Catskill 3500, #2. Panther Mountain

Sitting on the Giant Ledge on the way to the top of Panther Mountain in the Catskills.

September 19, 2016
Time for Catskill peak #2. This weekend, my plan was to hike to the summit of Panther Mountain and camp overnight at the primitive camp by Giant Ledge.

I left work on Friday around 5:15pm and rode my trusty BMW R1200GS up to the NY DEC’s Woodland Valley campground in Phoenicia, NY. I arrived at 7:45pm, checked in, and set up in the dark. The Hilleberg Unna coupled with my red LED headlamp made for very easy pitching. Sleep came easy but so did the cold. It dropped to 50¨ degrees overnight and made for a chilly slumber.

Arriving at the DEC's Woodland Valley campground in Phoenicia, NY after dark. Luckily the rangers are there till 9:00pm.
Arriving at the DEC’s Woodland Valley campground in Phoenicia, NY after dark. Luckily the rangers are there till 9:00pm.

Up bright and early the next morning, I packed up and rode over to the Giant Ledge trailhead. Here I would park overnight while I backpacked up to Panther Mountain and back.

Breaking down the Hillleberg Unna to leave the Woodland Valley campground and ride over to the trailhead to ascend Panther Mountain.
Breaking down the Hillleberg Unna to leave the Woodland Valley campground and ride over to the trailhead to ascend Panther Mountain.
Woodland Valley is one of the stranger campgrounds in that many of the sites are set up right along side the road. My guess is that they didn't have a lot of land to work with and they had to shoehorn in the sites. If you have kids, you'll want to keep an eye on them so they don't run out into the traffic.
Woodland Valley is one of the stranger campgrounds in that many of the sites are set up right along side the road. My guess is that they didn’t have a lot of land to work with and they had to shoehorn in the sites. If you have kids, you’ll want to keep an eye on them so they don’t run out into the traffic.
Embarking on the trailhead of the yellow-blazed Phoenicia East Branch trail in the Slide Mountain Wilderness area of the Catskill Mountains.
Embarking on the trailhead of the yellow-blazed Phoenicia East Branch trail in the Slide Mountain Wilderness area of the Catskill Mountains.
Much of the Phoenicia East Branch trail in the Catskill Mountains  is an incline of rocks.
Much of the Phoenicia East Branch trail in the Catskill Mountains is an incline of rocks.
Coming up on the blue-blazed Giant Ledge-Panther-Fox Hollow trail in the Catskill Mountains.
Coming up on the blue-blazed Giant Ledge-Panther-Fox Hollow trail in the Catskill Mountains.
That looks like a bear paw print. Bear spray? Check.
That looks like a bear paw print. Bear spray? Check.
A water spring is marked on the Giant Ledge-Panther-Fox Hollow trail but all I could find was a puddle of collected water. Perhaps it had dried up. This was to be a refill spot for me but now I'll have to ration.
A water spring is marked on the Giant Ledge-Panther-Fox Hollow trail but all I could find was a puddle of collected water. Perhaps it had dried up. This was to be a refill spot for me but now I’ll have to ration.
Taking a break on Giant Ledge on the Giant Ledge-Panther-Fox Hollow trail on my way to the summit of Panther Mountain in the Catskill Mountains.
Taking a break on Giant Ledge on the Giant Ledge-Panther-Fox Hollow trail on my way to the summit of Panther Mountain in the Catskill Mountains.
Scenes from Giant Ledge on the Giant Ledge-Panther-Fox Hollow trail in the Catskill Mountains.
Scenes from Giant Ledge on the Giant Ledge-Panther-Fox Hollow trail in the Catskill Mountains.
Scenes from Giant Ledge on the Giant Ledge-Panther-Fox Hollow trail in the Catskill Mountains.
Scenes from Giant Ledge on the Giant Ledge-Panther-Fox Hollow trail in the Catskill Mountains.
Seeing the 3500 ft elevation mark is a glorious experience. I'm almost to the summit of Panther Mountain. Feets, don't fail me now.
Seeing the 3500 ft elevation mark is a glorious experience. I’m almost to the summit of Panther Mountain. Feets, don’t fail me now.
Reaching the summit of Panther Mountain in the Catskill Mountains in NY.
YES! Reaching the summit of Panther Mountain in the Catskill Mountains in NY.
Poor pup, being treated like a  pack mule. He actually seemed very happy carrying his own load.
Poor pup, being treated like a pack mule. He actually seemed very happy carrying his own load.
One final view from Giant Ledge before hitting the primitive camp area.
One final view from Giant Ledge before hitting the primitive camp area.
Setting up the Hilleberg Unna in the primitive camp area by Giant Ledge in the Catskill Mountains. There is lots of splendid, soft ground to set up on.
Setting up the Hilleberg Unna in the primitive camp area by Giant Ledge in the Catskill Mountains. There is lots of splendid, soft ground to set up on.
It rained and blustered all night. I woke up to a mist-filled forest in the Catskill Mountains primitive camp.
It rained and blustered all night. I woke up to a mist-filled forest in the Catskill Mountains primitive camp.
Retrieving my hung bear bag in the misty morning.
Retrieving my hung bear bag in the misty morning.
Nothing but a fog-filled view from Giant Ledge on Sunday morning. Fortunately I was sated from all the stunning views the day before.
Nothing but a fog-filled view from Giant Ledge on Sunday morning. Fortunately I was sated from all the stunning views the day before.
Arriving at the overnight parking lot for Giant Ledge, my trusty BMW R1200GS safe and sound, ready to take me back home to Manhattan.
Arriving at the overnight parking lot for Giant Ledge, my trusty BMW R1200GS safe and sound, ready to take me back home to Manhattan.
Google Earth showing my roundtrip backpacking hike from the Phoenicia East Branch trailhead to Giant Ledge to the summit of Panther Mountain and back again.
Google Earth showing my roundtrip backpacking hike from the Phoenicia East Branch trailhead to Giant Ledge to the summit of Panther Mountain and back again.
The elevation graph from my Garmin Montana GPS showing the ascent from the Giant Ledge parking lot to the summit of Panther Mountain.
The elevation graph from my Garmin Montana GPS showing the ascent from the Giant Ledge parking lot to the summit of Panther Mountain.

