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Pine
Hill Station is here perched on the steep slope of Belle Ayr Mountain.
Hundreds take the stages which are assembled in great array for the short
ride down the hill for the charming little village, one of the most picturesque
in the range. The place presents a most attractive appearance from the
train, accounting in some measure for its continued popularity with a
very large class who have made it their regular summer abode for years.
Nearly every house has summer visitors, and there is a degree of informality
about the atmosphere not always so prevalent at other resorts, which is
satisfactory and enjoyable to the average guest there. The northerly source
of the Esopus is here, up Birch creek valley, and with that stream we
must now part company, as the drainage from this section of the range
will hereafter flow from the summit westward, to the Delaware instead
of the Hudson river. This is also a favorite cottage region. But the clatter
and chatter incident to the greeting of new-comers, and the transfer of
their baggage, now fades away as the brakes are released and the hissing
locomotives plunge boldly into the final climb. The air-line distance
to the summit is not over half-a-mile, but there are 226 feet to climb
and the track curves sharply around the arcs of a  double
horseshoe for three times that distance. You see the engines laboring
heavily as they almost double up on the train, and the front end of the
coach is visibly higher than the rear. But while watching these novel
features of modern engineering, don't forget to look backward down the
valley, for the view from this mountain breastwork is charming indeed.
At length you will note that the motors are breathing more freely and
steadily as the Summit is approached. While the whistle sounds, there
will be time to admire the handsome cottages in Highmount Park on the
right, and perhaps some of the hotels and summer homes on the Belle Ayr
slope to the left. But you have now reached the summit of the Ulster &
Delaware track, 1,889 feet above tide. |
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