DSettahr
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I've got a few trip reports that I am posting all together because I havent had a chance to post individual reports. Some are from the Catskills, one from the Southern Adirondacks and one from the High Peaks.
Catskills Trip Reports
Indian Head and Twin Mountains
I climbed these back in the end of June. We parked at the end of Prediger Road (very limited parking at this trail head I noticed) and followed the Devil's Path east. Where the DP reaches a junction with the Overlook Trail, there is an interesting old quarry to the northeast of the junction. We also saw a rattlesnake on the trail near this junction so they are definatly in the area.
The Climb up Indian Head from the east was fairly steep in parts. There were also a few muddy areas but nothing major. There were two excellent view points to the east in this section of the trail as well. We were unable to find the north facing viewpoint shown on the NY-NJ TC map.
The hike down the western side of Indian Head seemed to be less steep than the eastern ascent, but the hike up the east side of Twin was pretty steep. The best view of the entire hike was the view south from the lower of Twin Mountain's two peaks. We continued on to the upper peak and looked for the cave shown on the map, but were unable to find that as well unless it was one of the overhangs we spotted.
The view south from Jimmy Dolan Notch wasn't anything special. The Jimmy Dolan Notch trail back to the trail head was in fairly good condition though. We completed the hike in about 5-6 hours or so. Unfortunately, the day was rather hazy so the views werent what they could have been. We did luck out and manage to avoid all of the thunderstorms until we got back to the trail head.
Blackhead Mountain
I climbed Blackhead in the middle of July. I started out at the Big Hollow Road trailhead and followed the Black Dome trail. At the junction with the Batavia Kill Trail, I met an Assistant Ranger out on Patrol who was also hiking Blackhead, and we decided to hike together. We went left at the junction and continued along the Black Dome Trail to the Blackhead Mountain Trail. The ascent was fairly easy as the trail has been rerouted in recent history to include several switchbacks.
The NY-NJTC map shows a view point at the summit of Blackhead, but I did not see any view. There was a partial view of Black Dome just below the summit to the west however. The decent along the Escarpment Trail and the Batavia Kill Trail was extremely steep, and I think if and when I climb Blackhead again I will ascend this way and descend on the Black Dome trail.
I found this hike to be pretty easy and was done in under 3 hours. The trails were in very good condition, and I saw no one else along the trail with the exception of the Ranger.
Adirondack Trip Reports
Pine Orchard from Pumpkin Hollow
Clocking in at 14 miles, this is definately the toughest hike I have done this summer. The Pine Orchard is an area of woods in the Southern Adirondacks near Northville that was never loged. As a result, there is a grove of enourmous pine trees, 4+ feet in diameter and over 100 feet tall. It is a very impressive place to visit.
I started from the Pumpkin Hollow trail head, which is 7 miles away from from the Pine Orchard. The Pine Orchard can be reached via a much closer trail head in Wells, at the end of Mill Creek Road, which is only about 1.5 - 2 miles from the Orchard.
The trails in this area are all snowmobile trails, and are marked and maintained as such. The register at the Pumpkin Hollow trailhead is on the south side of the road (I did not find it until after I had already returned from my hike). The trail in to Coulombe Creek is very flat and pleasant through a pine forest. There are several foundations from old farmhouses and barns along the way.
After crossing Coulombe Creek, the ADK Southern Region guide says that the trail is very difficult to follow and should be only attempted with a compas and in groups of at least 3. I did not find this to be the case at all - the trail was very easy to follow, although after crossing the creek it becomes a bit more hilly and rocky.
There were in this section, however, 3 junctions with other snowmobile trails that the ADK Guide does not mention. The first is shortly after crossing the creek, a marked trail goes left and an unmarked trail goes right. Follow the marked trail to the left.
After climbing a hill and passing a wet area on the left, another junction with 2 marked trails is reached. Follow the trail to the right. There was a sign in this junction pointing the way to the Pine Orchard, but it had fallen off its post and so wasnt very much help.
About a quarter mile beyond the second junction, there will be an unmarked trail to the left- stay on the marked trail and continue straight on through the junction.
The ADK Guide mentions a clearing called "Dog-In-The-Tree" Clearing. This clearing is very easy to find as it contains a high flat rock on the left as you enter it. I found this to be a good place to stop for a snack.
The trail then descends for about a mile before interesecting with the other shorter trail. You'll know when you've reached the junction because you will pass another trail register one the right and a gate on the left. From here on, the trail is very flat and very well traveled right up to the Pine Orchard.
I did manage to find both camp sites mentioned in the ADK Guide, although the first one has become quite overgrown. This might make a good backpacking trip for anyone who does not want to do all 14 miles in one day like I did, or even just a good camping spot for anyone who wants to come in the short way and spend the evening. Definately bring a water filter if you are coming the long way to refill your water bottles with. The long way is also very secluded- I did not see a single other person until I reached the junction with the shorter trail. The people I met in the Pine Orchard were astounded that I chose to hike 14 miles when there was a much shorter trail available.
Seward Mountain
This past weekend, I went backpacking with a group of 8 people to climb Seward Mountain, one of the trail-less high peaks. For everyone else, it was a 3 day/2 night trip, but for myself it was a 2 day/1 night trip. We hiked in to the Blueberry Lean To from the Coreys trailhead to the west of the Seward Range. The 4 mile hike in was very flat and easy. The trail is in very good shape, and it is obvious that this section of the High Peaks does not recieve much use as there was very little erosion. The beaver damn at Blueberry Pond seems to have burst as the pond was drained.
Blueberry Lean To was empty, so 6 of us decided to forgo tenting and sleep in the lean to. Around 9:30 that night, 2 hikers returned to a tent that had been set up behind the lean to. They told us that they had started hiking at 7 am that morning, climbed Seward and Donaldson, and then tried to detour around Seward and promptly got lost. They fortunately had GPS with them, but bushwacking through the woods was slow going, and and so did not return to their campsite until late that night. Obviously, a good lesson in the wiseness of staying to the herd path when returning north from the summits south of Seward, even if the idea of re-summitting the peaks seems daunting.
The heard path up Seward is easy to find- look for the Cairn on the southside of the Ward-Brook Truck Road just after you cross a substantial stream about .1 miles east of the Blueberry Lean To. The herd path is also very easy to follow up to the summit with a few exceptions. The trail starts out on the east side of the stream- watch for a wide pool with several cairns as the trail crosses to the west side of the stream here. Near the summit, you'll reach a wall of rock. Follow this wall several hundred feet to the east to find a spot to climb it. The trail then continues several hundred feet to the west again to reach the actual summit, marked by a yellow trail disc with "Seward" written on it. The trail up is very muddy near the base of the mountain, and very steep near the top.
There is no view from the summit of Seward, but there are several views north while you climb. The best spot for lunch is a small clearing almost immediately after you climb the afore-mentioned wall of rock.
Unlike the ascent, the herd path on the descent is very hard to follow. There are multiple paths and false leads that branch off during the descent, and it can be hard to remember which one you came from. We managed to get lost for about an hour, but eventually found a stream and followed it north until we struck the path again.
As I had to be at work at 9 AM the next day, I hiked out from the lean to that same afternoon and drove home that night. I needed two king-sized cups of coke from Burger King to keep me awake. I would have liked to stay another night though, as the Blueberry lean to was in a nice spot and in very good condition.
Catskills Trip Reports
Indian Head and Twin Mountains
I climbed these back in the end of June. We parked at the end of Prediger Road (very limited parking at this trail head I noticed) and followed the Devil's Path east. Where the DP reaches a junction with the Overlook Trail, there is an interesting old quarry to the northeast of the junction. We also saw a rattlesnake on the trail near this junction so they are definatly in the area.
The Climb up Indian Head from the east was fairly steep in parts. There were also a few muddy areas but nothing major. There were two excellent view points to the east in this section of the trail as well. We were unable to find the north facing viewpoint shown on the NY-NJ TC map.
The hike down the western side of Indian Head seemed to be less steep than the eastern ascent, but the hike up the east side of Twin was pretty steep. The best view of the entire hike was the view south from the lower of Twin Mountain's two peaks. We continued on to the upper peak and looked for the cave shown on the map, but were unable to find that as well unless it was one of the overhangs we spotted.
The view south from Jimmy Dolan Notch wasn't anything special. The Jimmy Dolan Notch trail back to the trail head was in fairly good condition though. We completed the hike in about 5-6 hours or so. Unfortunately, the day was rather hazy so the views werent what they could have been. We did luck out and manage to avoid all of the thunderstorms until we got back to the trail head.
Blackhead Mountain
I climbed Blackhead in the middle of July. I started out at the Big Hollow Road trailhead and followed the Black Dome trail. At the junction with the Batavia Kill Trail, I met an Assistant Ranger out on Patrol who was also hiking Blackhead, and we decided to hike together. We went left at the junction and continued along the Black Dome Trail to the Blackhead Mountain Trail. The ascent was fairly easy as the trail has been rerouted in recent history to include several switchbacks.
The NY-NJTC map shows a view point at the summit of Blackhead, but I did not see any view. There was a partial view of Black Dome just below the summit to the west however. The decent along the Escarpment Trail and the Batavia Kill Trail was extremely steep, and I think if and when I climb Blackhead again I will ascend this way and descend on the Black Dome trail.
I found this hike to be pretty easy and was done in under 3 hours. The trails were in very good condition, and I saw no one else along the trail with the exception of the Ranger.
Adirondack Trip Reports
Pine Orchard from Pumpkin Hollow
Clocking in at 14 miles, this is definately the toughest hike I have done this summer. The Pine Orchard is an area of woods in the Southern Adirondacks near Northville that was never loged. As a result, there is a grove of enourmous pine trees, 4+ feet in diameter and over 100 feet tall. It is a very impressive place to visit.
