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December 1, 2003 |
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Mount Guardian
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Do you ever drive by a place many, many times, and it continually captures your attention and beckons you to come and explore? There are many such places for us in the Catskills, and recently we made time to finally go and visit one that has had tremendous allure for us. This was Mount Guardian, in the Town of Woodstock. It turned out to be a fabulous hike that we highly recommend. If any of you are hesitant to hike during deer season, a hike up Mount Guardian, which looms high above Bearsville, is the one for you. Although it lies within the Catskill Park, Mount Guardian is not part of the Forest Preserve - it is privately owned. The Woodstock Guild owns about 230 acres on the lower slopes of the south-facing mountainside. The Woodstock Guild is a multi-arts membership organization, and is steward of the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony. The Town of Woodstock owns an additional 393 acres of Mount Guardian, encompassing the upper slopes of the south face. This uniquely shaped mountain, with two distinct peaks, stretches east to west from Meads Mountain Road (where the trailhead to Overlook Mountain is) to Shady. The Saw Kill drains the northern, western, and southern slopes of Mount Guardian as it circles around it on its route from Echo Lake to Woodstock. The true summit (2,100’) is the easternmost peak.
Hiking is allowed on both the Woodstock Guild and town properties, while hunting, camping, and fires are not permitted. The trail begins about a half mile past the Arts Colony (off of Byrdcliffe Road), just after the former Bob Dylan estate. A small sign for Mount Guardian and a parking area (on the left) indicate the trailhead. We unloaded Piper and Josie from the back of the truck, shouldered our daypacks, and began on the trail, anxious to explore this new place.
It was one of those perfect early winter days - the air was crisp, the sun was warm, and the clouds and breeze were virtually non-existent. The trail, indicated at the beginning by a few paint blazes, follows an abandoned logging and/or quarry road for about 0.3-mile. Many hemlocks lined the trail here, most of which are infested with the woolly adelgid and dying. Unfortunately some of the trees are so far along that only a few needles remain at the very top of these trees. The trail then makes a sharp bend east, leaving the old road, and following the contour of the land through an oak, and mountain laurel forest, with the occasional white pine.
The trail switches back often as it climbs rather steeply for another mile. The lack of leaves allowed us to look down at Woodstock and southwest towards Samuel’s Point, Ashokan High Point, Tonshi, and Tice Ten Eyck Mountains. We passed a small abandoned quarry where we had a decent view of Overlook Mountain to the east. Most of the trail, which is well maintained, resembles a narrow herd path through the encroaching mountain laurel, with an occasional duck-under or jump-over of a downed tree.
As we climbed, a dusting of snow lined some of the colder pockets on the mountainside. We reached the only real open view along the trail after approximately 1.5 miles. At this south-facing vista we caught a glimpse of the Hudson River and could easily pick out Kingston and the Rhinecliff Bridge. The lower basin of the Ashokan Reservoir and Shawangunk Mountains occupied most of the southern view, and Rocky and Balsam Cap Mountains stood to the west.
We continued on, climbing a bit more until the trail dissolved close to the top. We didn’t see any ‘posted’ signs so we kept exploring until we found the summit. A few spruce and yellow birch trees were scattered among the oaks and laurel. We found a beautiful spot on the northern face where we could see much of the Indian Head Range. We circled back around to the ledge where we finished our cigars, watched the dogs wrestle over a rock, and soaked in what was left of the setting sun.
Surprisingly we encountered only two other people that day. With its close proximity to Woodstock, the good condition of the trail, and the rather short, although somewhat challenging hike, we expected more traffic. Mount Guardian is a great treasure that the Woodstock Guild and the Town of Woodstock maintain for benefit of the public.
- Chris and Aaron
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