Jay H
New member
ERD, a 3500 member Jim, and I did a one night backpack of the western catskills, as kind of an Intro to Map#44, which I've never been on. We started first meeting in Boiceyville at Bread Alone for the loooonnng drive out west. Dave H was supposed to go on this trip but train problems prohibited that so we didn't get that late start, but an even later start as it's about an hour's drive to drive from Boiceyville to like Lew Beach and Crag-e-Claire (Up there for the coolest name in the catskills, for sure!). Starting at Russell Brook trail which is off this dirt road in the middle of nowhere but past farms and nice super expensive homes, we head out past a bunch of almost-car camping sites towards Mud Pond. Mud Pond is sort of a detour as you could go right towards Trout Pond if you weren't Pond-Bagging. (Which we were!).
Mud Pond was very nice, I should go and label some photos but I can't here. We saw some beaver/muskrat lodges and some nice quiet campsites and some old foundations, before meandering towards Trout Pond. Trout pond has two Leantos and we took a break for lunch at one of them (the one closest to the trail) and got some interesting pictures of some homemade tables and chairs while Jim was getting some photos of some newts in the pond.
Continuing on the Finger Lakes Trail which these trails do, most of the trails, in fact, all of the trails to this point are wide snowmobile trails, it wasn't til we got to Brock mtn climb that the trail started to get brushed in. (Brock mtn seems either to not be a snowmobile trail or not used as one.) Brock mtn also has a USGS marker on it somewhere underneath the briars.
Brock is on the CAT200 so mark that one off... :twisted:
Anyway, it's starting to get late and we decided at lunchtime to aim for Campbell Mtn which is after Brock so after getting to the leanto on Campbellw hich is more on the other side, on the northerly descent off the mtn, a small spur trail leads to a relatively unused leanto even by the hunters. that in fact, the Leanto has been converted into a Lean-to/Hunting Blind. Some clever hunter has (illegally) cut two sections of the big logs out such that one is on a huge hinge, the other is just removed. Flipping or removing the logs allows the hunters a small view towards the back of the leanto of the stream that flows down from the summit area!!! Hunting blind... Bingo! How ingenious as well as bizarre! But it works, we unhinged the log and sure enough, a small view! No deer was seen though.. maybe it was a porcupine defense system too, however, the LT was not chewed up though so perhaps not really their liking.
Anyway, Sunday awoke after perhaps a low of the mid 20s overnight to a nice day, we enjoyed the streaks of sun through the woods and talked about the stars and stuff last night. packing up after b'fast, we make our way closer to Mary Smith Hill and the end of the road.
Leaving most of the snowmobile trails behind, this part is really thick, pickers and vines that want to grab your legs. However, the trail is very defined and marked well (unlike parts of the Warner creek trail prior to the work) and we huffed our way through and climbing up the many false summits of MS Hill, we have lunch at the "splitrock lookout" looking west. Very nice view and a good lunchspot.
After that, a short but steep straight up climb (I guess the ADK crew hasn't hit these trails yet!! Yay!) we hit one of many false summits and little bumps of Mary Smith Hill (whose east bump is taller than the west bump anyway)..
there is also another nice viewpoint before the steep descent towards MSH road, called the Middle Mtn Vista which looks towards Middle Mtn and the beaverkill valley of which you came from.
And eventually our car at the end of Mary Smith Hill Road which bisects Beaverkill Road across from Shin Creek Road which some of us may be familiar with. MS Hill Road is pretty beat up at the end and a high clearance vehicle is very recommended.
Anyway, car camping site at the trailhead there and it was the end of our nice little western catskills backpack. it looks like Middle Mtn has some nice views and it would be a cool place to do next...
http://picasaweb.google.com/cycleslug/MarySmithHillBackpack
Jay
Mud Pond was very nice, I should go and label some photos but I can't here. We saw some beaver/muskrat lodges and some nice quiet campsites and some old foundations, before meandering towards Trout Pond. Trout pond has two Leantos and we took a break for lunch at one of them (the one closest to the trail) and got some interesting pictures of some homemade tables and chairs while Jim was getting some photos of some newts in the pond.
Continuing on the Finger Lakes Trail which these trails do, most of the trails, in fact, all of the trails to this point are wide snowmobile trails, it wasn't til we got to Brock mtn climb that the trail started to get brushed in. (Brock mtn seems either to not be a snowmobile trail or not used as one.) Brock mtn also has a USGS marker on it somewhere underneath the briars.
Brock is on the CAT200 so mark that one off... :twisted:
Anyway, it's starting to get late and we decided at lunchtime to aim for Campbell Mtn which is after Brock so after getting to the leanto on Campbellw hich is more on the other side, on the northerly descent off the mtn, a small spur trail leads to a relatively unused leanto even by the hunters. that in fact, the Leanto has been converted into a Lean-to/Hunting Blind. Some clever hunter has (illegally) cut two sections of the big logs out such that one is on a huge hinge, the other is just removed. Flipping or removing the logs allows the hunters a small view towards the back of the leanto of the stream that flows down from the summit area!!! Hunting blind... Bingo! How ingenious as well as bizarre! But it works, we unhinged the log and sure enough, a small view! No deer was seen though.. maybe it was a porcupine defense system too, however, the LT was not chewed up though so perhaps not really their liking.
Anyway, Sunday awoke after perhaps a low of the mid 20s overnight to a nice day, we enjoyed the streaks of sun through the woods and talked about the stars and stuff last night. packing up after b'fast, we make our way closer to Mary Smith Hill and the end of the road.
Leaving most of the snowmobile trails behind, this part is really thick, pickers and vines that want to grab your legs. However, the trail is very defined and marked well (unlike parts of the Warner creek trail prior to the work) and we huffed our way through and climbing up the many false summits of MS Hill, we have lunch at the "splitrock lookout" looking west. Very nice view and a good lunchspot.
After that, a short but steep straight up climb (I guess the ADK crew hasn't hit these trails yet!! Yay!) we hit one of many false summits and little bumps of Mary Smith Hill (whose east bump is taller than the west bump anyway)..
there is also another nice viewpoint before the steep descent towards MSH road, called the Middle Mtn Vista which looks towards Middle Mtn and the beaverkill valley of which you came from.
And eventually our car at the end of Mary Smith Hill Road which bisects Beaverkill Road across from Shin Creek Road which some of us may be familiar with. MS Hill Road is pretty beat up at the end and a high clearance vehicle is very recommended.
Anyway, car camping site at the trailhead there and it was the end of our nice little western catskills backpack. it looks like Middle Mtn has some nice views and it would be a cool place to do next...
http://picasaweb.google.com/cycleslug/MarySmithHillBackpack
Jay
