Hike #377 10/12/8
The group starting out in Otisville NY
10/12/8 Otisville Area Shawangunk Region Loop with Jim "Mr. Buckett" Mathews, Shelly Janes, Kyle Zalinsky, Jason-Michael "Jamal" Flintosh, and Larry Lareau.
Photos with single alpha characters by Shelly Janes, double alpha characters by JM Flintosh.
Otisville NY
Old Erie high line in Otisville
Along old Erie railroad high line in Otisville
Ruins along the rail bed in Otisville
Old Erie high line in Otisville NY
Old Erie high line, Otisville
Closed road
Closed Otisville Road
Closed Otisville Road
Closed Otisville Road
Closed Otisville Road
Closed Otisville Road overtop of Otisville Tunnel
View from Shawangunk Ridge Trail in Otisville
Basha Kill Wildlife Management Area
Basha Kill NY
Basha Kill
Basha Kill
Kyle walking the railings on a bridge over the Basha Kil in Westbrookville NY
One Manor Lane in Westbrookville
Former New York, Ontario, and Western Railroad, aka the "O&W"
Along the O&W in Westbrookville
Former O&W line
Former O&W line
Former O&W line
Former O&W line
Former O&W line
Former O&W line
Fall foliage along the old O&W railroad bed
Fall foliage along the old O&W railroad bed near Port Orange NY
Fall foliage on the old O&W railroad near Port Orange NY
Former O&W line
Former O&W line
Former O&W line
Former O&W line
Power line crossing the old O&W line in Port Orange
Former O&W line at Cuddebackville NY
Abandoned asphalt plant, Cuddebackville NY
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Chipmunk Cheeks
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant
Abandoned asphalt plant road
Crossing Rt 211 at Cuddebacksville
Former O&W line
Site of the O&W's Neversink Trestle
Former Neversink trestle site
Former Neversink trestle site
Neversink River
Fording the Neversink River
Neversink River
Crossing Neversink River where the O&W Railroad trestle used to be, and helping Larry across.
Near Neversink trestle site
Found an earth mover
O&W line south of the Neversink River trestle
Approaching Shawangunk Ridge on Guymard Turnpike
Shawangunk Ridge on Guymard Turnpike
Neversink River on Guymard Tpk.
Neversink River on Guymard Tpk
Neversink River on Guymard Tpk
Haysoose es saynyoor
I found a small cave off Guymard Turpike along Shawangunk Ridge
Guymard Lake
Former Erie raiload and juction with the elevated line to Otisville.
Erie Railroad
Hola?
Shawangunk Ridge Trail on old Erie High Line
SRT on the Erie line
SRT on the erie line
SRT on the Erie line
Old building at Graham Tower
SRT on the old Erie line
View from Graham Fire Tower
View from abandoned Graham Fire Tower
View from abandoned Graham Fire Tower
View from abandoned Graham Fire Tower
View from abandoned Graham Fire Tower
View from abandoned Graham Fire Tower
View from abandoned Graham Fire Tower
View from abandoned Graham Fire Tower
abandoned Graham Fire Tower
abandoned Graham Fire Tower
View from abandoned Graham Fire Tower
View from abandoned Graham Fire Tower
abandoned Graham Fire Tower
View from abandoned Graham Fire Tower
abandoned Graham Fire Tower
abandoned Graham Fire Tower
Abandoned Graham Fire Tower; the steps at the lower end were removed.
View from abandoned Graham Fire Tower
abandoned Graham Fire Tower
abandoned Graham Fire Tower
Ravine Trail back to the SRT
View from SRT on the Erie line
View from SRT on the old Erie line
SRT on the Erie line
Shawangunk Ridge Trail follows the old Erie Railroad right of way for a ways
The old Erie line, now SR Trail.
Ravine Trail in the Gunks
Power line view from Shawangunk Ridge Trail on the Old Erie
SRT on the old Erie line
View from Shawangunk Ridge Trail on the old Erie high line
Mantis
Ruins. Apparently there's a mine near here...
