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June 3, 2002 |
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National Trails Day
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Saturday June 1st was National Trails Day and The Catskill Center celebrated the occasion with a trail dedication ceremony and hike at the Platte Clove Preserve, which is a 208-acre wilderness preserve that The Catskill Center owns in the rugged and beautiful Platte Clove, southeast of Tannersville. There have recently been several positive changes that have enhanced the public's hiking and nature experience at the Clove. First, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and the Town of Hunter built a much needed parking area just off of Platte Clove Road, which hikers can use to access trails north to Huckleberry Point and Kaaterskill High Peak, and south to two trails on the Platte Clove Preserve, one down to the base of Plattekill Falls, and the other across the Preserve to State land where connecting trails lead to Echo Lake, Overlook and Indian Head Mountains, and the Devil's Path.
The trail leading across the southern portion of the Preserve has always followed the old Overlook Road, built in the 1800s to access bluestone quarries and Catskill hotels, but last year the two of us blazed a new footpath for The Center that bypassed a long section of the old road that was suffering from severe erosion. As soon as this new trail was completed it was officially designated as part of the Long Path, which is a partnership project with the NY/NJ Trail Conference. Another improvement was the building of a new footbridge by local Trail Conference members Pete and Doug Senterman, Bruce Warden, Tom Schofield, and other volunteers. The bridge was a handmade re-creation of a kingpost bridge that once spanned Plattekill Creek in the same spot over 100 years ago. In the near future The Center will also add some new interpretive and tree ID signs along the Preserve trails. The ceremony, which drew about 25 people, was to recognize these new improvements and thank those who helped make it possible.
Following the ribbon cutting, we led the group on a hike up the new trail, which crosses the Preserve before entering State land. It was an absolutely gorgeous sunny day, and we enjoyed it with some familiar faces and new friends, including families with kids, and our neighbors from the Catskill Bruderhoff. Just over the State boundary, about 0.5 miles from Platte Clove Road, we took a rest at a large bluestone quarry where hikers have piled up slabs of bluestone into a small kingdom of thrones, towers, and tables. At 1.0 miles we reached the first trail junction, one way leading northwest toward Prediger Road, and the other continuing south. We continued south along the blue-blazed Overlook Trail and quickly came to a second trail junction, where the Devil's Path heads west to the summit of Indian Head Mountain. We stayed on the lower, southerly route and quickly came to the Devil's Kitchen Lean-to that sits next to Black Chasm Creek. From here the trail heads a bit steeper uphill for nearly a mile until it levels off on the flank of Plattekill Mountain. It was here, about 2.5 miles from Platte Clove Road, that we turned left down a short, yellow-blazed spur trail that leads out to another old quarry site called Codfish Point.
This site, which was blanketed with azalea bushes in full bloom, offers fantastic views out over the Hudson Valley and Overlook Mountain, and was a fantastic place to enjoy lunch and good conversation before heading back down to Platte Clove, where we took a quick side trip down to see the spectacular 60-foot drop of Plattekill Falls. Last Saturday proved to be a great day to be out, and a great way to celebrate a conservation success story.
- Chris and Aaron
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