Queen of the Catskills

Sugarloaf (in the Catskills) 20/33 If we were to apply Shane McConkey's Game of Gnar to the Catskills, Sugarloaf would score you a lot of points--bonus points for losing the trail and having to bushwhack in the dark. This tour took me over 8 hours. I went through my pre-tour ritual of having an IPA and doing a short meditation to get myself focused and manage my anxiety. I realized it's a weekday and I'm really going to be alone on this mountain that only has brief moments of cell service. I asked the universe to protect me. Just as I was about to start the tour, the universe sent me an angel: Jim Bouton of the Catskill 3500 Club pulled up in his truck!! I truly saw that as a positive omen. Jim stayed with me up the difficult west side of Sugarloaf. I had to switch to boot crampons and bootpack a lot of it. When we got to the summit we parted ways as my route was to descend down the east side and take the Mink Hollow trail around the circumference of the mountain back to wh...

Indian Head 19/33 I've been so happy the past two days, that my soul feels like it could fill up the sky with its expansiveness.  I realized that I need to take advantage of this short window of decent snowpack so I started hitting my objectives on the eastern Devil's Path. I was nervous, but it ended up being easier than expected. I did have to leave the trench on the way to Jimmy Dolan notch, but I am getting good at using the terrain to help me cut a new skin track.  There has been a thaw and freeze cycle so the snow isn't as fluffy as yesterday. The trail has exposed rocks and there was the sound of scraping underneath my feet at times.  On the way to the notch, I ran into Sarah Zheng who is one of the most badass female hikers out there. Her hikes are true feats of endurance.  I want to share what I think is part of the secret to my being blessed in my skiing despite the fact that I’m not naturally talented and have had to work really hard to develop skills. I w...

Black Dome, Thomas Cole, Camels Hump, and Caudal Mountain 18/33 Today was one of the best ski days ever in the Catskills. Or as Doug Hughes would say, "It was siiick!"  The snow was incredible! I broke trail on 4 peaks, though only one counted toward my goal, and I never got tired. That's how elated I was to be out there. I've been smiling for over 8 miles and it's still on my face. The mountains were like a playground. It was jumping off everything into a pillow of clouds type of skiing. I took Monday and Tuesday off just so I can nab more peaks and continue this high I'm riding right now. Having snow makes a tremendous difference from riding around on rocks like last year. While the snow was perfect to ski, it is weighing down the trees causing branches to hang low. However, the fix is easy. I just tap the branch with my ski poles to shake some snow off and the branches part like the Red Sea.  It was my first backcountry excursion this season, so initially I...