Queen of the Catskills

Huckleberry Point Trail (All Trails Challenge NYNJTC Map 141) If you want to do a hike in the Platte Clove / Kaaterskill Wild Forest area on a weekend then you have to go super early or very late. I opted for sunset, and it paid off in having the entire trail and view to myself.  I put on bug spray so the bugs were not an issue even when I stopped to enjoy a lengthy stay at the viewpoint. They do like to fly around my headlamp, but it wasn’t that bothersome.  The trail was pretty dry and the stream crossing was easy. It was such a beautiful hike and it made me look forward to spending uninterrupted time up here during the summer. I felt a little bit like my old self again. It’s been a while since I’ve felt like me so I was so grateful that I was able to access that part of myself again.  Something that I was thinking about was how a lot of people on social media have gotten very turned off to the idea of God due to recent current events. I think people would be better off...

Ashokan High Point Trail (All Trails Challenge NYNJTC Map 143) Parking lot was filling up by 11 am. The trails were dry and bugs were minimal, except for the solitary tick I flicked off.  I headed off trail to visit the plane wreck of the WWII trainer. There are a lot of herd paths off this trail so if you haven’t done it before, you might want to make sure your navigation is sound. If you’re daydreaming, you can easily make a wrong turn. I’ve been watching interviews of people who have claimed to have near death experiences and I realized that a lot of what I experienced when I was living in the Catskills for a year and half was similar to what people take from their NDEs.  I didn’t have any sort of supernatural event occur, but the impact was similar. I had a lot of synchronicities happen—just signs that I was supposed to be climbing these mountains. I felt like I was caught up in some sort of current leading me somewhere, but I still don’t know the ultimate destination. I t...

Colgate Lake Trail (All Trails Challenge NYNJTC Map 141) Parked on 78 about 2/10ths of a mile from Colgate Lake. This trail is between 8 and 9 miles of what I would call nature walking. It’s mostly flat and you’re not summiting anything. It has beautiful streams, waterfalls, footbridges, and views of the Escarpment trail provided you know where to go. I would not attempt this using the AllTrails app as navigation. I would have a more sound GPS like FATMAP or Avenza as the primary navigation because it’s easy to get confused on some parts if you haven’t done it before. I’d also do research on Catskillmountaineer.com prior to undertaking any Catskills hikes. Bugs weren’t an issue due to the colder temps, and the water crossings were easy because it’s low tide. Today, I was thinking about how in Catholic school we learned about demonic possession in the very literal sense that it’s an evil spirit taking possession of your body and soul. But I think if we look at it more figuratively, it’s...

 Dutcher Notch Trail (All Trails Challenge NYNJTC Map 141) (Conditions in 2nd paragraph.)  The great thing about the All Trails challenge versus my other projects in the Catskills is that I don’t have to commit to summiting a peak in order to make progress toward my goal. I can do a short trail and still feel like I accomplished something. So, today, because I wanted to have a leisurely morning, accomplish something, and still beat the rain, I hiked my old friend, the Dutcher Notch trail.  The trail is dry, but this trail isn’t that easy to follow if you haven’t done it before. The trail meanders from what seems like a dried out riverbed to the banks to back again. You really have to watch for the markers. It’s also extremely rocky on the lower portion. I think without a sound way of navigating that you could easily get confused. Also, the bugs can be particularly treacherous; though, today, they were not as much of an issue as in the past.  Earlier this morning, my ...

Hunter Mountain via Becker Hollow, Hunter Mtn. Trail, & Yellow Connector Trail (All Trails Challenge NYNJTC Map 141) (Start at 4th paragraph for trail conditions.) This is my first weekend upstate not skiing since November. Now, it’s time for an off-season project, so I will officially be starting the All Trails challenge which entails redlining the Catskills (aka hiking every trail in the Catskill park). I will not include any previous hikes—so my 35s and such will not count. However, henceforth, anything I hike or ski will count toward this project. In total, it will be about 350 miles of hiking.   Summer in the Catskills means crowded parking areas, so the strategy is to visit lesser known trails, or less popular routes to popular peaks on weekends, and save the more popular ones for weekdays.   I started at 11:30 am. There was still plenty of parking in the lot, and the temperature was a perfect 63 degrees. The trails were dry / firm, but BH does have spots where wate...