ABOUT THE PARK:
Phoenicia - Mt. Tobias Wild Forest - NY DEC
DIRECTIONS:
This was a shuttle hike done with
Lynn, Glen and their dog, Trek, from Agile Trekker.
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| GPS Coordinates 42.076141, -74.227498 - We met at the Willow, NY post office (yes, that IS the post office) where we left my car and shuttled in Lynn and Glen's car to ... |
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| GPS Coordinates 42.138938, -74.211270 - Pull out parking on Notch Inn Road. You can't park in any further than this point. |
TRAIL MAP:
Northeastern Catskill Trails Map 141 - New York New Jersey Trail Conference
HIKE DISTANCE: 9 miles
THE HIKE:
This was an exhausting hike. It alternates between 2 miles at a time of sustained, fairly steep uphill followed by sustained, fairly steep downhill with not much of a break in between.
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| Shuttling to the start point in Lynn and Glen's car. |
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| From the pull out parking spot, continue up Notch Inn Road ... |
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| ... to where it turns right. At this point, turn left on to the trail. There is no sign. |
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| A short distance in, the yellow blazes begin. |
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| It's all uphill, sometimes on loose rocks ... |
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| ... other times on smoother trail surface. |
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| Half a mile in at the end of yellow, time for ... |
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| ... a break. |
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| Now continuing uphill to the right on the blue-blazed Warner Creek Trail/aqua-blazed Long Path. This is the only Long Path marker, it will be only blue markers from here on out. |
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| Lynn, Glen and Trek went on ahead of us. I stop too much to take pictures so it's just easier to split up and meet back up at the end. |
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| Still going up. |
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| This hike has almost nothing in the way of views, just a few glimpses here and there trough the trees. |
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| I had told Lynn at the end of the hike that I got a bird but couldn't tell what it was until I could download it to my computer and was hoping it was something I had never seen before. Indeed, it turned out to be my first ever Black-throated Blue Warbler! |
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| A rocky climb up ... |
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| ... before things level out for a bit ... |
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| ... to the summit of Silver Hollow Mountain. After just under 2 miles, already 1,186 feet of elevation gain. |
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| Then it's downhill for the next 2.5 miles for a drop of about 1550 feet. And you just know the entire time you are going to have to eventually climb back up again. |
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| After crossing a rocky wet area ... |
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| ... with a nice log to sit on while soaking one's aching feet in a few inches of ice cold water flowing underneath ... |
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| ... a rock hop over Warner Creek. |
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| Brodie actually walked right through the water. |
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| Warner Creek |
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| The trail continues along Warner Creek ... |
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| ... then switchbacks up in the other direction. |
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| This is the uphill I knew was inevitable. |
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| The trail switchbacks up through an old bluestone quarry. |
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| Tool marks from the quarrying days. |
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| We took LOTS of breaks on the way up. I was afraid we might be hours behind Glen and Lynn but turns out they were taking just as many breaks and we were only 10 minutes behind them. |
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| At last, our left turn on the Willow Trail, all downhill ... |
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| ... for the last 2.7 miles to the Willow post office. |
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| There's stinging nettle in there. Trust me, I know this firsthand. Ouch. |
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| A view ... |
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| ... of Overlook Mountain with the communications and fire towers. |
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| Coming up on ... |
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| ... Jessup Road. |
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| It starts out as a gravel road ... |
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| ... then becomes paved. |
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| Just up ahead ... |
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| ... our car at the Willow post office ... |
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| ... and Lynn, Glen and Trek waiting for us. |
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| The highlight of the hike was when we were shuttling back in my car and I had to hit the brakes as a bear crossed right in front of us. He disappeared on the other side of the road somewhere in the red circle. I was a nanosecond too late with grabbing the camera and missed getting him in the picture. |
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| Tired hikers shuttling back. |
