Balsam Mountain, My First 3500
The Catskill Mountains offer very many hiking trails. Some of them very easy, some of them very difficult. They also offer a list called the 3500's. These are mountains that are above 3500 feet and there are 35 of them. They have a club called The Catskill 3500 club and it was my goal to complete the list and join the club!
I've hiked before, but nothing this serious. For my first Catskill 3500 hike, I wanted a hike that wasn't too difficult, but still adventurous. I also wanted a place that had a good view-point, but also not the greatest, so I wouldn't be disappointed when I hiked the others. Balsam Mountain was a perfect choice. Located just outside of a very small town called Big Indian, Balsam Mountain is a moderate 5.2-mile hike. It has a steady uphill gain with no real climbing till the last 100 feet to the summit. To be honest, I was a little nervous. I researched a lot about this hike, asked questions to my hiking friends and even looked up stuff on the internet on how to be prepared. It wasn't like I was climbing Mount Everest, but I still wanted to be prepared for anything. The day started out beautifully. Partly cloudy with no chance of rain so the sun was showing here and there. Since it was mid-April it wasn't too hot or cold, so it was going to be great. I wasn't too familiar with the roads down in the Catskills so it took some time finding the trail head parking lot. I got lost once or twice turning down the wrong roads. Cell service is spotty in the valley areas so I was kind of guessing where I was going. I think a map is still much needed nowadays! When I found the trail head parking lot there was only one other car there. I would meet that person later on during the day so we will talk about that later. As I started off, I was thinking if I forgot anything. On every hike I go on, I always have this feeling that something is missing. Very few often do I forgot anything(because I overpack anyway). Most of the trails in the Catskills are marked with colored small signs on the trees every so often so you don't get lost. The ones that aren't marked are the most difficult ones that you'll hear about later. The Catskills are mostly all state protected, so you won't see houses unless you are hiking on private property, which is what you shouldn't do. The pace was nice, but I was really out of shape. I didn't really do anything for exercise at home but walk the dogs, so this first hike was difficult on my legs and my lungs! No real challenges, just nice inclines here and there to make it strenuous for me. After the first trail junction, things got interesting. I was walking along the trail when I heard something break off in the distance. I took a look to my right and stared into the forest to see if I can find anything. There it was, a beautiful baby black bear!! At first, it was just staring at me. It took me a couple of seconds until I thought "Oh crap... if there's a baby cub, there must be a momma somewhere!!" I turned and started moving on the trail again so if the momma was close by, she wouldn't think I was a threat. I had my camera on me so I changed to the bigger lens to see if I could get a shot while on the move. Since I was walking away, I tried to take a shot, but the camera kept focusing on a nearby tree. I could only get the photo below which shows the outline of the cub:
What a great thing to experience on a first time huh? After that, I was a pretty good distance away so I wasn't worried anymore. The next part of the hike was the steepest and it wasn't bad at all, but like I said, I was out of shape so it was difficult this time. After the climb, it comes to a beautiful, peaceful walk along of summit (top of the mountain) that allowed me to catch my breath again. About halfway on the summit was a short path to the left and what looked like a clearing in the trees. I took the left and there it was.... a stunning view of the Catskill Mountains. I was shocked. It was simply breathtaking. I took pictures over and over, hundreds of them. None of them could ever describe the view in person. I sat there, had lunch on a rock staring into the mountains. It was amazing. I didn't want to leave, but I had to.
After a short flat walk on the top, the elevation started to decrease on a steady pace and the ice and snow melting from the sun started to form some nice streams on the mountain. I had to hop over these streams here and there to follow the trail down the mountain. My feet got wet on the way down, but it didn't bother me. When I crossed one of the streams I slipped on a rock and splashed my butt into some muddy water. I laughed very hard because I knew it would happen sooner or later.
The water was flowing really nice off the mountain so these little streams seemed like a really long waterfall down the hill. When the elevation started to level out, it formed into the Rider Hollow Creek. The last mile of the hike was along the creek and it was very peaceful. The sound of the creek was very relaxing and it made the ending of the day perfect. I visited the lean-to that was built along the creek.
A lean-to is a small half cabin that people can spend the night or day in if they are hiking through the area and looking for a shelter. Towards the end, I met the other person from the parking lot who gave me a list of good hikes in the Catskills. I knew after this hike, it definitely wouldn't be the last...