mountainmeijin
06-29-2009, 03:31 AM
This Saturday I made my first trail maintenance trip along the section I've adopted of the Mongaup-Hardenburgh trail. The intent of this was merely clearing of old debris that had fallen, and survey of the trail to determine what cutting would need to be done eventually. Doug Bowers accompanied me for the section.
Funny thing is, we discovered that a group from the ADK club had signed in just before us to do a cutting trip and we overtook them working. Talk about serendipity! We did our best to help clear away their cuttings, and empathized with the poor girl tasked with breaking up a 30" thick log with an ax. :eek:
In any case, this shortened the amount of work that needed to be done on this section. On the eastern summit of Mongaup Mountain, Doug turned around, but asked me if I'd be willing to continue the rest of the 10-mile loop to survey the remainder of the trails in the area. I agreed, and the clouds opened up soon after, to my delight as it afforded me a perfect backdrop to act like a giddy idiot and sing boisterously as a marched along in a downpour.
The red-marked trail (I forget the name) that leads down from Beaver Kill Ridge to join the Neversink-Hardenburgh Trail near Flugertown Road was still very grown in. Last summer, the whole hike along the ridge was a fight through head-high ferns and nettles...this year it's down to chest high in the worst place, and there's still plenty of downed wood. I'm going to talk more with Doug Bowers and the local rangers to see if I might not do a maintenance trip along that trail as well. If so, I might be looking for some willing recruits to help. Anyone know where I can find a good machete?
I like this area quite a bit...there aren't many real mountain views, but it's about as out-of-the-way as you can get in the Catskills. This southwestern corner of the Cats' has always attracted me because of its remoteness.
Meanwhile, I've got lots of pictures to get posted, but I won't block up the boards with my massive backlog of trip reports. I'm sorry for being absent so much from the forums. :oops:
It's been a busy few months, what with college graduation, taking on lots of extra hours at work and other such things. I'm making a point to get out more often now that I can.
Here's a big album of pictures over the spring: http://community.webshots.com/album/573281136kIaOJM?vhost=community
It includes Kaaterskill Falls, the Escarpment, Wittenberg, as well as a few from Saturday's trip.
Good to be back in action! :tup:
Funny thing is, we discovered that a group from the ADK club had signed in just before us to do a cutting trip and we overtook them working. Talk about serendipity! We did our best to help clear away their cuttings, and empathized with the poor girl tasked with breaking up a 30" thick log with an ax. :eek:
In any case, this shortened the amount of work that needed to be done on this section. On the eastern summit of Mongaup Mountain, Doug turned around, but asked me if I'd be willing to continue the rest of the 10-mile loop to survey the remainder of the trails in the area. I agreed, and the clouds opened up soon after, to my delight as it afforded me a perfect backdrop to act like a giddy idiot and sing boisterously as a marched along in a downpour.
The red-marked trail (I forget the name) that leads down from Beaver Kill Ridge to join the Neversink-Hardenburgh Trail near Flugertown Road was still very grown in. Last summer, the whole hike along the ridge was a fight through head-high ferns and nettles...this year it's down to chest high in the worst place, and there's still plenty of downed wood. I'm going to talk more with Doug Bowers and the local rangers to see if I might not do a maintenance trip along that trail as well. If so, I might be looking for some willing recruits to help. Anyone know where I can find a good machete?
I like this area quite a bit...there aren't many real mountain views, but it's about as out-of-the-way as you can get in the Catskills. This southwestern corner of the Cats' has always attracted me because of its remoteness.
Meanwhile, I've got lots of pictures to get posted, but I won't block up the boards with my massive backlog of trip reports. I'm sorry for being absent so much from the forums. :oops:
It's been a busy few months, what with college graduation, taking on lots of extra hours at work and other such things. I'm making a point to get out more often now that I can.
Here's a big album of pictures over the spring: http://community.webshots.com/album/573281136kIaOJM?vhost=community
It includes Kaaterskill Falls, the Escarpment, Wittenberg, as well as a few from Saturday's trip.
Good to be back in action! :tup: