2020-07-21: Cornell Mountain

As the end of July approached I realized I had yet to climb a proper mountain yet that month, so I set my sights on some of the taller peaks in the central Catskills. I decided to hike Cornell Mountain, a 3800-foot peak in Shandaken NY. Although Cornell has trails to its summit, I had put off climbing it for years because getting there requires climbing over either Slide or Wittenberg, some of the most foreboding popular peaks in the Catskills. Although the hike over Wittenberg is shorter, I chose to climb over Slide instead; it's the tallest peak in the Catskills and I had long wanted to climb it with my camera. I had last climbed Slide in 2018; this was my first climb on Cornell.

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Markers at the 3500-ft point exist on all trailed Catskill peaks. Usually they're a sign that the summit is near; for the 4200-foot-tall Slide, they serve as a reminder of how far away it is.

A memorial plaque to the naturalist essayist John Burroughs, largely responsible for the reputation of the Catskill Mountains in 19th-20th century America.

A ten-mile eastern view towards the Ashokan Reservoir, one of several water sources for New York City. The water level is rather low due to low rainfall and abnormally high temperatures earlier in the month.

An overlook below Slide's summit shows Cornell Mountain, my distant destination.

Wittenberg and Cornell form the two 'lumps' at the center of this panorama from the lookout. The Ashokan Reservoir can be seen over the ridge on the right.

A closer view of Wittenberg (L) and Cornell (R). Here I realized just how far of a hike separated Cornell from my then-present location.

Fifteen miles northeast, three High Peaks (L to R: Sugarlof, Twin, and Indian Head) stand tall over Wittenberg's much nearer limb.

A close view of the nearer mountains show a stark difference in topography. Wittenberg's once glaciated, rounded peak stands only a hundred feet lower than Cornell's jagged ancient nunatak.

The descent from Slide into the col had a feature I've never seen in the Catskills before: Staircases, incredibly steep, covering long scrambles along the trail.

From a lower overlook, the summits of Wittenberg and Cornell now appeared above me.

A fairly arduous hike brought me to the summit of Cornell, where several clearings along the trail make for successive overlooks below the summit. This one looks towards the northwest.

Clouds moved in while I was at Cornell's summit, making well-contrasted pictures difficult to take. This overexposed image of Slide's summit was the best of 12 shots.

Balsam Mountain is at the center of this northwest-looking view, bound by wind-stunted spruce trees.

A wide panorama shows both the summit's ecological state and a fairly impressive view.

As the clouds began to break up I got a better, contrast-altered picture of Slide.

Although Panther Mountain seems impressive from its summit, from Cornell it looks like little more than a small hill.

A thirteen-mile view towards the road I came in on. Bearpen and Halcott Mountains guard the left (west) side of the Deep Notch, where NY-42 connects Greene and Ulster Counties.

West Kill (L) and Hunter (R) hide their own notch, not visible from this angle.

White clouds top a wide view to the north and west from below Cornell's summit.

Heading back up Slide I stopped at a few more overlooks which I had passed on the way down, such as this view towards West Kill and Hunter Mountains.

Hunter Mountain (left of center) obscures peaks of the distant Blackhead Range way up in Windham. Slide Mountain is the only peak from which all Catskill High Peaks are visible.

A closer shot at the trio of Sugarloaf, Twin, and Indian Head.

A panorama from the overlook reveals both the distant peaks of the northern Catskills and the nearer skyline of Wittenberg and Cornell.

Blackhead Mountain is almost twenty-five miles away from Slide, but is still easily visible even on a humid day.

A close-up of cliffs near Cornell's summit. Some of the pictures from Cornell were taken on these cliffs.

Trees in the wilderness of Woodland Valley, which separates Slide and Panther Mountains.

A panorama from the overlook nearest to Slide's summit. Some slight curvature can be seen here.

A more detailed shot of Slide's northern limb and the northern Catskills beyond it.

Blackhead, Plateau, Sugarloaf, Twin, Indian Head, Overlook, and Plattekill Mountains all appear in this one image.

A close-up on Slide's majestic northern limb and the valley into which it protrudes.

That peak rising over the notch is Huntersfield Mountain, the high point of Schoharie County some twenty-five miles away.