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| View of Silver Lake from Catamount Summit |
I needed two days of rest after completing a 19-mile, single day loop of Gray, Skylight and Marcy. After two days off, my plan was to tackle another couple of High Peaks before heading home. Although the precip and temp forecasts for the day were perfect, there was a high wind warning with gusts in the higher summits predicted as upwards of 75 mph. I don't mess with high winds above tree line, so I bailed on my plan and figured I would use the day to visit a lower peak that had long been on my to-do list -- Catamount.
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| Catamount Approach |
Catamount is in the Taylor Pond Wild Forest, just south of both Taylor Pond and Silver Lake. The Silver Lake Bog Preserve has long been a favorite short hike for K and me, so I was looking forward to getting a birds eye view of it from the Catamount summit. I also remembered reading a past issue of ADK Mountain Club's magazine that had short bios of people running as club officers. One candidate had listed Catamount as their favorite hike in the ENTIRE Adirondack Park. I always found that curious and wanted to see what Catamount was really all about.
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| View of Catamount from False Summit |
As it turned out, that person was spot on. Catamount is a great little hike. It is short - just under 4 miles round trip - but in those few short miles it packs all the features of a classic ADK hike - open ledges, boulder scrambles, a "chimney" climb, remarkable 360-degree vistas from the 3,000 foot summit, and, as expected, a nice view down onto Silver Lake.
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| Descending the Catamount Ledges |
Despite the short distance and modest, 1,500-foot elevation gain, Catamount is not to be underestimated. It's not marked very well and there is potential to get lost on the ledges, especially when descending. And the boulder scrambles can be dangerous when it's wet or icy. The high wind forecast proved correct as I hit some serious gusts on the ledges and summit. I only managed to stay on top for a few minutes and quickly started my descent, thankful that I wasn't bopping around the High Peaks in that nastiness.
Peak: Catamount
Elevation: 3,169 feet (Gain: 1,571 feet)
Distance: 3.6 miles
Route: Up and Back, Catamount Trail
Conditions: High Winds, Partly Sunny, 35 degrees F
