2023-06-12: East Jewett Range

East Jewett Range, elevation 3152'. Solo bushwhack ascent via Scribner Hollow. 1.94 mi, 850', 58m RT. Catskill Hundred Highest 48/100.

Poor air quality from the Nova Scotia wildfires had kept me stuck in the house for the past week, something which I always hate. The air quality still wasn't phenomenal this Monday (around 75-80 AQI) but I was anxious and feeling energetic after my work shift so I headed out to Tannersville to climb another trespass bushwhack in the Catskill 100.

Like its neighbor Onteora Mountain, the East Jewett Range (actually a single mountain despite its name) is a largely privately-owned mountain in East Jewett (appropriately) whose summit is accessible via a relatively short, steep bushwhack. There are two potential approaches to East Jewett; the east approach, from Scribner Hollow Road, is shorter but involves passing very close to houses and through some large clearings. The western approach, from Route 296, is much longer but more remote, circumnavigating a small airport. The only trip report I could find online described a pretty easy ascent from the east so I decided that was what I'd go for.

I parked at a pullout along the Hunter/Jewett town line and headed immediately to my west. Satellite imagery seemed to indicate wide clearings along this very start but these were evidently somewhat outdated, as the first few hundred yards involved bushwhacking through incredibly thick, very young forests of dense, mostly beech and ash saplings. I crossed several mown trails and eventually emerged at a wide open field, clearly maintained with a few decorative rocks but no evidence as to what it was for (clearly not farming, possibly a venue of some kind). Beyond this, the mountain steepened up and the forest turned to open maples and oaks; here, the hike really began.

The limb of Onteora Mountain above the treetops from the clearing.

The field offered limited views of the surrounding mountains, such as this shot of Twin Mountain through the haze.

The climb up East Jewett went pretty straightforwardly at first, similar to its neighbor Onteora but also distinct in a few ways. I was mostly surprised by how few rock outcrops there were; the steepness of the mountain was all in sloped dirt and leaves rather than stepped climbs. I prefer the rock faces myself, as it gives an opportunity for scrambling, which is more fun, and pathfinding, which is more engaging, but the steep ground is probably safer. I passed a number of very old logging trails that seemed to switchback up the mountain all the way to the deciduous/evergreen boundary at ~3000'.

Large moss-covered boulders teeter precariously above me on the steep eastern slope.

Most of the hike was characterized by wide open maple forest such as this.

One of the few rock outcrops on the trail. Those that were there were small and always easily navigable or avoidable if necessary.

Towards the summit plateau I rounded a corner through some brush and the environment immediately changed to the dense fir/spruce forest typical of the high-elevation Catskills. Summit coordinates were on the western side of the plateau, which meant a lengthy and likely difficult bushwhack to the highest point, but I was prepared for it. Thankfully I didn't have too; a few hundred feet into the forest I came across the state/private land boundary, which was clearly marked and cut along land owned by New York City for their upstate reservoirs. It was a bit jarring to see signage and markers so well-kept in such a remote and hard-to-reach spot. I followed these paths to the western side of the summit, then stepped away a bit to a spot that seemed slightly higher than the rest of the area, although it was hard to tell for sure.

Cleared land along the boundary. The orange blazes delimit the privately-owned side of the mountain.

After thirty minutes of bushwhacking to a remote spot I was greeted by these pristine signs nailed to almost every other tree.

East Jewett Range, elevation 3152'. Catskill Hundred Highest 48/100.
This environment is quite typical of the summit area, beautiful but difficult to navigate.

Descent went very quickly, as bushwhack descents tend to. I stopped at the edge of the summit plateau to see the mountains, as quite rarely for a bushwhack peak, there were limited natural views all around its summit. There were a few areas where I had to be careful because of the steepness of the ground and I actually had some trouble downclimbing one of the very small rock walls. Soon I was back at the clearing, where I stopped for a moment to catch my breath, take in the view, and prep myself for the quick but exhausting bushwhack through the saplings and back to the car, another mountain successfully conquered.

The peaks of the Blackhead Range are visible as glimpses through the trees at the north end of the summit.

Onteora Mountain looks somewhat less imposing from the base of its slightly shorter neighbor.

Evening clouds move in beyond the well-kept clearing, looking towards other mountains to the north.