Sugar loaf in Catskills loop

[Adk_dib]

I did Sugar loaf from the east side. I first stopped at Dibble's quarry and I may be showing my age, but it was coolamono. My last name is Dibble and it is good to know that someone with that name is talented. I know that just because it was built at Dibble's Quarry, it does not means that a Dibble built it. Please let me have my illusions. The trip to the quarry is about 400 feet of easy grade. After the quarry, you travel 200 feet more on the same easy grade. At the Col between Sugar Loaf and Twin you turn right and start your climb. It is about 1000-1100 feet of moderatly hard grade. There are plenty of places to stop and rest and check out the rock formations. The view is just before you start the downhill accent. You will see a yellow marker and a path to your left. Pretty good views of Panther, Slide all the way to ashokan high point. The trip down the west side is a little time consuming because of the loose shale and rock outcrops. The west side was also a lot wetter than the east. It was dry coming up the east, but running stream going down the west. A lot of good picture opportunities, especially one where you go through a door.
http://picasaweb.google.com/adkdib/...id=6QpK4S4_oFLI-sjlGSwO0A#5347693800534668418
When you reach the trail sign to go back to the parking lot dont be fooled. The maps looks like it goes downhill to the parking lot. I was at 2500 feet at the trail marker. After I hit a small bridge and water falls

http://picasaweb.google.com/adkdib/DropBox?authkey=Gv1sRgCIuJ2JWVpaLghgE&pli=1#5347694776563136914
http://picasaweb.google.com/adkdib/DropBox?authkey=Gv1sRgCIuJ2JWVpaLghgE&pli=1#5347694942368477522

it started going up. Trail actually turned southwest straight up. I thought I was climbing the mountain again. It was the blue marked trail so I kept going. I reached 2800 feet before it evened out. Trail kept going parallel for the longest time. I kept waiting for it to go down. Trail finally started down. This Mink Hollow trail was pretty wet after the rain storm.

If you are doing this loop it would be better to do it west to east instead of the way I did it. It is easier to climb on the loose stone than to come down it. If you only want to knock this off the list it would be easier to climb from the east and go back the same way. Either way do not miss Dibble Quarry.

 

[Mark Schaefer]

OK, now I know the meaning of dib in ADK_dib.

The Dibble family was once quite prominent in the Platte Clove valley. For at least two generations the family owned and operated the bluestone quarry that is now the site of the Dibble Quarry rock chairs on the Pecoy Notch Trail. As described in The Catskill Forest, A history by Dr. Michael Kudish and published by Purple Mountain Press; the north shoulder of Sugarloaf Mountain was owned by George Dibble and was once called Dibble Mountain.

In the book Pioneer Days in the Catskill High Peaks by Leah Showers Wiltse, published by Black Dome Press there is a reference to Dibble Family:

In the early 1880s George Harding, the owner of the Hotel Kaaterskill, hired two local skilled men from Platte Clove, Edward Dibble and Collin Hyser, to build the Harding Road from Palenville to the summit of South Mt, site of the Hotel Kaaterskill.​

The Harding Road is currently part of the Long Path.

The Dibble family also owned two sawmills (built by Captain Harmon B. Dibble in 1867 and 1875) and other businesses. The second sawmill was in the hamlet of Elka Park where the Elka Park Road crosses the Schoharie Creek. The mill dam and pond are still there and they are known as Dibble Dam and Dibble Lake to the locals.

So congratulations on having climbed "South Dibble Mountain" (aka Sugarloaf).

 

[Jay H]

Cool, you have a nice quarry.

Some of us were on Sugarloaf late Sunday afternoon, that trail that crosses the beaver pond was quite flooded!

Jay

 

[una_dogger]

I did the same loop this saturday with a friend.

We saw a rattlesnake at the quarry.

I was very impressed at the work of the beavers -- pretty extensive damming!!! I hadn't done this loop in 3 years and they've really been busy.

Glad you had a good hike -- what day did you go?? Maybe we passed you??

 

[Adk_dib]

I did it sunday. There were 6 cars in the parking lot when I got there and I did not see anyone on the climb to the summit or down until I hit mink hollow trail. There must be a lookout on mink hollow somewhere because nobody was on the summit of sugar loaf. Nice information about the mountain. I should charge admission seeing that I am George Dibble and everyone is climbing George Dibble Mountain.

 

[Rockledge]

I did the Sugarloaf loop Sunday also. West to East. May have passed you somewhere along the route. We got a late start. I was with a little girl in sneakers with very wet feet. Mom was real happy when I got her home.

 

[Adk_dib]

Yep, that was me. That was pretty impressive your little girl doing that big mountain.