| Shawangunk Ridge | |
| Shawangunk Mountains, The Gunks | |
| Range | |
 Shawangunk Ridge from south of New Paltz
|
|
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | New York |
| Highest point | High Point |
| - elevation | 2,289 ft (698 m) |
| - coordinates | |
| Length | 47 mi (76 km), north–south |
| Geology | Shawangunk Formation; sedimentary |
| Period | Ordovician (470 million yrs) |
The Shawangunk Ridge (also known as the Shawangunk Mountains, or The Gunks; pronounced by some locals as "SHONG-gum," (/ˈʃɑŋgʌm/)) is a ridge of mountains in Ulster County, Sullivan County and Orange County in the state of New York, extending from the northernmost point of New Jersey to the Catskill Mountains. New Paltz is a village in Ulster County in the US state of New York. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand The Silurian Shawangunk Formation (Ss is a mapped bedrock unit in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. Sedimentary rock is one of the three main rock types (the others being igneous and Metamorphic rock) The Ordovician is a geologic period and system, the second of six of the Paleozoic era, and covers the time between 488 Ulster County is a County located in the state of New York, USA. Sullivan County is a County located in the US state of New York. Orange County is a County located in the US state of New York. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. The Catskill Mountains (also known as simply the Catskills) a natural area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany
The ridgetop, which widens considerably at its northern end, has many public and private protected areas and is not heavily populated, boasting only one settlement of consequence (unincorporated Cragsmoor). Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their environmental cultural or similar value Cragsmoor is a hamlet (and Census-designated place) in Ulster County, New York, United States. While in the past it was chiefly noted for huckleberry picking, and the fires set to create favorable conditions for further growth, today it has become known for its outdoor recreation, most notably as one of the major rock climbing areas of North America. UserStan Shebs for a timetable --> Climbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet (or Also known for its biodiversity and scenic character, the ridge has been designated by The Nature Conservancy as one of the "75 Last Great Places on Earth. Biodiversity is the variation of Life forms within a given Ecosystem, Biome or for the entire Earth. The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable Environmental organization working to preserve the Plants, Animals, and natural communities "
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Name
The name is a Dutch transliteration of the indigenous Munsee [Lenape] "Scha-WAN-gunk" (/ʃɑˈwɑŋˌgʌŋk/). Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname Transliteration is the practice of Transcribing a Word or text written in one Writing system into another writing system or system of rules for such practice The Lenape linguist Raymond Whritenour reports that, "Schawan" is an inanimate intransitive verb meaning "it is smoky air" or "there is smoky air. In Grammar, an intransitive Verb does not take an object. In more technical terms an intransitive verb has only one argument (its subject " Its noun-like participle is "schawank," meaning "that which is smoky air. " Adding the locative suffix gives us "schawangunk" ("in that which is smoky air" or, more simply, "in the smoky air")[1].
Whritenour has suggested that the name derives from the burning of a Munsee fort by the Dutch at the eastern base of the ridge in 1663 (a massacre ending the Second Esopus War), where it spread quickly across the basin on land deeds and patents after the war. Fortifications are Military Constructions and Buildings designed for defense in Warfare Humans have constructed defensive works for The Esopus Wars were two localized conflicts between Dutch settlers and the Esopus tribe of Lenape Indians during the latter half of the 17th century in what is now Historian Marc B. Fried writes: "It is conceivable that this was. . . the Indians' own proper name for their village [and fort] and that the name was appropriated for use in subsequent land dealings because of the proximity of the. . . tracts to the former Indian village. . . . The second possibility is that the name simply came into existence in connection with the Bruyn [purchase of Jan. , 1682, the first appearance of the name in documentary record], as a phrase invented by the Indians to describe some feature of the landscape. " [2]. But Fried also notes that the name's swift spread in the deed record suggest it was in use as a proper name before the Bruyn purchase. Shawangunk appears nowhere in reference to the fort itself in the extensive, translated Dutch record of the Second Esopus War.
By the early to mid 18th century, Shawangunk became associated with the ridge. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system European settlers began to truncate Shawangunk into "SHONG-gum," (/ˈʃɑŋgʌm/) a pronunciation still favored by some locals in the area where the name first came into existence. Shongum is frequently misrepresented by educators, ridge land managers, and in publications as the original indigenous pronunciation.
Geography
The Shawangunk Ridge is the northern end of a long ridge within the Appalachian Mountains that begins in Virginia, where it is called North Mountain, continues through Pennsylvania as Blue Mountain, becomes known as the Kittatinny Mountains after it crosses the Delaware Water Gap into New Jersey and becomes the Shawangunks at the New York state line. The Appalachian Mountains ( often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state North Mountain is a Mountain Ridge Blue Mountain is a ridge that forms the eastern (southeastern edge of the Appalachian mountain range in the U The Kittatinny Mountains are a long ridge across northwestern New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. The Delaware Water Gap is on the border of New Jersey and Pennsylvania where the Delaware River traverses a large ridge of the Appalachian New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. These mountains mark the western and northern edge of the Great Appalachian Valley[3]. The Great Valley, also called the Great Appalachian Valley or Great Valley Region, is one of the major landform features of eastern North America.
The ridge is widest (7. 5 miles/12 kilometers) near the northern end, narrow in the middle (1. 25 miles/under 2 kilometers) with a maximum elevation of 2,289 feet (698 meters) near Lake Maratanza on the Shawangunk Ridge. Lake Maratanza is the highest lake in New York 's Shawangunk Ridge at 2245 feet (684 m above sea level The ridge rises above the broad Wallkill River valley to the east and the narrow valley to the west that contains Basher Kill and Rondout Creek at the northern end and the Neversink River and Delaware River at the southern end. The Wallkill River, a Tributary of the Hudson, drains Lake Mohawk in Sparta, New Jersey, flowing from there generally northeasterly In Geology, a valley (also called a vale, dale, glen or strath and near or in Appalachia, a draw) is Rondout Creek is a Tributary of the Hudson River in Ulster and Sullivan counties, New York, USA. The Neversink River (also called Neversink Creek in its upper course is a tributary of the Delaware River, approximately 65 miles (105 km long in southeastern The Delaware River is a river on the Atlantic coast of the United States. These adjacent valleys are underlain by relatively weak sedimentary rock (e. g. , sandstone, shale, limestone).
Natural environment
There is an unusual diversity of vegetation on the ridge, containing species typically found north of this region alongside species typically found to the south or restricted to the Coastal Plain. This results in an unusual area where many regionally rare plants are found at or near the limits of their ranges. Other rare species found in the area are those adapted to the harsh conditions on the ridge. Upland communities include chestnut oak and mixed-oak forest, pine barrens including dwarf pine ridges, hemlock-northern hardwood forest, and cliff and talus slope and cave communities. The Chestnut oak ( Quercus prinus; synonyms Quercus montana Willd Pine barrens, also known as "pine plains" "sand plains" "pinelands" "pine bush" and "pitch pine-scrub oak barrens" occur throughout Tsuga (from ツガ ja 栂 the name for Tsuga sieboldii) is a genus of conifers in the family Pinaceae. Wetlands include small lakes and streams, bogs, pitch pine-blueberry peat swamps, an inland Atlantic white cypress swamp, red maple swamps, acidic seeps, calcareous seeps, and a few emergent marshes[4]. A bog or mire is a Wetland type that accumulates Acidic Peat, a deposit of dead plant material &ndash usually Mosses but also The Pitch Pine ( Pinus rigida) is a small-to-medium sized (6-30 m Tree, often contorted due to fire or weather Blueberries are Flowering plants in the genus Vaccinium, sect Peat is an accumulation of partially Decayed Vegetation matter. Chamaecyparis thyoides ( Atlantic White Cypress or Atlantic Whitecedar) is a species of Chamaecyparis, native to the Atlantic Acer rubrum ( Red Maple, also known as Swamp or Soft Maple) is one of the most common and widespread deciduous Trees of eastern
Geology
