rhihn
New member
On Sunday, 3/11, five of us hiked Overlook Mountain, just outside of Woodstock, NY. Participants were Carlo, daughter Sandra, Alan, Joanne, and I. One of the highest hundred, this is a very popular walk that follows an old carriage road almost all the way to the summit. We enjoyed the warmer temps, and the sky was partly cloudy, which gave way to almost all sun on top. We dressed in our usual hiking garb, which really made us stand out from others, many dressed in jeans, sneakers, etc. Some icy patches along the way, but only boots needed until the last half mile or so, when we decided that Stabilicers was a good idea (one member wore crampons).
Carol and David White’s ADK guide (Catskill Trails, 3rd edition) contains the following description: “Pierre DeLabigarre, a French Revolutionist, was probably the first to write about the views from this mountain, after his climb in 1793. In 1833, James Booth built a temporary hotel there. It too until 1871 to establish a permanent hotel. It burned to the ground on April Fool’s Day in 1874, when no one would believe a child who tried to convince staff that the smoke in the chimney was darker than usual. Rebuilt in 1878, it burned down again in 1924. The struggle to keep it open ended, in the midst of rebuilding yet again, with the stock market crash of 1929. Remnants of the half-finished foundations are still visible.” (see photo link for some shots of the remains).
We were told by a knowledgeable member of our party that the mountain is a haven for rattlesnakes. The summit sports an accessible firetower, picnic table, transmission tower of some sort, and a ranger’s cabin, which contains (or used to contain) some exhibits on rattlesnakes. It was a little breezy, so we decided to have lunch by the cabin. But the best part of the trip was the overlook on Overlook, a couple of hundred feet beyond the cabin. With only 38 Catskill hikes under our belt, we are relative Catskill newbies, but this view was the best we have encountered thus far. Joanne’s pictures (or those from any still camera) don’t do the 180-degree panorama justice, with sweeping views from the Hudson River over to the mountains (perhaps Slide-Cornell-Wittenberg?), and the reservoir (Ashokan?). A hard view to leave, and it’s no wonder it’s such a popular walk.
Carol and David White’s ADK guide (Catskill Trails, 3rd edition) contains the following description: “Pierre DeLabigarre, a French Revolutionist, was probably the first to write about the views from this mountain, after his climb in 1793. In 1833, James Booth built a temporary hotel there. It too until 1871 to establish a permanent hotel. It burned to the ground on April Fool’s Day in 1874, when no one would believe a child who tried to convince staff that the smoke in the chimney was darker than usual. Rebuilt in 1878, it burned down again in 1924. The struggle to keep it open ended, in the midst of rebuilding yet again, with the stock market crash of 1929. Remnants of the half-finished foundations are still visible.” (see photo link for some shots of the remains).
We were told by a knowledgeable member of our party that the mountain is a haven for rattlesnakes. The summit sports an accessible firetower, picnic table, transmission tower of some sort, and a ranger’s cabin, which contains (or used to contain) some exhibits on rattlesnakes. It was a little breezy, so we decided to have lunch by the cabin. But the best part of the trip was the overlook on Overlook, a couple of hundred feet beyond the cabin. With only 38 Catskill hikes under our belt, we are relative Catskill newbies, but this view was the best we have encountered thus far. Joanne’s pictures (or those from any still camera) don’t do the 180-degree panorama justice, with sweeping views from the Hudson River over to the mountains (perhaps Slide-Cornell-Wittenberg?), and the reservoir (Ashokan?). A hard view to leave, and it’s no wonder it’s such a popular walk.
