Participants: Ferrisjrf, Gillian, Sasquatch, Juniper, Adventurous, 7Summits, Swamp, Nif, Mookie, Dr. Wu and UFC
Jason put this trip together (thanks JF!) and I joined at the last minute. I had originally planned to spend the weekend in the Great Gulf, but the forecast of more rain sent me further south where the weather was supposed to be better. This was my first trip to the Catskills, and I was excited to see a new area.
We spotted cars Friday evening and headed out on Saturday morning at 7:35 at the eastern trailhead at Prediger Road. The first peak along the way is Indian Head, then down and up again to Twin. Down again and up to Sugarloaf. At this point Nif and Mookie were hiking up ahead and the rest of us were together, but I was near the back of the hiking train. Somehow I missed the hiking pole instructions left by the group and missed the side trip to a viewpoint where everyone was hanging out
. I continued on alone down the steep descent to Mink Hollow.
After a snack, I began the climb up to Plateau. This was the hardest climb of the day for me, and I was having serious thoughts of ending the hike when I reached the midway point. At the top of the climb, the trail flattens out and provides an excellent trail running opportunity. It was here I came across KMac and two companions who were also doing the full traverse. Nice to meet you! The trip across the plateau was very speedy and pleasant, but the trip down 1400ft to Rt 214 was a knee crusher. At the 14 mile mark I arrived at our lunch cache (aka Swamp's truck) to find Jen and Mookie. Much confusion and speculation followed regarding the whereabouts of all the people I thought were hiking ahead of me!
During our lunch break and while waiting for everone to arrive, the rain started. Hoping that it would be a quickly-passing storm, Jen huddled under the tailgate of the truck while Mookie and I took shelter under some nearby trees. The rain did finally subside to a drizzle as the rest of the group arrived and we got ready for the second half of the hike.
The rain stuck around for the rest of the hike, although it was never a fulll-on downpour. We climbed up the trail towards Hunter, but elected not to make the hike out to the summit. Following a reasonable descent, we began the steady climb up to West Kill. Most of us were really feeling the hike at this point, but with Jen in the lead we marched at a steady pace up to the elusive summit. No mistaking this one, complete with cairn and sign for once. At this point it's only about 4.7 miles to the cars, and we know there is a nice 300ft PUD somewhere along the way. We made quick progress down hill, pushed our way over that last little climb and then quick progress again the rest of the way. Most of us decided to run much of the last couple of miles - it felt good to do something else with our bodies! Back at the cars at around 8:20.
All in all...a difficult hike. Approximately 24.2 miles, 8300 ft of elevation gain give or take. I personally thought it felt harder than a presi traverse, but that may have been due to the wet conditions. Others thought it felt easier. Nasty wet feet and blisters, stinging nettles, miles of mud. A great day overall with a reliably fun group of fellow hikers. Check this one off the list!
I took very few photos, mostly due to the wet weather. I know 7Summits and others will have more. Here are mine Devil's Path
Rebecca
Jason put this trip together (thanks JF!) and I joined at the last minute. I had originally planned to spend the weekend in the Great Gulf, but the forecast of more rain sent me further south where the weather was supposed to be better. This was my first trip to the Catskills, and I was excited to see a new area.
We spotted cars Friday evening and headed out on Saturday morning at 7:35 at the eastern trailhead at Prediger Road. The first peak along the way is Indian Head, then down and up again to Twin. Down again and up to Sugarloaf. At this point Nif and Mookie were hiking up ahead and the rest of us were together, but I was near the back of the hiking train. Somehow I missed the hiking pole instructions left by the group and missed the side trip to a viewpoint where everyone was hanging out
. I continued on alone down the steep descent to Mink Hollow. After a snack, I began the climb up to Plateau. This was the hardest climb of the day for me, and I was having serious thoughts of ending the hike when I reached the midway point. At the top of the climb, the trail flattens out and provides an excellent trail running opportunity. It was here I came across KMac and two companions who were also doing the full traverse. Nice to meet you! The trip across the plateau was very speedy and pleasant, but the trip down 1400ft to Rt 214 was a knee crusher. At the 14 mile mark I arrived at our lunch cache (aka Swamp's truck) to find Jen and Mookie. Much confusion and speculation followed regarding the whereabouts of all the people I thought were hiking ahead of me!
During our lunch break and while waiting for everone to arrive, the rain started. Hoping that it would be a quickly-passing storm, Jen huddled under the tailgate of the truck while Mookie and I took shelter under some nearby trees. The rain did finally subside to a drizzle as the rest of the group arrived and we got ready for the second half of the hike.
The rain stuck around for the rest of the hike, although it was never a fulll-on downpour. We climbed up the trail towards Hunter, but elected not to make the hike out to the summit. Following a reasonable descent, we began the steady climb up to West Kill. Most of us were really feeling the hike at this point, but with Jen in the lead we marched at a steady pace up to the elusive summit. No mistaking this one, complete with cairn and sign for once. At this point it's only about 4.7 miles to the cars, and we know there is a nice 300ft PUD somewhere along the way. We made quick progress down hill, pushed our way over that last little climb and then quick progress again the rest of the way. Most of us decided to run much of the last couple of miles - it felt good to do something else with our bodies! Back at the cars at around 8:20.
All in all...a difficult hike. Approximately 24.2 miles, 8300 ft of elevation gain give or take. I personally thought it felt harder than a presi traverse, but that may have been due to the wet conditions. Others thought it felt easier. Nasty wet feet and blisters
, stinging nettles, miles of mud. A great day overall with a reliably fun group of fellow hikers. Check this one off the list!I took very few photos, mostly due to the wet weather. I know 7Summits and others will have more. Here are mine Devil's Path
Rebecca
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