This was my first trip to the Catskills, an AMC hike with two good friends leading, one of them finishing the 115.
On Saturday we did Slide the long way, doing the Wittenberg-Cornell-Slide Trail, starting at the Wittenberg end. In spite of marginal weather (hot, humid, no views, some rain) I found it a very enjoyable hike. There are many easy scrambles, which require the use of hands (and eyes plus brain to choose best route) but are not really difficult. Beyond "one foot in front of the other" without being too challenging ... my kind of trail!! Everything changed on the summit of Slide; the descent to County Road 47 was, as the ADK Catskill Region guidebook says, " ... almost a stroll in a park-like atmosphere". By then we were happy to have no more hard work!
On Sunday (hot and humid, but with reasonably good visibility) we did Hunter, going up by the Devil's Path and down by the Becker Hollow Trail. The lower part of the Devil's Path was steep but with no scrambles, but after about 1,000 vertical feet the grade eased dramatically. Good views from the tower.
On both trails the woods seemed to me to be more open then in New Hampshire, with lots of undergrowth, mainly ferns but also, alas, some stinging nettles (I got stung both days).
The Catskills are as far from Thornton as the Adirondacks, which in both cases means much too far for frequent visits. I am much more likely to drive five hours to get way above treeline on some of the "better" Adirondack peaks than to climb big hills. Still, it was a very enjoyable weekend spent outdoors with friends, which is what I most enjoy about hiking.
On Saturday we did Slide the long way, doing the Wittenberg-Cornell-Slide Trail, starting at the Wittenberg end. In spite of marginal weather (hot, humid, no views, some rain) I found it a very enjoyable hike. There are many easy scrambles, which require the use of hands (and eyes plus brain to choose best route) but are not really difficult. Beyond "one foot in front of the other" without being too challenging ... my kind of trail!! Everything changed on the summit of Slide; the descent to County Road 47 was, as the ADK Catskill Region guidebook says, " ... almost a stroll in a park-like atmosphere". By then we were happy to have no more hard work!
On Sunday (hot and humid, but with reasonably good visibility) we did Hunter, going up by the Devil's Path and down by the Becker Hollow Trail. The lower part of the Devil's Path was steep but with no scrambles, but after about 1,000 vertical feet the grade eased dramatically. Good views from the tower.
On both trails the woods seemed to me to be more open then in New Hampshire, with lots of undergrowth, mainly ferns but also, alas, some stinging nettles (I got stung both days).
The Catskills are as far from Thornton as the Adirondacks, which in both cases means much too far for frequent visits. I am much more likely to drive five hours to get way above treeline on some of the "better" Adirondack peaks than to climb big hills. Still, it was a very enjoyable weekend spent outdoors with friends, which is what I most enjoy about hiking.
