Pancake Hollow



Pancake Hollow, High Mountain Park Preserve (Thanksgiving, 11/27/2008)

Whenever High Mountain Park Preserve is featured in a hike book, the hike usually involves the summit of High Mountain. This is understandable, given the amazing views of Manhattan from the top. We saw those views (though it was a bit hazy) in July, 2005. But recently I discovered a map of the preserve on the NYNJTC site, and decided it was about time to hike the lesser-travelled parts of the preserve. So on this Thanksgiving morning we parked at the trail head on Chicopee Drive and hiked the entire Pancake Hollow trail. We then hiked to the beautiful waterfall on the Orange loop just off the Yellow trail. While not labelled on the map, one must take a White-blazed trail to get from the Pancake Hollow trail to the the Yellow trail. The most interesting parts of this hike are on that relatively short White trail and the Yellow trail, where the rock formations present a geologist's dream.

Total distance travelled was 4.5 miles in about 3.5 hours, counting lunch at a beautiful waterfall off the yellow trail.

(Click on the thumbnail to bring up a bigger image in a pop-up window)


Swashbuckler Laura at the trail head

All the leaves are off the trees


"Wizard of Oz" tree



Water tower on hill


Wet fork on Pancake Hollow trail

 


Mourning dove


Doe
 


Buck



 


Dan taking ... [photo by Laura]

... this photo


View of Franklin Lake
 



House off Cherokee Lane

Franklin Lake

Basalt on Pancake Hollow trail
 


Hawk feather?


On the White trail

 


Look at all those rocks!

Dan amidst huge boulders [photo by Laura]

On Yellow trail

Orange trail to ...
 


... beautiful waterfall

[photo by Laura]


 


Our lunch spot

Waterfall from above

Climbing back down

Verdant patch where Yellow & Orange meet
 


Mini Palisades on Yellow trail


Awesome volcanic formation

Another view
 


Back on White trail

Basalt overhang on White trail


Bright green lichen
 

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