hiking

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Hilltackler’s top 5 backpacking trips in New York

The highest mountain in New York may only be 5, 2144’ but it is home to thousands of miles of historically rich hiking trails through diverse forests and ecosystems. 

Some trails date back to the Revolutionary War when soldiers blazed a path in upstate New York, through what is now known as Harriman State Park. 

 In the 1820’s famous artists such as Thomas Cole were inspired to paint the peaks of Catskills. And finally, New York State is home to the Adirondacks, the country’s largest park and state protected land area in the contiguous United States, with 6.1 million acres of land. What New York lacks in vertical elevation it makes up for in unsurpassed beauty. All within a day’s drive from New York City the country’s largest with a population of 8.41 million people. 

 Despite our wildernesses close proximity to such a large metropolitan area, the trails still offer plenty of solitude. I’ve put together a list of my 5 favorite backpacking trips. 


#5 The Blackhead Range, Catskills New York: A fairly short but moderately strenuous two day backpack of approximately 17 miles in the northern Catskills, including four peaks over 3500 feet and lovely scenery from the northern ridge of the Escarpment Trail. Day one of this trip starts at the northern terminus of the Escarpment Trail just outside of East Windham, NY. The rocky path winds its way up through a Norwegian Pine forest and up the first of four Catskill high peaks, Windham Mountain (3524’). The descent down Windham offers some great views from Burnt Knob and Acra Point. Dropping down from the Escarpment Trail to the Batavia Kill Trail a lean-to/tent sites and water source makes for a nice place to rest up for the next day’s adventure. The second day starts out with a climb of 1,000 feet in nine tenths of a mile to the top of Blackhead Mountain (3940’) the fourth highest peak in the Catskills. After descending Blackhead Mountain Trail the hike now picks up the Black Dome Trail to go up and over Black Dome (3980’) as well as Thomas Cole Mountain (3940’). The final descent off the ridge line offer views of the valley and surrounding mountain ranges. 

# 4 Pharaoh Lakes Wilderness Area, Eastern Adirondacks, NY: This area of the Adirondacks is a backpacker’s paradise, with its many lakes, ponds and miles of trails providing the opportunity for trips in a variety of lengths. This particular 3 day/2night backpacking trip will reach only one peak above 2000’ but the views of the many pristine lakes and ponds will more than make up for the lack of elevation. Day 1 follows the fairly easy terrain as it meanders through the heavily covered forest. After 2 miles the trail gets steeper and rockier until it reaches the top of Pharaoh Mountain (2551’). There are terrific views of the High Peaks in the distance from the rock ledges of the summit on the west side. The trail descends steeply at times and gives way to the beautiful shore line of Pharaoh Lake. There are six lean- to’s along the lake but my preferred camp is a legal spot right near the outlet of the lake called Winter Green Point. This fairly secluded location offers some solitude, gorgeous sunset views with the call of Loons into the night. On day 2, I continue my walk along Pharaoh Lake and the other small ponds, Grizzle Ocean and Clear Ponds and along the way choose a tent site near the Treadway Mountain Trail and set up a base camp before taking an afternoon hike up Treadway Mountain. The 4 mile round trip starts out in the forest and ends on top of a rocky summit offering views of Pharaoh Mountain and the High Peaks. After returning to my campsite and a good night’s rest the last day is spent hiking along the forested trails , taking frequent breaks at the small ponds and breathing in the last bit of serenity of this wilderness area. 

