Chapter 224

9/13/2009

Ch 224 Deliver us from Evil

walking on the Devil's Path

I dropped down through this Hell Hole on the Devil's Path . The only way to proceed on this trail was down this space between the dead tree and the sheer rock cliff dropoff. It certainly was the most interesting spot although not the most difficult.

This segment was a six mile , grueling four hour hike including 1700 feet vertical gain for our day's journey. We completed subsequent hike segments  later to complete the whole Devil's Path. 

Pete led the way up the Jimmy Dolan Notch (blue) trail from the Prediger Road Parking Area.

This first climb up 2.7miles to the Indianhead Mountain summit was harder than I remembered.

After the peak the trail turns to red markers to get back down 3.3 miles to the parking lot.

After dropping down in elevation we took a lunch break at the lookout spot with a view of Echo Lake, Overlook Mt  near  Woodstock and the Hudson River. 

Further on down the trail a little hand over hand will do it.

Further on down at General Shermans Ledge Lookout you can view the Bruderhof commune to the north across the valley (former Hutterian Bretheren ).

View of the Hudson River here I believe at Shermans Ledge Lookout. So called named after Union General Sherman who visited the Catskills in 1890 before his death, although he didn't hike there. 

More vertical to get back down to lower elevations where it became more level but tedious walking  back to the parking lot.

Panorama looking SW at Indianhead on left, Twin Mountains, Sugarloaf, then Plateau Mountain on the right from the scenic Platte Cove Road out of West Saugerties (LT) toward Hunter Mountain (RT). Those mountains were done in subsequent weeks.

Zoom into just Indianhead form the Prediger Parking Lot counterclockwise up Jimmy Dolan Notch hike to right in blue then to Indianhead, then back down red to parking lot.

This description of the hike and writeup says the Devil himself lives in Catskill Mts .