Table and Peekamoose Mountain

I know I've said this many times, but this is one of my favorite hikes. Two peaks in one day plus one of the most stunning views at the end. This would be one of the longest hikes that we've done yet, so we knew it was going to be a challenge.

Table and Peekamoose Mountain is located in the town of Denning. Seriously, the trailhead is in the middle of nowhere. But that made it even better. More remote, less people. I know it sounds bad, but having the trail to yourself or to just you other friends is great. You don't have to worry about speed or talking about something that would be inappropriate for people you don't know. Plus, when I've seen other people on hikes, I try to greet them and at least ask them how the hike has been. Some people stand there, nod and that's just rude. Not really noticing that we're even there. That kind of negativity is not what you need while out on the trail.

Anyway, the trail starts out pretty flat and it crosses over the beautiful Neversink River. The Neversink is a fairly large river and the sound of the rushing water was very peaceful and relaxing. The bridges that cross over the river are amazing.

A little after the bridge we started to finally gain some elevation and started actually climbing up the mountain. The first part up is full of large, mossy rocks that must of resulted either from a small rock slide or flooding from the river. Due to size of the rocks, I would say that it was from a rock slide off the mountain many, many years ago.

After the short climb over the rocks you come to a flat part that lets you catch your breath. It was the middle of May, so everything was starting to grow back again. The greenery on both sides of the trail going through the forest was beautiful!! There were also flowers blooming since it was the start of spring.

We started gaining in elevation again and came to our first viewpoint over looking part of Table Mountain and The oddly shaped Van Wyck Mountain.

As you can see, it was a beautiful day. Fairly clear and the temperature was in the mid 50's. Almost a perfect day for hiking. We enjoyed the view while we had a little snack to get us ready for the final push up Table Mountain.

After the viewpoint, it got steep. Not as steep as some of the other mountains in the Catskills, but steep enough to wear you down. About half way up there is a lean-to. A shelter where multiple people can stay the night. We checked it out, had a rest, then went back on our way up the stop. We hit the 3500ft sign and it started into the conifer forest. It remained steep at a steady pace till you reached the viewpoint just below the summit of Table Mountain. Since it we were higher up on the mountain, it was more open and offered a wider, stunning view to the south west of the Catskills.

We wanted to stay, but we knew we had to move on to the top of Table and onto Peekamoose. We caught our breath, took some pictures and got back on the trail.

Table Mountain got it's name because it has such a long, flat walk on the top. It was very relaxing walking through the beautiful conifer forest at the top. The smell is also very different up there. I can only describe it as 'fresh' and 'pure'.

After the peaceful walk on the summit, we started to descend into the col of Table and Peekamoose. We paused and collected our breath just before we started climbing to our final destination: Peekamoose Mountain.

As you get closer to the bottom of Table Mountain you encounter some rock stairs. We don't know who made them or when they made them, but it is a pretty cool thing to come upon when you're hiking. The climb up Peekamoose wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. It was still challenging, but not too steep. Not even a half a mile later, we were on the summit of Peekamoose and headed to the viewpoint that would blow our minds!!

a

Once again, blown away by the beauty of mother nature and the Catskills. The body of water in the pictures is the Ashokan Reservoir and the mountain range in the far left is Devil's Path. We probably spent a good 45 minutes here soaking in the view. It was better than expected. We both didn't want to leave, but we knew we had a long way to go to get back to the trailhead. We ate our lunch, took some more pictures and headed back down Peekamoose and Table Mountain. On almost every hike, when we get closer to the end, we both start experiencing what we call 'jello legs'. Its the feeling of when your basically twisting your ankles on everything you encounter. It pisses you off because you know you didn't feel like this on the way up and you just want it to stop. But it's also funny, because you experience it on the flat parts also and it makes you look like a drunk person walking on the street! We definitely had jello legs on this hike!!

It was a tough hike and one of the longest we'd ever do. A total of 9.15 miles. But it was well worth it. The views alone were worth it, but the whole hike in general was amazing.