Skiing Thomas Cole, Camel's Hump, and Caudal (winter 14/33)

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Thomas Cole, Camel’s Hump, and Caudal (winter 14/33)

Snow melting is like your dog running away. You’re heartbroken and hope it comes back, but you never know. This epitomizes what I’m feeling at this moment as the Catskills snowpack wanes before my eyes.




Yesterday, basking in the aura of my increasing confidence, I attempted Black Dome from Lockwood Gap. Definitely not the route I would normally take to ski due to the ledges and other technical features. I was less than a half mile from the summit only to be stopped by a ledge that, despite my boot crampons, did not allow for a secure grip to hoist myself up with skis on my back. I also just got really bad vibes from the mountain. Black Dome was just not filled in enough to maneuver these obstacles safely from that approach.

Today, I went via Barnum Rd. I bagged Thomas Cole, but I was just not feeling well and decided not to attempt the extra mileage to Black Dome.




There are 2 peaks prior to reaching TC, so it’s a daunting route. Multiple peaks can feel psychologically exhausting even if the distance is something you’ve tackled before.




The deteriorating snowpack made for a lot of tricky spots. The goal is to keep those skis on and I managed except for a short set of ledges on the descent from the Caudal summit.




Psychological exhaustion can be just as bad as physical exhaustion and that was definitely my challenge today. The way the tour seemed to drag, and the multiple summits only to claim one toward my goal had me thinking of my students and how they have been protesting the grading policy at our school. The new policy means we only grade assessments, so maybe 6 projects per marking period, instead of every bit of class work they do.




I totally get it because you want credit for those smaller steps—especially when it’s a struggle to accomplish. So I made a video for them comparing today’s tour to the grading policy. Even if my Bronx students don’t understand what I’m doing, I think they appreciate the effort I make in building relationships with them.




Today’s IPA was Kaaterskill Crush. I’m partial to any beer that is associated with the Catskills and this one is pretty solid in my opinion.



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