Wittenberg and Cornell on Saturday 08/16/2014
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 8:03 am
Saturday August 16, 2014 promised to be a nice day, though a bit on the cool side. I’ve been wanting to attempt Wittenberg Mountain from Woodland Valley for some time, and decided today would be the day. I left my house at 6:45 am and arrived at the Woodland Valley Campground at 8:40 am – just under two hours.
After parking my car, I walked down the road to the ranger station and purchased my daily parking permit for $6.00. I then returned to my car, placed the permit on my dashboard (where it would be in obvious view for inspection) and headed on my way.
Across the parking lot and about 100 feet east on Woodland Valley Road (i.e., in the direction back towards Phoenicia), there is a driveway (for accessing the campsites) along with a sign and an arrow indicating the trail. When you walk in, the driveway curves sharply to the right and parallels Woodland Valley Road. Unfortunately, there are no other blazes or signs directing you to the trailhead. After walking up and the down the driveway to no avail, I finally figured out that the way to access the trail is to simply walk from Woodland Valley Road straight back to the stream. Once I did that, I made a left and walked along the streambed for about 200 feet until I found the new bridge. More signage or blazes are definitely needed.
Once over the bridge, the trail climbs steeply to the trail register. Once the trail levels off (relatively speaking), it is a beautiful walk through the woods. I arrived at the point where the trail turns sharply left off the woods road, all the while being very cautious I would miss it. It turns out the sharp left is more obvious than I thought. For starters, there is HUGE tree (at least 3 feet in diameter) that fell right at the turn (no doubt from Hurricane Sandy). Thanks to the downed tree, you almost have no choice but to go left. Also, the marked trail is actually self-steering at that point – no doubt from the thousands of hikers who have packed down the soil making an obvious trail.
After making the sharp left, the trail ascends steadily to the top of a very high ledge looking down into Woodland Valley. Mike wrote a superb trip description (posted elsewhere on this website) and warned how easy it is to walk off the trail in this section. Mike could not possibly have been more correct. Trail blazes are placed way too far apart and there are numerous herd paths and other vague trails diverging off the main trail. It is incredibly easy to get lost here. More blazes are desperately needed. On the other hand, if you do wander off trail, there is a beautiful view looking out into the Woodland Valley. Above all else, stay alert!
The trail continues to moderately ascend and then actually slightly descends for a fair distance until the junction with the yellow trail is reached. The yellow trail goes left, while the red trail to Wittenberg goes right. Shortly after making the right, I noticed a “new” trail branching off to the left. I believe this is the new route of the Long Path to Phoenicia, but I am not certain.
From the junction with the yellow trail, it is 1.3 miles to the summit of Wittenberg. The first half a mile or so is not too bad as the trail ascends steadily, but not steeply. Then, all of the sudden, you encounter the first of many high ledges and cliffs and are forced to become more of a mountain goat than a hiker. Many of the rocks you have to climb are slippery (remember, this side of Wittenberg faces north and does not receive a lot of sun). Extreme caution is needed to safely scale many of these ledges, some of which require both hands and feet. This is another area where more blazes are needed. The trail is not obvious and self-guiding and there is a section of several hundred feet where there isn’t a single blaze to be seen. Once again, it is incredibly easy to wander off the trail. Stay alert!
The trail to the summit is relentless and seems to go on forever. Just when you think you’re almost there, you are confronted with another ledge. It’s as though the mountain is teasing you with the trail leveling off for a brief stretch (tricking you into thinking you’re near the top) only to slam you with yet another ledge to conquer.
I took my time going up and arrived at the summit at 12:00 pm – about 3 hours. As expected, the ledge was packed with hikers, but there was plenty of room for all and everyone was friendly.
After resting for a half hour and having a light lunch, I decided to try to for Cornell, which is only another 45 minutes away. Cornell Crack never ceases to amaze me – especially when approached from the bottom. It is imposing (to say the least) and has got to be one of the most challenging ledges in all the Catskills. After ascending to the top of Cornell Crack in one piece, I walked the short distance to the overlook facing Slide Mountain. There, I simply crashed for a half hour and marveled over the immensity of Slide.
On the way back to Wittenberg, I made the small detour to the actual summit of Cornell. However, there is no view.
I arrived back at Wittenberg around 2:30 pm and just spent the next hour relaxing and daydreaming on the summit. Incredibly, the last of the hikers departed at 3:00 pm and I had Wittenberg all to myself – something almost unheard of on a summer afternoon. It was close to 3:30 pm before I finally tore myself away and began the journey back down to Woodland Valley. I arrived back at my car at 6:15 pm and called it a day. As I descended, I could sense a change in the weather. The sky clouded over (showers were predicted later in the evening) and there was a distinct chill in the air (this is August?).
And in all, it was a gorgeous hike. I was amazed at how many people I ran into over the course of the day, from seasoned hikers to families just wanting to get out and get some fresh air. Everyone was friendly and helpful, and everyone just wanted to have a great time.
