I am happy for the paths as the forest is as thick as they come. There are alot of oak and pine trees, but also alot of undergrowth. There are also black bears and bobcats in the woods, several varieties of poisonous snakes and while we never saw one alive, we could sure smell the skunks. |
Below is a shot towards the north of our position, where you can see the southern most point of the Catskill Mountains. I estimated that the mountains were about 15 to 20 miles away from us. It was at this point that the trail began to circle around a shallow point in the range we were on, which allowed us to return on the eastern face. You can more clearly see that the valley lies in two levels in this picture, as I stated before. |
Below is a hawk or an eagle. We saw them regularly on our hike, and I note it here because they are extremely rare where I live. I wish they did live here, as I cant stand pigeons, and I know birds of prey find them easy to catch and tasty enough. |
There are caves everywhere. In the future I would like to explore some of these caves, but that was not on the agenda for this particular day. And they extend for dozens of miles throughout the entire range. The Shawangunks travel around 50 miles from Kingston New York to Ellenville. During the American Revolution, rebels would go to Kingston for supplies etc... The city Kingston was really a fort in those days, and when the British redcoats would come unexpectedly, the rebels had the perfect escape route from the fort. They would go to this tavern, slide a trap door open which led to the caves, and disappear. It is said that you can travel the entire 50 miles from Kingston to Ellenville underground. |
Going around the bend we entered a beautiful glade. As someone interested in the paranormal, I find that some of the greatest mysteries lie in how we can appreciate these magnificent wonders of nature. While we take for granted nature, there is something very spiritual when enveloped by it. It is as if a part of my soul recognizes it, and finds comfort there. |
