Who's working on the Catskill 100 highest?

[funkyfreddy]

I know there are some of us here nibbling (in my case) on or devouring this list Any thoughts you care to share? What are your favorite peaks so far? What were the hardest or nastiest? Any private property issues you care to mention? Any loop hikes you would recommend? What was your favorite Catskill 3k bushwack?

Ah yes...... questions of mountains and mountains of questions. I would love to hear about your adventures both on and off the beaten path. Thanks, Fred

 

[Peakbagr]

Fred,

My chewing away on the Catskill 4 seasons and 35x12 has gotten off track because of the ADK HH quest. Back last year I was following some threads on this Catskill list and even set up a speadsheet one evening.
I'd love to start messing around with these during the winter.

 

[TMax]

Hey Funky,

I could probably be easily persuaded to start this list

P.S. I hear you do a mean Born to Be Wild!

 

[Rik]

Uh, kinda. The same way I work on every list.

 

[Jay H]

Lets just say there is a list for everything so Yes, I'm working on the hundred highest

Jay

 

[John H Swanson]

Property issues are the biggest challenge of the Catskill 3ks.

The second biggest being the brambles - Whiteman mtn , and a few other have left me with vivid memory. Canvas gloves were lasting 3 hikes! (I find the leather glove too hot.) This also lead me to buy double front Carhart canvas pants.

One of two times I've almost got arrested for this issue was in the Catskills. The Roxbury Sheriff and I had quite a long conversation. The lack of posted signs lead me to believe it was okay to hike there. Of course it took me the better part of the morning to find a frontage without posted signs. I think his reply was "YOU DON"T POST YOUR FRONT LAWN DO YOU?" I took it as a rhetorical question, with lots of "sirs" and "with all due respect" Anyway, it was a learning point for me. I switched my tactic from finding unposted land to asking permission.

In short, to get the 3ks you'll have to knock on many doors to get permission to cross private land. It actually isn't that bad as it seems. People would point me to the correct person to ask and tell me about local trails etc. As the peaks are short climbs and it's possible to get 4 or 5 separate peaks in a day (with 500 to 1500 ft of elevation gain each) So I would do a few public access peaks in the morning until is got late enough (after 10am) to knock on doors for permission for the afternoon peaks or the next days peaks. After explaining what I was doing most people would say okay. They actually don't mind hikers. They HATE hunters. I only had one firm no. Good thing there are multiple sides to a mountain

I guess I was lucky to be one of the first few to do these peaks. As they grow in popularity, some of the land owners might change from the friendly welcome that I received.

 

[Double Bow]

Yes, I'm working on it. I only have 100 left!

 

[Tom Rankin]

Yes, I'm working on it. I only have 100 left!

LOL! Having done the regular 35, and a few others (hmmm, Overlook, Ashokan, that might be it), I'm down to 63 left. Who knows, maybe I've stumbled over a few others w/o realizing it.

Peakbagger, I think the lists you are referring to and the 'CHH' are different, but of course, overlapping lists.

I've heard of these lists for the Catskills:

• 3500 Club requirements in all seasons - check
• 3500 Club requirements in Winter - soon
• 35 x 4 - All the Catskills in all 4 seasons - I have 1 down, 34 to go!
• 35 x 12 - Aka 'the grid' - All the Catskills in each month - hmmmmm...
• Catskill Hundred Highest - Is there a published list ?
• CHH in Winter
• Catskill 3K's

That should keep us going for a while!

 

[John H Swanson]

There are 98 3s in the Catskills.

If you are serious enough to locate them all on a map, or should I say series of topo maps, then you will stumble into the other two without any problem.

Assuming std 200 ft col.

 

[Rik]

There are 98 3s in the Catskills.

If you are serious enough to locate them all on a map, or should I say series of topo maps, then you will stumble into the other two without any problem.

Assuming std 200 ft col.

I believe they (98) are all listed in the back of the ADKs Catskill guide book.

 

[funkyfreddy]

Tom and Rik, I believe Red Hill is #99 and it has a fantastic view from its firetower. If you have never been there by all means check it out during the peak of fall foliage. I'm looking for my notes right now as I forget what #100 is........could anyone post it?

John, Dennis C sent me your 770 list last year and I have noticed that it differs somewhat from the list in the back of the ADK Catskills book.

Tmax, the next time I do "BTBW" won't be at 3AM and hopefully will have a bit more polish.......... oh well, it seemed like a good idea at the time

 

[Rik]

John, Dennis C sent me your 770 list last year and I have noticed that it differs somewhat from the list in the back of the ADK Catskills book.

I'll have to look again. I thought they were right on except a couple of different names.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Tom and Rik, I believe Red Hill is #99 and it has a fantastic view from its firetower. If you have never been there by all means check it out during the peak of fall foliage. I'm looking for my notes right now as I forget what #100 is........could anyone post it?

