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September 23, 2002 |
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Hudson Valley Ramble
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This past weekend was the annual Hudson River Ramble, a celebration of the historic and nature trails of the Hudson River National Heritage Area. This year there were 122 guided outings offered up and down the Hudson Valley. Many walks and tours had themes, such as Revolutionary War history, Hudson River School art, or historic estates. Many more of the outings were good ol' romps in the woods, taking people to beautiful places and sharing knowledge about natural history and conservation.
On Saturday we led two simultaneous hikes from the Platte Clove in Greene County. Chris met a group of eight hikers at the DEC parking area off Platte Clove Road at 9am for a 7.6-mile hike to Echo Lake and back. The ramble began by walking west on Platte Clove Road a few hundred feet past The Catskill Center's cabin, and turning off onto the green trail crossing the Platte Clove Wilderness Preserve. Chris explained the history of the preserve, the Long Path that follows this route, and the new footbridge built as a replica of a kingpost bridge that existed over the creek 100 years ago. This trail partly follows the old Overlook Road, used for bluestone quarrying and to access old Catskill hotels, and partly was rerouted because of erosion on the old road. The group followed the trail for about a half-mile across the Preserve before meeting State land. At the junction with the red-blazed Devil's Path Trail we kept left, following the blue Overlook Trail past the Devil's Kitchen Lean-to and on up the flank of Plattekill Mountain. Along the way we examined the remains of several old quarries. About two miles in we stopped for a snack at the vista from an old quarry on the edge of Plattekill Mountain, overlooking the Hudson Valley, but a wall of white mist blocked any views. We continued on the Overlook Trail a little over a mile further, through the dry oak-laurel forest, and turned west on the yellow-blazed Echo Lake Trail for the last 0.6-mile to the lake at 2,100'. This is a very relaxing, scenic spot, with a great lean-to for camping. Chris took a refreshing dip in the cool water before returning to Platte Clove with group.
The other hike was 4.6-miles to one of the most scenic places in all of the Catskills - Huckleberry Point. Just prior to our 11am departure time, cars continued to roll into the parking area until it was completely full, forcing latecomers to park at pull-offs along Platte Clove Road. Next year we will definitely require pre-registration because 42 people showed up for the hike! A group this size is too many for one leader to coordinate, and hampers the hiking experience.
Aaron and a couple of volunteer helpers led the group north from the DEC parking area along the blue-blazed trail. The trail follows Steenburg Road, a rough dirt road that is still used by some private landowners. After 1.2 miles, the blue trail continues towards Kaaterskill High Peak, and we turned east onto the yellow-blazed Huckleberry Point Trail. This more natural footpath immediately enters a hemlock stand. As we continued on, many members of the groups noticed unnatural piles of rocks. You can often see old stonewalls constructed with the dual purpose of marking property lines and clearing pastures. After crossing the eastern branch of the Plattekill Creek at 2,300', we began to climb once again until we reached the top of a knoll at 2,500' (2 miles from the start). As we began to descend to Huckleberry Point, the forest completely changed from a typical Catskills northern hardwood forest to a drier forest more like that of the Shawangunk Ridge, with pitch pines, oak, mountain laurel, and grass.
Huckleberry Point, at elevation 2,000', is high on the corner of the Platte Clove and the Catskill Escarpment. It is a rugged and beautiful place. It was a humid day, but the wind from the Hudson Valley blew on the exposed rock face and cooled us as we ate lunch. Dark clouds lifted and fell repeatedly over the Devil's Path and Overlook Mountain to the south. The Hudson River was barely visible - a white ribbon cutting through the gray low-lying clouds. We peered 1,300' down into the clove and gazed at turkey vultures and red-tailed hawks floating on air currents. One hiker spoke of the geology of the area, another sketched the scenery, and others snapped pictures.
The walk back for both groups was made a bit easier by the promise of grilled hotdogs and apple cider back at The Center's 'little red cabin', which were well received and great end to the day.
- Chris and Aaron
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