2022-12-23: High Hill

Athens NY: Greene County Town High Point 11/14

There are many different brands of highpointers, with significant overlap between all of us. Some, like the Gilbertsons, seek the highest point on a national level, travelling the world to reach country high points. Others, like the Highpointers Foundation, aspire to the highest point in each state. Still others are dedicated to reaching the highest point in individual counties. But to the extent of my knowledge, town highpointing is a nearly unshared ambition - which means very few have accomplished much in it.

In New York, ever piece of land in the state is divided into a municipality. There are no unorganized or unincorporated area; every speck of dirt is part of a town or a city. Greene County specifically is divided into fourteen towns with distinct court systems, governments, and clearly-delineated borders. The highest points in ten of these towns are proper mountains, located on public land with well-beat paths to the summits and overlooks at the tops. To date I've climbed nine of these, with only Catskill's North Mountain still to go.

However, access to the four 'lowland towns' is more difficult. These are Athens, Coxsackie, Greenville, and New Baltimore, with high points below 1106', no mountains, state parks, or hiking trails. These high points are buried in uncertain spots deep in the woods, on private property, or in otherwise difficult-to-access areas. I reached Greenville's Sligo Hill last May, located at the crest of a private road. For break, I've been searching out the remaining highpoints to see how feasible finishing this goal would be.

The highest point in Athens is High Hill (not an official name), a local maximum off of High Hill road on the southern half of Potic Mountain, which reaches 701' in elevation. Researched indicated this point was only a quarter mile off the road, located under power lines in a fairly rural area. Parking, sprinting up the power lines, tagging the HP, and then running back seemed risky, but I decided to head out on a rainy day and recon the area.

A rare wintry rainbow seen on my way to Athens.

Heavy rainstorms all day, combined with melting snow from the week before, had led to widespread flooding all over the county, some of the worst I had seen in years. Many roads were underwater, and I had to find some detours at some spots to keep from getting swept in. Once I reached the power lines, I found a spot on Potic Mountain Road to pull over and assess the situation at High Hill.

Looking up the power lines towards the top of High Hill from my parking spot around 90' below.

The situation didn't look great for an attempt today. There were a few smaller hills under the power lines that were covered in snow, and the cols between them had turned to rivers over six inches deep. The ground was slick and muddy, and detouring through the woods was a no-go as there was a house on the road there. But as I stood, looking at the top of the town so nearly within reach, I asked myself, "Will I really come back? When will I be here again?". Knowing the answer, I hopped off the side of the road and started running up the hill.

The temperature was in the mid-40s, so I had left my sweatshirt in the car, figuring that a white t-shirt would blend in with the snow better. The water was just barely above freezing, but with such a short hike and vaguely warm weather, I decided the best approach was to ignore the mini-rivers and run straight through them. I hopped over a rock wall halfway up the hill, following 4x4 tracks where I could find them.

I ran over a driveway that passed under the lines and then saw a house ahead. I knew from satellite maps that there was a driveway and a house up here, but in person, I saw that the house was so close to the edge of the woods, there was a clear line of sight from there to the clearing under the power lines and even to the woods beyond. I headed a good thirty feet into the woods opposite the house and picked up the pace. I found the high point along a rock wall several yards from the treeline, and for a few brief moments I was the highest man in Athens.

High Hill, Athens NY. Elevation 701'. Greene County Town HP 11/14.

A view of the highest ground through dense forest along the power lines. The high point is by the rock wall in the distance.

I didn't take long to enjoy the view, quickly running off the high point and back down towards the road. I headed down straight through the woods this time, emerging only once I was out of view of the house to snap some pictures of the view under the power lines from near the top of the hill. I was tempted to run down the hill just as fast as I had run up it, but with the snow and mud I knew that I would end up wetter than planned if I didn't keep my speed down.

Looking out from just below the summit, towards the west.

Another west-facing view under the power lines from farther down the hill.

I ran straight through the frigid streams like before and soon found myself back at the car. I looked around a bit to bid farewell to the top of Athens, stripped off my wet shoes and socks to protect my feet, and prepared to leave as quickly as possible. However, I was stymied at this point by the snow and mud beneath my parking spot. I had one tire on pavement but the other three just spun in the slush. Digging my car out of spots like this isn't unusual to me, but I had never done it barefoot in the snow before. It didn't take long to get unstuck, and soon I was dodging flooded roads on my way back home, only three town high points to go.

Flooding on Route 67 in Freehold. Spots like this were commonplace and made the short trip to the high point tricky.

The Catskill Creek spilling over its banks in Oak Hill.