Panther Mountain
Panther Mountain is a very important and historical place in the Catskills. It is believed to be the center of a meteorite strike dating back 375 million years ago. The Esopus Creek forms around Panther Mountain in almost a full circle, which made geologists start looking at Panther Mountain. On the way to the summit, you also encounter Giant Ledge. It offers one of the most beautiful views in the Catskills. At the same time, it is also one of the most popular destinations. So it can be flooded with people.
Back to the hike.... I basically hike on Tuesdays or Sundays, because those are my days off from work. It's great to hike on those days because everyone else is at work and the trails aren't busy like the weekends. On the weekends, the Panther Mountain parking lot is guaranteed to be full and people will start parking their cars along the street. My wife and I went on a Sunday once and cars filled the street up to a half a mile down the road! It can be nice to see and meet someone new on the trail, but when there are groups of 20 people screaming and yelling at each other or little children crying along the trail, it turns the hike less enjoyable.
The day started off great. It was about 50 degrees outside and a few clouds here and there. The hike to the top of Panther Mountain and back is a good 6.8 miles, so it was a little more challenging than my last 5.6-mile hike. This trail also has a lot of rocks on it. Not just ones that you step on and move along, but ones that you have to either take a long stride to get over or hop onto them. Awkward rocks I guess. This made it very difficult on the knees and ankles. After you register, the trail slightly climbs uphill on large rocks. nothing too big to be worried about. A lot of people think that all hiking trails are basically just a path of dirt through the grass. That applies to some trails, but not all. The picture on the left is what most of the trail looked like on Panther Mountain and most of the Catskills.
The first trail junction points you towards Giant Ledge. Giant Ledge is a very popular spot for tourists in the Catskills. It offers one of the most stunning views in the Catskills and it's not too difficult to get to so it makes it very popular. I think there was only one other car in the parking lot, so I knew I had the mountain and the views basically to myself. When I arrived at the first ledge, I was overwhelmed with the view it gave me. It was absolutely breathtaking.
The amazing thing is that there are four more ledges after this one that offers similar, if not the same views as this. So if there is a bunch of people at one ledge, you can move on and see if there is any at the other. That's why it's called Giant Ledge!!
Once you get beyond the ledges, which can take a while because of the views, you start dropping in elevation and move into what they call the col. A col is the lowest point between two mountain peaks. For easier terms it's a dip between the mountains. After that, the elevation started gaining and it became more difficult to climb up. No real climbing, just a difficult grade and rocks to move up and around. I hit some snow and ice near the top,
but nothing to make me have to turn around. My Merrell shoes, which is the best pair of shoes I have ever owned, have great grip on them so it was very easy to walk over the snow and ice. After the long climb in elevation, I found myself at the summit of Panther Mountain. There is a limited view on the summit because the trees are starting to overgrow the view. This isn't bad because we want to keep that wildlife going in the Catskills so it can be there forever. You start taking down trees at one place and everyone else will start wanting that everywhere. We don't want that in a beautiful forest like this. The walk along the summit was beautiful. The smell of the conifer trees and the trail that leads through them is a very magical and peaceful place. The picture on the left shows what it looks like. Like I said, magical right?
The view on the summit was still amazing.
After the summit view I decided to keep going to the last viewpoint which was about a quarter mile from the summit. Man I'm glad I did. When you reach certain viewpoints it's not like it just opens up and you're there. You see a little crack in the trees and you think you might be able to see something, but you're not 100% about it. I walked to the break in the trees and this is what I saw:
Once again, IT WAS STUNNING! Simply beautiful. I can't put it into words and a picture can't describe it. Yea, the picture is beautiful, but seeing it with your own eyes is something else. If everyone could see what I see, I would see what I'm talking about. I decided to have lunch there while sitting on the ledge with the great view. A simple peanut butter sandwich (yes, just peanut butter) Doritos and a banana were good for me. After lunch and the amazing view, I started to head back. The hike back was much easier till I got past Giant Ledge. After that, the big rocks start to take a toll on your knees and ankles and they start to feel like jello. You lose your balance and start to tumble sometimes, which is funny at first because you feel clumsy, but then it starts to get annoying and it becomes difficult. I still made it back though. Most of the time you know you're close to the end of the hike because you start hearing the roaring creeks nearby. I heard the creek off to the side and I knew I was close. I checked out of the registry book and went back to my car. Another day, another amazing and beautiful hike!!