Sorry, I didn’t bring my camera for this outing. Hence, there are no pictures.
After parking my car, I walked down the road to the ranger station and purchased my daily parking permit for $6.00. I then returned to my car, placed the permit on my dashboard (where it would be in obvious view for inspection) and headed on my way.
Across the parking lot and about 100 feet east on Woodland Valley Road (i.e., in the direction back towards Phoenicia), there is a driveway (for accessing the campsites) along with a sign and an arrow indicating the trail. When you walk in, the driveway curves sharply to the right and parallels Woodland Valley Road. Unfortunately, there are no other blazes or signs directing you to the trailhead. After walking up and the down the driveway to no avail, I finally figured out that the way to access the trail is to simply walk from Woodland Valley Road straight back to the stream. Once I did that, I made a left and walked along the streambed for about 200 feet until I found the new bridge. More signage or blazes are definitely needed.
Once over the bridge, the trail climbs steeply to the trail register. Once the trail levels off (relatively speaking), it is a beautiful walk through the woods. I arrived at the point where the trail turns sharply left off the woods road, all the while being very cautious I would miss it. It turns out the sharp left is more obvious than I thought. For starters, there is HUGE tree (at least 3 feet in diameter) that fell right at the turn (no doubt from Hurricane Sandy). Thanks to the downed tree, you almost have no choice but to go left. Also, the marked trail is actually self-steering at that point – no doubt from the thousands of hikers who have packed down the soil making an obvious trail.
After making the sharp left, the trail ascends steadily to the top of a very high ledge looking down into Woodland Valley. Mike wrote a superb trip description (posted elsewhere on this website) and warned how easy it is to walk off the trail in this section. Mike could not possibly have been more correct. Trail blazes are placed way too far apart and there are numerous herd paths and other vague trails diverging off the main trail. It is incredibly easy to get lost here. More blazes are desperately needed. On the other hand, if you do wander off trail, there is a beautiful view looking out into the Woodland Valley. Above all else, stay alert!
The trail continues to moderately ascend and then actually slightly descends for a fair distance until the junction with the yellow trail is reached. The yellow trail goes left, while the red trail to Wittenberg goes right. Shortly after making the right, I noticed a “new” trail branching off to the left. I believe this is the new route of the Long Path to Phoenicia, but I am not certain.
From the junction with the yellow trail, it is 1.3 miles to the summit of Wittenberg. The first half a mile or so is not too bad as the trail ascends steadily, but not steeply. Then, all of the sudden, you encounter the first of many high ledges and cliffs and are forced to become more of a mountain goat than a hiker. Many of the rocks you have to climb are slippery (remember, this side of Wittenberg faces north and does not receive a lot of sun). Extreme caution is needed to safely scale many of these ledges, some of which require both hands and feet. This is another area where more blazes are needed. The trail is not obvious and self-guiding and there is a section of several hundred feet where there isn’t a single blaze to be seen. Once again, it is incredibly easy to wander off the trail. Stay alert!
The trail to the summit is relentless and seems to go on forever. Just when you think you’re almost there, you are confronted with another ledge. It’s as though the mountain is teasing you with the trail leveling off for a brief stretch (tricking you into thinking you’re near the top) only to slam you with yet another ledge to conquer.
I took my time going up and arrived at the summit at 12:00 pm – about 3 hours. As expected, the ledge was packed with hikers, but there was plenty of room for all and everyone was friendly.
After resting for a half hour and having a light lunch, I decided to try to for Cornell, which is only another 45 minutes away. Cornell Crack never ceases to amaze me – especially when approached from the bottom. It is imposing (to say the least) and has got to be one of the most challenging ledges in all the Catskills. After ascending to the top of Cornell Crack in one piece, I walked the short distance to the overlook facing Slide Mountain. There, I simply crashed for a half hour and marveled over the immensity of Slide.
On the way back to Wittenberg, I made the small detour to the actual summit of Cornell. However, there is no view.
I arrived back at Wittenberg around 2:30 pm and just spent the next hour relaxing and daydreaming on the summit. Incredibly, the last of the hikers departed at 3:00 pm and I had Wittenberg all to myself – something almost unheard of on a summer afternoon. It was close to 3:30 pm before I finally tore myself away and began the journey back down to Woodland Valley. I arrived back at my car at 6:15 pm and called it a day. As I descended, I could sense a change in the weather. The sky clouded over (showers were predicted later in the evening) and there was a distinct chill in the air (this is August?).
And in all, it was a gorgeous hike. I was amazed at how many people I ran into over the course of the day, from seasoned hikers to families just wanting to get out and get some fresh air. Everyone was friendly and helpful, and everyone just wanted to have a great time.
Sorry, I didn’t bring my camera for this outing. Hence, there are no pictures.