Catskills Overnight this weekend April 5/6

[camp43]

I've been itching to get out. Anyone interested in going on an overnight to the Catskills this weekend for the night of Saturday April 5? I'm thinking of doing the following trip.

http://www.catskillmountaineer.com/IH-overlook.html

[Syb]

Darn! It's birthday weekend for my wife and I or else I'd be up there. Have fun and post pics - I miss the Catskills.

[natureboy68]

That's a great hike! Beware, the trail up to echo lake junction is a road that's straight up, no switchbacks! Definitely schedule time to explore the overlook mtn house ruins...have fun! Oh, and check out the monastery across from the P-lot...and Woodstock!

[camp43]

Looks like the weather is supposed to be pretty nice. I've never been out here and am looking forward to it.

[hk2001]

I've done echo lake a few times. We went for a scouting hike last weekend, and everything was still frozen over, slick and slippery. We ended up having to abandon the scout hike because of dangerously icy conditions after the firetower. Echo lake has got to still be entirely frozen over, as most of the other still water bodies of water around here are still frozen.

That being said, we're going to be hitting indian head next weekend. For a nice trip this weekend, make the drive up to Mass, and join us at the spring NEHHA hang

[camp43]

HK2001,

Thanks for the information. Do you think the trail is passable with microspikes or are snow shoes still needed out there? I'll see about making a backup plan. I guess I was getting ahead of myself with A Dream of Spring and the weather here in North Jersey yesterday.

[hk2001]

You should be fine with spikes. The problem we were having last weekend was the ice under the mud. the top inch or so of the trail had thawed, but below that was a sheet of ice, nothing we had on us (including yaktraks) could bite through the mud enough to give us sure footing.

We got a lot of rain earlier this week ( I live 20 miles from indian head mountain) and most of the mountains are pretty devoid of significant snow. Just be prepared for mud and ice.

Let me know how it looks when you get back, as I said, I'll be in the area next weekend, hopefully pulling some nice brookies out of the streams through there

Now is also about the time you should start looking out for wild ramps they are very hard to mistake for anything else, they smell very much like a cross between onion and garlic. Ramps and eggs, either the backpacking variety, or the real deal, is amazing.

Echo lake, if it's iced out, is also full of bullhead (pic below)

In comparison, this was a trip we took to Echo lake in the second weekend of April last year:

DSCF1442.JPG

Echo Lake3.jpg

[intheswim]

camp43 how was your catskills hike this past weekend? : )

[camp43]

I actually ended up not going and just went on day hikes both Saturday and Sunday.

[jerzybears]

Russ and I just got back from a Catskill trip in the west. ROSCOE NY to Trout Pond. It froze at night and warmed to 60 in the day.