We started the hike along the north shore of South Lake. We were surprised by the mild wind that cut through our coats. It was warm, but not warm enough. Additionally, the wind picked up cold air when it blew across the lake. There are a lot of turns on the trail up the shore to the easterly side of the lake. But, nothing terrible. After 1.5 miles we were at the trail head for the trail. This is also one of the those hikes where the entire hike was downhill the entire trip.
The trip down the road was nice. Many flat sections that were very pleasant to hike on. When we got to the second sharp turn, I took some time to check out the waterfalls. Not much water flowing over them. Just past this point we stopped at the Little Pine Orchard Picnic Area. Oddly enough, there are not pine trees at the Little Pine Orchard. Maybe there was at one time.
We then headed down further. When we got to the old Rip Van Winkle House, we stopped and explored a little bit. You can still see the foundation for the house that burned down 90+ years ago. From there we headed down the road. On our right were a series of waterfalls on private land.
We then came to the end of the hike. Here are some pictures:
Parking lot at South Lake
View from the east side of North Lake. You can see KHP and Roundtop in the distance
View of the Hudson River from the Escarpment Trail
Beginning of Sleepy Hollow Trail near North Lake and the old Cog Rail Road for the Catskill Mountain House
Classic view of the trail
Little Pine Orchard Picnic Area
Mossy Rocks along the trail
Old Rip Van Winkle House
Picture under the bridge by the site
Different view of the old Rip Van Winkle House and bridge