#3 The Rampo-Dunderberg Tail, Harriman State Park, NY: Built in the 1920’s by New York Hiking Clubs this is the oldest trail in the park. The 21.05 mile trail runs through Harriman State Park from Tuxedo to Jones Point, NY. The red-dot on white trail starts near the Tuxedo Station Parking area and continues through a residential neighborhood before the actual wooded trail begins. Slowly the switch backing trails go up giving way to a steeper climbing up Pine Hill. Continuing along it is important to stay alert to the trail markers, on this trail like many others in Harriman; you will pass by dozens of trail intersections. The trail continues to climb and descend before reaching the infamous Times Square intersection. Okay, it’s nothing like 42nd street in Manhattan but it is a big rock that says Times Square! In another 4 miles there is the William Brien Shelter, which I wouldn’t recommend staying in but the area around the shelter has quite a few tent sites. And with a fairly reliable water source only a short walk away it makes for a great place to rest up for the long 12 miles to the end of the trail. The second days walk just never seems to end and goes something like this up one side of a hill, down the other, cross a road and back up another hill! Thankfully, most of the day there are lovely views of the surrounding area and make it all worth it. The trail drops steeply down to 9W at 21 miles with a short walk to a large parking area where I usually spot a car. This overnight backpacking trip is not to be underestimated! It will leave your quads screaming and dogs barking for sure. 

 #2 Panthers Gorge, Adirondacks, NY: Using this area as a base camp to tag Haystack (4960’), Marcy (5344’)and Skylight (4924’) is ideal and the bonus of the gorge to swim in on a hot summer’s day. Following the well-marked, Elk Lake Marcy Trail for 9 miles to the Panther Gorge Lean to is a fairly easy but muddy hike. I usually spend day one hiking into camp and spend the next day tagging the high peaks. My usual route in good weather is up the climb up Haystack (4960’), a very steep, rock scrambling experience. The description from the guide book describes the climb up Haystack as “one of the steepest climbs in the mountains up the south side of the peak. It is unremittingly steep with numerous small ledges posing danger of a serious fall. The trail is quite eroded in spots and offers no respite to timberline”. It may be tough but the climb up Haystack is work the incredible views of the Adirondack range and a great place to take a few minutes to rest up for the next climb up Mount Marcy (5344’).The trail along the ridge from Haystack goes over Little Haystack and down a few hundred feet to start the ascent up Mt. Marcy via the Hovenberg Trail following cairns along the slabs of open rock to the summit. In good weather the summit of Marcy is a wonderful place to linger and soak in the views of the Great Range. With the hardest part of the day hike done the descent down Marcy goes quickly and soon returns to below tree line and before long reaching outlet of Lake Tear of the Clouds, the highest pond source of the Hudson River. Just after this is the Four Corners Junction which joins the red trail to Mt. Skylight (4926’) and a quick 1 mile round trip to tag yet another high peak and back to Marcy-Elk Lake Trail back to the campsite. This 1.2 mile rocky trail is quite eroded in spots and requires careful attention to footing, especially after hard rain, becoming more like a river. Finally reaching the Panther Gorge crossing and back to a well-deserved evening at the campsite before hiking the 9 miles back to my car at the Elk Lake Parking area in the morning. 