Catskill 3500, #1. Balsam Lake Mountain

The very foggy view from the fire tower at the top of Balsam Lake Mountain in the Catskills.

September 10, 2016
After dipping my toes last weekend in the Catskill Mountains, I had to go back again this weekend, this time for something a little more challenging. I loaded up the overnight backpack (base weight – 22 lbs/10 kilos) Thursday night. My plan was to take off directly from work on Friday. I reserved a Friday night spot at one of the “remote” hike-in sites at the DEC’s Little Pond campground. From there, the next morning, I would ride to the overnight trailhead lot for Balsam Lake Mountain, backpack up to the peak, camp overnight at the lean-to, and then hike back down to the bike on Sunday and ride back to NYC, ready for a new work week.

Aside from having to suffer the miserable 17 leaving New Jersey, the ride up was uneventful. I arrived at Little Pond before dark, hiked in a lengthy 0.1 mile, and set up camp right on the shore. The remote sites are brilliant in this regard. None of the drive-in sites allow this sort of access. It’s a beautiful sight to wake up and look directly out across a pristine body of water.

Setting up the Hilleberg Unna right at the shore at DEC Little Pond Campground in the Catskill Mountain region.
Setting up the Hilleberg Unna right at the shore at DEC Little Pond Campground in the Catskill Mountain region.

The next morning I departed for the Balsam Lake Mountain access lot. From there the hike to the top of the mountain would be approximately 3 miles. However, because my GPS truncates the titles of my waypoints, I mistakenly rode to the southern lot. From this lot the hike to the peak is 1.85 miles, in other words much steeper inclines. (An FYI, the final leg of the access road there, Beaverkill, is a groomed dirt road that is unmaintained during the winter. You’ll need a snowmobile or snowshoes when it snows.)

The southern access lot for the Dry Brook trailhead and juncture of the Neversink-Hardenburgh trailhead in the Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest in the Catskill Mountains.
Parking the BMW R1200GS in the southern access lot for the Dry Brook trailhead and juncture of the Neversink-Hardenburgh trailhead in the Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest in the Catskill Mountains.

