Devil’s Kitchen of the Catskills

The Catskill Region area known as Devil’s Kitchen had an official tour from local politicians in mid September of 2010 because of several recent deaths in this particular location. This past year Devil’s Kitchen had a high profile death that gained the attention of many media sources. This area of Devil’s Kitchen where the death occurred is also known as the ‘Grand Canyon’. It  has been reported the hiker was attempting to look at a waterfall named Red Falls. Red Falls is one of the many waterfalls located in Platte Clove.

The death involved a female hiker named Olivia Rose Belfiglio who was 17 years and died on June 4 from injuries suffered in a 100-foot fall from a cliff in the area of Red Falls near Platte Clove Road. The police report was quoted from several sources that noted Olivia Rose Belfiglio and three classmates decided to go hiking on “Senior Cut Day” and none were wearing proper footwear for the area known as Platte Clove.

New York  State Senator James Seward has since reviewed the concerns related to two deaths in the Platte Clove and Devil’s Kitchen area of the Catskills.

According to CBS Channel 6: “Devil’s Kitchen is a treacherous section of the Catskill Mountains.”

Links:

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/09/14/news/doc4c8ed07d0f560560988401.txt

http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/kitchen-1278361-area-lawmakers.html

Link: Retired Hamburg teacher hikes Appalachian Trail

Michael Ranck of Deer Lake, a retired school teacher, has just finished hiking the 2,179 mile Appalachian Trail.

HAMBURG – After spending 114 days hiking the Appalachian Trail, Michael Ranck, Deer Lake, just wanted to go home and take off his shoes.

On Wednesday, the 59-year-old emerged from the trail near the Hamburg Reservoir and was greeted by about 30 family members and friends, many of whom walked the last mile of the trail with the retired Hamburg Area Earth science teacher.

“This is something I wanted to do for years. I live by the trail and have hiked parts of it. I like a challenge,” Ranck said.

http://republicanherald.com/news/retired-hamburg-teacher-hikes-appalachian-trail-1.958190

Platte Clove Road Closed

Platte Clove Road was closed temporarily by the Haines Falls Fire Department due to an injury to a hiker. A few weeks backs a hiker died after a terrible fall in area known as the Grand Canyon in Devils Kitchen.

Update June 8, 2010: It was tragedy. Read more about the tragic incident here and here.

Fire at the Cha Cha Hut

A fire recently occurred at the Roxbury restaurant Cha Cha Hut. It was known for their barbecue. Below is a quote from their website.

This is the worst day of our life. Sometime after 1am on Wednesday the 25th the Cha Cha Hut caught fire. The phrase “burned to the ground” is not totally accurate (see photos) but might as well be. We’ve basically lost everything.

Source: http://chachahut.com/2010/05/26/yes-we-had-a-fire/

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The Cha Cha Hut has been receiving many positive reviews. A link to the Cha Cha Hut was added recently to the CatskillSearch Directory after reading the favorable ratings it was receiving from customers on the Yelp website.  (Link: http://www.yelp.com/biz/cha-cha-hut-bbq-roxbury)

Cha Cha Hut has a detailed blog posting on their website regarding the fire tragedy. They seem to have a positive outlook on the future.

CatskillSearch wishes them the best.

Property Values Comparsion

The New York Times compared several residences and their 880,000 dollar value from across the country.

WHAT: A two-bedroom one-bath converted church

HOW MUCH: $879,000

SIZE: 1,560 square feet

PER SQUARE FOOT: $563.46

SETTING: This building — an 1861 church converted to a residence in 1963 and renovated in 2005 — is set on a hill about two miles from Woodstock’s center. Woodstock is a town of about 6,200 in the Catskill Mountains, and an arts colony since the early 1900s. The town has an artists-only cemetery; the police department’s insignia has a harp and palette on it. The town’s shops and restaurants are mostly located along the two-lane Route 212, or on small streets off of it. The 700,000-acre Catskill Park and six different river systems are nearby. Manhattan is about two hours south.

INSIDE: Most of the church’s original details — including leaded stained-glass panels in the great room, a hand-carved limestone fireplace, pressed tin walls and ceilings — are intact. There’s a sleeping area in the great room, and another in a loft over the kitchen, accessible by ladder. Off one part of the great room is an office; off another is a small alcove with a wood-burning stove. A spiral staircase leads up to a meditation room below the church’s bell tower. The bell tower is now a sitting room with views of the grounds, and interior views over the living room.

OUTDOOR SPACE: A meadow with a fire pit.

TAXES: $7,372 a year.

CONTACT: Gary Heckelman and Thea Millen, Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty, (845) 532-1178 or (845) 679-8888; villagegreenrealty.com

via http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/greathomesanddestinations/24gh-what.html

Join a Community

CatskillSearch.com is currently a single person operation and I am looking for artists (professional or amateur) to become ‘guests’ on my website.

If you’re visual artist (Painter/ Photographer) with Catskill themed work I will create a page on my website to promote your work- in return it will enhance this website with content. I will post a portfolio of your images with information regarding your work and if applicable a link to your website including a bio. Professional or amateur is ok- Send me an email through the Contact page expressing interest. Provide links to your work if applicable. Membership is absolutely free. This a good opportunity to showcase your work on a high traffic website specific to the Catskills.

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