The only mountains I have left for the 3500 are trailless and have limited views. So I decided to take him on a sure bet of a view and bring him up wittenberg. I always like to say that wittenberg has "just about everything a catskill hike has to offer" It's got the elevation, the river crossing, the waterfall, the pines, the view at the summit. It's a great peak to take someone who'd never seen the area. So we started out early at about 8 and got to the parking lot by 10.
We went to go buy a day-pass for the parking lot and it just so happens that the guy mike that he knew who had hiked all these trails was working at the campground. It was like a weird twist of the universe. I took the chance to inquire about what he ate along the way, and we started out to the parking lot. We also had a black squirrel cross our path. So I don't know what fate had in store for us.
The weather was hot and muggy it was in the 80's but seemed even hotter. \
the falling forest:
Hiking along through the pine forests
Normally I pass the waterfall and this time it was not even flowing. There was not a single stream the whole way across wittenberg that was flowing. It has been very dry. We saw some backpackers who were from germany, and I told them about the spring that was on Slide, but who knows if anything is flowing. I plan on going backpacking this weekend, and I don't even know where a sure-thing water supply would be.
The 3500 sign is on the ground again.
It started thundering and pouring, so when we went to the summit I stashed my camera in a waterproof bag and left my stuff under some trees. There was barely a view, we only saw some of the Ashokan reservoir, everything else was in clouds.
On the way back down the clouds parted and the sun came out momentarily while we were at a small glimpse of a view through the trees:
Back at the woodland valley creek, it doesn't even seem like there's a need for a bridge now
Anyways I guess he got robbed, there was no waterfall, no astounding view, and we got pretty wet. Still had a great time and got to see some cool forests and 1/2 a view.
Hopefully there'll be better luck with the water situation by next week.