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February 11, 2002 |
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Table Mountain
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This past weekend we ventured into one of the most remote places in the Catskill Park - the headwaters of the East Branch of the Neversink River, in the Town of Denning. It was a gorgeous sunny Saturday, with the lack of snow both conspicuous and worrisome for this time of year, especially given the current drought conditions. In fact, it was warm enough that we were able to hike in tee shirts while going uphill.
The trailhead is located on private property at the end of Denning Road, northeast of Claryville. The yellow-blazed Phoenicia East Branch Trail leads through the private property for the first mile. This is an example of the State securing a cooperative trail easement from the landowner, and hikers should be sure to respect the private property by remaining on the trail. Because of warm weather and lack of snow, the trail was icy and crampons would have been a good idea. We unfortunately didn't bring ours, and had to step off the trail numerous times to avoid slippery areas, figuring a few branches in the face were better than a bad fall. After 1.2 miles, we headed east on the blue-blazed Peekamoose-Table Trail. We quickly came to Deer Shanty Brook and jumped stones without getting our feet wet, and then tested our balance on a flat-topped log over the East Branch Neversink. The East and West Branches of the Neversink are known to be impacted by acid deposition and contain less than average fish life, so we were happy when we snuck up on a 7" brook trout holding under a log in a deep pool.
The ascent up Table Mountain began shortly after the crossing the river. At 2,800' we cresting a knoll blanketed in club moss, with a view south to Van Wyck Mountain. Further up, the trail went along a fantastic cliff with even better views on this exceptionally clear day. The glimpses of Slide, Panther, Lone, Doubletop, Van Wyck, and other mountains were fantastic. After 3.5 miles of hiking we came across a sign for a spring, and a bit further a yellow-marked spur trail led to a newly constructed lean-to where we ate lunch.
The summit of Table is a flat ridge extending a third of a mile. Thick balsam fir and red spruce are cold and wind-hardy trees that dominate the summit vegetation. This ridge is a portion of the divide between the Hudson (to the south) and Delaware (to the north) watersheds. It was too nice of a day to come this far without hiking on a bit farther to the summit of Peekamoose since the days are getting a bit longer now. After twenty minutes we were there. There were three young guys setting up tents on the summit. Camping is allowed over 3,500' during the winter months, however they should have been at least 150' off the trail (which isn't easy with the dense spruce/fir on the peak).
We had a great day, and timed the 10-mile round trip hike perfectly, as we returned to our car just in time to catch the orange glow of the setting sun on the surrounding hills.
- Chris and Aaron
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