Vanderwhacker

On a sticky September day, we ventured forth from Newcomb to hike Vanderwhacker Mountain in the town of Minerva. It was a slow and steady drive to the trailhead as we moved slowly over glacial erratics sticking out of the road. When we finally made it to the trailhead, we started past some wetlands on a fairly level path when we arrived at one of the most intact fire tower cabins that we have seen. There was even a refrigerator inside!

After leaving the cabin, the trail got steadily much steeper and our pace slowed. We made our way to the fire tower with the panoramic views of the high peaks. It was a spectacular vista, and must be one of the most stunning views in the park! We loitered on that peak for almost two hours.

We hiked down the steep trail and then made the slow drive out to 28N. After a quick dinner, we couldn't resist a sunset paddle. We car-topped the hornbeck boats and went to Rich Lake. Other than a small group of college students at the beach, we had the lake to ourselves as we watched the sun and moon set. We even brought some apple cobbler to enjoy on the water.

The next morning was spent on a bushwhack to the Hudson River from our cabin in Newcomb. We were able to find some small beaches and ended up walking through the river (with our pants on) to find a scenic oxbow. We mysteriously found many golf balls scattered in the woods on the return trip...