[Journal entry for December 7, 2013; Pingyp Mountain, Harriman State Park, NY] I parked at the Anthony Wayne Recreation Area off the Palisades Parkway at about 1PM. I had been planning to hike in Sterling Forest today, but the sky seemed rather too cloudy to the west, so headed north instead. This proved fortuitous, for I encountered a long interval of clear shy just as I arrived and spent it exploring the beaver pond along Beechy Bottom Brook. It’s a large pond, and seems to be impounded by a series of at least three dams, some fresh and other overgrown with weeds. The pond is surrounded by tall White Pines and ringed with hummocky grasses, along with cattail and Phragmites. The center of the pond is open water, though with some logs from trees toppled by beavers and storms. An adult Bald Eagle flew by as I stood admiring the lake, and a few minutes later a Great Blue Heron and some ducks landed.

I walked along the Beech Bottom as far as the Ramapo – Dunderberg Trail (RD, blazed in red) intersection, and then took that trail up onto West Mountain. It is a steep ascent, up a corner of the mountain called the Cat’s Elbow that is marked by a prominent cliff. I passed a small mining pit as I approached the steep section. Like many similar south-facing cliffs in the park, it consists of a near-vertical rock wall with many large and angular stone blocks scattered on the ground beneath it. The trail follows cracks and joints and gullies pretty much straight up to the top. Although the summit of West Mountain is a mile of more to the north, this section of the mountain has a nice south facing overlook that affords a great view of the Hudson River and Hook Mountain. The sky had clouded up a bit during my climb, but I was patient and awaited for short intervals of sun. They lit up the grey rock and tan grass beautifully. I then connected with the Suffern – Bear Mountain Trail (SBM, blazed in yellow) and took it down the cliff again. This route is not as steeper than RD, but crosses numerous slanting and treacherous rock ledges. I picked my way down carefully. I poked around the field of huge stone blocks at the base of the cliff; they are pretty amazing.

I then took SBM south to Pingyp Mountain. I was thinking that this route would be easy, for it is pretty-much a straight line on the map and Pingyp Mountain has a similar elevation to West Mounatin. However, the trail descends into at least four deep valleys on this two-mile traverse, two with cliffs that, while less high than the Cat’s Elbow, still require painstaking footwork. I started to become a little concerned that I would run out of daylight. The summits of intervening hills are mostly wooded, though one, The Pines, has an open ledge that affords a nice view northward towards Black Mountain.

I hustled along and reached the overlook on Mount Pingyp at 3:30PM, which was well before sunset, and was rewarded by a beautiful view to the south. Hook Mountain – a long ridge that includes the high point called High Tor – was particularly beautiful, with its ridgeline backlit by the low sun. I spent a few minutes wandering from ledge to ledge on this spacious overlook, and then headed back.

Some sections of the trail off of Pingyp Mountain were more difficult than I expected, given that I had just come up them. The steep, rocky sections are relatively easy, for the footing is excellent. The shallower smooth sections of the trail, now covered with fall leaves, were far tougher on the descent than on the ascent. I slid a few times, when my sneakers lost their grip on the surface. Fortunately, I reached the South Ski Trail (really a woods road) without mishap. It was now about 4:30PM and light was waning. I connected with Beechy Bottom Road, another woods road, which is level and well-surfaced, so I was able to make good time. I picked up RD again just west of the Cat’s Elbow and took it down into the Beechy Bottom and back to my car. I arrived just after 5PM. The moon and Venus were bright in the now-purple sky.

About four hours.