Newman's Ledge to North-South Lake
Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 12:50 pm
For the past couple of weeks the weather has prevented me from hiking the Catskills. And, the last week the heat has been unbearable. After the storms rolled through on Saturday, I knew that Sunday was going to be nice. I got a late start, but arrived at the DEC parking area on Schutt Road around 11am. The parking lot was almost full. I grabbed my pack and headed up to North Lake Road. After registering I headed up the trail. For the first couple miles I didn't see a single person. I guess everyone has given up on hiking in the heat. The forest was still moist from the rain, and some heat was still trapped below the tree canopy. The mosquitoes were out in force, so stopping was out of the question. It didn't matter because it was still cool enough.
When I arrived at the trail junction to North Point I seriously considered taking a hike up there. But, ultimately didn't. I then headed down the long ridge to North Lake. While the trail still didn't have anyone on it, the birds were chirping away in earnest. I had the forest to myself.
Finally when I arrived at Newman's Ledge I finally ran into someone. The views were good with a little bit of haze. Took a couple pictures and continued down the trail. Now I was starting to run into people as I descended the long beautiful path. Now it was a steady stream of people hiking up the path. Everyone was happy. Primarily because of the cool temperatures. I took the detour down the yellow path to Bear's Den. Again, loads of people. Took some pictures of the lake. I took a moment to check on the blueberries. They were just starting to get ripe. I did run into one group who wanted to know how to get home. At first I didn't now how to answer the question because I felt at home in the woods, and I didn't know where they had come from. After clarifying where they had started from I got them pointed in the right direction. Apparently they were hiking in the wrong direction.
After a short amount of time I arrived at the parking lot to North Lake Beach. It was completely full. I continued down the south short of the lakes. Soon I arrived at the South Lake Beach. Again, lots of people. I then hiked down the Cross-Country Ski Trail and headed up Schutt Road. I spent about 3 hours in the woods. Maybe 6-8 miles. It was enjoyable to be able to get out on the trail again. Here are a few pictures:
View of North-South Lake with KHP and RoundTop in the background
Beautiful trail between North Pt and Newman's Ledge
Newman's Ledge looking north
Newman's Ledge looking north
When I arrived at the trail junction to North Point I seriously considered taking a hike up there. But, ultimately didn't. I then headed down the long ridge to North Lake. While the trail still didn't have anyone on it, the birds were chirping away in earnest. I had the forest to myself.
Finally when I arrived at Newman's Ledge I finally ran into someone. The views were good with a little bit of haze. Took a couple pictures and continued down the trail. Now I was starting to run into people as I descended the long beautiful path. Now it was a steady stream of people hiking up the path. Everyone was happy. Primarily because of the cool temperatures. I took the detour down the yellow path to Bear's Den. Again, loads of people. Took some pictures of the lake. I took a moment to check on the blueberries. They were just starting to get ripe. I did run into one group who wanted to know how to get home. At first I didn't now how to answer the question because I felt at home in the woods, and I didn't know where they had come from. After clarifying where they had started from I got them pointed in the right direction. Apparently they were hiking in the wrong direction.
After a short amount of time I arrived at the parking lot to North Lake Beach. It was completely full. I continued down the south short of the lakes. Soon I arrived at the South Lake Beach. Again, lots of people. I then hiked down the Cross-Country Ski Trail and headed up Schutt Road. I spent about 3 hours in the woods. Maybe 6-8 miles. It was enjoyable to be able to get out on the trail again. Here are a few pictures:
View of North-South Lake with KHP and RoundTop in the background
Beautiful trail between North Pt and Newman's Ledge
Newman's Ledge looking north
Newman's Ledge looking north