The first leg on the yellow-blazed Dry Brook Ridge trail was fairly easy, a very gradual incline. At the 0.9 mile mark, I veered onto the blue-blazed Balsam Lake trail. The ascent instantly became steeper, running from 2,900 feet up to 3,650 feet over the next 0.6 miles, a grade incline of 24%. The final 1/4 mile to the peak allowed for a much needed respite as it covered the final 73 feet or so, an almost level incline compared to what came right before it.

The blue-blazed Dry Brook Ridge trailhead. As always, don't forget to register in/out when hiking.
The blue-blazed Dry Brook Ridge trailhead. As always, don’t forget to register in/out when hiking.
Veering onto the red-blazed Balsam Lake trail in the Catskill Mountains. Here's where the fun begins. The next 0.6 miles is STEEP.
Veering onto the red-blazed Balsam Lake trail in the Catskill Mountains. Here’s where the fun begins. The next 0.6 miles is STEEP.

Highlights of the trip?
1. Passing the 3,500 foot elevation marker. Boy, did that cause a surge of happy juice.
2. Drinking from a natural spring at 3,600 feet. Wow, was it cold and delicious.
3. Seeing the base of the Balsam Lake Mountain fire tower through the trees.

What a rush! Hitting the 3,500 ft mark of Balsam Lake Mountain in the Catskills. I think I might just have to sign up with the Catskill 3500 Club.
What a rush! Hitting the 3,500 ft mark of Balsam Lake Mountain in the Catskills. I think I might just have to sign up with the Catskill 3500 Club.
Natural cold, fresh spring water at 3,600 feet on Balsam Lake Mountain is INCREDIBLE. It, alone, is worth the journey.
Natural cold, fresh spring water at 3,600 feet on Balsam Lake Mountain is INCREDIBLE. It, alone, is worth the journey.
I've hit the peak. The Catskill's Balsam Lake Mountain fire tower can be seen through the trees.
I’ve hit the peak. The Catskill’s Balsam Lake Mountain fire tower can be seen through the trees.

I was briefly disappointed that there was no view from the summit, however the fire tower was open. Unfortunately, my timing couldn’t have been worse. The day was overcast and peak was enveloped in misty clouds. I was escorted up into the cab by a volunteer but, as you can see in the photos, I wasn’t able to see beyond a few hundred feet.

Bad timing. The peak of Balsam Lake Mountain is enshrouded in clouds. I'm missing out on beautiful panoramic views. That's the ranger's station at the bottom right.
Bad timing. The peak of Balsam Lake Mountain is enshrouded in clouds. I’m missing out on beautiful panoramic views. That’s the ranger’s station at the bottom right.
Inside the Balsam Lake Mountain fire tower. The painting cruelly lets me know what I'm missing.
Inside the Balsam Lake Mountain fire tower. The painting cruelly lets me know what I’m missing.
Jessica, a Balsam Lake Mountain fire tower volunteer explains how the fire watchers would use this map to help triangulate exactly where a fire was located.
Jessica, a Balsam Lake Mountain fire tower volunteer (and who, in an incredible feat of “small world”, lives 15 blocks from me in Manhattan), explains how the fire watchers would use this map to help triangulate exactly where a fire was located.
Your host, catching my breath, in the Catskill Mountains' Balsam Lake Mountain fire tower, approximately 3,770 feet above sea level.
Your host, catching his breath, in the Catskill Mountains’ Balsam Lake Mountain fire tower, approximately 3,770 feet above sea level.

Heading back down, I stopped by the lean-to. I was planning on camping out here for the night but I was warned that a major thunderstorm was expected and I didn’t feel experienced enough to hike back down a steep incline the next day on slippery rocks the entire way. Call me a woose.

The Balsam Lake Mountain lean-to. I was planning on camping out here for the night but I was warned that a major thunderstorm was expected and I didn't feel experienced enough to hike back down a steep incline on slippery rocks the entire way.
The Balsam Lake Mountain lean-to. I was planning on camping out here for the night but I was warned that a major thunderstorm was expected and I didn’t feel experienced enough to hike back down a steep incline on slippery rocks the entire way.

