Queen of the Catskills

Mount Tremper Phoenicia Trail to intersection of Willow Trail (All Trails Challenge Map 141) The Phoenicia trail was a stream which made the rocks and leaves slippery, but manageable with appropriate footwear.  The cabin of the tower is finally open and it makes a tremendous difference in terms of views. As I walked, I was continuing my thoughts on monsters and our shadow selves (the aspects of our personalities that we try to hide from our awareness because they do not align with our ideals). I came to the conclusion that vampires are the most deleterious of them all. Vampires are charming on the surface because they need to be invited in to harm you and feed on your blood / life force. In the the present day we usually refer to them as energy vampires. These are people who refuse to scrutinize their motivations for things--they don't want to delve into their psyches and examine what is there because it might contradict the image they yearn to have of themselves. Just like vampire...

Plateau Mountain via Warner Creek Trail (All Trails Challenge Map 141) Compared to the other approaches to Plateau, this one is the least busy and most gradual ascent. I saw maybe 3 people the entire time. It's also a very well marked trail with frequent blue blazes to help you navigate. The ground is covered in a thick carpet of leaves, so it's hard to really see what's beneath you, and it was drizzling so it was slippery at times.  A friend of mine said to me this week, "Vampires can only hurt you if you let them in." That got me thinking about how monsters represent the aspects of our psyches that we try to hide from our public personas, but often come out behind closed doors and in our closest relationships. I guess this is why monsters are portrayed as active in the darkness of night.   I came to the realization that if I were to identify with a monster that it would probably be a werewolf. My triggers, or metaphorical full moon, are people who consistently t...