Harriman Hiker: Harriman State Park and Beyond

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Dater/ Pound Mnt
Claudius Smith Den

Harriman State Park,
Rockland and Orange COunties,
New York

Trails:
Blue Disc Trail: Blue Blaze
Tuxedo-Mount Ivy (TMI) Trail: Yellow Blaze
Ramapo-Dunderberg (R-D): Blue Blaze

Total Time: 2.25 Hours
Total Distance: 3.3 Miles

Hiking Partner:
Yehuda Koblick

This hike was during the summer's hottest heatwave. The temparatures were in the mid 90's but this hike was mostly in the shade and the humidity was low so the weather was not too bad. This was a two car hike. We parked at the end of Johnsontown Road past Sloatsburg, and took the Blue Disc Trail up Daters Mountain to "Almost Perpendicular" (that is what it is called on the map), which is a nice short climb to a beautiful view and sharp cliff below. From there continued along the Blue Disc to Pound Mountain and the Elbow Brush, which is a crevice in the rock which you can scramble through.

From there we climbed up the Claudius Smith Den, which affords some outstanding views and interesting rock formations. At that point we took the TMI and then the R-D Trails back east towards Tuxedo, where we had left the return car at the trailhead of the R-D trail.

Map of the Route


View from Daters Mountain at "Almost Perpendicular". Facing south towards Reeves Meadow center.

Yehuda atop Daters Mountain


Me at Daters Mountain above the cliff. Facing east.

View from Pound Mnt.
Facing east.

The crevice at the "Elbow Brush"

Claudius Smith Den

Yehuda on top of Claudius Smith Den


Looking down the cliff at the people below from the top of Claudius Smith Den


This is a really good shot of the cliff at Claudius Smith Den


Large Black Rat Snake we met at Claudius Smith Den

Crossing the pipleline at the R-D Trail.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Hunter Mountain

Hunter Mountain Wild Forest
Catskill Mountains
Greene County,
New York

Trails:
Devil's Path: Red Blaze
Hunter Mountain Trail: Yellow Blaze
Spruceton Trail: Blue Blaze
Colonel's Chair Trail: Yellow Blaze

Total Time: 8 Hours
Total Distance: 11.8 Miles

Hiking Partner:
Meir Fallen

I had actually planned to go on a two day hiking trip in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, but the plans fell through so I took the day off for a full day hike in the Catskill High Peaks. This hike took all day, with 3000 feet of total elevation gain. We started at Stony Clove Notch off Route 212, which is a deep valley surrounded by steep cliffs of 1500 feet surrounding both sides of the valley. We parked a the Devil's Tombstone State Campground, and took the Devils Path up its very steep ascent of Hunter Mountain.

At the 3500 elevation line, we veered off to the Hunter Mountain Trail, to its terminus at the summit, and then climbed the Fire Tower at the top of the mountain. Although the Fire Tower is closed at the top, you can still take it all the way up, and it affords an unbelievable panoramic view. We had lunch at Fire Tower, and then continued down the Spruceton Trail until the Colonel's Chair Trail. We took the Colonel's Chair Trail till its end at the top of the Skiing area, where there are further good views. The top of the skiing area is actually about 1000 feet lower then the mountain's summit.

We turned around back up the Colonel's Chair to the Spruceton Trail, and then went a bit more east on the Spruceton until the lean to and lookout. The lean to was brand new and just rebuilt. At this point we turned around back the way we came, and took a small detour at the Hunter Summit for the summit viewpoint that faces south. After that we continued back down the same route back to the car.

Map of the Route


At the beginning of the Trail. Stony Clove Notch and Lake.

At the 3500 Elevation mark on Devils Path

The Fire Tower and Cabin at the Summit

On Tower facing South

From Tower facing east towards Kaaterskill High Peak

Meir near the top
with cabin below

Facing northwest towards WestKill Mountain

Looking up at the Tower


A snowshoe hare at the top. This hare was huge, and it was really freaky how it following us for food. It must be a mascot on the top of the mountain.

At an opening on the Spruceton Trail.
Facing east towards Tannersville.

View from Colonels Chair. Facing southeast.

At the top of the ski lift. Facing East.

Westkill Mountain from the Ski Lift top.
Facing West.

The Blackhead Range in the distance:
Thomas Cole, Black Dome, and Black Head.
Facing northeast from Colonels Chair.

Me at the Hunter south viewpoint.


Another view at the Hunter south viewpoint. Facing south.

Yet another view at the Hunter south viewpoint.
Facing southeast.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Millbrook Mountain
Gertrudes Nose

Shawangunk Mountains
Minnewaska State Park
Ulster County,
New York

Trails:
Millbrook Mountain Trail: Red Blaze
Gertrude's Nose Trail: Red Blaze
Millbrook Drive Carriageway
Hamilton Point Carriageway
Shore Drive Carriageway

Hiking Parters:
Shimmy Rosenberg
Yehuda Koblick

Total Time: 4.5 Hours
Total Distance: 6.5 Miles

I had long anticipated starting the summer with a solid hike in the Gunks. This was our oppurtunity. We started out early, and were early enough to park in the main parking area in Minnewaska (this area fills up pretty quickly and when that happens you have to park all the way down at the park entrance.) We started the hike by going down towards Lake Minnewaska, and bushwacking along the southern side of the lake above the cliffs. (There used to be an unofficial trail shortcut here to the carriageway, but it was very overgrown and hardly discernible.) From the overgrown shortcut bushwack, we took the Shore Drive Carriageway to the eastern end of the lake, where the outlet is, and then took the Millbrook Mountain Trail all the way to its terminus at Millbrook Mountain. At the summit there are excellent views as you are a straight vertical 1000 feet above the surrounding the terrain. (Millbrook Mountain has its eastern side as a sheer vertical cliff.)

From the Millbrook Mountain summit, went on the Gertrude's Nose Trail south along the edge of the escarpment south on the Millbrook Mountain Trail, towards Gertrude's Nose. There was one point near the power lines that cross the path where the trail descends, and there is a cave going into the ground with emits freezing air, which was very refreshing considering that this was a very hot and humid day. We continued along the trail, picking blueberrys along the way, all the way to Gertrude's Nose. Gertrudes Nose is a pointed edge where the escarpement bends backwards to dip for the deep Palmaghatt Ravine, and there are excellent views all around, and the boulder formations and fallen rocks are absolutely fabulous. The area is full of deep cracks in the rocks going hundreds of feet down. We Continued along the Gertrude's Nose Trail Trail until it hit the Millbrook Drive Carriageway, and from there took the carriageway back to the Hamilton Point Carriageway for a short while until it meets up with the Shore Drive Carriageway by the lake, and from there we returned back to the car.

Map of the Route