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.

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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