January 26, 2022
We are always looking for new ways to explore and starting this challenge was one of those impulsive decisions made late the night before our weekly hike day. The frigid temps and cloudy skies expected up north sent us down to the Catskills in search of sunshine. We found it, along with some lovely new trails.
ASHOKAN QUARRY TRAIL, Olivebridge NY
This is a 2 mile easy loop trail. We took it to the top of the quarry first, which provides beautiful views of the mountains behind it. There is plenty of space to take in the sights but you definitely want to watch your step, as the quarry edge drop off is quite intimidating!
Continuing along the lovely woodsy trail, we descended to the base elevation of the quarry. There is a marked spur path that leads to railroad remnants. We only found the remains of this bridge structure.
Backtracking to the main trail, we continued on to the base of the quarry. The vernal pool was completely frozen over allowing Anne to get up close to photograph the ice formations on the quarry wall. It is very impressive.
This quarry was originally dug out in the early 1900’s, and the stone was used to build the Ashokan Reservoir. After returning to our car, we drove to the nearby reservoir to check it out. It is very cool to drive around the reservoir and cross the bridge over it to see how it was all created, tying these 2 locations together.
SHAVERTOWN TRAIL, Andes NY
The Shavertown trail is a very easy hike with a modest elevation gain- just enough to keep you warm on a sunny 17 degree day. We quickly discovered that this trail was a post hole hell. The whole trail had been broken by people in bare boots, and more animals tracks than we have ever seen. So we decided to attempt some trail recovery, and switched from spikes to snowshoes. We think we did a pretty good job of it, and hopefully whoever comes in after us will do the same.
The trail to the overlook is an easy .7 miles from the divergence. There’s a great view of the Pepacton Reservoir and a great big boulder to have a seat and a snack while taking it all in.
We backtracked to the trail divergence and followed markers for the pond loop. The pond itself is very small and covered in snow, you could almost miss it.
We continued past the pond and made our way across a beautiful open winter meadow. This is probably quite lovely in springtime, but even today, the undisturbed layer of snow and the bright blue sky was gorgeous as well. There are some weather stations to check out too. We made some funny faces towards it, but have no idea if there are any cameras there. Looking back, we had made a nice, clean snowshoe path. In total, we did 3.2 miles with an elevation gain of 876 feet- making for a very nice workout.
February 1, 2022
BRAMLEY MOUNTAIN TRAIL, Delhi NY
When we arrived at the trailhead at 9:30am, temps were still in the single digits, but the sun was shining bright so we eager to get our snowshoes on and hit the trail to warm up. We were enjoying a beautiful hike when water started dribbling down Anne’s back. The water reservoir in her pack wasn’t closed properly, so it soaked through her entire pack, down her butt and soaked her pants right through to the skin. We know that this can become a very risky situation- wet clothes in sub-freezing temps- but she was already sweating and feeling warm so we carried on, knowing there were dry clothes waiting back at the car.
This really is a lovely trail- post holes and steep sections made it challenging, but there are many switchbacks and rock formations that add to the enjoyment.
The summit is has a very expansive view, especially in winter when there are no leaves on the trees. There once was a fire tower at the summit and the Friends of Bramley Mounain Fire Tower are raising funds to replace it. The 360 degree view that it would provide would be a worthy addition to this awesome hike.
More info on the proposed Fire Tower can be found here:
GRIBLEY MOUNTAIN AND SMITH POND LOOP, Delhi, NY
Gribley Mountain Trail was an odd one. The trailhead begins at Sheldon Park, which is on or adjacent to the campus of Delaware Academy. We were a little confused about parking there, during school hours, but it didn’t seem to be a problem ultimately. The first section of the trail was very easy as it follows the snowmobile path, but then the trail diverges to what felt like a straight up snowshoe climb over terrible post holes.
It was very tiring and strenuous but we were eager to earn the payoff at the top of the unnamed peak. We didn’t get what we were hoping for. There is only a small overlook view of the valley town below, and unfortunately at the summit, many of the surrounding trees were covered in graffiti. This alone was disappointing- we don’t appreciate destruction of nature in this way. But the presence of the worst of certain vulgar words (which we’ve chosen not to post) spray painted on the trees really took any wind out of our sails.
We continued on to the summit of Mount Crawford. No view there either, so we took the trail down through the open clearing under telephone wires, picked up the Bulldog Trail, and made our way to the exit at the back of Emmanuel Church.
We were feeling very spent so quickly removed our snowshoes and walked back along Rt. 28 to the where the car was parked. This trail is good for exercise but otherwise, not a favorite. It’s not the first trail we’ve had to do for a challenge that we did not find exciting, but just being outdoors was the reward itself. We’ve notified CMC in hopes that the graffiti can get cleaned up somehow and the powers that be are working on it. They appreciated us reaching out, and we feel positive about playing our part as good trail stewards. #leavenotrace
February 15, 2022
ANDES RAIL TRAIL AND BULLET HOLE SPUR
Our final day of this challenge began at the Andes Rail trail. While this is basically a woods walk with not much to see as far as views, the added elements of historical markers made this interpretive trail very interesting.
Remnants of the railway structures from over a century ago, are still visible. Because of the weekend thaw and then return of freezing temps, this was a solid ice walk. Crampons mandatory. There is probably more to see in warmer weather, when the rock formations aren’t buried under snow, but we did see some indication of the spring to come.
PALMER HILL
We finished the day with a totally different experience at the farmsteads of Palmer Hill. The parking lot is at the overlook of Palmer Hill. From there, a posted map of the high peaks in the distance, drew our eyes to Balsam Lake Mountain, a fire tower hike we had done in November of 2020.
The trail descends from the there into the valley below. We didn’t find remnants of any buildings but with trees all bare, the stone walls that divide the landscape are plainly visible across the hills and valleys. We continuously marvel at the amount of work it took to build these in a pre-industrialized era and it’s always so cool to see.
The trails were challenging underfoot, because again they were post-holed and iced over. The sun was bright most of the way, so even though the day had maxed out only at 20 degrees, we weren’t cold. This hike was an ideal choice to close out our experiences with the Catskill Mountain Club Hiking Trails Challenge.
Details about the trails and challenge requirements can be found at:
Expedition Midlife wishes you very HAPPY HIKING!