The ridge is primarily underlain by Shawangunk Conglomerate, a hard, silica-cemented conglomerate of white quartz pebbles and sandstone that directly overlies the Martinsburg Shale, a thick turbidite sequence of dark gray shale and greywacke sandstone. The Silurian Shawangunk Formation (Ss is a mapped bedrock unit in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. The Chemical compound silicon dioxide, also known as silica or silox (from the Latin " Silex " is an Oxide Sedimentary rock is one of the three main rock types (the others being igneous and Metamorphic rock) Quartz (from German) is the most abundant Mineral in the Earth 's Continental crust (although Feldspar is more common in A pebble is a clast of rock with a Particle size of 4 to 64 Millimeters based on the Krumbein phi scale of Sedimentology Sandstone is a Sedimentary rock composed mainly of Sand -size Mineral or rock grains. Turbidite Geological formations have their origins in Turbidity current deposits, which are deposits from a form of underwater Avalanche that Shale (also called mudstone) is a fine-grained Sedimentary rock whose original constituents were Clay minerals or Muds It is characterized by Greywacke ( German grauwacke, signifying a grey earthy rock is a variety of Sandstone generally characterized by its hardness dark color and poorly-sorted The Martinsburg Shale was deposited in a deep ocean during the Ordovician (470 million years ago). The Shawangunk Conglomerate was deposited over the Martinsburg Shale in thick braided rivers during the Silurian (about 420 million years ago); both sequences of sedimentary rock were subsequently deformed and uplifted during the Permian (about 270 million years ago). Not to be confused with the River Braid Ballymena, Northern Ireland. As a result of this deformation, strata within the ridge are involved in a northward plunging series of asymmetric folds (e. g. , anticlines and synclines) that dip gently towards the west. In Structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is convex up and has its oldest beds at its core In Structural geology, a syncline is a downward-curving fold, with layers that dip toward the center of the structure These same folds, involving strata that overlie the Shawangunk Conglomerate, are exposed north of Shawangunk Ridge in the Rosendale natural cement region, where they can be directly examined in abandoned cement mines. Rosendale is a Town in Ulster County, New York, United States. Strata along the eastern margin of Shawangunk Ridge are truncated by erosion, resulting in the prominent cliffs characteristic of Shawangunk Ridge. The Shawangunk Conglomerate is very hard and resistant to weathering; whereas the underlying shale erodes relatively easily. Thus, the quartz conglomerate forms cliffs and talus slopes, particularly along the eastern margin of the ridge. Scree, also called talus and detritic cone, is a term given to broken rock that appears at the bottom of Crags mountain Cliffs or
The entire ridge was glaciated during the last (Wisconsin) glaciation, which scoured the ridges, left pockets of till, and dumped talus (blocks of rock) off the east side of the ridge. "Glacial" and "Glaciation" redirect here For the geological periods see Glacial period. Till is unsorted glacial sediment Glacial drift is a general term for the coarsely graded and extremely heterogeneous Sediments of glacial origin On top of the ridge, the soils are generally thin, highly acidic, low in nutrients, and droughty, but in depressions and other areas where water is trapped by the bedrock or till, there are interspersed lakes and wetland areas. A wetland is an area of Land consisting of Soil that is Saturated with Moisture, such as a Swamp, Marsh, or Bog Soils on top of shale are thicker, less acidic, and more fertile. Topography on the top of the northern Shawangunks is irregular due to a series of faults that form secondary plateaus and escarpments.
Ice Caves
Ice caves are deep fissures in the conglomerate bedrock that retain ice through much of the summer, resulting in a cool microenvironment that supports several northern species such as black spruce, hemlock, rowan, and creeping snowberry (Gaultheria hispidula), and bryophytes such as Isopterygium distichaceum. The Minnewaska State Park Preserve is a 21106 acre (58 km² preserve located on the Shawangunk Ridge in New York on US 44 / NY 55, five miles Picea mariana ( Black Spruce) is a species of Spruce native to northern North America, from Newfoundland west to Alaska The rowans or mountain-ashes are Plants in the family Rosaceae, in the Genus Sorbus, subgenus Sorbus Bryophytes are all Embryophytes ('land Plants) that are non-vascular: they have tissues and enclosed reproductive systems but they lack Vascular tissue These ice caves are concentrated near Sam's Point in the northern Shawangunks. Sam's Point Preserve, or Sam's Point Dwarf Pine Ridge Preserve, is a 4600-acre (19 km² preserve in Ulster County on the highest point (2289 feet/697 m of the Larger limestone caverns occur along the lower slopes of the Rondout and Delaware River valleys[5].