Well, my first Catskill 3500. It was exhilarating, to say the least. I’m going to have to look into Catskill 3500 membership, a much worthier accomplishment than completing a Bernie’s Bagels/Distillery Passport of round-the-world beers.

I missed out on the view, so I’m going to have to go back. I was told that camping is allowed on the peak during the winter schedule when camping is allow above 3,500 feet. I’m doing it! (As long as I’m able to ride my motorcycle there.)

The elevation graph from my Garmin GPS showing the ascent of Balsam Lake Mountain from the blue-blazed Dry Brook Ridge trailhead in the Catskill Mountains. You'll notice a deviation east along the Neversink-Hardenburgh trail where I started off on the wrong path.
The elevation graph from my Garmin GPS showing the ascent of Balsam Lake Mountain from the blue-blazed Dry Brook Ridge trailhead in the Catskill Mountains. You’ll notice a deviation east to the Black Brook along the Neversink-Hardenburgh trail where I started off on the wrong path.
The elevation graph from my Garmin GPS showing the ascent of Balsam Lake Mountain from the blue-blazed Dry Brook Ridge trailhead in the Catskill Mountains.
The elevation graph from my Garmin GPS showing the ascent of Balsam Lake Mountain from the blue-blazed Dry Brook Ridge trailhead in the Catskill Mountains.

Next up: Panther Mountain. 🙂

Canada ADV Trek #2, September 11, 2015. Day One

DAY ONE (September 11)

Leg: Carlstadt, New Jersey to Montréal, Québec
Distance: 348 miles (560 kilometers)
Time Elapsed: 7hr 4min
Average Speed: 49 mph/79 kph

Day One of my route through Canada and the northeast portion of the USA on my BMW R1200GS motorcycle from September 11, 2015 through September 21, 2015. advcafe.com
Day One of my route through Canada and the northeast portion of the USA on my BMW R1200GS motorcycle from September 11, 2015 through September 21, 2015. advcafe.com

The first day of the journey was pretty straightforward and consisted of riding straight up I-87 to Montréal, Québec and setting up camp for the night.

I had everything packed up on Thursday night. Friday morning, I loaded everything up on the bike and went to my job at Pantone. Working a half day, I left from work Friday afternoon during lunch. The plan was to get to the campsite before dark. Google Maps predicted 5 1/2 hours but that always needs to be padded and doesn’t account for any gas or rest stops.

PACKING UP AND HEADING OFF

Packing everything into the panniers of my BMW R1200GS. advcafe.com
Packing everything into the panniers of my BMW R1200GS. advcafe.com

The weather was perfect and my co-workers wished me safe travels.

Pantone co-workers wishing me bon voyage. advcafe.com
Pantone Web Village wishing me bon voyage. advcafe.com
Canada, here I come!!! advcafe.com
Canada, here I come!!! advcafe.com
Making my way out of New Jersey. advcafe.com
Making my way out of New Jersey. advcafe.com
Making my way out of New Jersey. advcafe.com
Making my way out of New Jersey. advcafe.com

HEADING UP I-87

Making my way out of New Jersey. There's that damn Target semi again. advcafe.com
Making my way out of New Jersey. There’s that damn Target semi again. advcafe.com
Passing fellow motorcyclists on I-87. advcafe.com
Passing fellow motorcyclists on I-87. advcafe.com
Hmmm... some music would be nice right about now. advcafe.com
Hmmm… some music would be nice right about now. advcafe.com
I left on September 11. American flags were at half mast. advcafe.com
I left on September 11. American flags were at half mast. advcafe.com
First "signs" of Montréal. advcafe.com
First “signs” of Montréal. advcafe.com
Riding over the Thaddeus Kosciusko Bridge on I-87. advcafe.com
Riding over the Thaddeus Kosciusko Bridge on I-87. advcafe.com
Passing by my old high school haunting ground. advcafe.com
Passing by my old high school haunting ground. advcafe.com
The scenery is definitely getting prettier. advcafe.com
The scenery is definitely getting prettier. advcafe.com
Downtown Schroon Lake, NY. advcafe.com
Downtown Schroon Lake, NY. advcafe.com
Schroon Lake, NY. advcafe.com
Schroon Lake, NY. advcafe.com
Splat! Bugs starting to hit my visor and the GoPro. advcafe.com
Splat! Bugs starting to hit my visor and the GoPro. advcafe.com

OH, CANADA!

