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January 27, 2003 |
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New Year's
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This past New Year's Eve we followed through with what has become tradition for us on the last day of the year - snowshoeing. This year we hiked with our snowshoeing buddy Justin, over Belleayre Mountain and down into Pine Hill, followed by an incredible dinner party hosted by our friends the Bourkes, and dancing and ringing in the New Year at the Pine Hill Arms.
We began the outing at the Rider Hollow trailhead in Dry Brook, elevation 2,000'. We signed in around 12:30pm and followed the red-blazed Oliverea-Mapledale Trail for 0.3 mile until we turned east onto the yellow-blazed Mine Hollow Trail. The weather was incredible! Once we climbed out of the hemlock grove in Mine Hollow, the sun and the reflection off the snow made sunglasses a must. After a 90-degree switchback, the trail headed due north for the last 350 feet of vertical climb to the ridge. This section is picturesque with the leaves off; Dry Brook Ridge, Hiram's Knob and Balsam Mountain surrounded us. The last push up to the ridge forced us to navigate a bedrock ledge with numerous icicles and interesting snowdrifts.
Once we reached the ridge, 1.4 miles in at 2,850' elevation, we continued north toward Belleayre's eastern summit along the blue-blazed Pine Hill-West Branch Trail, enjoying many pleasant views through the forest. Behind us to the south loomed Balsam Mountain; to the east, we could see Rose, Panther, and North Dome, and to the west we peered at Dry Brook Ridge, Fleischmann Mountain, and surrounding lands.
As we approached the eastern summit of Belleayre, we again had to conquer some rocky ledges where drifts had created pockets of snow in excess of three feet. We reached the top, at elevation 3,375', 2.3 miles from the trailhead. There is an open area where the fire tower once stood, until it was dismantled by the NYSDEC in the 1980s. We continued along the ridge trail that leads to the true summit and the ski center.
We stopped, ate lunch, and enjoyed some cigars at the Hirschland Lean-to at the top of the Cathedral Glen ski trial. From here we looked out at Monka Hill, Vly and Bearpen Mountains, and down on the hamlet of Pine Hill nearly 2,000 feet below. With binoculars we could also see our destination, the warm house on Birch Creek Road where we would soon feast before a night on the town. We collected our gear, strapped on our snowshoes, and hit the trail - the ski trail. For 0.3-mile, the ski trail and hiking trail are one. At times we felt as if we were skiing as our snowshoes slid down the steep, well-packed snow. Once the trail leveled out we stopped and watched skiers on Roaring Brook while giving our legs a much-deserved break.
The blue-blazed Trail follows the Cathedral Glen stream its entire length into Pine Hill. We walked through a portion of first-growth hemlock forest in the steep ravine where small waterfalls are abundant. We eventually reached the end of the marked trail at the snowmaking pond for Belleayre Ski Center and walked along the old railroad bed to the village. We reached Woodchuck Hollow Road, then Main Street, and finally Jeanenne and Melissa's Bourke's house on Lower Birch Creek. After a 5-mile snowshoe, our appetites were large and the food, drinks, and company did not disappoint. We capped off this incredible day by enjoying our favorite local band, the Ex-Files, at the Pine Hill Arms. And yes, they even surprised us by playing some new songs.
- Aaron and Chris
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