Tom Rankin
Well-known member
Laurie, myself, Joanne, Dick, Peakbagger and Booka started out at 9:00 for Roundtop (the one near Bearpen in the Catskills), on an old road above Prattsville. The road is easy enough to hike on, even with the 3-5" inches of new snow that had recently fallen. There is a little water on the road here and there, but it's easily avoidable. The road had some signs of recent attempts by a truck to get up to the col, not sure if they were successful!
The road winds around for about 3 miles before coming to a cabin located in the col between Bearpen and Roundtop. There were some recent mechanized tracks in the snow here, but we never heard or saw any vehicles. From here, an ATV trail winds its way to either summit. We stuck with Rountdtop and were there in about 20 minutes. The views were limited, but you can see here and there if you wander around a little. We had a snack and then decided to whack back down to the road. The slope was a little steep and slippery due to the new snow, but we all made it in fine shape down to the road, just a little above where we wanted to be. (The road and ATV trail form a narrow wedge, so whacking down saves distance if not time). If you do this hike in the summer, stay on the ATV trail or expect a lot of pricker bushes!
We were done by a little after noon. The day was delightful. The sun shone for most of the morning and while it was only about 10 degrees at the start, we never felt cold, as it was rarely windy.
Joanne, Dick, Peakbagger and Booka went off to other adventures, while we went to visit family.
The road winds around for about 3 miles before coming to a cabin located in the col between Bearpen and Roundtop. There were some recent mechanized tracks in the snow here, but we never heard or saw any vehicles. From here, an ATV trail winds its way to either summit. We stuck with Rountdtop and were there in about 20 minutes. The views were limited, but you can see here and there if you wander around a little. We had a snack and then decided to whack back down to the road. The slope was a little steep and slippery due to the new snow, but we all made it in fine shape down to the road, just a little above where we wanted to be. (The road and ATV trail form a narrow wedge, so whacking down saves distance if not time). If you do this hike in the summer, stay on the ATV trail or expect a lot of pricker bushes!
We were done by a little after noon. The day was delightful. The sun shone for most of the morning and while it was only about 10 degrees at the start, we never felt cold, as it was rarely windy.
Joanne, Dick, Peakbagger and Booka went off to other adventures, while we went to visit family.
