Wittenberg Mountain

"Tom, Joe, Yong Ae and I rendezvoused at Moon Haw to hike the old Boy Scout trail a month after Tom and I last did it. For both Joe and Yong Ae it was their first time and they found the final ascent to the Burroughs Range trail quite challenging. Deeper compacting snow would make the climb much easier. Once we successfully bagged Cornell we headed over to Wittenberg where we enjoyed the wonderful view of a cloud bank. Both Yong Ae and I broke a chain link on one of our Hillsounds on the way so out came the stainless steel zip ties for a quick fix, always nice to do when your fingers are a bit chilly. Back down in the trees for a lunch break of our own soups/sandwiches/wraps plus Yong Ae’s home made dumplings and ginger tea. Our initial descent down the old trail was slow and tedious with the slippery conditons of leaves, ice and fluffy snow. The crusty snow back in December was much easier to deal with. Nice deep snow would make it a fun playful romp.....maybe in February( fingers crossed!)." — Nimblefoot • Jan 10, 2019

"Six of us headed out of Moon Haw to visit the summits of Wittenberg and Cornell. Instead of heading out the back of the parking lot and crossing the creek right away we headed up toward Friday mountain just enough to get passed the private property. Then dropped down to pickup the old Boy Scout trail to head up to the Burroughs Range trail. The microspikes went on as we gained elevation where the thin crusty snow caused back slipping. Higher up the snow deepened but still had a hard crust so we simply kicked steps. I followed the trail pretty well until the final several hundred feet where I veered off but still stayed in the open fairly well. Once we popped onto the range trail we headed up to Witt passing one hiker heading to Cornell. Surprisingly we found only a group of four having a hot lunch at the summit on such a beautiful day. A leisurely lunch in the sun then over to Cornell." — Nimblefoot • Dec 9, 2018

"Nine of us took a stroll across the Burroughs Range to complete Laura’s and Tom’s first 420 Catskill Grid and my second one. Beautiful sunny day with the heat and humidity down to a more reasonable level compared to the previous week. Not many folks on top but it was still early in the day. Chatted with an old friend before moving on to Cornell." — Nimblefoot • Jul 8, 2018

"Steve and I out for a through hike on the Burroughs Range. Shortly after leaving Cornell we came upon the infamous Cornell crack. Now we see why we haven’t seen any other hikers all morning on such a beautiful day. Normally not much of a challenge but today there is enough ice in the crack to question our safe descent. While we are looking down it a young couple,who are backpacking the range, are trying to figure out how to ascend it. Steve managed to get down it slow and safely then I attempted to do the same only to take a misstep an executed a butt luge to the bottom. Safe but gained a nice egg on my forehead the result of tapping the rock with my head on the way down. Now it’s basically just a stroll over to the summit of Wittenberg for lunch and a selfie of my new egg all while taking in the wonderful view. Strangely again we have the summit to ourselves until two guys arrive from Woodland Valley ten minutes later. On our descent we pass numerous hikers and backpackers not prepared for the icy trail conditions because the PA and lower elevations are completely snow free." — Nimblefoot • Apr 21, 2018

"Seven of us did a nice long hike from Lanes street in Phoenicia to Slide mountain PA. Visited the summits of Romer, Cross, Wittenberg, Cornell and Slide mountains. Surprisingly only two other folks on the summit when we arrived." — Nimblefoot • Oct 28, 2017

"Steve and I joined a Mohonk hikers/Rip Van Winkle hikers group hike led by our friends Tom & Anna traversing the Burroughs range. The usual great view from the summit was dismal do to the low clouds. Trail wetter and muckier than I've ever seen." — Nimblefoot • Aug 12, 2017

"Wittenberg and Cornell from the Woodland Valley Trailhead. So much snow on the mountains and great weather today made for an incredibly fun hike. The glissading on the the descent was top notch. When I did these peaks for my 35er patch, there were no views to be had. So fortunate to get to experience the beauty of the Wittenberg vista. Could've stayed up there all day.." — wacbravo • Feb 17, 2017

"Our third peak of the day with the best view and as expected on a fine weekend the biggest crowd of other hikers. Tom, Steve and I joined Kate & Cathy for a traverse of the Burroughs range to close in on their Cat35 finish. The infamous Cornell Crack provided another challenge for Kate's dog Beans. On our descent to Woodland Valley we passed numerous folks ascending rather late in the afternoon. The backpackers are going to find it difficult to find any water as the streams and springs are dry." — Nimblefoot • Oct 15, 2016

"Tom,Anna,Laura,Jim and I did a loop hike of the Moon Haw Four( Witt,Corn, Friday & BC ) starting off on the old Vanbenschoten trail from Moon Haw road. Had the summit to ourselves to enjoy an early lunch and the fine views." — Nimblefoot • May 17, 2016

"Beautiful day sunny and 78!!! Went with Brittany, Lennon, Bernie, Kyle and Bandit. When we got to about 3000' we ran into ice and none of us had thought to bring the microspikes. Took a little longer to summit because of it. " — LGH-Topple • Mar 9, 2016

"My first Catskill peak, and what a beauty. Could see off for miles to the south. Not the best view for looking further into the Catskills, but looking at the periphery was incredible. The first peak of the day. " — newenglandwarrior • Jul 19, 2015

"Traversing the Burroughs Range to close out the month of April. After descending the icey Cornel Crack it was an easy hike over to the Wittenberg to get the wonderful view out to the reservoir. Peak number 3 for the day and # 406 of 420 for the Grid. " — Nimblefoot • Apr 18, 2015

"Out & back from Woodland Valley. Solo. In conjunction with Cornell. Physically demanding hike. Trail was very poorly marked. Saw a lot of other hikers. Enjoyed the view immensely. " — kellieirene • Oct 19, 2013

"Last of three peaks on the day in our 18 mile loop of the Burroughs Range Trail. Was up here a few years ago and heard about the nice views, but was socked in by rain and fog. This time couldn't have asked for better weather. We had lunch on the summit and caught some rays in the beautiful sunshine and enjoyed the views before heading to Giant Ledge for the night. " — MooseHiker • Sep 7, 2013

"Ah back in the Cats for a grand traverse of the Burroughs range. Clouds above our heads and wet trail under our feet thanks to yesterdays rainstorm. View from summit limited do to low clouds but still wonderful." — Nimblefoot • Jun 8, 2013

"I got a very late start (for me) for this hike, 1:00pm is not the ideal start time for a day hike. So, I decided to only hike Wittenberg & Cornell. After how wet, the previous day's hike was, I was actually impressed with how good the trail conditions were on this hike. More detailed summit log will be posted on my blog soon..." — oceanstateofmind • Sep 30, 2011

"Traverse of Witt, Cornel and Slide starting from Woodland Valley. A late start lead to a headlamp finish with a sliver of moon in a star-filled sky... Ah... the wonders of Winter." — Nimblefoot • Jan 15, 2005