#1 Devils Path, Catskills, NY: This trip follows the Devil’s Path over what Backpacker Magazine says is “the most challenging trail in the Northeast” with a reported 14,000’ of elevation change over 23.1 miles. My preferred route for this hike is from East to West over 3 days/2 nights. Beginning on Prediger Road near the Town of Hunter the red blazes don’t waste any time following the steep trail up Sherman’s Lookout, known as the chin of the Indian, and the summit of Indian Head Mountain (3573’). Like many parts of the Devil’s Path the trail up Indian Head is extremely steep something I really never get used to but come to expect on this particular trail. The trail then descends into Jimmy Dolan’s Notch, the highest col on the trail at 3,200 ft, before the rock scramble up Twin Mountain (3640’). The view off the southern summit of Twin has incredible views of Slide Mountain and all the other major peaks in the Catskill Range. After scrambling over the next high peak, Sugarloaf Mountain (3800’) the trail drops steeply down a rock chute nick named “Suicide Mountain”; this is considered one of the most challenging descents on the entire Devil’s Path. From here the end of day one is in sight and I get on the Mink Hollow Trail where a lean to, reliable water source and tent sites provide a nice place to rest up for the challenging day ahead. Day two begins with a…you guessed it! A steep and rocky climb up Plateau Mountain (3840’), a viewless summit but a nice flat walk through a boreal forest. Further along the trail, Danny’s Lookout gives way to views of Hunter, Southwest Hunter and West Kill Mountain. From here the trail goes descends to Route 214, the trails only road crossing, which is about the half-way point of the Devil’s Path. There is an area with picnic tables, a water spigot and a great place to stop for lunch before the next steep climb up past the large stone outcrops known as the Devils Portal. The forested trail on the western section of the Devil’s Path goes by the Devil’s Acre lean to where I usually pick up more water before pressing on to my next camp site, Diamond Notch Falls. There is a nice lean to up off the blue-blazed Diamond Notch Trail but further along the path is a lovely secluded tent site with good tree cover. Water? No problem! A nice late afternoon stroll down to the roaring Diamond Notch Falls provides much need drinking water and a great swimming hole. Day three gets easier after the long slog of a climb up West Kill Mountain (3880’), the sixth highest peak in the Catskills and the only high peak in this section of the Devil’s Path. The summit of West Kill has no views but just before the official summit is Buck Ridge Lookout with views of Hunter and Southwest Hunter, Slide and Peekamoose Mountains. The Devil’s Path descends gradually over the next two miles before the last rocky chute up St. Anne’s Peak. Only a short climb but by this point in the trip my legs are revolting against me! Luckily soon after, the trail switchbacks down through a nice forested trail and to the spotted car on Spruceton Road where I usually say to myself “I think it’s the last time I’m doing this trail” only to return the next summer to what has become my favorite backpacking trip in my New York. 

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Harriman Outdoor Center…a first look 

The road leading up to Harriman Camp


 

While I’m a backpacker by nature over the long Columbus Day Weekend me and my partner, Irish, took part in co-hosting a weekend event at the Appalachian Mountain Club’s (AMC) newly acquired Harriman Outdoor Center (HOC) in Haverstraw, New York. The former youth camp built in the late 1920’s was recently leased out by the AMC and renovated in a spectacular fashion.

Storm King 2 Cabin


  

There are 8 beautiful cabins, ranging in capacity of 4 -16 people with bunk style rooms with common areas decked out with comfy futons, 12 new tent platforms as well 5 newly renovated lean-to’s with fire rings, outdoor grills and bear boxes. All this within walking distance to flush toilets, hot showers and dining hall which offers hot breakfasts, trail lunches and dinners (additional cost for food). And if all that weren’t enough the camp offers free canoe and kayaks to take out on 64 acre Breakneck Pond.

Kayak launch site along Breakneck Pond

This weekend our group was staying at the Storm King Lodge 2, a newly renovated rustic cabin with 4 rooms and a common area along with 2 small refrigerators and plenty of electric outlets to charge up the phones.  In back of the cabin is a fire ring and picnic table. Out front is a large covered pavilion with quite a few picnic tables and a large charcoal grill. Some of the people in our group had a cook out one night with food they brought from home, others opted for the meal plan available through the dining hall for an additional cost. And then there’s the other option – go to nearby Sloatsburg and eat at Rhodes North Tavern or one of the other local eateries, which is what Irish and I decided to do. If you have never been to Rhodes North Tavern near Harriman State Park you should check it out. The food is fresh and the service is always excellent!

Trail marker for the White Bar Trail

While the amenities are nice, even nicer is the fact that the HOC is a perfect base for exploring the hundreds of trails in the 46,000 – acre Harriman State Park. On Saturday our group took a hike starting from the Johnstontown Road parking area on the White Bar trail. We hiked along the rocky but fairly flat trail past the Dutch Doctor Shelter, where we stopped for a quick snack break before continuing on the yellow Triangle Trail and through the tunnel of Mountain Laurel which was not in bloom but still wonderful to walk through. Further along the trail a more deciduous forest began to show the change colors but definitely not at peak levels just yet. After a beautiful few hours of hiking through the trails we looped back to our car in the parking area and headed back to the HOC by late afternoon for a much need stretch session with our instructor Irish, right on the dock at Breakneck Pond. Then it was off to enjoy the hot showers before social hour and dinner. Truly a great day!

