Mohonk

Our destination.

The Rocket making his way through Giant's Path

Trapps and Gertrude's Nose

Boulder Field

Mohonk Lake Shore

Start of the Labrynth

The Rocket climbing the ladder

The Rocket

Tom below Lemon Squeeze

Rocket wishing he shed more pounds before the lemon squeeze

Above the lemon squeeze eating some gorp

The Central Catskills

Mohonk Hotel with the Devil's Path looming large

The Mohonk Tower

The Tower from opposite side of Lake


It's been over a year that I've been blogging about my hikes throughout the Hudson Valley and then some. The quintessential walk in the Hudson Valley leads to the Mohonk Tower via the lemon squeeze. I've been to the tower numerous times running while in college, but it's been years since I've been here. This is the summer of the Gunks.

The Rocket and I paid a steep $12 to step foot on the Mohonk Preserve. It's quite unique, privately owned with miles of hiking and carriage trails. We headed out from Clove Road and the Old Minnewaska Trail. The Rocket looked like a trooper on this day, so I decided to go off the carriage trails and check out the Giant's Path. It was worth it. Lots of cool scrambling. On another hot day, it was great to be walking through small caves and in the shade.

After Giant's Path we walked along Mohonk Lake and to the "entrance" to The Labrynth. While we were getting ready to get going, we noticed a group which had to be a meetup group. We let them pass by and I recognized a few of the guys I hiked with a couple of weeks ago. This made things interesting during the lemon squeeze. I watched Jose slide down one of the ladders. Eventually he stopped, but it could have turned out very ugly.

The views from the top of the lemon squeeze were incredible. It was not too humid, so the hazy views that I've become so accustomed to were non-existent. It was so nice to see clear blue skies and be able to make out the distant mountains.

We then made our way to the tower. This is truly one of the great spots in all of the Hudson Valley. The view of the Mohonk Mountain House with the Devil's Path is extraordinary. I'd love to check out this place on the inside. It appears to be more castle than hotel. There are also views to the west that include Ashokan High Point. The views to the east include New Paltz and the Hudson Highlands.

Who knows what fall will bring, but the Gunks seem to be the premier destination for autumn colors. Hopefully, I will get to experience the Gunks in all its glory.