2022-06-17: Warren Stein Road

Cairo NY Roads: 84/112 mi

I hadn't been roadwalking in over three weeks, focusing more on mountains and high points, so Friday I decided to hit the streets of Cairo again on a pleasant afternoon. Taking a break from the more populated roads in the center of town, and the more highly-trafficked highways like Route 23, I laid out a six-mile loop north of central Cairo running through forests and farmlands roughly parallel to the Catskill Creek.

Roads Walked: CR-41/Lake Mills Rd, CR-67/Sandy Plains Rd, German Hill Rd, Joseph D Kollar Rd, Warren Stein Rd

I parked along Route 41 just north of the junction with Warren Stein and headed east, running parallel to the Catskill. This part of the road is heavily forested, with a lot of houses and woods to the north and glimpses of the creek visible through thinner trees to the south. As expected there wasn't a lot of traffic, and the trees made for good shade at the start of the walk.

Naturalized crownvetch (Securigera varia), an imported Old World legume, grows along the roadside. 

A chipmunk rests on a boulder to the north of Warren Stein.

A glimpse of the wide, shallow Catskill Creek through the narrow band of trees to the south.

A very old POSTED sign rusts away, still clinging to a hickory tree.

A large boulder juts out from the brush-covered forest floor beside a dead standing maple.

Looking down Warren Stein Road. This road runs through Sandy Plain, a very flat, fertile area north of the Catskill Creek.

After about two miles of relatively uneventful roadwalking, I came across a fantastic view. Near the eastern end of Warren Stein Road, a large farm takes use of the good soil along the Sandy Plain and the Catskill Creek, giving a wide open view of the mountains to the southwest. I stopped here to take pictures and found a small church hidden in the trees along the road. The farm was alive with activity so I didn't linger too long.

The ridge of Stoppel Point seems nearly symmetrical from this viewpoint.

Perspective makes the 1400' Round Top (L) look nearly as tall as the 3100' North Mountain (R).

Arizona 'Mountain' (L) and Blackhead (R) over the flatland forests.

Hay growing in the fields mid-harvest. Mild, damp conditions have allowed for an early first cutting in the area this summer.

Acra Point peeks above the forest beyond greenhouses near the center of the farm.

Blackhead - and the other peaks of the Blackhead Range - over the flat open fields.

The skeleton of an unused greenhouse sits near the treeline below Round Top.

At the end of the road I turned north up County Route 67 (concurrent with Sandy Plains Road at this location). This short stretch of road is deceptively steep, ascending nearly five hundred feet in under three miles - nothing for a hiking trail, but unusual for a valley road. However, the road is mostly forested, so the increase in elevation didn't do much for quality of views, although its slightly less populated nature made for a slightly more enjoyable walk.

A farmhouse is hidden behind these sumac bushes at the intersection of Warren Stein and Route 67.

Acra (L) and Windham (R) seen from a clearing at the steepest part of the road.

Blackhead from the same vantage point.

A rusted out truck bed, possibly still in use, at a small logging operation along the road.

The final stretch of the walk crossed over part of Joseph D Kollar Road and German Hill Road, the latter of which I walked last summer. German Hill Road is a true hill, descending four hundred feet in around a mile, but coming down it was a lot easier than going up had been last year. I saw a young buck here who was so young he didn't know to be afraid of people yet, and just watched me as I passed by.

The spring buck along Joseph D Kollar Road. Note the antler stubs, still covered in felt and just starting to grow in. 

Glimpses of Round Top (L) and North Mountain (R) across a large open area on Joseph D Kollar.

Trees and shrubs at the edge of the field seem to be reclaiming the land for the forest, just as the reeds in the pond below reclaim it for the swamp.