After finishing lunch, it was a two minute walk to the summit. We arrived just as a couple of other hiking parties were descending, leaving us to goof around on the summit by ourselves. We then took a short walk down to the southwest from the summit, following an open lane of rock aligned with the mountain's summit ridgeline. I'd not done this before, and it turns out that there is a very nice, very expansive view to the southwest when one descends down this way for a bit. Recommended.
Exploring southwest ridge
After our exploration of the summit area, we began our descent. The short distances involved in hiking Catamount become apparent especially on the descent: it seems as if in no time, one has descended to the south sub-summit. From there, a further fifteen minutes of down-scrambling slabs and "the chimney" brings one to the final lookout spot, and the start of the final forested section of trail down to the mountain's base.
A straightforward and typical bit of Adirondack trail (meaning there's a few sections of bouldery, rough tread) led down to the mountain's base. From here, the final half-mile of flat and easy trail brought us to the trailhead and car park. Our total elapsed time on the mountain had been relatively brief: only three hours and forty-five minutes. There's no doubt about it: Catamount is surely one of the best bang-for-the-buck peaks around.
Interactive trackmap with photo points - Catamount - click map to view
Hike Data - Catamount Mountain
Start Time:
9:21a.m.
End Time:
1:05p.m.
Duration:
3h43m
Distance:
5.73 km
(3.56 mi)
Average Speed:
1.5 km/hr
(1.0 mph)
Start Elevation:
1603ft
(488m)
*
Max Elevation:
3165ft
(965m)
*
Min Elevation:
1603ft
(488m)
*
End Elevation:
1626ft
(496m)
*
* : +/- 75 feet
Total Elevation Gain:
1559ft
(475m)
*
Total Elevation Loss:
1591ft
(485m)
*
* : +/- 75 feet
Elevation Graph
