DESTINATION Twin Mountain Trail 1 Photoset
2019-08-05 | | -
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| Hiking | 9.49 Miles |
3,652 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.49 Miles | 10 Hrs 52 Mns | | 1.04 mph |
| 3,652 ft AEG | 1 Hour 47 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Trees, hills and rocks.
Along the trail sections in the Catskills to and between Sugarloaf and Twin, on my summer 2019 hike, I was immersed in just that – trees, hills and rocks.
Not stubby desert scrub; not tall thick Saguaro; not interwoven red/orange strata; not wide rock-strewn washes; not towering vertical peaks. Not the gorges and pinnacles of the Grand Canyon. Those I find in abundance on my Arizona treks.
Rather, in this part of Eastern New York, in summer in the Appalachians, the setting differed. Along the trails, I encountered trees, hills and rocks. The trees - thick forests of pines and deciduous underwoven with constant expanses of brush and moss. And the hills - ancient mountains that long ago lost jagged peaks to become rolling rounded hills.
Trees and hills. And the rocks. The trails on this stretch did not gently meander. They crossed directly through the rugged rocks. Up, down, above, between – rocks, and boulders. The trails made no accommodation to ease of traversing.
But no annoyance. Arizona, arid mainly, does not for the most part support dense vegetation. Consequently, I find many if not the majority of Arizona trails feature essentially constant and ongoing open and wide vistas. For me, these Arizona vistas extend out with such grandeur and to such a distance that I open my arms out wide and full length to somehow absorb the expanse.
In contrast, in this section of the Catskills, rain and cooler temperatures have built thick and dense forests. Consequently, few long vistas. The forest cover blocks distant sight lines and encloses one.
The result? Absent the pleasure, or distraction, of expansive views, and given the care needed to navigate the uneven path, I found a sort of unison. The rocky trail and me. Rather than impede my journey to my destination, the rocky trail became my destination. No annoyance, rather a harmony. The vagaries of the trail became my world and its uneven rhythms the center of my experience.
The same occurred on my ascent of the later section of Siphon Draw in the Superstitions. Views existed for sure. I would have needed to just turn around or look skyward. But Siphon Draw second half requires a constant hand and foot scramble, not overwhelming but constant and invigorating. In traversing the section, my perspective narrowed to the trail underneath and in front. Reach here, step there, pull up, stretch right, grip left. Hiker and that being hiked. So again I felt as sort of a companion with the rocks, a sort of union with trail.
Now, on my trip in the Catskills, the trees didn’t block everything. The trails were not completely devoid of views. Sporadically, often unexpectedly, the tree cover opened, and the rolling hills came into view, revealing an expanse of gentle summertime green, with the hills tumbling out to the horizon. Nice.
And small pleasures did pop up. A butterfly, summer flowers, pine cones in an almost Christmas like formation. These caught my eye even in my focus on the rocks and the trail. I did almost miss the butterfly, its appearance for me so rare and so unexpected.
In the end, then, whatever one experiences, or wherever one hikes, or for whatever reason, whether to partake with friends, or enjoy with family, or see the vistas, or admire the flowers, or wonder at the geology, or find some solitude, or deepen a faith, or to absorb the rhythm of the rocks, it is good. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
