quarry on the Pecoy Notch trail. Bluestone is a kind of sandstone found in the Catskills and quarrying in the region was an important source of building materials for New York City in the late 19th century. This quarry has been abandoned for a long time but unknown people have constructed an elaborate mix of platforms and thrones from the leftover bluestone. From the thrones, there is a commanding view of Roundtop and Kaaterskill High Peak Mountain. The quarry is a popular stopping spot for hikers and another reminder that history is everywhere in the Catskills.

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