The US-Canadian border. advcafe.com.
The US-Canadian border. advcafe.com.
The US-Canadian border, photographed with my DSLR. advcafe.com.
The US-Canadian border, photographed with my DSLR. advcafe.com.
Crossing over into Canada. advcafe.com.
Crossing over into Canada. advcafe.com.
Crossing over into Canada. advcafe.com.
Crossing over into Canada. advcafe.com.
Now riding on St-Bernard-de-Lacolle: Highway 15 in Canada. advcafe.com
Now riding on St-Bernard-de-Lacolle: Highway 15 in Canada. advcafe.com

REACHING THE NIGHT’S CAMPSITE

I reached my campsite after 8:00pm and had to set up by flashlight. No big deal as I’ve done it several times before and (shameless plug), my REI tent is a breeze to set up. I didn’t take any pictures once I set up. I was starving and immediately went for the Pocket Rocket and JetBoil and cooked up some “yummy” dehydrated rich and beans.

Arriving at the KOA/Montréal South, unfortunately after dark. I got there at 7:58pm, right before the office closed at 8:00pm. advcafe.com
Arriving at the KOA/Montréal South, unfortunately after dark. I got there at 7:58pm, right before the office closed at 8:00pm. advcafe.com
My campsite for the night. advcafe.com
My campsite for the night. advcafe.com
Cooking dinner by the glow of a chem-light. Man, it's dark out here. advcafe.com
Cooking dinner by the glow of a chem-light. Man, it’s dark out here. advcafe.com

That’s it for Day One. I basically hauled ass to Montréal. Now the real adventure begins. Day Two’s trip consists of breaking camp and going from Montréal to the north of Québec to camp in SEPAQ’s Parc National de la Jacques-Cartier. This is one BEAUTIFUL piece of scenary. In fact, I’ll be there for Day Two AND Day Three. Stay tuned.

Canada ADV Trek #2, September 11-21, 2015. Prologue

On September 11 through September 21, I rode from work in New Jersey, north to Montréal, further north past Québec, back down and over to Baie-Comeau, across the Gulf of St Lawrence to New Brunswick, over to Prince Edward Island, down to Nova Scotia, across the Bay of Fundy to New Brunswick, over the USA border to Maine, and back down to home in New York City. Whew! 2846 miles (4580 kilometers). 11 days (11 days). 57 gallons of gas (216 liters). 11 tankfuls. It was AMAZING!!! I had a GoPro mounted at the front of the bike snapping a photograph every five seconds. I will be posting pics from each day in individual posts. Below is a Google Earth map showing the entire route. Stay tuned.

The complete route ridden through Canada and the northeast portion of the USA on my BMW R1200GS motorcycle from September 11, 2015 through September 21, 2015. advcafe.com
The complete route ridden through Canada and the northeast portion of the USA on my BMW R1200GS motorcycle from September 11, 2015 through September 21, 2015. advcafe.com

Oh, Canada Trek #1

Riding along railroad tracks south of Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Watch this space. I’ll be detailing my recent trip to Montreal and Ottawa and Lake Placid very soon with lots ‘o pics. Below are just some quick fillers.

IMG_20150723_074322-adv-cafe-bmw-r1200gs-packing-panniers-canada-roadtrip

IMG_20150724_104414-adv-cafe-bmw-r1200gs-crossing-canadian-border

201507_d8h018684-adv-cafe-bmw-r1200gs-montreal-canada-retro-casse-croute-roadside-diner

 

New Old Bike – BMW R1200GS

This post has been brought over from my discontinued blog, Bonnie Cafe.

Hello. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Rudy. I recently purchased a 2005 BMW R1200GS and man, I gotta tell you, I LOOOOOOVE this bike. I have another blog, bonniecafe.com, where I document all the mods I’ve done to my 2014 Triumph Bonneville T100 Black. This blog, however, is going to be all about exploring the countryside on the BMW. I plan on doing a lot of traveling on it, something that really isn’t viable on the Bonnie.

