Hunter Mtn. via Becker Hollow

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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 water flows across the trail or even down it. It’s a very rocky trail, so I’d advise bringing poles because it can really save you from hurting yourself on the way down.




The bugs were not a concern so long as I kept moving. I was talking to the volunteers at the cabin and that’s when I suddenly noticed all the black fly activity. One of the volunteers had recognized me and described me as having a “mountain spirituality” vibe. That’s definitely a description I was honored to hear. I really am just trying to find other likeminded mountain people with my posts. It’s about making connections with people more than anything.




The trails got more crowded later in the afternoon, with a majority of the people being at the summit ridge along the Hunter Mountain trail. Everyone was really polite and said hi.

 



Today’s IPA was Better Dayz DIPA by Rutland Beer Works. It’s from my Killington stash. I miss skiing, but I’m looking forward to my uninterrupted time in the Catskills this summer. It’s such a special place to me because it helped me heal and transform in so many ways. I’ll forever be indebted to these mountains.

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