Denman and Red Hill Mts. (Catskills)

[rhihn]

Not being able to pass up a free ride, we joined peakbagr and Bookah for the ride south for a late hiking start while he took care of some errands. Joanne, Bookah, peakbagr and I then proceeded toward the DEC parking lot for a hike up Denman Mt. Flurries came and went, alternating with some sun, and we guesstimated that the temperature was about 20 degrees. It was a little on the windy side. Still no real snow, but a light sugar coating at least gave the day some semblance of winter. Roads were steep and tortuous, but well sanded and cared for. From the parking lot we walked up the road (unmaintained at that point) toward the ridge, and when the road appeared to give us all of the elevation it was going to, we headed into the delightfully open woods. The slope was quite manageable virtually all the way, and we made it to the ridgeline quickly. We were then assisted by a snowmobile trail, which took us to the summit plateau. Woods there were still largely open, with some interesting rock formations (and signs of a campfire), and none of the prickers that we had grown accustomed to finding. Not being 100% certain of the exact summit location, we wandered over all of the obvious high points. For descent, we tried the snowmobile trail, and were treated to an entirely different terrain of open fields, balsam and fir, and mountain laurel, all laced with game paths. The ferns, which had died off for the winter, told us that this would be a heavenly trip in the spring, particularly when the laurel was in bloom. Delightful!
We made our way down to the car and drove off to tackle Red Hill, a “firetower” summit. Even though the roads had been sanded, they were steep enough to be a little more of an issue. During the last couple of hundred yards to the trailhead, the road sank like a stone, and so we decided to park at the top of the hill. One in our party decided to test the slippage factor and after doing a brief dance, landed (fortunately) on his pack, with only a minor thumb and elbow injury. Serves him right. Pianists have no business doing this sort of thing anyway. After speaking briefly with another hiker who had just finished the hike, we signed in and made our way to the summit. The trail alternated steep and level, switchbacking nicely to the summit, with "interpretive" markers along the well marked path. The wind had picked up considerably, and was constantly howling above us. Temps at that point were in the teens probably, with added wind-chill. The summit was surprisingly wind-free. There were no particular views, save for what we probably would have had from the tower. The cab is closed in winter, and with the strong wind and likely ice, we decided against climbing the tower. Adorned with picnic tables and stone fireplace, it appeared that the summit gets a lot of use. On the drive home we stopped off in Ellenville for a cholesterol break. Bookah was then out like a light, reminding us that we had a full day of hiking behind us.

Pics will soon follow.

Dick

 

[Jay H]

Two pretty nice peaks off the beaten path. I presume you didn't run into any hunters on Denman like I did. I could of walked up the road higher but I decided on enough road, more woods, and simply headed up. There is a really nice herdpath that goes towards the summit, it could of been the snowmobile trail but it looked kind of narrow for that.

Red Hill is a fun mtn to do, the dirt road to the parking lot is the most trecherous part of the trip! It's a good thing that you parked at the top of the hill since it doesn't look like an easy place to get out if you get stuck.

Jay