Queen of the Catskills

Day 88: DPS Does Big Snow I’ve wanted to slide around on snow with Deborah so we decided to go to @bigsnowad and get a few turns in. We were super late because of traffic and only had about 45 minutes, but I feel that was sufficient. The main trail is a super mellow run and probably the only trail I could legitimately straight line without hesitation. But this is also an opportunity to afterwork ski in June while in the city, so I’ll take it. Conditions are perfect manmade snow that doesn’t get bumped up at all. That can be good or bad depending on your ski level and preferences. It was hard to imagine feeling cold when outside is so hot, so I feel we underdressed a bit. However, I’m always prepared with extra layers in my pack so we ended up being comfortable. This is a good opportunity to practice drills and if you’re shy about getting into a terrain park, this gives you a very non -threatening way to work on those skills before you hit a major resort. For a snowboarder, it might be...

  Great day volunteering with the 3500 Club on Slide Mountain, followed by a hike, and the first margarita I’ve had in 2 years. #3500club #3500clubcatskills #queenofthecatskills #mountains #nature #naturephotography #naturelover #skilover #catskills #nature #naturephotography #views #viewsfordays #catskillsmountains #catskillmountains #hike #hiker #hikersofinstagram #countrylife #countryliving #margarita #margaritas

Tremper Mountain: 6 miles (CAD) Continuing my Catskills After Dark series (CAD). So cue the jazz and put on your smoking jacket. (Thank you Jim Bouton for telling me what these hikes are officially called.) It’s a bit chilly this week so maybe that smoking jacket would indeed have been a good idea. The trail has some spots with puddles, but there’s rock or firm ground beneath them so you don’t actually sink into a muddy mess. The bugs weren’t bothersome at all after I put on my bug spray. (They do kind of flock around your headlamps, though.) Ascending in the dark can be kind of spooky. It’s gets increasingly dark and the canopy of trees worsens that. You kind of look at your map and say, “Wow, that’s a ways to go.” When I’m alone I have to wrestle with not wanting to turn back and run away. When I’m with somebody, I don’t even think about it. (This wasn’t as bad as West Kill in terms of creepiness factor, though.) I arrived at the summit and there was one person in the lean-to. That ...

Deborah  has outdone herself with this surprise. She had the label designed and then found @mobcraftbeer who provided a classic IPA and hazy IPA! My favorite is definitely the hazy IPA. Decent 6.7% ABV too! The Queen invited her favorite subject to sit on her throne made with her old skis—each of which reminds me of many amazing adventures in the mountains and stages of my life. Deborah is definitely the most thoughtful and creative person ever, among her many other outstanding qualities!

Stoke of the week: Deborah had Queen of the Catskills stickers and magnets made for me. She designed the logo and everything. She also had a design made that has the both of us on it.

Bearpen and North Bearpen Showing Deborah God’s country, mixed in with a little history of Princeton Ski Bowl, and @fatmap_official lesson on the side. (She is a convert to that app now, BTW.) We didn’t see a single soul the entire day, so it almost felt like our own private mountain (or is it a desiccated plateau?). The trails on Bearpen are pretty dry with an occasional puddle on the summit ridge. However, once you drop onto North Bearpen you have pools and pools of stagnant water breeding tadpoles and mosquitoes. Today was a twofer with an Equilibrium IPA followed later on in the day with a Lean-To DIPA from @westkillbrewing

Windham High Peak Oppressively hot, but cooler in the woods. It’s bug spray all day season and it kept the bugs at bay for most of the hike. At the summit the black flies were raging. Trails were pretty dry for WHP. There are some muddy spots but there’s always some mud on this trail. Nothing you’re going to sink that deeply into. Deb checked another 35er off her list. The beer of choice was Equilibrium’s Energy Equals DIPA. It’s hoppy and delicious and it helps when you’re feeling drained from the heat. Just make sure you’re aware you have your can open in your holster when bending down, or you’ll spill some of that sweet sweet beer.

Hunter Mountain Sunset / night hike up Hunter Mountain. Took Spruceton. There are big gashes in the trail that seem like they need filling in. The trail was surprisingly dry with all the rain. There are the usual mud puddles along the flat section to the summit after the junction. I made good time because I have those “haven’t been able to hike due to the rain” fresh legs. I caught the tail end of sunset. Some of those boards on the fire tower could use some replacing. Are these towers inspected regularly? If you want to experience darkness, hike Hunter. I’ve done it at night before, and it always seems particularly spooky to me in the dark for some reason. Gorgeous star filled night. I hung out in the parking lot and just stared at the sky for a bit before heading home.