Panther Mountain - Winter Hike
To join the Catskill 3500 club you have to hike all the 35 peaks, plus an additional 4 selected peaks in the winter(Slide, Panther, Blackhead and Balsam). Now these winter hikes can't be done when the first snowfall happens or when someone says "It's winter!!". They have to be done in actual winter: in between December 21st and March 20th. It was January 12th and I haven't hiked in over a month, Travis in over two, so it was time for us to hike again.
First things first. Hiking in the winter is very different than spring, summer and fall. Of course you might have snow, but there is also ice. Ice is deadly in the Catskills. Since the Catskills are steep and rocky, the water drains right off the top of the mountains onto the trails and creates massive ice. I had gotten what they called microspikes to battle the ice. They basically slip on your boots or shoes and have sharp spikes on the bottom to grip the ice. We got Travis a pair just before we headed up the mountain. Here's what they look like:
We decided to take on Panther Mountain for our first winter hike. We heard there was a some snow in the forecast. What we thought would be just a tiny bit of snow turned into a little snowstorm later on. We had to stop in the very beautiful small town called Phoenicia to get Travis's spikes before the hike. When we started to drive up the mountain it started to snow lightly. When we started on the trail it was still light snow and just a dusting on the trail. We signed in at the trailhead and asked eachother if we should put on the spikes. I said 'Nah, I think we're good for now". Five steps later we were both on our asses from slipping on the ice. It was hilarious. We threw on the spikes and headed on our way.
I have done Panther Mountain before, so I knew what to expect. Travis didn't climb it with me at the time so this was new for him. Plus the winter conditions totally changes everything, so it was basically new to me also. Panther Mountain is a very amazing hike because there is stunning views on top of it as well as Giant Ledge which is along the way. You have to climb up a good amount of big, jagged rocks while going up to Giant Ledge. Ice was all over the place so it made it tricky to pick where to climb next. We had full winter gear on: gloves, hats, full winter jackets, extra layer of clothing. We definitely were ready for the winter.
When we finally got to Giant Ledge, this is what we saw:
The snow flurries blocked one of the best views in the Catskills, but it didn't bother us. It was very quiet out on the trail. It was snowing, the wind was blowing and it was just an overall different experience. To me, it felt like I was connected with nature big time on this one. It felt like I was away from any problems or anything that would make me think that this wasn't the best hike ever.
As we left Giant Ledge, we started to dip in elevation in between the col of Panther and Giant Ledge. That's when the snow started to pick up and it became a full on snow storm. Not total whiteout conditions, but the wind started to gain and the snow fell harder. For some reason, it made it even more enjoyable. As we started to climb up Panther Mountain it also got tougher and tougher to climb. Because of the ice, you had to choose your steps wisely and really dig into the ice to get a good grip. It was definitely a good learning experience, because both of us had never done this sort of hiking before. The walk through the conifer forest on the top was stunning. We were truly walking in a winter wonderland:
For some reason, walking through that forest made everything different. I can't tell you how, but it just feels like everything shut down completely and the beauty makes you appreciate everything in life. I know you're saying "It's just a forest", but for some reason, mother nature cannot be beaten with this kind of beauty.
Before you know it, we were on the top of Panther Mountain. We were both ready to have our lunches and enjoy the.......................view?
Oh well, we climbed the mountain with no views. Who really cares? It was an awesome hike and it was beautiful. That's all that matters.
It continued to snow as we make our way back down. It was very, very tricky on the way down. Sometimes, because of the snow and ice, we had to slide down the mountain. It was fun, but it was also risky. Your ass could hit a massive rock and it could sting. Luckily that didn't happen, but you also had to be careful how you stepped while going down. The microspikes were great, but sometimes they can't handle everything and you could slip and fall. A good thing was that you're not hiking along a massive cliff. There are trees and rocks that will stop you if you fall, but it would probably do some major damage and you might not make it out alive. So we took our time and slowly went down Panther and back up to Giant Ledge.
Giant Ledge was still viewless, because it was snowing. The snowfall became even harder as we continued down the mountain. As you can see from this next picture, it was snowing hard enough to make it tough to see even a few hundred feet in front of you. Even when the snow had to flow through the trees. Our tracks from a couple of hours ago were gone. Covered by the snow.
We still took our time coming down Giant Ledge, because every step was critical. If you slipped here or there, you could break a leg or a knee just from impact or the rocks. When you see that bridge, you are near the end of the hike, which was a big big sigh of relief. Our knees were worn out and we were sick and tired of the ice. Not, the snow, the ice. My beard was frozen over from the collection of snow and ice from my sweat:
Winter peak #1 crossed off the list.