Ooh! I did that one too! Speaking of firetowers, if Tremper is #100, I'm good to go there too!

 

[Mark Schaefer]

I do not "do" lists anymore, I just use them as a la carte menus. I have done a little more than half of the below 3500' category. The list of 98 3Ks is published in the ADK Guide to Catskill Trails. An update is scheduled for late 2005. The Catskill HH has never been published to my knowledge. The 2980' Red Hill (2990' in AMCese) is one of the additional two. The name of the other escapes me. I believe RoySwkr may have posted the name in a prior thread which I cannot find currently (probably aged out). It isn't Tremper.

The best views are not always at the summit (just like with the 3500) -- that wide open ledge on Van Wyck is one of the best natural views I have seen. If you include the two peaks below 3K, the view from Red Hill's fire tower is hard to beat. Utsayantha's tower view is also very good, I am glad to hear it is open again. Overlook's tower and cliffs, Ashokan High Point's meadow, and Huntersfield summit loop trail also offer great views. The 3100' Plattekill has some nice views of Echo Lake if you look around for them, but there are brambles.

One of my favorite mountains is Olderbark, not so much for the summit, but for the long ridge to Plateau. Olderbark is an fairly straightforward bushwhack up from the southern end Mink Hollow Trail (beware of stinging nettles). The stream on state land, shown on the NY/NJ map #41 is a reasonable guide to get you by the steep upper slopes. After heading south to Olderbark the ridge walk north through mostly open first growth hardwoods to Plateau is a nice encore. It only gets thick near the spruce/fir summit of Plateau. You can return via the marked trails.

The 3440' Roundtop north of Bearpen is privately owned, but there is a conservation easement so no permission is required. Beware that there is a firing range just west of the hunter's cabin. This Roundtop is one of the easier bushwhacks.

Also like the Catskill 3500 (Big Indian and Eagle) trails do not always go over a summit. The Dry Brook Ridge and Burnt Knob summits are a short distance off the trail. Richmond is also well off the trail.

 

[Mark Schaefer]

A short update, the new ADK Catskill Trails guide is available. I would assume the new edition has the 3K list. It has been in every prior edition.

 

[Mark Schaefer]

I finally remembered the other sub 3K mountain on the Catskill HH (until somebody finds another poring over the maps). It is an 2985' unnamed summit just west of Hodge Pond in Sullivan County. An interesting note is that it is the only Sullivan County summit to make list. The 3118' Sullivan County High Point (east of Hodge Pond) does not make the list as it has less than 200' prominence from the 3177' Mongaup Mountain in Ulster County. One can debate the order of 99 and 100 as Red Hill only has a 2980' contour elevation which the AMC translates as 2990', as the summit could be anywhere between 2980' and 2999+'

 

[funkyfreddy]

Interesting.... I distinctly remember Roy posting about a named summit but have yet to find my notes. No matter though as far as I'm concerned - I have many more mountains to climb in the Catskills before I am even close to "finishing" the 100.

Thanks a lot for all of your info, Mark. Once again you've earned yourself a big green square!

 

[MattC]

Last spring I briefly entertained notions of "doing" this list, but now I'm looking at it more along the lines of Mark's ala carte menu approach. So far I have 54 Catskill HH peaks (that's including the 35 of course), plus humble Tremper, which checks in at a modest 2740'.

So far some of my faves have been Van Wyck, Huntersfield, and of course our beloved Ashokan High Point. Plattekill is interesting, and the rest of 'em were certainly worth a visit. Jay and I also found the summit of Unnamed (Winnisook) to be not w/o it's charms. One of the things I've found enjoyable about these little 'whacks is finding views (albeit very limited) here and there.
Also, you certainly needn't worry about crowds! The "tourists" aren't exactly queing up to climb Cradle Rock Ridge!

Stuff on my radar: Olderbark, two of the many Roundtops (the ones near KHP and Bearpen), S Bearpen, S Vly, NE Halcott, Mongaup and Beaver Kill Range.
I still haven't even climbed Bellayre either. Once I get my current ADK jones under control, I'd like to go back to exploring the Catskills some more.

Matt

 

[snowshoe]

The ADK Catskill guide has 98 as an unnamed peak at 3000ft in bearsville and 97 is old clump in Roxbury. Also 3000ft.

 

[John H Swanson]

Just a short question about something really wierd

I post this question here not to hijack the thread, but because the readers here might be able to supply an answer.

When I was doing the Catskills 3s, I was walking along the top of the ridge from Vly to SE Vly to NE Halcott. Along the way I came across a large flat area. Large means 50 to 100 ft square (It was some time ago) It was pretty darn flat. Didn't really look like poured concrete but it might have been.

So I was thinking a slab foundation for an old house or hotel? or a top of a secret missle silo? Okay it's far fetched, but I'm sure we all have had wierd thoughts when hiking alone.

Anyone else seen this spot? What are youre thoughts? Anyone really know?

JHS