Schunemunk Mountain Hike

If certain areas at ski resorts manage to have sections that go under, over, or off to the side of the radar, then it’s easy to imagine hiking trails and mountains that do the same. One hike, hidden in plain sight, a few feet west of I-87, is Schunemunk Mountain.

Schunemunk Mountain Hike

I can’t truly say that I’ve never noticed Schunemunk. From the north, it became a landmark on my trips home from school, marking that final hour in the journey towards the city. Passing those steep and rocky eastern flanks from the south it’s impossible not to think “why can’t we get a few hundred inches of snow down here.” I also can’t exactly remember when I first hiked Schunemunk Mountain, but so close to the city near Woodbury NY, it’s hard to believe it wasn’t sooner.

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Time Travel to the Summit of Rusk Mountain

Maybe I’ve seen the Last of the Mohicans one too many times: it seems I’m now obsessed with local lore and the “old days.” On a recent canoe trip down the Delaware I couldn’t stop talking about the Lenape Indians, their travel routines and dress. And on a hike up the highest mountain in Orange County NY, I drove my companions nuts detailing the meaning of the word Schunemunk.

Saint Anne's Peak
Saint Anne’s Peak

Actually I’ve always been fond of remembering the time when men were men, and hiking meant figuring out how to get from point Algonquin to point British without the use of marked trails.

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The Halfway Brook Trail

The Halfway Brook Trail was another traditional path through the Garnet Hills, in the Southern Adirondacks. It was used by locals for decades prior to the land’s inclusion into the Forest Preserve. In the 1930s, it was traveled by mine workers moving from their North River living quarters to the mine each day. In the last 50 years, the trail has been used mostly during the winter by backcountry skiers.

William Blake Pond.
William Blake Pond

Halfway Brook Trail now officially extends all the way to the old farm road, absorbing (and shortening) a trail that had been called “Overlook” on the Garnet Hill trail map for years. I was never sure if Overlook was actually a new name for part of the Halfway Brook Trail, or something truly distinct.  To further complicate things, the first section of the trail, became known as the William Blake Pond Trail — another result of the way lodge guests used the route.

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