Irish taking us a through a great post hike stretch routine along Breakneck Pond

Sunday was a free day for all of us, there were no scheduled group activities which was great because Irish and I had a plan. In keeping with my half marathon training plan, I was scheduled to run a 10k race. Good thing about running…there’s always a race somewhere and Irish found ours in Fishkill! A great charity run for Multiple Sclerosis in a cemetery which was very SPOOKY…just in time for Halloween. So in the cold damp rain we drove country roads to get to Fishkill and our cemetery race. Irish signed up for the one mile fun walk and came in first! I signed up for the 10k and did not come in first!

 
 

 

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Hilltackler does triathlons ?!?!

A little known fact about yours truly, for the past 3 years I have been doing a few triathlons a year.

 waiting in the corale to jump into the Hidson River


 The sport of triathlon has been growing in recent years and it’s no doubt why. Typically as we age it gets more difficult to maintain a healthy body weight, avoid injuries and stay motivated with fewer outward results, especially for women. 

While there are triathlons in various distances ranging from sprint (easiest) to the ironman (hardest).  I have only participated in Sprint and Olympic distances but the sequence is the same for all: swim, bike and run. Yes, Consecutively! 


I’m not super competitive in these races, more like a finishers race for me, however, I have really come to love the multisport training. Typically in the past I have used running or biking  to stay in shape for the hiking season. I usually would do a few running races a year for the sole purpose of motivation to train. I’ve always been in decent shape but never terrific. And after a while boredom kicks in and I lose my ambition to run consistently. My solution to this – traithlons! 


I now spend many hours working out each week but I’m rarely bored. Varying my workout schedule with swimming, running and biking has made it fun and has greatly improved my fitness especially when It comes to hiking and backpacking.  I find I’m able to walk more miles on the trails and I am far less fatigued. My recovery time from very tough backpacking trips has decreased, less aches and pains and more energy overall. 


 

 

 

 

 

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Pulling a pulk in the Adirondacks…the last big winter trip of 2015

This past weekend I led a group of Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) backpackers into the Marcy Dam area 3 day/2 night winter base camp high peaks adventure.

Usually I carry my large winter backpack, Gregory Diva 85 but this weekend I traded that in for a pulk…yes a pulk! Which is pretty much a sled attached to poles that clips onto a harness worn on your waist. 



 A trail buddy of mine, “Nails” had been talking this whole pulling a pulk thing up for sometime and when we were discussing my upcoming Daks trip, I decided to give it a try. 

Why this trip?

A few reasons: First, this trip is a basecamp, meaning that we will hike in to a designated campsite and go hiking from there each day, hopefully tagging some high peaks. Secondly, the trail leading to our base camp is approximately 2.5 miles of fairly wide level trail and lastly…it’s much more comfortable to pull a pulk with 30-35lbs of winter gear than it is to carry it on your back. 



the high peaks weather forecast for friday



 At the start of our trip I was a little concerned. The temperature was minus 12 and the wind was probably 20-30 mph. It was COLD! I had some thoughts of calling the trip as I was driving to meet the rest of the group on Friday morning. I had been watching the higher summit forecast for the area like a hawk all week. We would be down in the low lands but the temperature was still projected to be as low as 40 degrees below zero. Game time decisions would have to be made about what peaks to hike but my intended plan was to hike Phelps (4161′)the first day, Colden (4715′)the second day and tag Tabletop (4427′) on a quick day hike on the third day.
I attached my sled to my waist of my osprey day pack and easily glided my sled the 2.5 miles to the Marcy dam area where we set our base camp.



home sweet home. no heat but plenty of fresh air!



 The wind died down by the time our group set up camp and geared up to climb Phelps. The trail to Phelps was nicely broken out and snowshoeing was a pleasure. We hit the turn off to head the mile up to the summit and up, up and away we went. The view was spectacular and we hung out there and soaked it in for a while before heading back to camp. 



 Our group of seven hung out in the lean to and melted snow for water for a couple of hours. I was in my tent by 7pm and snoozing shortly after…winter is my time to catch up on sleep. I never sleep for more than 6-8 hours at home so getting 12 hours in my sleeping bag is just fine with me. 

