Queen of the Catskills

  Plateau Mountain The first time Deb and I were supposed to hike Plateau, we had recently met and ended up talking in the Mink Hollow PA for hours. Then, we attempted the Devil’s Path and were caught in a torrential storm having to abort. However, today, she finally summited. We joined some friends and began our hike at 8am. The trail to the intersection between Sugarloaf and Plateau had some muddy sections, but that’s not unusual for that part of the trail. Past the intersection the rocks and tree roots were wet so you had to be careful on the downhill. Uphill wasn’t as much of a traction issue. We made a couple of bushwhack side trips. One such trip included an additional overlook with a view of Olderbark and what seems to be some sort of shelter that someone had built at the overlook. It had saws and a stove. We even found part of a window. Perhaps, I can resign from my job and live there this year. I’m feeling that desperate to avoid going back to city life. It definitely is s...

Overlook Getting those middle of the week sunset hikes in while I still can.  If you want a trail that is in good condition post-Henri then you should hit Overlook. Most of the trail is dry. There is a section a little over a mile up that is wet but not slippery. The entire trail was very firm and grippable—even the sections that had light streams. Also, very minimal bugs. I didn’t even use bug spray and was fine. Though, my headlamp did attract some. Checked out the ruins a bit. If you want to freak yourself out then go into the ruins at dusk and you’ll think the tree roots are snakes.  I was the only person on the trail except for a couple people who were finishing up when I started. I truly have come to value solitude in the woods this past year. It allows me to process things and feel connected to something greater. I do like hiking with others at times, but I’ll always need to get my alone time in the mountains as well.  Today’s beer was @upward.brewing Hex Hazy IPA....

Mt. Utsayantha 2.2 miles Checked a couple things off the to-do list. First, Deborah and I visited Sal @catskilloutpost and then we did a quick walk up Mt. Utsayantha. We parked at the bottom and walked up the seasonal road. It’s a super short 2.2 miles round trip. There were a bunch of cars that drove up, but when we got to the summit, we had it to ourselves. There are numerous viewpoints from the summit along with seating. It’s really lovely up there. You can see over Stamford. I’d like to do a night hike here and see the town lights. We climbed the fire tower and I took pics of Deborah looking creepy in front of an abandoned building at the summit. Nice to get some things done before the rain came. And it came the instant we got back into the car, so we lucked out. No beer today, instead we opted for ice cream at Sundae’s. I recommend the cannoli ice cream: mascarpone ice cream with cannoli chunks.

North Point and Artist Rock I have been meaning to search for this small wreck and finally got around to it. I think the imminent start of the school year has me so paralyzed with anxiety that I can’t even do what I enjoy. The wreck is basically a wing and I don’t really have much information about the plane itself or circumstances about the crash. (Womp, womp.) The trail to North Point is essentially a stream, as was the Escarpment on the way back. At the NP lookout, we met Iona, one of the trail stewards who we chatted with for a while. It was really nice to be out. My hikes are bittersweet lately because I keep thinking about how I’ll miss unwinding after work with my mountain adventures. I think I’ll have to make the move up here full time because I’m realizing how much I don’t want to leave this behind.

Pound, Dater, and Claudius Smith’s Den 5.1 miles Deborah and I decided at the last minute to try and squeeze a hike in. It was super muggy on the trail. There were some lingering muddy spots, but they weren’t slippery. Mosquitoes and flies were out, but not overwhelming. We heard the rumbling of approaching thunder as we proceeded to the halfway point (Claudius Smith’s Den). In the 18th century, Claudius Smith (known as “The Cowboy of the Ramapos”) was a Tory sympathizer who would steal cattle and then sell them to the British. Eventually, he was hanged in front of the Orange County Courthouse. Guess this was his hideout. On the second leg of the hike, the sky turned not just dark, but that color that usually precedes a tornado warning. The thunder now sounded practically on top of us and the sky opened up with almost the same degree of heavy rain that hit us on the Devil’s Path. The trails went from dry to rivers. I don’t mind the rain, but lightning is another story. Every time it w...

 Failure on the Devil’s Path Sometimes in hiking and backcountry skiing you have to know when to abandon your plans—such is the same with life. When we started the hike, the trails were relatively dry and the overcast sky was parting enough to let the sun shine through the trees. The weather report had called for an overcast day, but no rain. The sun seemed an added bonus and shifted my mood from dreading the journey ahead of us to looking forward to all the amazing views we would encounter. We bought @thecatskillbrewery Devil’s Path IPA and my own Queen of the Catskills IPA to celebrate, prevent bonking, and help give that mood boost when needed. A gentleman on the trail told me I should save it for when I’m done, and I graciously told him we all have our own process for what works. We proceeded up Indian Head and Twin. The Devil’s Path is grueling. You can even see from the skyline how deep the cols are between many of these peaks. Many of the Catskill summits entail long flat-is...

  Just did an interview with nyskiblog.com . Check out the link below! https://nyskiblog.com/queen-of-the-catskills/