Platte Clove Road

A photo from Platte Clove Road during the 2010 Fall foilage.

Inspiration Point and Sunset Rock

ur trip started at the end of Scutt Road. We then walked along Spruce Creek for a bit and made our way to Layman’s Monument. From Layman’s Monument there was a small view between trees to observe Kaaterskill Clove and below us we could see the parking area for Kaaterskill Falls. See the Layman’s Monument post regarding this part of the trip.

We continued on the blue marked trail from Layman’s Monument and reached an unnamed lookout point. This view is along the blue marked trail. I took a panoramic photo of the landscape with my father situated in the far left of the photo. The sun was low in sky and it was difficult to get a good exposure and the panoramic photo does have some harsh sun flare. Several waterfalls can be seen in the distance from this particular spot. In the panoramic photo several houses are visible and these homeowners must have gorgeous view 365 days a year.

From the unnamed lookout we travel away from the mountain ledge.

From the blue blazed trail we then proceeded on a yellow marked trail. This trail took us to Sunset Rock and Inspiration Point. Robert Gildersleeve writes about these locations in detail in his book titled Catskill Mountain House- Trail Guide. This is a well written book by Robert Gildersleeve and I do recommend it.

The next few images posted are from Sunset Rock, Inspiration Point, and a location near to what was the former location of Inspiration Point. The Catskill Mountain House Trail Guide has a lot information and facts regarding these vista points.

Robert Gildersleeve writes on page 97 of the Catskill Mountain House Trail Guide:  “…the confusion over the name of this site inspired this book”. Robert Gildersleeve is referring to Inspiration Point.

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The picture below shows my father standing at the location currently named Sunset Rock:

The picture below shows my father standing at the location currently named Inspiration Point:

The photo below is very near to former site that held the name of Inspiration Point. The bottom photo shows Route 23 running through Kaaterskill Clove as viewed from former Inspiration Point.

A map detailing our hike from Scutt Road to Layman Monument ending at Inspiration Point:

Layman’s Monument

History:

The Frank D. Layman Memorial is a historic monument located in Hunter, New York. The monument was erected in 1901 to commemorate Frank D. Layman, who died on the site of the memorial on August 10, 1900 while fighting a forest fire. The monument is pyramidal in shape, four sided, and rises upward from a base approximately seven feet in diameter to approximately 11 feet. (Source: Wikipedia)

Frank Layman Monument was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Directions:

Layman’s Monument can be best reached either from Laurel House Road or Scutt Road. On this outing we reached Layman’s Monument by parking at the end of Scutt Road. (Note there is limited parking at this location. It probably is best to park at the designated Scutt Road parking area.) Near the end of the road there is a path that leads to a footbridge. Facing the end of the road this path will be on your left. There are several paths that take you from Scutt Road to the hiking trail. These paths include two old railroad right of ways. These railroads are the former Ulster & Delaware Railroad and the Catskill & Tannersville Railway. Cross the footbridge and walk to a trail intersection turning right and then follow the blue marked trail. The trail markers are well laid out and there is a sign with mileage and arrows pointing to Layman’s Monument. Note when you approach Spruce Creek along the trail and come to a large man-made rock foundation the trail follows uphill. It does not follow Spruce Creek at this point. The blue markers can be missed at this section.

Layman’s Monument has a nice view of the western head of Kaaterskill Clove. The parking area for Kaaterskill Falls is below. See above photos.

Recent News:

In 2008 a Boy Scout working on his Eagle project decided to help restore the Frank Layman Monument.

‘Daniel Coughlin, a resident of Palenville and a member of Troop 131, Saugerties, is working on his promotion to Eagle Scout, and said he selected restoring Layman’s Monument as his community service project to attain that rank.’

Read more at Life Scout to restore Layman’s Monument on South Mountain

Inscription on Layman’s Monument reads:

IN MEMORY OF

FRANK D. LAYMAN.

OF HAINES FALLS.

WHO LOST HIS LIFE ON

THIS SPOT AUG. 10, 1900.

WHILE WITH OTHERS

FIGHTING A FOREST FIRE

WHICH THREATENED TO

DESTROY THE HOMES AND

BUSINESS INTERESTS OF

THE PEOPLE OF THIS PLACE

BY THOSE GRATEFUL

FOR HIS DEVOTED SERVICE

THIS MONUMENT IS ERECTED.

Mount Utsayantha Firetower 360 View (October)

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October Weather

Comparison of afternoon and very early morning photos which help show the current change in temperature. On October 10,  2010 there was a 40 degree difference between high and low temperatures. At 2:28pm it about 70 degrees and at 2:04am it about 30 degrees.

Boulder Rock

CatskillSearch had a late start to the day and our trip destination was Boulder Rock. Both Walton Van Loan and Vly Rusk use an alternate spelling for Boulder Rock on their Catskill maps from the 1800s- They use the spelling “Bowlder”. Earlier in the day we photographed the 360 degree view from the Mount Utsayantha Fire Tower (View the Mount Utsayantha Fire Tower 360 View).

We first explored around the area of the former site of  the Kaaterskill Railroad Station inside the North Lake South Lake Campground. The Kaaterskill Railroad Station was a stop on the Ulster & Delaware Railroad. We found nothing to note compared to our last visit to the former site of the Kaaterskill Railroad Station this year on August 5, 2010.

We then continued to Boulder Rock on foot from the North Lake parking area passing the former site of the Catskill Mountain House.

On the return trip to the former Catskill Mountain House site from Boulder Rock it was nearly dark as the sun was near finished for the day. We encountered a bear just below the trailhead for the blue and red marked trail. This bear was much smaller than the bear that crossed our path on May 27, 2010 while hiking back from the former site of the Hotel Kaaterskill. However we were much closer this time to the bear. The bear also seemed just as startled to see someone and just ran off in the opposite direction after just a few seconds of the encounter.

The view from postcards and drawings of Boulder Rock from the past years are impressive. However there is much vegetation growth and there is almost no view of the Hudson Valley from the ledge where Boulder Rock is located.

Boot Jack Rock

Boot Jack Rock is located south of the former Catskill Mountain House. Boot Jack Rock and a rock located nearby to Boot Jack have pre-Civil War engravings.

Notable occurrences in American History with the dates engraved by these visitors:

1850- Compromise of 1850

1857- Dred Scott v. Sanford

1858- Lincoln-Douglas Debates

1859- John Brown’s raid at Harper’s Ferry

Mount Utsayantha Fire Tower View (Stamford)

Classic view from the Mount Utsayantha Fire Tower cabin. The photo shows the Mount Utsayantha observation building with Stamford, NY in the background.

Compare the Mount Utsayantha View differences from October 9, 2010 to a similar photo taken on October 19, 2008. First – The October 19, 2008 was taken much later in the day as the shadows and lighting is different. Most strikingly the rocks to the left of the Mount Utsayantha Fire Tower have been added and a few other rocks have been moved.

Mount Utsayantha Fire Tower View 360 (Fall Season)

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