Wittenburg SE Ridge(Slide Mountain Wilderness-Catskills)

I've been looking at the far SE ridge of Wittenburg Mountain in the Catskills for quite a while now,waiting for the right opportunity to explore it.  Having seen it from other vantage points as well as from satellite imagery, I had a feeling there was a lot to see.  With a forecast of sun and mid 40's  today, I figured this would be a perfect day to check it out. From the end of Moon Haw Road, there is public access to the west(which most folks use to climb Balsam Cap, Friday, etc), but to the east, you must cross over Wittenburg Brook to hit state land.  Being careful to stay on public land, I headed west, circling above private property at the end of Moon Haw Road(crossing Wittenburg Brook), then dropping back over to the steep slopes of Wittenburg's SE shoulder.  I stumbled across several old woods roads heading up, with nary a drop of snow or ice.  Elevation to start the day was 1150 feet. 

The ascent was pretty straightforward from there...straight up! 

I was aiming for a band of rock ledges that dropped down off the main ridge at about 2200 feet.  As I neared the ledges, the terrain grew increasingly rocky and even steeper.

A small shelf at about 2175 feet provided my first view over the Moon Haw valley towards Balsam Cap and "Mini Cap".

A slight breeze picked up as I emerged in a wide open scree field, with tremendous views of Friday, Cornell and Wittenburg.

The footing was a bit precarious, so I really took my time with each step.  The drop off to the Moon Haw was almost vertical from here.

Just above the open scree was my first encounter with snow, as well as mountain laurel. 

I first headed north along the ridge, trudging through a few inches of snow, which was slowly melting as I walked.  There were screened views of the Burroughs Range, as well as scattered mountain laurel. 

Not finding any more open views, I headed back south, atop the ridge, with much thicker mountain laurel filling in.  Across the valley to the east stands Samuels Point, easily visible through the bare winter trees.

Lucky for me, I found a path(somewhat maintained)through the thick laurel which I used to make distance and time. 

After hitting the nondescript high point on the far southern end of the ridge, I dropped down through more mountain laurel to a quiet perch atop the valley.  Stunning sun filled views towards Hanover Mountain.

Balsam Cap and Friday look incredibly imposing, towering above the Moon Haw valley.

I wandered around several open rock ledges and outcrops, soaking in the amazing views.  Although elevation was only 2200 feet here, it felt as though I was much higher.

I even managed to find one decent view north towards the Devils Path peaks before finally leaving the ridge. 

A fairly uneventful descent, with warming temps made for a great day.  By the time I got back to the car, the thermometer read 48 degrees!!  Not bad for February 3rd.  Hiked about 4.4 miles RT with 1800 feet of ascent.
Red x's indicate scenic view points from today's hike.