A Day in the Dogskills: Overlook Mountain
It's rotten snow and mud season in the Adirondacks, so Sunny and I have set our sights on the Catskills in order to bag the Southern fire towers. This week, we planned to hike Overlook Mountain and Mount Tremper.
One of the main reasons I wanted to hike Overlook early on is because the mountain is well-known for Timber Rattlesnakes. Several people, including friends, have said they see at least one every time they hike the mountain.
We signed in at the trailhead at 9:34. The forecast called for rain early with a break mid-day, then more rain starting in the early evening. Knowing this, I finally bought a hiking poncho which advertised a wider back to facilitate up to an 80L pack. It worked as advertised. I was also very excited to put my 3-season boots back on. They aren't more or less comfortable; I was just happy for the change of seasons.
Road Walk
The hike was an easy road walk the entire way. It's certainly not my favorite way to spend a morning, but it sure beats being in the office. On the bright side, it wasn't paved; paved surfaces are murder in hiking boots.
Most of the little streams crossing the trail were dry despite the rain except for one which was flowing as we ascended and still flowing as we descended.
There are loads of herd paths leading away from the trail. I followed a couple of them to see if they went anywhere. I'd heard that there is airplane wreckage on this mountain, but I hadn't bothered to research that fully. From what I can tell from searches, the wreckage is closer to Kaaterskill High Peak.
I never saw any wreckage, but I did find green, which made me very happy indeed. I probably would not be brave enough to explore these paths in conditions more favorable to rattlesnakes.
As we gained altitude, our leisurely walk was wreathed in fog. We met several people on this stretch who we tried to chat up. One hiker said she comes to Overlook with a group of friends every Monday and she said she's never spotted a snake. This surprised me a great deal. However, two other couples I met confirmed they see them at the summit a lot. I suspect it all depends on the time of day and weather.
Overlook Mountain House
Atlas Obscura has a great history of the Overlook Hotel in all of its iterations. Apparently the ruins here are the third attempt to build the hotel after the first two burned to the ground. Fortunately, after this version caught fire, the concrete remained and provided hikers an interesting landmark to explore. According to every resource I've found, visitors should absolutely beware of rattlesnakes in the ruins themselves.
The hotel loomed large in the fog.
Sunny is always down to photograph his next Goth album cover.
We peered into exposed basement of one of the outbuildings. I suspect it was the chapel which was discussed on the Atlas Obscura site. I think Quinn would have a blast here. I may bring him in the Winter.
Be careful of broken glass near these buildings. A lot of it is weathered and/or crushed flat, but you should still be cautious of our furry friends' feet.
I took some artsy photos, looking for funky angles and shapes with my Camp Snap.
The outbuilding stood strong in the foreground with the hotel itself in the background for this photo.
An old foundain full of stagnant water. I assume that water was once continuously pumped over the boulder.
There's also a cell tower and another industrial structure nearby, which breaks the spell a bit, unfortunately.
The Summit
A signpost directed us to the fire tower and hinted at other adventures to Echo Lake and Devil's Kitchen. Looking at the map, this trail and the subsequent "Overlook Turnpike" seems to be intended for mountain biking. This trail also leads to the infamous "Devil's Path".
More outbuildings loomed in the fog near the trail.
The world was closing in on us -- path was narrowing and the fog thickened. At this elevation, the earth had reddish mud and rocks that I'd noticed on other Catskills hikes.
We reached the summit by 11am which is pretty good for the 2 miles and all of the exploring I did. Here you can see the reddish soil and rocks. A minute of research makes me believe this is Catskill Red Shale and subsequent clay.
The Overlook Fire Tower Committe has done a great job keeping the area maintained. Signs pointed to the overlook which I hear is gorgeous. With the fog, I didn't bother. I'll catch the view in the winter.
A lovely potty stood nearby. I would not relish opening that door in the Summer.
Sunny wondered if I wanted to see the view. I wondered what the odds were I'd miss the overlook and fall off the ledge. I guided him to the fire tower instead.
There's one picnic table in the lee of the mountain.
There would be no views from the tower this morning.
The summit also features a fireplace...
...and more picnic tables. I can see why this is a popular place to hike. It's a quick, easy hike with a summit that usually has gorgeous views and great amenities. Still, every source warns that the space under the tower is a favorite spot for the rattlesnakes to lounge.
We took a few minutes to sit, relax, and eat a snack. It was windy, but warm. We picked up some litter that was lying around before heading back down to the car. We were shadowed by a creepy, loud flock of sparrows on the way down, but we were fortunately not carried away by them.
Back at the Trailhead
We signed out at 12:09pm. By the time we reached the trailhead, it was sunny out and I was sweating. All the other hikers we met heading up the trail would enjoy an incredible view of the surrounding area.
There is a huge Buddhist temple accross the street. On our way out we passed several other Buddhist and Tibetan buildings. I know most Buddhist temples are very tolerant of vistors, but I chose to move on. We had another mountain to climb, after all. Mount Tremper was nearby and also known for rattlesnakes, so I was motivated for us to claim it early.