Ruins along the Erie high line
Erie high line stone work in Otisville
Otisville Cut
Along the Erie line in Otisville
Kyle and a can
Mick's store in Otisville NY
My next hike would be yet again the furthest north we had ever travelled in my connecting hike sections. This time, we would begin in Otisville NY, hiking a loop heading mostly south to reach the section of the Shawangunk Ridge Trail where I'd left off previously during the Summer. The foliage on the way up was beautiful, and Jamal took many pictures (see carpool folder). Joining me this time would be Jim "Mr. Buckett" Mathews, Shelly Janes, "Amish Paul" Hassler, Kyle Zalinzky, Jason-Michael "Jamal" Flintosh, and newcomer Larry Larue. We began at a small market in Otisville called Mick's Grocery and Deli. I had never been there before, but I chose the location because it looked on arial images to be the only large parking lot anywhere in the area. Most of us went in the deli, which had amazingly low prices, probably since it was in the middle of nowhere (0a). We got together and I explained the route we would be taking directly from the parking lot, which was built in part over the former Erie Railroad right of way's original route before the construction of the Otisville Railroad tunnel (0b). We wandered onto the right of way heading sort of west, and telegraph poles were still surprisingly intact. There were also some ruins to the left of the right of way. Some homes also had stuff thrown onto the rail bed to inhibit ATVs apparently (0ba-2). We soon crossed Walker street and continued on the rail bed through a deep cut (2a,2aa). The rail bed soon touched Rt 211 west of Otisville and we reached the Shawangunk Ridge Trail's aqua blazes. To the south, the trail follows the Erie Railroad bed, but to the north it turned onto Otisville Road. Surprisingly, Otisville Road was closed as it appeared to be collapsed or dug out just above the mouth of the Otisville Tunnel. Still, we were able to walk around it (2b-4). As we walked on past the road interruption we turned right onto the ridge on the SRT. We ascended steeply for some time, and reached a beautiful viewpoint to the southwest down the valley of the Basha Kill (5). We continued along the ridge which descended back down to Otisville Road, then turned right on Indian Orchard Road briefly. There were nice views of the Basha Kill from a platform along the river at a dam (6-6ab). I ran ahead on the SRT to see if we could possibly follow the rail bed south, but it was impossible because a bridge over the Basha Kill was long gone.
Instead, we returned to Otisville Road and walked over the Basha Kill on the road bridge. Kyle walked the guard rail (7).
We entered the village of Westbrookville.
We turned left on Manor Lane from Otisville Road because the rail right of way just looked impossible to follow along people's yards. We continued past the intersection with Apple Lane (8) and continued down the road until I saw an ATV trail heading left through a narrow strip of woods between houses. There were people pulling out of the one house, so we walked up the road a bit as not to scare them, and when they pulled out we walked the path into the woods. Soon, we reached a big loop of many ATV trails, one of which I was almost certain was the rail bed (8a). It was'nt long before there was no doupt that we were on the right path (8b). We continued on the rail bed very clearing heading southwest. I forget the former name of the line, but I think it was the O&W railroad. I think it was Ontario and Western or something. Maybe Wurtsboro had something to do with it. I don't know. The rail bed remained very clear for several miles (8ba-10). The foliage was incredible as well. We crossed one road, Port Orange Road, quickly as not to be seen trespassing. We also crossed a power line, after which the rail bed was'nt as clear. We were in a cut and on shelves below some homes where we were trying to remain quiet as not to bother anyone. In some places the ties were still in place amazingly (11,12). The rail bed continued on into less developed area once again, but seemed to dead end at a giant pile of dirt. The ATV path led around, and we soon found ourselves in the area of an abandoned asphalt plant. We of course had to go and explore the place, and we all climbed around on the ladders, into the basement of the offices, and took lots of photographs.
