The new South Gully section of the Long Path
Huckleberry Pickers' shack
Chris on Sam's Point
Making our way down into the Ice Caves
Hopefully that rock stays there
In the cave
Solar powered lights which the solar panels hosted a hornet's nest
The walk from Sam's Point
From left, Lake Awosting, Castle Point, Gertrude's Nose
Very true!
Verkeerder Kill Falls
Jose taking a well earned rest
A little rainbow
The cool rock slabs that we walked on much of the day
Mud Pond
Blueberries were ripe for the picking. They never tasted better!
Looking back toward Sam's Point
Lake Awosting with the Devil's Path in the background
Awosting
Hiking in the Gunks
Chris & Aaron
Mushroom art
On Castle Point with Awosting in background
Gertrude's Nose
Litchfield Ledge
The Catskills rising in the background
Looking toward Litchfield Ledge
Lake Awosting
Rainbow Falls
A good soaking in the falls
Remnants of a fire from 3 years ago
What can I say about this hike? One of the fucking best! I have a weakness for long hikes and this is absolutely one of the best. Blueberries, ice caves, slabs of rock that only the gunks can do, pines, stunning views, some scrambling and a swim in Lake Awosting in the middle of this heat wave.
I would do this hike with the Hudson Valley Hikers and be led by a seasoned veteran, Aaron, who has hiked the 4000 footers of New Hampshire. This section of the Long Path would run from just outside Ellenville to Kerhonkson. Aaron has hiked almost the entire Long Path. I really have to give credit to those that have, because it truly is off the beaten path. The route runs from the George Washington Bridge to Albany on many low use trails and plenty of road walking (Yuk!).
We met up in the morning to spot cars in Kerhonkson off Old Minnewaska Road. The start of the hike would be off Route 52 just outside of Ellenville. What can I say about this parking spot? It seemed like one of those spots where they'll find dead bodies some day.
Originally thinking we would be doing a road walk for a bit (that's what carrying around a map from 1997 will lead you to) I was pleasantly surprised we'd be on a trail. This part of the Long Path up south gully is relatively new, having been completed in the spring of 2010. A mixture of old logging roads and recently cut trails, this was a pleasant walk up to the ice caves, past waterfalls, wild blueberries and old homes of huckleberry pickers.
Aaron led us on a nice detour to the ice caves. This was a real treat, since I hadn't been here since I was 12 and this was a commercial outfit. It was very much as I remembered it, although (not surprisingly) it felt shorter. The cave was a nice break from the early morning heat, like being delivered ice pops after a nice early climb.
We then headed back to the Long Path and proceeded on what I believe to be the hardest part of the days' hike. The walk from Sam's Point to Verkeerder Kill Falls was very rocky and slow going. But amazing. Aaron pointed out Lake Awosting, which I would have never have though it to be. It looked like a rock slab, but as we proceeded on, it obviously was a lake.
Verkeerder Kill Falls was an awesome sight. But, what a shame, with all the rain we've had this year, it was a trickle, due to the lack of rain the past few weeks. A miniature rainbow could be viewed briefly. From here the walk became a bit easier. The walk was over soft pine needle padded surfaces (the best trail surface in my opinion) and slabs of rock through pines. We paced the unassumingly named Mud Pond, which was more a lake and a beautiful one at that. We then made it to Lake Awosting for a nice refreshing swim.
We then ventured back out and up to Castle Point. Along the way we were treated with great views from Margaret Cliff and some nice scrambles just below Castle Point. The views from Castle Point encompassed a wide range of landmarks, from Hamilton Point and Gertrude's Nose up close, to the Central Catskills and the Rondout Resevoir from afar. From Castle Point, some of the best hiking that I've done was done here. The walk along the ledges here was nothing short of spectacular. Aaron noticed at Verkeerder Kill Falls that I was afraid of heights. So, he got a kick out of some of the hops I had to make over the crevasses.
We then made our way down to Rainbow Falls. Unlike Verkeerder Kill Falls, it didn't matter that it was a trickle. Here we were at the bottom of the falls and could get a nice soaking. There was also this very friendly, beautiful BIG BREASTED woman. Unfortunately, she was with her boyfriend, so I couldn't stare for too long. I so wanted to lay my head on those breasts under the waterfall. Oh, well.
The rest of the wayy out was fairly easy going. The last two miles before we hit Jenny Lane were some of the best blueberry picking we had all day. We took plenty opportunity to enjoy the in season berries. I need to think about coming back with a bucket and filling it up. They are that damn good!
Where did you park for this hike? Where is the South Gully section?
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