It was a nice cold day for these three from the Denning PA.
Bare boots mostly. Crusty supportive snow. Spikes helpful for around Table Mountain (that still has >1 ft of pack on the summit) and the last of the climb to Peekamoose.
The vast majority of the ice we encountered was in the Hemlock Spruce shaded areas around the East Branch of the Neversink.
On going to Lone, we lost the path shortly after descending off of the Table mountain level area because of remaining snow pack. It must have been the recent rains that wiped out any evidence of passage through there. But I came prepared with my GPS with a waypoint to the col, and a Compass with the required bearing dialed in. As it happened Lone was in sight and we started navigating that way. Still I noted we'd drifted 0.2 miles off course to the east. Making a corretion we got to the col where I sighted a unique rectantular tilted boulder that I'd photographed on our last trip. It seems like an erratic, but no, it's clearly a local rock. Making our way just beyond it, I knew we'd pick up the path. And we did, though from here the path it was intermittent with lingering snow cover. When we arrived at cliffs I recalled from last time that we went right to find the the way up. After that there was not so much snow on the level parts of Lone and soon we were at the cannister.
Following the herd path down to the Neversink we got off a track after a cliffy section that I think gets us off course ever trip there (probably our 4th as my hiking partner is working the grid). Though we may have been on a path most of the time. Right now everything on the ground looks alike with fallen leaves pressed flat by snow. It'll take a summer and fall of hikers going through here to redefine the route. Turning left at the river, following the path of least resistance, one by one saw spots we remembered. Then 1:20 hrs after departing Lone we were back at the marked trail, though it seemed longer.
The other highlight of the day is that it's waterfall season in the Peekamoose valley. I counted 9 visible and 1 partly visible from the road. One has a name, Buttermilk. The picture I attach is of one of the nameless ones.
Don
Note, click on the photos to read the captions.