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This is a short but difficult bushwhack to a surprisingly Gunks-like patch right in the heart of The Catskills.
On my @TotalCatskills Instagram account, this is one of the most popular memes…
It gets to the heart of a misapprehension that the Shawangunks are part of the Catskills. Not the case. Geographically separated by a wide valley, the Gunks are geologically distinct.
It’s so obvious to my eye — the rock and the flora are completely different! — and yet the idea that they’re the same persists. The situation is not helped by the exit signs along I-87 that say everything above Exit 17 is “The Catskills”.
You might as well be saying Greenland is part of the United States.
BTW, you might also enjoy…
- ADK › Whiteface Mountain via Marble Mountain
- DANGER › 6 Feet Under? How Our Adirondack Hike Turned Deadly Serious (Substack)
- ADK › Hurricane Mountain Fire Tower
- CATSKILLS › Catskills Fire Tower Challenge 2025
- Follow › My Instagram @TotalCatskills
- Follow › My writing for Times Union
I was hoping to get to an epic view from the northern edge of the massive Kaaterskill Amphitheater on the eastern flank of Kaaterskill High Peak. I did a lot of poking around in very dense mountain laurel but couldn’t find an open clearing. I suspect the views have simply grown in.
However, I did find the wonderful ledge in this area…
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