Lakes and wetlands occur mostly on the flat-topped ridges at the northern and southern ends of the area and, to a lesser extent, along the western side of the middle part of the ridge. Lakes and ponds occurring on conglomerate tend to be clear, nutrient-poor, and very acidic, due to limited buffering capacity of the bedrock. The northern Shawangunks have five lakes, the "sky lakes," which are, from north to south: Mohonk Lake, Lake Minnewaska, Lake Awosting, Mud Pond, and Lake Maratanza. The pH in four of the lakes averages about 4 (very acidic); Lake Mohonk, which partially overlays shale bedrock and is therefore partially buffered, is closer to neutral pH (7. 0).
Public Lands and Preserves
The Shawangunks contain mostly private land as well as land owned by the Mohonk Preserve, Minnewaska State Park Preserve and Sam's Point Preserve with more than 100 miles of hiking trails and several climbing areas. The Mohonk Preserve is located in the Shawangunk Ridge, a section of the Appalachian Mountains, north of New York City in Ulster County New The Minnewaska State Park Preserve is a 21106 acre (58 km² preserve located on the Shawangunk Ridge in New York on US 44 / NY 55, five miles Sam's Point Preserve, or Sam's Point Dwarf Pine Ridge Preserve, is a 4600-acre (19 km² preserve in Ulster County on the highest point (2289 feet/697 m of the The Long Path long-distance hiking trail follows the ridge from Sullivan County to the vicinity of Kerhonkson; south of it the Shawangunk Ridge Trail connects to the Appalachian Trail near High Point. The Long Path is a 34735-mile (559 km long-distance Hiking Trail running from George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, New Jersey Kerhonkson is a hamlet (and Census-designated place) in Ulster County, New York, United States. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply The A High Point is the name of several places in the United States High Point North Carolina High Point University, located there
There are also many waterfalls in the Shawangunk region, like VerKeerderkill falls and Awosting Falls. VerKeerderkill Falls is the highest Waterfall in Sam's Point Preserve in the Shawangunk Mountains in Ulster County New York. The Shawangunks is also known for having some of the best rock climbing in the Northeast. Rock climbing is a Sport in which participants climb up or across natural rock formations or man-made rock walls with the goal of reaching the The Northeast is a region of the United States. As defined by the U
In 2004, a luxury development plan for buildings has threatened the ridge line, and as a result a grassroots "Save the Ridge" campaign has become extremely popular in the area. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " In 2006 a court ordered the sale of property by the private owner to settle a case brought on by the developer. The Open Space Institute of NY purchased the land and has signed it over to Minnewaska State Park Preserve.
The Trust for Public Land and Open Space Institute actually agreed to purchase the land for $17 million dollars. At closing, however, the contract was assigned and title was taken in the name of the Palisades Interstate Parkway Commission, a federally chartered commission, although the funds for the purchase apparently came from the New York state Environmental Protection Fund.
Climbing in the Gunks
Climbing in the Shawangunks has historically been centered around four major cliffs: Millbrook, the Near Trapps, The Trapps, and Skytop. Of these four, The Trapps is the longest and the most popular, with the largest number of climbing routes. A climbing route is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a Mountain, rock or ice wall The Near Trapps is located immediately across Route 44/55 from The Trapps, and is second in popularity. Millbrook mountain, the most southerly cliff, is the most remote, and sees the least climbing activity. Rock climbing is currently banned at Skytop, which is owned by the Mohonk Mountain House. The Mohonk Mountain House also known as Lake Mohonk Mountain House, is a historic American Resort hotel located on the Shawangunk Ridge in Ulster County In the beginning of 2007 it was announced that guided climbing would be possible at Skytop for Mohonk Mountain House guests. Rock climbing is allowed by permit at the Peter’s Kill area, a minor crag with good bouldering and top roping opportunities. Bouldering is a style of Rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs so that a fall will not result in serious injury Top-rope climbing (or Top roping) is a style in Climbing in which a rope used for the climber's safety runs from a Belayer at the foot of a route There are numerous other minor crags in the area, but local consensus is to keep them undocumented except by oral tradition. Oral tradition, oral culture and oral lore is a way for a society to transmit history, literature, law and other Knowledges
The height of the cliff varies along the ridgeline, to a maximum of some 300 feet. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The average height is around 150 feet. Descent is achieved either by walking along a footpath at the top of the cliff, or by rappelling from fixed anchors. Abseiling (German abseilen, "to rope down" rappelling in American and British English is the controlled descent down a rope in Rock climbing In Rock climbing, an anchor can be any way of attaching the climber the rope or a load to rock ice steep dirt or a building by either permanent or temporary means Climbing activity goes on year round, but is most popular (and comfortable) from April through November.
