Vroman's Nose - northern Catskills 3-14-09

[Peakbagr]

Took a group of beginner hikers up Vroman's Nose near Middleburgh, NY. The first bit of the short hike is thru the woods, then the remainer is along open ledges and high cliffs. Didn't hurt that the day offered perfect blue skies, nice sun and no breeze.
Very high view to effort ratio.

Photos here: http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=avk6ugum.2owo2u9m&x=0&y=d2eot3&localeid=en_US

 

[Edelweiss]

Here are some additional photos from the Vroman's Nose - another gem of a short Catskill hike.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLa...mail-_-site_share-_-core-_-view_photos_button

 

[Jay H]

Checking out your photos now... did you actually use snowshoes? A bunch of us did Hunter and SW Hunter/Leavitt on saturday and never used them.

Guess not, did not see a single flake..

Jay

 

[Peakbagr]

Jay,

VN is pretty far to the north and not at high elevation. We saw maybe 2 or 3 patches of snow in the woods. Some ice under the leaves and some flowed water ice, but nothing that couldn't be easily bypassed without anything but boots.
What a sweet little hike this is. Perfect for a very short day, or in this case, the YMCA beginning hikers group. I'm gradually working the group up to a mountain hike.

 

[Jay H]

Yup, I've driven by there and would like to hike it one day, maybe combine that with a skip up Pratt's Rock..

Jay

 

[hermit]

Very nice report and pictures,you can really see where the glacier went through the valley .

 

[Mark Schaefer]

Nice report and photos, Alan and Joanne. Vroman's Nose is among my favorite short hikes. It has been several years since I last hiked there, and it appears that the maintainers have added quite a few nice informational signs and a bench. Those overhanging cliffs make for some great photo opportunities. Bookah seemed to be quite happy tied to a tree. No doubt a good idea given the steep cliffs. Over the years I have seen quite a few young children on very short leashes for the same reason.

For anyone interested in hiking the Nose there is a loop trail map and other information on the Local Hikes website. In addition the Long Path climbs up to near the SW corner of the loop and also the east side of the loop. Although I do not believe there is much parking at either LP trailhead which are probably used most by through hikers on the LP. I have always used the main trailhead shown on the map (with a large parking area) which Alan also used.

Yup, I've driven by there and would like to hike it one day, maybe combine that with a skip up Pratt's Rock..

Another short hike that combines well with Vroman's Nose is the Middleburgh Cliffs. They are on the east side of the village along the Long Path. The hike description on the NYNJTC site recommends parking on Route 145 near Straub Lane which is shown at the center cross of this topo map. However, you can also park on weekends (and perhaps weekdays) at the Central Elementary School parking lot on the opposite side of Route 145. The initial section of the trail is through a fairly new subdivision with private streets (so there is no parking close to the actual start of the climb). Straub Lane becomes Mountain Path and the aqua blazed Long Path then turns north on Union Street where it departs to the east at a double blaze prior to reaching Cliff Street. These newer streets can be seen on this street map.

There are some very slippery rock sections on the climb up. I was surprised at how slippery the smooth rocks were even when just slightly wet. I did mention that to trail conference, and they responded they were planning some alternate routes in the area of the slippery rocks utilizing some old roads. I do not know if that has been done yet. There are several nice views over the Schoharie Valley and toward Vroman's Nose.

 

[Peakbagr]

Mark, my S.O. was out of state and she's chafing to go back.
I did have to keep a close watch on Boo. She kept wandering over to the cliffs looking down and with a group of 18, I was running back and forth to keep it from stretching out and couldn't watch her properly. The leash, though was as much to keep her from panhandling at lunch time as it was to keep her from the edge.