I headed back to the Catskills yesterday to climb another
3500’ peak. I hiked the Sugarloaf loop,
taking me over 3810ft Sugarloaf Mountain.
This is my eighth Catskill 35er.
I left home with cloudy skies and wet roads but could see blue sky in
the distance and soon the sun was out.
It became a beautiful day with low humidity and temps ranging from the
low 50’s in the morning to low 70’s in the afternoon. I arrived at the Roaring Kill DEC parking area
around 9am, and after signing in on the trail register, I was off. I soon came to the first trail junction and
turned left heading to Pecoy Notch.
The
trail climbs slowly but steady and soon comes to a rock quarry where there are
a number of “chairs” made out of rocks among other rock creations. There is a lot of flat rocks to build with
and it is a nice open area with a good view of Twin Mountain. I stopped and had a snack, sitting on one of
the chairs.
Continuing on, the trail
soon comes to a beaver swamp with some nice views of both Twin and Sugarloaf
Mountains, and wild flowers all around.
Once I reached Pecoy Notch and came to the trail sign I turned right to climb Sugarloaf. This becomes part of the Devil’s Path and there are some stretches that are steep and difficult. I was soon at the top where the trail levels out and is a nice hike over the mountain.
It crosses over the top through Spruce and Fir trees, it smells wonderful and reminds me of Christmas. Once over the top there is a short spur trail to a lookout. The view is somewhat obscured by the evergreens growing up around the rock outcropping but still an enjoyable view.
I lingered briefly then continued on making my way down. There are some steep sections and a lot of rock on the way down. I am glad I chose to go down this side of the mountain as it would be a tough climb up.
Soon I was at the notch in Mink Hollow and heading back toward the car. The trail levels out from here, with just a few ups and downs. I was back at the car just before 2pm having hiked about 7 miles. While the views were good they do not compare to Twin Mountain but I enjoyed the forest and interesting rock formations all along this loop.
Looking at Plateau Mtn. |
No comments:
Post a Comment