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June 16, 2003 |
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Peekamoose Mountain
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The first weekend in June was similar to just about every one previous - damp and rainy. However, the following Monday was absolutely gorgeous and we were able to take full advantage of it. The day started with a drive through Peekamoose Gorge on Ulster County Route 42 between West Shokan and Sundown. After the crest in the road, the headwaters of the Rondout flow southwest alongside the road. The Rondout was more like a raging river than a small mountain stream because of the rain. The Gorge had countless more waterfalls spilling off the sandstone and hemlock-lined cliffs than usual on this day. While stopped near a waterfall on the far side of the gorge, we spotted a small bear, about 150-175 pounds, running along the creek. It began to cross the raging river, but the high flow didn’t seem to phase it - half swimming, half walking, perpendicular to the gushing water. Upon reaching dry ground, it again began to run upstream until finding a suitable place to climb up the bank off the valley floor. It continued across the road and straight up the steep mountainside.
Our hike began a half-mile further down the road at the trailhead for Peekamoose Mountain. The blue-blazed Peekamoose-Table Trail ascended immediately from an elevation of 1,200’. The old logging road led through a forest that was pastured until the 1920s. Massive red oaks and stonewalls line the old road. A little off-trail exploration led to the unveiling of pieces of farm equipment, half-buried and rusty. Within a mile, the trail turns north through a plantation of tall red pine.
Shortly thereafter the terrain leveled off and we passed through a fairly recent blowdown. The loss of canopy cover due to uprooted maple and cherry trees, has allowed beech saplings, ferns, raspberry, and blackberry plants to thrive. Partial views to the east of Samson Mountain and Little Rocky resulted from the wind throw. At 2,200’, we began to climb the westernmost "spine" of Peekamoose; steep slopes spilled away to the valleys below. Boulders and cobbles deposited by the last glacier, thin soils and red oak blanketed the narrow ridge.
At 3,000’, about two miles in, a large boulder, known as Reconnoiter Rock, is perched awkwardly on a bedrock ledge providing a great rest stop. As the trail turned east we caught glimpses of Van Wyck and Table Mountains, and then we reached a fabulous viewpoint on the southern fringe of the mountain, providing vistas to the east and south. We noted that the harsh winter and wet spring weather have caused plants to leaf out and bloom a week or two late. The leaves we just beginning to emerge at 3,200’ and hadn’t even started above 3,500’.
The remaining 300 vertical feet to the summit (one mile hiking) was very interesting. We entered a dense stand of spruce-fir that quickly gave way to an area with a few scattered hardy yellow birch, black cherry, and balsam fir. Due to the open canopy, sedges, ferns, and shrubs like hobblebush flourished. Soon another steep but brief climb brought us back to the moist, aromatic spruce-fir forest and to the summit of Peekamoose Mountain (3,843’).
There are no open views from the top unless you scramble around for them, which we did. Many herd paths traverse the upper slopes of the mountain, some leading to vistas or illegal campsites, and some dead-ending when the forest gets too thick. We discovered many impressive ledges and boulders from which to eat lunch while over-looking long ridges extending for miles with no interruptions. We returned via the same route and made it back by mid-afternoon with 7 miles worth of wet and muddy shoes. From trailhead to summit, this trail has the largest elevation gain in the Catskills (2,600’). The dogs loved the swimming hole opposite the trailhead, but it was still too cold for us.
- Chris and Aaron
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