Sunday my buddy and I drove up. It was a balmy 2° at the trailhead. Didn't see a soul all day. Not even other people's tracks. We were the only car in the lot all day. Very surprising cuz it did warm up a little bit later in day and it was sunny and blue skies.
I've been very busy on weekends and have not made it up to Catskills much this winter. I think mid-December was the last time. Wasn't sure what things would look like after the rainstorm you had. Trail was rock hard. Little bit of powder dusting on trail at higher elevations.
Hillsounds the whole day. Snowshoes got the ride on our backs. My buddy bought some BD skis to try for the first time but had difficulty on the icy trail so he wound up carrying them on his pack plus his snowshoes. Watching him bushwhack with skis on his back the whole day was entertaining to say the least!
Got to the summit of Big Indian and wanted to whack off the backside to Fir. Thankfully there was a discernible slight trench that I'm guessing was left by Mudhook and crew or maybe Catskill Kev....so thanks for that. It was a well-laid track that made navigation a breeze.
Took it all the way to Fir, then took it all the way back to the Blue Trail. 6.5 hours. No helinox chairs or party favors on this hike. Just schlepping a bunch of gear we never used.
Got back to the parking lot and we were still the only car. Unbelievable. Reminds me of years back when we were usually the only car at the trailhead in winter time. God Bless America!