Wayne County High Point Trip Report
Mt Ararat (2,656 ft) and two areas 1,700 feet northeast (2,640+ ft)
Date: April 16, 2003
Author: Daniel Case
From NY 17 (Future I-86) at Monticello, take NY 17B west past White Lake and through Bethel to Fosterdale.
When 17B turns left at four-way intersection, continue ahead on Sullivan County 114, the old
Newburgh-Cochecton Turnpike that years ago was the first route from the Hudson to the Delaware.
After getting a little twisty and curvy, it finally reaches NY 97 and the Delaware River at Cochecton. Cross 97
and continue down to Cochecton on 114. Turn right at intersection in center of sleepy little town to cross
bridge and go into Damascus, PA. You are now on PA 371. Stick with this all the way up and down and
across Wayne County, through Ripleyville to Pleasant Mount. A mile past that village, turn right on PA 670.
At this point you will be able to see Elk Hill, the Susquehanna HP, recognizable by its ski trails and tower,
over the ridge ahead. Follow this about four miles north till you reach the place where Mike
Schwartz parked, a rather rough area past the Gravetsky farm with just enough space between the road and
the electric fence to park, right across from where the unposted woods abut the other side of the road.
Begin bushwhack as Mike describes, heading due west but gradually cheating south. Woods are indeed
open and friendly down lower, with visible older Catskill plateau-type sedimentary erratics; that begins to
change around 2,350 feet, with immature, scrubby beech beginning to take over the woods on steep slopes,
sort of like they do in the Catskills as well. Once you've gained the ridge, amid all this stuff, keep bobbing,
weaving and generally working your way to the very south end (you may find some abortive attempts at
putting some sort of road here helpful). There are many bumps, but the highest and most pronounced is
about 30 - 40 feet from a clearing to its north and a hundred feet from same to the northwest. Grit your
teeth and start up the ridge line, taking passage wherever you can find it. At least it's not balsam fir
and red spruce! Be prepared to take some hits. There were not significant thorn bushes on this day,
but that could change in warmer seasons.
You'll know you're getting closer to the fence line when you see the many taller trees in a section of woods
ahead of you, and this is the way it is on the other side of the fence line, where the woods have been heavily
logged in the past twenty years or so and so. While there is no dense scrub to contend with, there is the
abundant wretched fascination of so many piles of slash and deadfall. The two northern knobs are easily
found here, and offer no unique issues of their own save the usual need to hit a couple of points to be
absolutely sure of hitting the highest land. But they are quite compact.
Went back to fence line for the descent, and when the woods behind it started to open up, just crossed it and
traversed back to my car.