Wittenberg to Slide with Double Bow and co.

[kmorgan]

When I saw Double Bow's post last week looking for people to hike the Wittenberg-Cornell-Slide trail I really wanted to go. This had been my second Catskills winter hike back in February of '06 when I was a total winter hiking virgin. On that hike I was on snow shoes for the first time and crampons for the second. Oh yeah, and I got hypothermia on the hike too! So I had very little memory of the hike except for a couple of little snippets.

The day began with myself, Paula and Eunsil from the LI Chapter of the ADK driving up from Long Island. We met Double Bow and his wife, Lisa, at their hotel around 8:30 a.m. and headed over to the Slide Mountain trail head on CR47 to leave a car. The drive to Woodland Valley took longer than it should have due to my not being familiar with the road and no road signs. I realized the error when I was headed down Moonhaw Road and remembered it from November's Friday and Balsam Cap hike!

We turned around and soon were at the campground. Just before 11 a.m. we were on our way.

I have to say I remembered absolutely none of the trail and still can't believe I hiked it in the winter with all those rock scrambles. There must have been some deep snow.

It was a fun climb up to Wittenberg's summit and the views were magnificent. A really beautiful day to be out on the trail. The summit ledge was busy with others admiring the views and after a quick snack and some pictures we were on our way.

We ran into quite a few people out backpacking for the holiday weekend and asking about water. There wasn't much about except for some puddles until reaching the spring below Slide's summit.

In the col between Cornell and Slide we ran into Jay H and Woodstrider doing trail maintenance. It was really cool meeting VFTT'ers and they were doing great work. After introductions and chatting for a bit we struck off for Slide.

Slide proved to be beautiful with a waxing gibbous moon visible about 30 or 40 degrees above the horizon, just right for posing in front of. Another break and down to the trail head just before 7 p.m.

By the time we got back to Woodland Valley it was after 8 p.m. and we still had a long night ahead of us. We said our goodbye's to Double Bow (Ross) and his wife Lisa with promises to hopefully hike together again soon and headed over to the Chinese restaurant by the country store on Rte 28 for dinner.

We got back to Long Island just after 11 p.m. and I got home just after midnight. Whew! Long day but worth it!

Pictures here: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/559210548KheDWk?vhost=outdoors

Kevin

 

[Jay H]

Nice to run into you (twice!) on the BR trail! I did drive past the road to Woodland Valley and there is a tiny yellow sign that says "woodland valley campground" as you are on Rt 28east but it's really small and I was really looking. That restaurant on the corner "The Woodland Valley Inn" was open up to about last year I think and was a nice place. We ate there at the Catskills gathering in 2004. I believe the Chinese place in Shokan by the wood stove place is a Ming Moon(?) It's a chain as there is one by Tilson on Rt 209/208 by Emmanuel. That mobil there is pretty expensive though, even for NY gas prices!

After I ran into you guys as Woodstrider and I were doing maintenance, I ran out of water at about 3800 and didn't feel like using Woodstrider's iodine tablets when I have a ton of water back at my campsite that I setup before I left to do work so I turned around and then I ran into Halite, another VfTTr and then caught up to you guys again just at the base of Slide.

It was a nice day and saturday night was very nice although the tiny blackflies were bothersome, they weren't really big enough to bite and my Natrapel worked fine. It never got too cold either, I didn't have my rainfly on and woke up to my thermometer saying 59degF.

Whenever you guys are in the cats, let me know...

Jay

 

[Tom Rankin]

Pictures here: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/559210548KheDWk?vhost=outdoors

Nice Pics and TR! Welcome (back) to the neighborhood everyone!

 

[kmorgan]

Nice Pics and TR! Welcome (back) to the neighborhood everyone!

Hey Tom,
Ross said you guys were supposed to meet for dinner at 6 p.m., I was hoping to get the chance to meet you in person. Maybe next time.

Kevin

 

[Tom Rankin]

Hey Tom, Ross said you guys were supposed to meet for dinner at 6 p.m., I was hoping to get the chance to meet you in person. Maybe next time.

Yeah, we were at Brio's from 6 to 7. The pizza was great! And so was the Keegan Ale!

Maybe we can do a Views and Brews Hike, or a Cat35 in the future. We lead hikes for the Club all the time.

 

[Double Bow]

Kevin, it was great meeting you and your ADK LI friends. That's one of the great things about this site. You can make plans to travel to places that are new to you and hook up with folks!

Jay H and Woodstrider, it was really great seeing you both as well. Nice job on the trailwork. As I would find out on Sunday and Monday, many trails are still in need of work.

Tom, again, sorry I missed you. I agree with you about the Keegans though. I tried some while there and brought back some Hurricane Kitty and some Mother's Milk!!!



I'll post pics and other TRs when I get the chance.

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

I hiked that loop many times back in the 60s but haven't been back since. At the time there was a lean-to and fire tower on the top of Slide. Is there anything left up there now?

 

[Jay H]

Use to be a couple different towers, from a wooden "observation tower" to a steel firetower...

Slide Mt. Fire Tower

Slide Mt. Tower - A 1910 Postcard Location: 6 1/2 miles southwest of Phoenicia.
Status: Removed about 1968.

The first structure on Slide was a wooden tower, but it is unclear as to whether it was erected by the Conservation Commission or it previously existed. The tower on Slide Mt. was operational for just one year - 1912. The site was deemed unsuitable for fire detection purposes and closed. The tower was "officially" closed in 1916.

In 1934, a tower, purchased from State funds, was erected on Slide Mt. for observation purposes only. The 35' steel tower was never used for forest fire detection.

Having fallen into a severely deteriorated condition, it was removed in 1968.

From http://www.telenet.net/~ranger/towers4.htm

At the summit, you can see one of the concrete foundations from the tower but nothing else, no lean to, no towers. The burrough's plaque is still there..

Ed: what other memories do you have of the BR trail, I'd be interested in what the trail was like back then. Did the ladders exist like they do today, on the way down from Slide going towards Cornell. (There are about 2 sets of ladders just above the spring on Slide). There are also a bunch of NY designated campsites between Slide and Cornell.

Jay

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

Thanks. Is the lean-to still there?

 

[LenDawg]

Great T/R and Pics. Sounds like a fun time!

 

[Jay H]

Thanks. Is the lean-to still there?

Nope, nothing at the summit of slide. There was a leanto above 3500 feet on Table but it was moved to below the 3500 line. NY has moved most/all leantos below 3500' in the Catskills if you believe those 3500' plaques..

Jay