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April 7, 2003 |
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Dry Brook Ridge
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This past weekend brought some interesting weather. Winter returned on Friday and Saturday, leaving a nasty 1" coating of crusty ice, and then Sunday was a gorgeous, sunny day, melting most of it. We found time to do some hiking on Sunday with the intent of "breaking-in" Aaron’s new hiking companion - an 11-month old black lab named Piper. Piper has hiked before with her previous owner, Aaron’s lifelong friend Dan, but we wanted to get her comfortable in her new Catskills environment.
We began our trip at the northern end of the Dry Brook Ridge Trail, on South Side Road above Margaretville. The Ridge extends southeast for about 10 miles with a maximum elevation of 3,460’. We entered the woods on the blue-blazed trail at 1,400’ and immediately began climbing. Due to the steepness of the slope, switchbacks are numerous and very necessary. The ice-covered trail made the walking slow and had us hoping that it would all melt prior to our return. The hemlock-lined trail steered its way between and around many wonderful moss-laden sandstone ledges. Many cave-like overhangs required a closer look – Piper seemed quite fond of the one pictured.
Once we reached 1,900’, the trail turned south abruptly for a half-mile. As we skirted the ridge, we got a birds-eye view of Margaretville School, Route 28, and the East Branch Delaware. Another, longer switchback led up another 400’, and still another put us on top of Pakatakan Mountain at 2,500’. Pakatakan Mountain is really just the northern shoulder of Dry Brook Ridge. Here you can find the site of a logging operation done a few years ago. The thinning is visible when you look up to the ridge from Route 28 in Arkville. The state-hiking trail abuts the harvested area (on private land) and continues its climb up the ridge. Limited views of the Pepacton Reservoir begin to appear in addition to the taller, snow-capped mountains to the east and south. This hike, however, is not for people who insist on wide-open views along the trail.
After 2.7 miles and at 2,800’, we reached the junction with the yellow-blazed German Hollow Trail that leads down into Dry Brook valley. We decided to take a detour and visit the lean-to three quarters of a mile (and 800’) below. The grade was steep and the ice abundant, but a quick snack at the lean-to and a drink from a gushing spring made it worth it.
After retracing our steps back to the ridge, we continued toward the summit. The forest was a bit different up here. No red oak, hemlock, or striped maple – black cherry, American beech, and yellow birch were dominant. Speaking of trees, limbs and whole trees were down all over the trail! We had never seen so much debris on a ‘maintained’ hiking trail. It was almost like bushwhacking. Piper didn’t have much trouble but we were getting a bit frustrated. We couldn’t decide if the harsh winter had caused the destruction or if it hasn’t been cleared in a few years. Whatever the case, we hope that a few dedicated volunteers choose to ‘adopt’ this section soon by contacting the local forest ranger.
Just prior to the junction with the red-blazed Huckleberry Loop Trail (3.5 miles in) a huge tree had blown over and opened up a beautiful vista. The western face of Belleayre Mountain filled the foreground. The abandoned Highmount Ski Center was easily seen, as was Monka Hill. Halcott and Vly Mountains, encrusted in ice, loomed in the distance.
As we made our way back to the car, much of the ice on the east and south-facing slopes had melted. Piper enjoyed her 8.5-mile hike with her new companion, but not nearly as much as the lengthy nap once we got home.
- Chris and Aaron
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