Pre-Trip
Giant Ledge has been on my radar of places to camp for a couple years now. Now I finally get to see what all the excitement is about. I’ve not yet fully decided if I’m going to summit Panther Mountain or not yet. That’s all going to depend on if I head out after work on Friday or wait to leave on Saturday. Regardless of when I leave, I’m planning on being home Sunday afternoon.
It’s still a couple weeks out from the intended weekend and I’m going through my list and checking it twice. I’ll know what gear is naughty or nice… I think a couple items I’m going to take with me might be overkill, but I’m testing out a new pack to see what mods I might need to make to it. I purchased, last year, the USMC ILBE Ruck pack.
I’m not gonna lie, by commercial standards, this pack is very heavy. However, it was, after all, built and designed for the Marine Corps infantry. So it had to be built tough. Since I will never come close to needing to carry a load out remotely close, there are some straps and panels I could remove. The first couple of trips with the pack are to figure out what I don’t need and can get rid of off the pack.
I have, for the most part, got the pack packed. As said earlier, I’m going over everything I think I will need for this trip and have picked out the meals I intend to eat. I’ve already bought most of the ingredients and prepped each meal according to the recipe. See, I’ve moved away from freeze dried meals and MREs for the most part and have started packing simple meals that can be cooked in one pot over either a fire or small camp stove. This allows me to play with flavor and control the quality of the ingredients I use.
Camping Trip Time!!!
It’s time to leave… And I’m headed out on Father’s Day weekend. The drive down was fantastic. Once I got off the highway, I was beaten by the beauty of the winding roads as they followed the valleys through the mountains and quaint little towns nestled like pearls on a necklace. My path brought me south on I87 to the Woodstock exit. From there I followed Rt212 to Rt 28 into the town of Big Indian then turned onto Oliverea Rd until I got to the parking area on a hairpin bend going up the mountain.
I arrived at the trailhead at apx 1130 in the morning to find the parking lot full. I had to squeeze my Durango tight against the guardrail near the trailhead. After some last minute packing additions to the pack and getting the straps adjusted as best as I could figure, then I was off.
The trail starts with a short wooden bridge then a slight incline and decline on a moderately rocky path. Within the first 100 or so feet of the trail, there’s a sign with some regulation reminders from the DEC and a log to sign in on. I do recommend signing in regardless of the purpose of your visit but especially if you are going to camp. Shortly after you will come to a longer wooden bridge taking you across the creek. At this point you start getting a taste of what the trail really has to offer. From there the rock scramble and incline start. There are some levelish spots with what can resemble cobblestone-like sections scattered throughout the first 0.8 miles to the intersection.
At the intersection, straight over takes you to a campground. Go to the right and 5.5 miles later you’ll find yourself a top the 4700+ foot Slide Mountain. Go left and walk the ridge for about 0.5 miles with moderate elevation changes before you’re faced with, in my opinion, the steepest section of the whole hike. At this point, you’re within 0.3 miles from Giant Ledge. Once you’ve made it to Giant Ledge, you are rewarded with some amazingly spectacular views. If you choose to, you can stop here or continue on about another 1.5 miles to summit Panther Mountain.
Before I forget, on your way up the final incline, there’s a natural spring you can get water from. It’s the only other place I know of to get water other than the creek at the start. Other YouTubers have found other springs near the summit, but I didn’t explore enough to find them.
Giant Ledge
While the hike up can be difficult for some and easy for others, everyone is rewarded with gorgeous views from multiple ledges along the east side of the trail. I managed to find a beautiful secluded spot with a private ledge I got to have all to myself, well, for the most part. I did have a few people wander down into my Oasis. But by large, most folks I could hear were going to the ledge just north of my spot.
My spot had a large boulder with a fire pit and some firewood someone left for the next camper to use. I didn’t have a fire this trip myself, but joined a couple other campers at the Ledge in an impromptu communal fire. The area was as close to perfect as I’d ever hope to find. It was flat with minimal rocks if any to worry about sleeping on, about half cover from the canopy above, a semi wind protected alcove where the fire pit was, and plenty of room for a couple of tents, one spot too perfect to be true for a hammock.
The Hike Back to the Trailhead
There really isn’t much to say here about the hike back. It’s pretty much the same as the way up but going down the mountain. Though you may notice things you didn’t on the way up. For example, I passed by a cool looking tree and didn’t take note until I was on my way down and paused to assess how I was going to negotiate the next couple “steps” and catch my breath at the same time.
Conclusion
I highly recommend this hike to anyone as either a day hike, overnight, or a multi night trip. This is, so far, my favorite trip yet since I started writing about my experience and the trip themselves.
Reflecting on the trip, I regret nothing. Yes, most of the way I was out of breath and breathing like a 3 pack a day smoker with asthma, BUT, I made it. Yes I packed some things I ended up not using I thought I’d need, however, I did have some things along just for the ride to see how they fit the pack I was testing out I ended up actually using. All in all, it was a fantastic trip and I would do it again.
Though, I must remind myself, I’m still going through physical therapy after a rotator cuff surgery about 12 weeks ago. So I am quite proud to have completed a fairly difficult trail so soon after a major surgery. So with that in mind, this trip represents a major milestone for me personally. I can’t wait to see what next month brings.
The Wandering Leatherneck 