Catskills 3500: Eagle Mountain

Got a text from my friend, Alex, the other day with an invitation to go hiking up in the Catskills. She told there is a program called the 3500 Club. The 3500 Club is an organization that people can join where they can summit all of the peaks in the Catskill Park that are over 3,500 ft. For someone who loves to summit mountains and pose...this seemed like a great activity for me to get involved in. You can read more about this program here.

The 3500 Club: There are about 39 peaks in the Catskill Park that are over 3,500 feet. Many have actual trails that lead to them, however, there are a few that you have to bushwhack to summit. So, you have to start somewhere: so my first mountain was Eagle Mountain.

We parked at the Seager parking lot and trailhead. The conditions were super snowy up here. We needed to wear winter boots and microspikes to get up to the summit. The hike was about 8.2-miles round trip. This hike also included a water crossing...however, you'd think in the winter, you can cross on ice. Well, this brook was flowing and it was not at all covered in ice. So we had to hike a mile up the brook just to find some trees and some available ice to help us cross!

We ate lunch at the Shandaken lean-to. The lean-tos in the Catskill Park are pretty nice. They come equipped with a pot, knife, a shovel, and an axe! At least that is what this one had in it. The port-a-john definitely looked updated, however, the door was OFF when we arrived. So whoever used it, was completely exposed and had a great view out into the forest.

Shandaken Lean-To

Missing a Door to the Potty!

Narnia

As we ascended more up to Eagle Mountain, the snow got more clumpy on the trees! It looked like Narnia up there! After about a mile of tredging through snow, we got to a huge cairn that was the summit of Eagle Mountain. There was no view like most summits I have done, a lot of the forest has grown in and over. So the cairn was a great sign of us accomplishing our goal.

I had a great time hiking with Alex and her friend, Mel. It is always nice when you hike with friends - you catch up, talk about everything and anything, and support each other along the journey! Super excited to add more mountains to my 3500 list!

Eagle Mountain is in the Books!

Summit Pose!
Eagle Mountain: 3,600-feet
Catskill Park, New York