Peter,

As always, thanks for sharing the photos of your adventures. Just gorgeous. That is some serious rappelling!

Are those trees in the first two shots (trail and view of Gold Knob) all (or nearly all) White Birches? If so, undoubtedly more than I've ever seen in one place, and they're looking remarkably healthy.

Unfortunately, the White Birch trees on Long Island seem to be undergoing a long slow decline; steadily dying off. I recently camped/hiked in Taconic State Park on the NY/MA border, and there were a fair number of White Birches. Sadly, most were dead or looked to be dying. Not sure if it's an air quality issue, heat stress, drought, or some other environmental problem, or if it's a heavier than usual infestation of the bronze birch borer beetle (or some combination of all of these).

Enjoy the summer hikes. Looking forward to your next adventure.

Bob