A Day in the Dogskills: Tremper Mountain
Our second mountain of the day was Tremper Mountain along the "Phonecia Trail". The mountain features a fire tower, two lean-tos and rattlesnakes. I felt it would make life easier to simply bag this mountain as early as possible so Sunny could be on the long leash and do some solo exploring.
Trailhead to the Register
The Tremper trailhead is a bit narrow with parallel parking. It's important that hikers park on the outer radius and not the inner radius, especially in the Summer, so more cars can fit in the lot. We started hiking around 12:53pm.
The trail from the trailhead to the trail register is 10 to 15 minutes with a very steep initial climb and some sturdy bridges over switft water.
The trail descends slightly after the inital ascent and this spot had the only real mud we found on the hike. Otherwise, the trails were quite dry. By now the temperatures had increased to 65F. Sunny was panting and I was sweating. I was certainly missing my Duff.
There's another trail from the register to the road. I drove past it later that day and found it was blocked off at the bottom. I don't think anyone is meant to park down there anymore.
Register to the Switchbacks
The ground remained moist for a short time.
Then it quickly dried up as we ascended. This part of the trail featured the red shale and clay. I nearly rolled my ankle a couple of times on this stretch. I think this was the first real dry trail hike since December, so I was re-training myself to hike over rocks and roots.
There is a generous stream not long after the register. I filled the first draught of mountain water of the year here. It was delicious and sustained both of us for some time.
Switchbacks
The Phonecia Trail maintains a leisurely grade of about about 11% for almost the entire hike thanks to a series of switchbacks. This is obviously something we're not really used to in the Adirondacks and it was a nice change of pace.
There had been only one other car at the trailhead. We met those friendly fellas on our way across the first switchback, so I cut Sunny loose for some recall training and exersise.
Some parts of the trail made me wonder if the trail was originally a cart-path or carriage road. I also wonder if I shouldn't underestimate the turn-of-the-century desire to escape the city for groomed hiking trails... or the turn-of-the-century willingness to exploit cheap labor.
As we ascended, the red shale and clay gave way to moss-covered sandstone and shale. The bigger rocks and slabs had been pounded flat by hikers and almost gave the trail a flat, paved feel. Being a mainly Adirondack hiker, when I came to one of these bigger sandstone boulders cantered at an angle, I tried just walking up it. I was on my ass immediately. These rocks are nowhere near as porous as those up North and can be very slippery.
The early season was giving us continuous views of the mountains. They were partially obscured by the tree trunks and branches, but it was still quite lovely. Moreover, the temps were increasing to 70F and the light breeze was welcome.
As we approached the first lean-to, a blaze informed us the summit was .8 mile uphill, but we paused here.
This was the "Baldwin Memorial Lean-to". It was in good shape with one bad log in the back. It did have a new roof and seemed otherwise in good repair. The preponderence of sandstone flagstones on this mountain meant that the lean-to could be set on a sturdy stone foundation.
A sign informed us tha the new roof on the lean-to and the privy had been rennovated by the NYNJTC voluteer group. Another warned of unafraid, dark-colored snakes measuring 4 to 6 feet in length which come out during the day in warmer months. The lean-to looked great, but it did have an odd smell. I wondered how many snakes bruminated under the lean-to.
There was a lot of evidence of recent trail maintenance throughout the hike.
A blaze pointed to a nearby spring. It was good to see this because it had been a litte while since we'd seen running water. The spring has a spout installed no less, and was running freely.
As we climbed, we saw more free-standing sandstone boulders.
I couldn't help but shutterbug all over these huge structures. They are so different from what you find up North.
I am sure this trail gets a ton of traffic, but I think the nature of the ground beneath our feet has protected it from bad erosion. Either that or there has been some major and constant trail maintenance done here.
Sunny and I could sense we were nearing the summit. After the last switchback, there's a short climb up a 16% grade to the ridge.
Ridge and Summit
It was a short half mile hike across the ridge to the summit.
We could see the summit through the trees in the distance to the Northeast. Sunny was having a great time in this last mile or so and he was chasing everything. I was glad to be here early in the season so he could have a little fun.
I was surprised to find a second lean-to very near the fire tower. This lean-to is in very poor condition and is in dire need of replacing. Still, in the winter, this could be a welcome port in the storm.
We made it to the fire tower around 3:05pm, about 2 hrs 10 mins after we started. I got an icy feeling in my nethers a few times as I climbed.
There are a few stairs which may need replacing soon, but they held my weight well and without complaint.
Mount Tremper Fire Tower features an enclosed cabin with sealed windows.
There were some provisions and some equipment in the tower. There was also a plaque memorializing those who had manned the tower from 1917 to 1970. I wasn't brave enough to open the tote.
I didn't make note of which direction I took this photo in. Regardless, I was happy that the we had made the summit at the perfect time for some expansive views... the day was bright and the winds were light. It felt nice to dry off my sweat in the cool breeze.
I think, left to right, this is looking towards Wittenberg, Cornell, and Slide.
We chilled at the summit and had some snacks. Looking at the map, this is the start of the "Warner Creek Trail" and it does seem like you could have a hell of an adventure following it. It follows the ridge, plunging up and down a few times and eventually links with the Devil's Path.
Descent
We began our descent at 3:25 and cruised down the mountain.
Sunny and I got some water from the spring near Baldwin Lean-to.
We met a friendly centipede near the spring. There were other gribblies on the hike that day including some flies, but no mosquitoes yet.
We had a lot of fun on Tremper. The Catskills are quite different from the Adirondacks. It's not just the climate or the rocks, but the human footprint. The old ruins throughout the mountains are neat to explore. The close proximity of existing habitation is also interesting; for example the Southwest side of Tremper mountain is actually covered in wealthy homesteads.
All in all it was a great day in the woods. I am looking forward to spending the rest of April working on these fire towers. I plan on doing Red Hill and Balsam Lake in one day. They are shorter hikes, but the various trailheads for these mountains are between an hour and an hour and a half drive from each other.
We will certainly be hiking Hunter by itself. Part of me wants to try the Spruceton/Devil's Path loop, but I'll definitely need to research that fully before making the commitment.