Balsam Lake Mt. & Graham - After the big storm

[Mike P.]

b]Date(s) Hiked:[/b] 04-29-2007

Trails(s) Hiked: Dry Brook, Balsam Lake Loop, private road to Graham

Total Distance: about 9 miles estimated

Difficulty:moderate to semi-difficult

Conditions: Decent shape not too many down limbs to the Southern Junction with the trail up to the fire tower. On Balsam lake only a couple of trees that would be considered widow makers, first at the spur to the lean-to. (Nice Lean-to) No snow until junction with Alder Lake trail junction. From there back to DB trail it was on & off, snow, the higher you were, especially in the balsams near the top the more snow. Nothing more than a few inches & no post-holing but if you did, you could end up in a pretty deep puddle in spots. Plenty of downed balsam branches a couple bigger ones in the trail but not too bad. Getting to Graham on the other hand had a lot more downed trees, several, 6-10, widow makers & a lot of bent & broken trees. What was apparently once an easy to follow trail is now an fairly easy to follow whack fest. Plenty of mud, snow on Graham more sporadic on Graham but found at spots all along the way.

Special Required Equipment: Long pants & sleeves & either a rain coat you didn't mind getting trashed or poly clothing to keep you warm when wet. It was a cool damp, raw day, above 3,500 feet visibility was awful. Traction or snowshoes would have been overkill.

Trip Report: Went lightweight which included using a "free" small daypack I got for joining an environmental group. 90% of the way up Graham one of the shoulder strap buckles snapped which left me with just one shoulder strap on the way out + the last couple of hundred feet of elevation up Graham.

The drive was very scenic & the hardest part. Beaverkill very scenic, Cross Mtn. Road, very narrow, no guardrails, just a big drop.

[MarcHowes]

Ah nice, a CAT35'er peak Not enough Catskill reports on this site!!

Are Widow Makers what you folk "down south" call Head Hunters?

[Mike P.]

Less TR's here because less people go there. I was the first person to sign in at that trailhead in a week. By 2:00 Sunday there was just three more, two groups doing the same trip I did & another doing a backpacking trip. I suspect it's more due to a lack of above tree line views (Alpine Zones) that have people drive by. It's one reason why I usually only go 1x or 2x a year. Fishing is supposed to be first class & for fishing scenery I would agree.

What's a head hunter? Is that a downed but suspended tree, approx. 6' off the ground that you might walk into when looking around or more often down at your feet?

A Widow maker tends just to be a large section of tree or the whole tree that may be leaning on another tree. If you happen to be walking underneath it when it falls to the ground, your spouse will be a widow.

So if I'm right on what a head hunter is, they are different but related. A widow maker has to be substantial enough to cause a fatality & can be any height off the ground as long as you pass under it. A head hunter needs to be head high. I tend more to get a branch in the face or eye. (catching the eye, vs. eye catching)

[MarcHowes]

you got it! head hunters are those pesky branches at about head level that give you a sneak attack face whack when you aren't paying attention. They are especially prevalent in winter hiking as you are in essence while walking on the snow taller than the trail was cut for!

PS saw "widow makers" referenced on VFTT earlier today (with a kinda definition) Always good to learn new phrases!