Love this discussion and I have to thank you Mike! You just refined my hiking list! I heard that Mt. Carrigain is a great hike, I cannot find much information about it.
On Jul 30, 10:52 am, [email protected] wrote: > Mike, > > Thanks. Excellent descriptions. I had to nod both forward and back in > approval and then shake it to disapproval on the comparison of northern vs > southern Appalachians. I too like the open, above timberline vistas of the > higher peaks of the northland. I also am drawn to the big forest look that we > enjoy in the southern Appalachians. When I'm in one environment, I sometimes > think of the other. As a native Tennessee ridge runner, the southern > Appalachians will always occupy a special place in my heart. But as a New > England transplant, I never tire of Thoreau's compelling descriptions. I'm > thankful that we have both mountain environments as I suspect are you and > others. > > I once read a book about Mount Washington by a professor who touted the > "superiority" of that worthy mountain over the slightly higher "tops" of the > Smokies. I saw red, mumbled a few oaths, and then thought better of it. The > good professor must not have had an eye for champion trees or luxuriant > forest vegetation. He was interested in the glacial cirques, the alpine > tundra, and other features of Washington, which it has in spades. We don't > see those kinds of features in the southern Apps. What we get in spades in > the southern Apps are its unexcelled, temperate deciduous forests and > unbelievable eastern hemlocks and red spruces. In terms of mass, the largest > of the southern Appalachian hemlocks are double the biggest of what we have. > There are also small regions with outstanding white pines in the southern > Apps, although the volume difference between the biggest down there and up > here is small. Frasier fir, the southern counterpart of the balsam fir, is > not a big tree. > > In terms of peak bagging, the South has a club devoted to climbing the > 6,000-footers. There are 40 of them in the southern Apps that are named and > qualify as distinct peaks on peak bagger criteria. I've climbed most at one > time or another. > > Bob > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Mike Leonard" <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 7:31:47 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > Subject: [ENTS] Re: Eastern and western summits > > Bob, > > As a veteran of the New England Hundred Highest List, these are my favorite > hikes in New England : > > 1. Katahdin via the Knife Edge > > 2. Presidential Range – the 22 mile “ death march ” includes all 8 peaks but > only the hardy can survive that. I split it up into two hikes: Up to Madison, > then Adams, Jefferson, and Washington and down the famous Tuckerman Ravine. > Then the Southern Presidentials can be done from Amm onoosuc Ravine to Monroe > , Franklin, Eisenhower, and Jackson. Sun and I climbed the steep Great Gulf > headwall to Washington. > > 3. Franconia Ridge, WMNF – the best day hike is up the Falling Water Trail to > Lincoln and Lafayette. > > 4. Traverse of the Bonds in the Pemi gewasset Wilderness – Bondcliff is not > for those with vertigo! > > 5. The wild Mahoosuc Range including Mahoosuc Notch and Carlo-Goose Eye. > > 6. Up the Precipice Ladder Trail and down the Beehive Ladder Trail in Acadia > National Park. Beech Cliff ladder trail is also awesome. The t rails from > Dorr Mt. to Cadillac Mt. also deserve mention. Acadia is a hiker ’ s paradise. > > 7. North Brother, South Brother, Mt. Coe, and the bushwhack to Fort Mt. in > Baxter State Park. > > 8. Traverse of the Bigelow Range in Maine. > > 9. Mt. Mansfield in Vermont is a very interesting mountain to explore with > all the different rock formations. Honorable mention to Camel ’ s Hump. > > 10. Mt. Carrigain – this remote mountain in WMNF is spectacular. > > Other great hikes are: Welch & Dickey; Chocura; Middle Sugarloa f , Mt. > Willard; Baldface Traverse; and Cari bou in WMNF. OK in MA you have the Mt. > Tom Range, Holyoke Range, Mt. Sugarloaf and my favorite from Sages Ravine to > Mt. Race – Mt. Everett. > > I ’ ve only been to the High Peaks in the Adirondacks once. I climbed Giant > Mt. and did the famous Al gonquin loop and bagged Iriquois, Wright, and > Algonquin. Backpacker mag said those were the two best in the High Peaks area > so I did them. I don ’ t think I ’ ll ever have the time to bag all the Dak ’ > s 46ers but next month Sun and I are going to the St. Regis Canoe Area to do > the famous “ Route of the 7 carries ” and I think I ’ ll try and bag Mt. > Marcy. I ’ d like to the Gothics some day too. > > Last year we spent a week down the southern Apps. In the Smokies we did the > Charlie Bunion Trail which was pretty good and then I hiked the cool Alum > Trail to Mt. Le Conte and also hiked the Chimneys which is also not good for > those with vertigo! I heard Gregory was cool when the azaleas are blooming > too but it was too early. In Shenandoah we bagged the fabulous White Oak > Canyon with its cool waterfalls and then I hiked the real interesting Old > Rag. We hiked up as far as we could on Seneca but I didn ’ t have time to do > the North Fork or Mt. Rogers which I read were two other premier mountains. > > I couldn ’ t believe the size of some of the trees I saw in the Smokies – > huge red spruce, tuliptrees, oak, and unfortunately big hemlock skeletons. > > But with all due respect to the southern Apps , I ’ ll take the mountains of > northern New England any day of the week! I like being above timber line! > > I could also compile a list of the lousiest hikes – like some of the > bushwhacks on the hundred highest list – Vose Spur and Scar Ridge were > especially brutal as was the final one on the Quebec border – the “ Unknown > Peak ” . All I used was a shitty map and compass – on the way back I cut > across a bit of Canada! I laugh when I hear of yuppie hikers getting lost. I > call them “ IOWA ’ s – Idiots Out Walking Around! > > Mike > > -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [ > mailto:[email protected] ] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: > Wednesday, July 29, 2009 8:41 AM To: [email protected] Subject: > [ENTS] Re: Eastern and western summits > > 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. Ac c ording 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 environ m ent. > > 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, N Y 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 sum mits > > 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 l ower 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 > > Ka tahdin 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 H elon 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 ba ck ( 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 s tatement, " 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]> > > ... > > read more »- 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] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
