Tom Rankin
Well-known member
Laurie decided to bag hunting and go hiking, so we jointly decided Eagle (in the Cats) would be a great place to go. We had not been up the trail past Seager since Irene. After driving down the road, and seeing some restoration work and some destruction still evident, we arrived at what now passes for a parking lot at the end of the road. The lot is very muddy and seems narrower than in the past, but it is still adequate. We started around 9:45. It was cool and still sunny, and almost dead calm. Right away we noticed the trail is undercut in several places. Some of them are easy to get around, others are a little tougher. At the first stream crossing, Drury Brook, the approach down to the stream bed has washed away. What is left is badly eroded and still unstable. We rock hopped across and continued to Flatiron brook. This one was in better shape. The next crossing that we were confronted with was the 'new' Dry Brook. The truck trail to the private camp fords the stream, which has re-routed itself, shortly after the old road comes in from the left. We did not see an easy way across, so we bush-whacked up the right side of the stream. This turned out to be convenient, because the truck trail re-crosses the stream after a short while. So we saved 2 crossings. We still had to cross the Brook where the yellow trail crosses. So, one way or the other, you only have to cross the stream once in that section.
After the crossing, the trail gains a little elevation and heads to the lean to. The crossing of the Shandaken Brook is a little more difficult than it used to be, with the bank again very steep, eroded, and unstable. We found 3 young men at the shelter. They had spent a very quiet weekend, as we were the first people they had seen since Friday. They were flying an American flag next to the shelter.
After layering off, and a brief chat, we continued up the trail. This is the steepest part of the climb. It side hills up an old road which meets the PHWB trail. We noted that the trail conditions vary quite a bit from section to section, but overall it is getting much better.
We made the turn and then started up for Eagle. At the first set of ledges, we stopped briefly to look for the old spring, which is on older maps. Hearing water, I went to the left of the trail and discovered that there was a very loud sound of water down in the rocks, but almost none to see. So, we continued up to the top, stopping once in a while to listen for water. We tagged the summit, had a break, and layered up for the return trip. Back at the last set of ledges, Laurie went to hiker's left, and I went right again, looking for more signs of water. Laurie yelled that she had found something, so I came over to her side. Sure enough, there is a small spring about 100 yards off the trail on a level with the bottom of the last set of ledges. Good to know!
One the way back down, we found this. Any clues? Car part, or airplane part? (There was a crash on Eagle a long time ago).
We also took a short detour to the beautiful falls on the Shandaken brook. But from the looks of things, it looked like the entire gorge was full of water during the height of the flood!
Back near the bottom, I made a 'first ascent'!
The triple Eagle? We saw a real live eagle in the Dry Brook, flying low over the water, probably looking for fish. The next live Eagle was spotted just above the Esopus Creek. Now, if only I was a golfer!
After the crossing, the trail gains a little elevation and heads to the lean to. The crossing of the Shandaken Brook is a little more difficult than it used to be, with the bank again very steep, eroded, and unstable. We found 3 young men at the shelter. They had spent a very quiet weekend, as we were the first people they had seen since Friday. They were flying an American flag next to the shelter.
After layering off, and a brief chat, we continued up the trail. This is the steepest part of the climb. It side hills up an old road which meets the PHWB trail. We noted that the trail conditions vary quite a bit from section to section, but overall it is getting much better. We made the turn and then started up for Eagle. At the first set of ledges, we stopped briefly to look for the old spring, which is on older maps. Hearing water, I went to the left of the trail and discovered that there was a very loud sound of water down in the rocks, but almost none to see. So, we continued up to the top, stopping once in a while to listen for water. We tagged the summit, had a break, and layered up for the return trip. Back at the last set of ledges, Laurie went to hiker's left, and I went right again, looking for more signs of water. Laurie yelled that she had found something, so I came over to her side. Sure enough, there is a small spring about 100 yards off the trail on a level with the bottom of the last set of ledges. Good to know!
One the way back down, we found this. Any clues? Car part, or airplane part? (There was a crash on Eagle a long time ago).
We also took a short detour to the beautiful falls on the Shandaken brook. But from the looks of things, it looked like the entire gorge was full of water during the height of the flood!
Back near the bottom, I made a 'first ascent'!
The triple Eagle? We saw a real live eagle in the Dry Brook, flying low over the water, probably looking for fish. The next live Eagle was spotted just above the Esopus Creek. Now, if only I was a golfer!
