Location
Stairs at Kaaterskill Falls
MTHS hosts 4th Annual Hikefest
Saturday, October 7th, 2017
It’s that time of year again for Hike Fest with the Mountain Top Historical Society on Rt. 23A in Haines Falls. This year we will feature 4 hikes ranging in various intensity levels. All hikes will meet at 9:00 am and leave from the KRT parking lot on the Mountain Top Historical Society campus. Following the hikes around noon, lunch will be available. Lunch will be hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill with all the fixings including salads, cold drinks and dessert. Jeff and Doug Senterman have graciously agreed to be our Grillmasters. The cost per person for lunch is $10, reservations required. After lunch (about 1:00 p.m.) MTHS board member Moe Lemire will speak about his recent through hike on the Appalachian Trail. Moe’s talk will be illustrated with lots of his photos taken along the trail.
Hike #1: North Point (Difficult) - 4.7 miles round trip --- New York State licensed guide Moe Lemire will lead this 4.7 mile round trip hike to North Point. This hike will begin at the parking area on Scutt Road. The hike will begin following the yellow marked Rock Shelter trail. The terrain for the first 1.3 miles will be a fairly level grade with some gradual accents through rock filled trail. The hike then will take the red marked Mary's Glen trail for .8 miles ascending steeply up to open ledges. One last steep rise for .25 miles to the lookout of North Point. From the open ledges of North Point you will be able to see into the Hudson Valley as well as views of North and South Lake. The hike then will return to the parking area via the same trails back.
Hike #2 Layman Monument and beyond along the Escarpment (Moderate) — 3.5 miles round trip. Guide book author and long-time MTHS hike leader Bob Gildersleeve will head up this hike which will offer several options depending on hiking pace, time and stamina of the hikers. Maximum hike length will be 3.5 miles. After carpooling to a parking area off North Lake Road, we will take the blue-marked trail for .7 mile to Layman Monument. The hike will continue along the blue trail past many spectacular view points. When the trail meets the yellow-marked horse trail, the group has the option to loop back to the parking area or to continue on to Sunset Rock and even further to Inspiration Point. The group will return to the parking area via the same trails.
Hike #3 Kaaterskill Rail Trail to the Falls. Easy/Moderate - 3.5 miles round trip ---This hike led by Pete Senterman will leave directly from the Mountain Top Historic Train Station and follow the newly completed Kaaterskill Rail Trail for a total roundtrip of 3.5 miles. The first 1.5 miles of this hike will follow along the old railroad bed and the grade is fairly flat. When the trail reaches the junction it is .25 miles down to the viewing platform for Kaaterskill Falls. The hike then will retrace and follow the rail trail back to the Train Station. This hike also has the option to continue on the trail over the newly constructed bridge and descend down to the bottom of the falls.
Hike #4 Platte Clove Preserve Nature Loop Trail and Falls (Easy) - 1.25 miles --- ADK 4600 hiker and MTHS board member Nancy Allen, will begin this hike at the Platte Clove Preserve Red Cabin. The hike will follow the blue trail from the cabin and branch off to the newly built nature trail loop. The hike will follow out to a view into Platte Clove and past some old ruins. The hike will loop back to the blue trail, following it back to the Red Cabin. The hikers will return to the Red Cabin and then descend down .5 miles to the base of the Plattekill Falls and return to the Red Cabin for rides back to the MTHS campus.
MTHS does not require membership for hike participation. We do however request that you register for each hike. Participants can register on our contacts page, by calling (518) 589-6657 or by email at mthsdirector@mths.org. Please leave your name, phone number, # in your party and the hike for which you are registering. Also indicate if you plan to join us for lunch. Schedule subject to change. The latest information is available on our web site http://www.mths.org. In case of rain, some hikes may be postponed, but the rest of our Hike Fest program (lunch and talk) will continue as scheduled. We look forward to seeing you on October 7.