I stepped in some disgusting tar on the top level of the tallest building as well, but it came off fortunitely (13-31). We wandered onto an indistinct path which fortunitely led us back onto the railroad bed. We walked this until we reached Rt 211 in Cuddebackville where we had to go around some sort of truck stop or something (31aa). On the opposite side of the road, we were on a piece of public land fortunitely. We were able to walk the rail bed very easily (31ab). We followed the railroad bed heading southwest further until we reached Gallery Hill Road where the right of way ahead was on private land. Some girls on a trampoline waved at us happily as we passed by. We turned left on Brooks Lane hoping to parallel the right of way, but it dead ended at someone's house. There was a guy pulling out as we were there, and I told him what we were doing. He gave us permission to cross his land and reach an old trestle site. We wandered into the woods and found the piers of the former trestle over the Neversink River ahead (32-33). We had to wade across the river, which was quite interesting, before we could continue on (34-35b).
Once on the other side, we made our way back to the rail bed and continued on. Jamal checked out a giant earth mover seemingly abandoned out there near Station Road. No sign of a former station was in site, however. We did find, though, the junction with a former northbound railroad which I would like to follow one day. We continued on very easily and clearly following the rail bed to Guymard Turnpike (37) where we left the rail bed to walk the road south. The rail bed ahead was in public land of the Nature Conservancy, so I look forward to hiking that in the near future. We walked Guymard Turnpike, and there were some girls ahead of us walking in our direction. When they saw us, they turned left onto another road (Myers Road) and I commented "aw, they're leaving" and Kyle said "NO WAY" and ran as fast as he could toward them. The took off running down the road! We continued along the road to cross the Neversink River below some lovely rocks of the Shawangunk Ridge (38-39aa). We stopped briefly at the bridge while I ran up the mountainside to check out what appeared to be a small cave in the rocks (40). We headed up hill on the road passing by Guymard Lake (41), and then up hill to the former Erie Railroad and the Shawangunk Ridge Trail where we'd begun a previous hike (42-42ab). There was also some sort of buddhist center there. We headed down to the rail bed following the trail, which was rather tough because there was so much ballast rock (42ac-42af). My book on the Shawangunk Ridge Trail told me the trail turned right away from the rail right of way, but we could not see where it would do so, we stayed on the rail bed and continued to see blazes. Eventually, we came to two side trails which I had considered as a possible side trip. We were doing so well on time that we decided to take these trails. We began with the Graham Fire Tower Trail, mostly following an old woods road leading up to the fire tower. When we reached the tower, there was an apparently abandoned building and of course the abandoned fire tower with the lower level of stairs removed to keep people from trying to go up it. That of course did'nt stop us (42ag).
The views from the top were phenominal, where you could see north toward Minnewaska Preserve (44), toward what I think they call Anthony's Nose (45), east into NY state (46), the Basha Kill Valley (47), the Neversink Valley toward Port Jervis (48), and of course High Point NJ to the south (49). Views in all directions were spectacular (50-53).
We headed down hill on the Ravine Trail which was lovely, and reached the rail bed where Amish Paul was still resting. We then headed northeast along the SRT which continued on the rail bed, with sometimes great views over the Basha Kill Valley (54a-57a). There were also some ruins to the right of the trail which I don't know what they were (58,58a). We soon reached Rt 211 and backtracked through the cut and along the rail bed the way we came (59-59aa). Along the way I found a downed telegraph pole where I was able to pull out a full insulator complete with it's screw on wooden and metal holder! We reached the parking area with daylight to spare! (60). We went into Mick's grocery again for some dinner and had some great cheap food and beer (Molson Ice tall cans were like a dollar 29). The employees and customers got a kick out of us, because I'm sure they are not used to our type of humor (61). Before finally leaving we talked to a guy driving around an old chevy bel aire about the history of the area, which was great. He'd told us about the asphalt plant being abandoned in the 70s or something, and the roads and railroads, what businesses were serviced, and what not.
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