Technical rock climbing has been going on in the Gunks since 1935, when the area was “discovered” by Fritz Wiessner. Fritz Wiessner (1900-1988 was a pioneer of Free climbing. Born in Dresden, Germany, he emigrated to New York City in 1929 Hans Kraus, along with Wiessner, dominated the local climbing scene until the 1950s. Hans Kraus (1905-1995 was a pioneer of modern Rock climbing, as well as being one of the fathers of Sports medicine and Physical medicine and rehabilitation There is a rich history of climbing in the Shawangunks, which includes the conservative Appalachian Mountain Club, the drug- and alcohol-fueled antics of the Vulgarians (a group led by guidebook author Richard Williams that opposed the licensing of climbers and engaged in provocative behavior, including climbing nude)[6], and many colorful personalities. The Appalachian Mountain Club ( AMC) is one of the United States' oldest outdoor groups The area has historically often been at the leading edge of elite rock climbing; today it is better known for its large number of high quality moderate climbing routes.
There are roughly 1200 documented climbing routes in the Gunks, ranging in difficulty from 5.0 to 5.13. In Rock climbing, Mountaineering and other Climbing disciplines climbers give a climbing grade to a route that concisely describes the difficulty In Rock climbing, Mountaineering and other Climbing disciplines climbers give a climbing grade to a route that concisely describes the difficulty The area is considered a traditional climbing area; since 1988 the Mohonk Preserve has banned the placement of bolts, and pitons (although bolts and pitons that were placed prior to the ban are still used and are allowed to be replaced) as well as formally forbidding the chipping or glueing of holds or cutting trees. Traditional climbing, or Trad climbing, is a style of Climbing that emphasizesthe skills necessary for establishing routes in an exploratory fashion The Mohonk Preserve is located in the Shawangunk Ridge, a section of the Appalachian Mountains, north of New York City in Ulster County New In Climbing, a bolt is a permanent anchor fixed into a hole drilled in the rock usually consisting of a glued in or Expansion bolt. This article is about the rock climbing tool There is a pair of mountains known as the Piton Mountains. The Gunks is probably the most popular single climbing area in the United States, with some 50,000 technical climbers visiting the area each year. [7]
External links
- Shawangunk home page
- http://www.savethegunks.com/
- US Fish & Wildlife Service
- Friends of the Shawangunks/The Shawangunk Conservancy
- Gunks.com
- The Uberfall.com
- Climb the Gunks
Preserves within the Shawangunks:
- Mohonk Preserve
- Mohonk Mountain Resort
- Sam's Point Dwarf Pine Ridge Preserve
- Minnewaska State Park Preserve
References
- ^ Spatz, Christopher Spring 2005, "Smoke Signals," Shawangunk Watch.
- ^ Fried, Marc B. , 2005. Shawangunk Place-Names, pp. 5-6
- ^ Swain, Todd (1988) Gunks Guide
- ^ "Significant Habitats and Habitat Complexes of the New York Bight Watershed", US Fish & Wildlife Service
- ^ Waterman, Laura and Guy (1993) Yankee Rock and Ice
- ^ "Who Were the Notorious Vulgarians?" Traditional Mountaineering, accessed May 8, 2007
- ^ Williams, Richard (2005) Shawangunk Rock Climbs: The Trapps esp History
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