I started from the Pumpkin Hollow trail head, which is 7 miles away from from the Pine Orchard. The Pine Orchard can be reached via a much closer trail head in Wells, at the end of Mill Creek Road, which is only about 1.5 - 2 miles from the Orchard.
The trails in this area are all snowmobile trails, and are marked and maintained as such. The register at the Pumpkin Hollow trailhead is on the south side of the road (I did not find it until after I had already returned from my hike). The trail in to Coulombe Creek is very flat and pleasant through a pine forest. There are several foundations from old farmhouses and barns along the way.
After crossing Coulombe Creek, the ADK Southern Region guide says that the trail is very difficult to follow and should be only attempted with a compas and in groups of at least 3. I did not find this to be the case at all - the trail was very easy to follow, although after crossing the creek it becomes a bit more hilly and rocky.
There were in this section, however, 3 junctions with other snowmobile trails that the ADK Guide does not mention. The first is shortly after crossing the creek, a marked trail goes left and an unmarked trail goes right. Follow the marked trail to the left.
After climbing a hill and passing a wet area on the left, another junction with 2 marked trails is reached. Follow the trail to the right. There was a sign in this junction pointing the way to the Pine Orchard, but it had fallen off its post and so wasnt very much help.
About a quarter mile beyond the second junction, there will be an unmarked trail to the left- stay on the marked trail and continue straight on through the junction.
The ADK Guide mentions a clearing called "Dog-In-The-Tree" Clearing. This clearing is very easy to find as it contains a high flat rock on the left as you enter it. I found this to be a good place to stop for a snack.
The trail then descends for about a mile before interesecting with the other shorter trail. You'll know when you've reached the junction because you will pass another trail register one the right and a gate on the left. From here on, the trail is very flat and very well traveled right up to the Pine Orchard.
I did manage to find both camp sites mentioned in the ADK Guide, although the first one has become quite overgrown. This might make a good backpacking trip for anyone who does not want to do all 14 miles in one day like I did, or even just a good camping spot for anyone who wants to come in the short way and spend the evening. Definately bring a water filter if you are coming the long way to refill your water bottles with. The long way is also very secluded- I did not see a single other person until I reached the junction with the shorter trail. The people I met in the Pine Orchard were astounded that I chose to hike 14 miles when there was a much shorter trail available.
Seward Mountain
This past weekend, I went backpacking with a group of 8 people to climb Seward Mountain, one of the trail-less high peaks. For everyone else, it was a 3 day/2 night trip, but for myself it was a 2 day/1 night trip. We hiked in to the Blueberry Lean To from the Coreys trailhead to the west of the Seward Range. The 4 mile hike in was very flat and easy. The trail is in very good shape, and it is obvious that this section of the High Peaks does not recieve much use as there was very little erosion. The beaver damn at Blueberry Pond seems to have burst as the pond was drained.
Blueberry Lean To was empty, so 6 of us decided to forgo tenting and sleep in the lean to. Around 9:30 that night, 2 hikers returned to a tent that had been set up behind the lean to. They told us that they had started hiking at 7 am that morning, climbed Seward and Donaldson, and then tried to detour around Seward and promptly got lost. They fortunately had GPS with them, but bushwacking through the woods was slow going, and and so did not return to their campsite until late that night. Obviously, a good lesson in the wiseness of staying to the herd path when returning north from the summits south of Seward, even if the idea of re-summitting the peaks seems daunting.
The heard path up Seward is easy to find- look for the Cairn on the southside of the Ward-Brook Truck Road just after you cross a substantial stream about .1 miles east of the Blueberry Lean To. The herd path is also very easy to follow up to the summit with a few exceptions. The trail starts out on the east side of the stream- watch for a wide pool with several cairns as the trail crosses to the west side of the stream here. Near the summit, you'll reach a wall of rock. Follow this wall several hundred feet to the east to find a spot to climb it. The trail then continues several hundred feet to the west again to reach the actual summit, marked by a yellow trail disc with "Seward" written on it. The trail up is very muddy near the base of the mountain, and very steep near the top.
There is no view from the summit of Seward, but there are several views north while you climb. The best spot for lunch is a small clearing almost immediately after you climb the afore-mentioned wall of rock.
Unlike the ascent, the herd path on the descent is very hard to follow. There are multiple paths and false leads that branch off during the descent, and it can be hard to remember which one you came from. We managed to get lost for about an hour, but eventually found a stream and followed it north until we struck the path again.
As I had to be at work at 9 AM the next day, I hiked out from the lean to that same afternoon and drove home that night. I needed two king-sized cups of coke from Burger King to keep me awake. I would have liked to stay another night though, as the Blueberry lean to was in a nice spot and in very good condition.
There was a rather fearless chipmunk hanging around though.
