Northeast Trip - Catskill Park

---

More photos at: Picasa

I did three different hikes in the Catskills today. The first was up to an rocky overlook called Giant Ledge. It was very short and steep hike, ascending 1000 feet in less than 1.5 miles (one way). The trail was also very rocky, with rocks averageing a foot in diameter as the trail bed, due to the trail having been built without erosion control. Once I reached the top though, I got to see a great view of the surrounding mountains and the forest below.

The second hike was a much gentler mile each direction along an old road bed to Diamond Notch Falls. Diamond Notch Falls is a nice short falls with two small streams cascading down around a central pillar of rock. I was also able to get several good pictures of various smaller drops along the way.

I had originally planned to only do those two hikes today. After getting done with Diamond Notch I decided I had time to do a third which was along my travel path, and I'm glad I did. Kaaterskill Falls is the highest falls in New York and would be a shame to have missed. It starts with a slightly trecharous walk along a busy roadway between the parking lot and Bastion Falls. A lot of people probably never go further than Bastion Falls, which is right by the roadway, and never see the main event. From there, it is 0.6 miles, and 340 feet up, to the base of Kaaterskill Falls. Katterskill Falls is actually two drops, 175 feet vertical followed by another 85 feet. As I sit here rereading the hiking guide I was using, it says specifically not to do the next bit, but this is now, that was then, and I wouldn't have gotten some great pictures if I'd stopped there. I hiked up the next streach of slope to the base of the lower falls to get an up close view. About half of its drop is vertical, with the second half pouring down a nearly vertical rock face.

Hiking beyond this point was very steep (and off trail), but I could see people on the ledge between the upper and lower falls, so I decided to join them and get a better view of the upper falls. It wasn't really hiking at this point, just scrambling up wherever you could, and a couple places there were semi-permanent ropes to help either climbing up or for stability on narrow ledges. The upper falls is a straight drop for all 175 feet until the very bottom where it falls onto a rock shelf. Looking up to the top, I could see people up there, and knowing it was possible to get there I decided to join them. Some more climbing and scrambling later and I had a truely spectacular view of the gorge I'd just climbed up.

While looking for somewhere to stay tonight, I pulled off the road into a park and ride to consult my various maps and guides. I noticed some cats just laying around in the parking lot like they belonged there and decided to take their picture because, cats.

---