Greene County Highpoint Trip Report
Hunter Mtn (4,040+ ft)
Date: August 7, 2004
Author: Dan Case
I went up the same way as I did in the previous report. No changes there except that NYSDEC has done a
lot of work to make the trail more amenable to horses (big wood bucket at the spring near John Robb Lean-To,
improved trail surface) so you could go up that way if you were so inclined.
At the summit clearing, I decided to look around for the highest natural ground and report back to the group,
as it does not seem to be the abandoned fire ring near the tower as I had thought on my last visit.
Since some of the land at the edge of the thick spruce-fir forest near the pit privy
(the highest one in NY, I'll bet) looked higher, I went there and found some clumps (probably old stumps)
and put my boot on them. None of them are too far from the privy, a good thing since these woods are so thick.
This eventually led me to the large flat rock in the dwarf spruce near the end of the clearing where the
trail continues. It has "ELV 4040" and a north arrow painted on it in yellow and is a very good candidate for
highest natural ground at the summit. It is easily visible from the tower if you miss it on the ground.
It may also look like there's higher ground within the 4,000-foot contour east of the summit but that's
probably the same optical illusion you see at PA's Mount Davis.
A quarter-mile or so to the east of the summit along the trail, at the trail junction where the footings of the
first fire tower are still visible, there is an unmarked path to the right that leads to some
spectacular views to the south and west.