The Ashokan Reservoir provides 40% of NYC drinking water and its shorelines provide great habitat for nesting Bald Eagles. A shoreline trail is a nice place for a morning stroll. An abandoned eagle nest clings to a high pine and we get glimpses of the occupants as they perch high above the water. Good thing I had my binoculars!
We get ambitious and head for the Ashokan High Point trail for some long Catskill vistas. We start out along a beautiful creek. We are climbing but gradually and the trail is a bit rocky but tolerable in boots. The climb gets steeper and small seeps wet the trail. It is warm and muggy and within a mile we are dripping wet. I’m thinking this is a 4-mile round trip hike. We can do that! We trudge on. There is a cool spring bubbling up into a catchment basin around the 2-mile mark. I splash my face. On we go. The trail gets steeper. At 3 ½ miles in we find multiple sets of rock steps. A quick google check says still 800 ft up. Yikes, but we have come this far. After 4+ miles and an elevation change of 2030 ft we collapse at the top drenched in sweat. We consider that we might have bitten off a little more than we should have. We relax as we take in the view. The 4-mile return trip is considerably less tiring.
The very things that make the Catskills a wonderful place make hiking difficult; rugged terrain created by creeks and streams everywhere, lush green forests that thrive in the high humidity, and rock-strewn trails. We will keep hiking, just choosing shorter routes or overnight stays. There are even two cool creekside campsites on this 4-mile trek to Ashokan High Point.