I plan on having my GoPro taking photos during my excursions, so I’ll be posting lots of pics.

It’s a pleasure to meet you and I hope that you enjoy this blog.

Rudy

Riding off with my "new" 2005 BMW R1200GS dual-sport motorcycle. advcafe.com
Riding off with my “new” 2005 BMW R1200GS dual-sport motorcycle. advcafe.com
Riding off with my "new" 2005 BMW R1200GS dual-sport motorcycle. advcafe.com
Riding off with my “new” 2005 BMW R1200GS dual-sport motorcycle. advcafe.com

Plants Won’t Grow Near Wi-Fi

Student science experiment finds plants won’t grow near Wi-Fi router
Ninth-graders design science experiment to test the effect of cellphone radiation on plants. The results may surprise you.
Thu, May 23 2013 at 12:40 PM
by Jenn Savedge

Cress science experiment
Photo courtesy of Kim Horsevad, teacher at Hjallerup Skole in Denmark.
Five ninth-grade young women from Denmark recently created a science experiment that is causing a stir in the scientific community.

It started with an observation and a question. The girls noticed that if they slept with their mobile phones near their heads at night, they often had difficulty concentrating at school the next day. They wanted to test the effect of a cellphone’s radiation on humans, but their school, Hjallerup School in Denmark, did not have the equipment to handle such an experiment. So the girls designed an experiment that would test the effect of cellphone radiation on a plant instead.

The students placed six trays filled with Lepidium sativum, a type of garden cress, into a room without radiation, and six trays of the seeds into another room next to two routers that according to the girls’ calculations, emitted about the same type of radiation as an ordinary cellphone.

Over the next 12 days, the girls observed, measured, weighed and photographed their results. By the end of the experiment the results were blatantly obvious — the cress seeds placed near the router had not grown. Many of them were completely dead. Meanwhile, the cress seeds planted in the other room, away from the routers, thrived.

The experiment earned the girls (pictured below) top honors in a regional science competition and the interest of scientists around the world.

Original story here: http://www.mnn.com/health/healthy-spaces/blogs/student-science-experiment-finds-plants-wont-grow-near-wi-fi-router

JavaScript: onclick vs mousedown

Recently, I used a JavaScript onclick listener to fire off a function when an a tag was clicked. This worked great in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. But when I tested it, though, in IE9, it failed. IE did not recognize onclick. After a bit of troubleshooting, using onmousedown turned out to be the best solution for all platforms.

Below are my observations. Hopefully, this will help someone else having this issue.

My first go:
<a onclick=”newRequestAlert();”>
Observation: Works on all browsers except IE.

So, I tried:
<a onclick=”newRequestAlert();”>
Observation: Works on IE but not other browsers (i.e., IE-specific)

Which led me to the final solution:
<a onmousedown=”newRequestAlert();”>
Observation: Eureka!!! Works everywhere.

Apple’s MacBook Air & the Summer of 2013

I love my MacBook Air. In fact, it has replaced my desktop computer. Apple laptops are at the point where they are powerful enough to serve my purposes (I don’t do heavy animation and graphics editing like I used to, but I still run Photoshop, Lightroom, InDesign, and, of course, IDEs). And I love, absolutely love, being able to unhook it and take it with me, knowing that all my software is with me and my server is just a wi-fi heartbeat away.

I switched to an Air during the summer of 2011 and then swapped it out for a new one in 2012 as there was a significant speed jump (along with me underestimating my SSD needs the year before).

I was really excited to see the 2013 offering but I’ve got to tell you, I’m really disappointed. Sure, the battery life is longer but that means nothing to me. I wanted to see some ramped up processing specs. Nope. There is a bit more efficiency in the architecture and subsequently a bit faster, and the processor is improved but basically the same. When it comes down to the numbers, the MacBook Air (Summer 2013) is a pretty dismal release with nothing to write home about.

Oh well, there is always next year. Besides, I need to be saving money so perhaps this was a good thing. In that case, thank you Apple.

Click Here for Official Info from Apple’s Website.