Mike,
Soooper shots of Katahdin. What other mountain hikes do you especially like? Later this month Monica and I will return to the Catskills to climb Slide, Hunter, Blackhead, and Panther Mtns. The camera will be working overtime. Beyond the superb scenery, I want to begin real photographic documentation of the Catskill old growth. According to Dr. Michael Kudish, the foremost expert on OG in the Catskills, there is around 64,000 acres of first forest. Most of it is higher elevation spruce, fir, maple, birch, and cherry. Most hikers don't realize their walking in a first forest environment. In the 1800s. the Catskills were hammered unmercifully by the lumber barons. Virtually all of the big, virgin hemlocks were cut for the tanneries. Unfortunately, these great mountains must continue enduring the insults by being named for the rapacious barons. Hunter, NY is an example. Fortunately, some of the best peaks have more benign names like Slide, Cornell, Kaaterskill High Peak, Indian Head, Plateau, Black Dome, Blackhead, Thomas Cole, etc. that speak to a more refined imagination and appreciation of the features of the surrounding terrain. Bob ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Leonard" <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 6:10:07 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [ENTS] Re: Eastern and western summits I agree James. Katahdin and the Knife Edge is the best hike East of the Mississippi ! I did it again last year with my wife Sun. First Pic is the view of the peak kayaking from Togue Pond. Second is the Knife Edge. Sun is the little figure in the lower right. Mike -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of JamesRobertSmith Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 7:11 PM To: ENTSTrees Subject: [ENTS] Re: Eastern and western summits Katahdin is my all-time favorite eastern peak. And I've hiked a bunch of them. The only major eastern mountain ranges I've never set foot in are the Catskills and Adirondacks. And the Daks are very high on my list to someday hike. If I can just get around to doing it before I get too old. I hiked Katahdin a few years ago. I've hiked pretty much all of the major southern peaks (with a few exceptions) and several of the big peaks in New Hampshire (including Mount Washington). But Katahdin is king, in my estimation. Yes, there are higher peaks, but it holds its own in pure relief against many other major eastern mountains, plus it is so isolated. We did a killer hike: Entrance to Chimney Pond. Cathedral Trail to Baxter Peak. Knife's Edge to Helon Taylor. Helon Taylor back to the Chimney Pond Trial and out to our car. My thigh muscles screamed for two days. On Jul 28, 4:08 pm, Marcboston <[email protected]> wrote: > Bob, I really enjoy your mountain submissions! I just got back ( 2 > weeks ago) from Baxter State Park. Katahdin is one truly great east > coast mountain, not sure if you have been up there but it worth the > trip. Though smaller than Washington it is a world apart. I found it > to be a tougher climb and much more "frontier" like. A very steep > mountain with a superb alpine zone. The knife edge is unlike > anything I have seen here in New England. > > On Jul 28, 12:09 pm, [email protected] wrote: > > > ENTS, > > > Oops! My statement, " The second and fourth images show eastern mountain > > scenes." obviously was meant to be western mountain scenes. Alas, as > > dementia sets in, I make more and more of these goofs. > > > Bob > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: [email protected] > > To: [email protected], [email protected], "Sarah > > Belchetz-Swenson" <[email protected]> > > > Cc: "Paul Dittmer" <[email protected]>, "Carol Gilmour" > > <[email protected]>, "Sharl Heller" <[email protected]>, "Claudia > > Hurley" <[email protected]>, "Amy Kaiser" <[email protected]>, > > "Rob Loomis" <[email protected]>, "Rod MacIver" <[email protected]>, > > "Mike Ryan" <[email protected]>, "Eleanor Tillinghast" > > <[email protected]>, "Joseph Zorzin" <[email protected]>, "Doug > > Seale" <[email protected]>, "Nancy Weiss" <[email protected]>, > > "Phoebe Weil" <[email protected]>, "David Stahle" <[email protected]>, > > "celeste rounkles" <[email protected]>, "Denis Jakuc" > > <[email protected]>, [email protected] > > Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 9:58:11 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > > Subject: [ENTS] Eastern and western summits > > > ENTS, > > > I'm convinced that I was born under a curse. I'm sentenced to compulsively > > make numerical contrasts and comparisons. And with no false modesty, I am > > damned good at it. Where others stumble, I see the quantitative nuances. > > For me, rounding off numbers, unless absolutely necessary, is a vulgar > > practice. > > I am not alone in my talent. Lee Frelich and Will Blozan are equally > > gifted. Lee would never, say, round the number 1,047 by substituting the > > vague descriptor "thousands" as newspaper reports frequently do. I guess > > reporters think that in introducing imprecision they are capturing the > > essence of an idea. Hogwash! > > Well, I'm expanding my comparative talents with the camera. I don't yet > > know what I'm doing, but it feels right. When I attempt to describe the > > boldness of the western landscape in words, it can sound as if I'm > > diminishing its eastern equivalent. Not so. At least, not necessarily. > > However, east and west are qualitatively and quantitatively different, and > > where in the past I've concentrated strictly on numerical measures, I have > > now added the camera's all seeing eye. > > The first and third of the three attached images show eastern mountain > > panoramas. The second and fourth images show eastern mountain scenes. The > > vertical relief in these images is approximately the same. Does it look the > > same to the eye? BTW, a spin off talent of this cultivated perception is > > quickly judging the heights of trees. > > As a general observation, western mountain panoramic scenes are usually > > painted from a broader color pallet. Land shapes are more angular. Outlines > > are sharper. The blue haze of the Appalachians softens features and can > > diminish the appearance of significant size. The eastern Catskills are > > mountains - not just big hills. > > The vegetative covering of western mountains is heavily skewed toward > > conifers,; that of the eastern peaks toward hardwoods. Neither is better > > than the other, just different. Viva la difference. > > > Bob- Hide quoted text - > > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
