Chip
Well-known member
My plan was to get to Roaring Kill Rd and Trail Head by 5:30 friday night, hike the short distance up Mink Hollow Trail to the Mink Hollow Lean-To and meet Jay H there. His plan was to be about 1/2 hour ahead of me. I was alone at the trail head at 5:30 and got hiking by 5:45. I did not know the trail and knew I had limited light. Jay H was either late or had parked elsewhere. Either way, he knows the area better than me, so I figured I'd better get going.
An hour into the hike was sunset. I had, apparently, miscalculated the distance to the lean-to. I came to a Right-Turn trail marker that appeared to send me down a split rock cliff scramble. The Catskills are full of these cliff scrambles so I would not have hesitated to decend during the day, but at sunset, not knowing the trail but understanding I had a ways to go, I made the decision to turn around and head back to sleep in my truck. The good part about this decision was that if Jay H was behind me, I'd run into him. Headlamp was doned and I was back to the truck by 7:45. No Jay H.
It got cold friday night, 35 degrees was what the truck displayed at 6:30am. At 6:45 I was headed back up Mink Hollow Trail. At 7:30 I got to the Right Turn marker and realized it was a 160 degree right turn into a switch-back and not a 90 degree into the cliff scramble. I got to Mink Hollow Lean To at 8, missing Jay H by minutes, as I later retrieved a cell phone call from him made at about 8:30 wondering where the heck I was friday night ! Jay had parked at the end of Mink Hollow Road, made the short hike up the old road and had a restless night fending off all forms of animals, according to what I could read from the Log, but I'll let him tell that story. I recorded my apology after his entry and proceeded up Plateau.
This trail is The Devil's Path and it's fairly named. Plateau is pretty much straight up from Mink Hollow. The trail, featuring roots, mud, slick wet rock and rock scrambles quickly lead to some decent views norteast and the summit . Back down and through Mink Hollow towards Sugarloaf, I ran into two guys hiking the entire Path that day and a group doing Sugarloaf. Sugarloaf was more fun than Plateau, almost as steep, but not requiring as much concentration. The summit of Sugarloaf passed quickly to more great views further east. Decending Sugarloaf was no joke. Scrambles, jumps, slides and bumps. The Devils Path Day Hikers Club have my respect. At the intersection to continue to Twin , which was in my original plan (as well as Indian Head) I decided an early (and uninjured) exit sounded good. The Pecoy Notch Trail has been redirected too close to abeaver's dam (the trail is actually ON the dam at one point). But you do get to pass through the old Blue Stone Quarry that the locals call The Chairs, I think. It's a beautiful area, filled with a somewhat sad remembrance that men had once made a living here hauling this stone out of the mountains.
It was a good and worth-while hike, other than missing Jay H. Sorry dude, next time I'll ask EXACTLY where you are parking and meet you there.
An hour into the hike was sunset. I had, apparently, miscalculated the distance to the lean-to. I came to a Right-Turn trail marker that appeared to send me down a split rock cliff scramble. The Catskills are full of these cliff scrambles so I would not have hesitated to decend during the day, but at sunset, not knowing the trail but understanding I had a ways to go, I made the decision to turn around and head back to sleep in my truck. The good part about this decision was that if Jay H was behind me, I'd run into him. Headlamp was doned and I was back to the truck by 7:45. No Jay H.
It got cold friday night, 35 degrees was what the truck displayed at 6:30am. At 6:45 I was headed back up Mink Hollow Trail. At 7:30 I got to the Right Turn marker and realized it was a 160 degree right turn into a switch-back and not a 90 degree into the cliff scramble. I got to Mink Hollow Lean To at 8, missing Jay H by minutes, as I later retrieved a cell phone call from him made at about 8:30 wondering where the heck I was friday night ! Jay had parked at the end of Mink Hollow Road, made the short hike up the old road and had a restless night fending off all forms of animals, according to what I could read from the Log, but I'll let him tell that story. I recorded my apology after his entry and proceeded up Plateau.
This trail is The Devil's Path and it's fairly named. Plateau is pretty much straight up from Mink Hollow. The trail, featuring roots, mud, slick wet rock and rock scrambles quickly lead to some decent views norteast and the summit . Back down and through Mink Hollow towards Sugarloaf, I ran into two guys hiking the entire Path that day and a group doing Sugarloaf. Sugarloaf was more fun than Plateau, almost as steep, but not requiring as much concentration. The summit of Sugarloaf passed quickly to more great views further east. Decending Sugarloaf was no joke. Scrambles, jumps, slides and bumps. The Devils Path Day Hikers Club have my respect. At the intersection to continue to Twin , which was in my original plan (as well as Indian Head) I decided an early (and uninjured) exit sounded good. The Pecoy Notch Trail has been redirected too close to abeaver's dam (the trail is actually ON the dam at one point). But you do get to pass through the old Blue Stone Quarry that the locals call The Chairs, I think. It's a beautiful area, filled with a somewhat sad remembrance that men had once made a living here hauling this stone out of the mountains.
It was a good and worth-while hike, other than missing Jay H. Sorry dude, next time I'll ask EXACTLY where you are parking and meet you there.
