Hiking and Nature with Angela: Schunnemunk Mountain

Where: Schunnemunk Mountain
Mileage: ? ~around 8-10 miles
Elevation gain: around 1800 ft
Time: 6 hours
Wildlife: rattlesnake! toad, lots of insects, cicadas

We made an attempt at Schunnemunk Mountain this weekend. The beginning is quite a climb and after that it levels off among open ridge lines of rocks, rocks and more rocks! Be prepared for the sun in the summertime. I would not attempt this hike as an absolute beginner, as the climb can be considered steep. The majority of the elevation gain is in the first 1.5 miles. The yellow trail has a short side trail (white) that will lead you to the Megaliths, which is the focal point and main goal of this hike. Make sure not to miss this. A fun activity I learned this hike, is the popularity of geocaching. This is a type of treasure hunting game you can use on almost any trail hiking. We tried to look for the box around the Megalith area, but we couldn't find it unfortunately. A geocaching app can be downloaded on to your phone.

This hike was also with a group, but a fellow hiker and I got a bit off track and paved our own route, so mileage is an estimate.
What we did was:
Starting Point: Otterkill Road
Trestle (White)->Long Path(aqua, but recently repainted as orange) ->Barton Swamp (orange)->Western Ridge(Blue)-> Jessup(yellow)-> Otterkill Trail (Red)

Original Plan was:
Trestle (White)->Long Path(aqua, but recently repainted as orange) -> Jessup(yellow)-> Sweet Clover trail (White)-> Otterkill Trail (Red)

Needless to say, we strayed and if not for the good chance of running into hikers with maps who were friendly enough to share, the hike could've been a wash. But we powered through and rerouted with successful navigation.

Along the route I encountered my first rattle snake. The first indication to identify it was the unmistakable rattling hiss it let out as we hiked by. It let out a fair warning. The cicadas were also out in full force. Many times they flew right into us!