 The next morning the weather had turned very very windy. Even down at our lower elevation the wind was blowing 30 mph. I really wanted to go with the plan to hike the 8 plus miles round trip to Mt. Colden but the climb to the top of Colden is exposed and steep  and would not be easy in very high winds and blowing snow. We discussed it as a group and decided that hiking to Tabletop would be a better call but three of the guys decided it was even too cold and windy to do that so they decided to hike up Mount Joe. 



The other four of us set off to Tabletop around 9am. Along the way lots of hikers and skiers were on the trails too. Quite a few hikers were headed up to Marcy which was interesting to me because if the wind was 30 mph at 2000 feet I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like on top of the highest peak in the range! Then I began to question my decision to call off going to Colden. Did I wimp out? Was I being too cautious? I’m not one to be scared by weather but I was not feeling anywhere near 100% – I had been plagued with a bad head cold all week and while I felt well enough to hike I just didn’t think pushing myself physically would be smart. If the hike to Colden went perfectly I would probably be fine but if something went wrong, if one of our hikers suffered an injury or the weather conditions deteriorated any further I might be a hinderence. As a trip leader that’s never a good scenario – so to Tabletop we hiked. 



hiking up the trail to tabletop



The route up tabletop is very protected from the beastly wind and we had a lovely climb up to the top. Just enough of an opening at the summit to see Mt. Marcy across the way and take in views without being blown over. 



lookking at Mt. Marcy from summit of Tabletop Mtn



We headed back to camp early and I retreated to my tent to get some rest, I was definitely feeling worse. After an hour or so I psyched myself up to get back out of the tent and start melting snow for some much needed water. The wind was now blowing snow and gusting up to 35 mph. Usually, melting snow in the lean to protects me from the weather but the wind was blowing the snow right in the front of lean to. Soon I melted enough snow to rehydrate my dinner and made a hot beverage to take back to my tent. I was really glad to get back in my sleeping bag. I was even more grateful that I had downloaded one of my favorite t.v shows, Suits, to my smartphone to keep myself entertained for a while before I could take my dose of NyQuil and get some much needed sleep. 



larry, all smiles …the wind is gone!



The next morning I awoke to the sound of…NO WIND! I stuck my head out of my tent at 7am and the sky was blue and the sun shining bright! A perfect day to hike but everyone had had enough and wanted to hike out and go home. So I packed up my stuff, put it in the pulk and pulled it home! 

My thoughts on pulling a pulk…it is the way to go! I didn’t even notice I was pulling any weight until the up hills and even the  it was much easier than having the weight on my back. 

One of the big benefits to the pulk is not having to be so mindful of the weight of each item. This trip I was able to bring my alite camp chair, an extra down jacket and my BD shovel. My total weight was probably almost 40lbs with food, fuel and water. My winter backpack weight is usually 30-32 lbs and if feels much heavier! While pulling a pulk isn’t practical in every winter backpacking scenario I think there are a fair amount of winter routes that I could use this on in the future. 

When u got home, I called my buddy “Nails” and told him all about my love for the pulk. Needless to say he is making me one of my very own for next winter! So there will be more pulk pulling adventures next winter but for now I look forward to more spring like weather and getting back to my light weight backpacking kit! 



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First winter backpacking trip of 2015…get your gear on!

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This weekend I led a beginner winter backpacking trip for the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) to the Catskills. This is the second year I’ve led this particular trip and I like it because it’s a perfect trip to introduce experienced 3 season backpackers to winter.

Many hikers and backpackers think “oh winter, it’s like summer only colder” NOT! The winter presents an interesting situation in balancing staying warm but dry while sweating profusely. Hiking with winter boots, snowshoes or crampons with a 30lb backpack full of gear and I sweat just thinking about it!

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This trip has some safety nets built into it. We start out at the parking area at the end of Big Hollow Road and hike 1.25 miles with our fully loaded winter packs to the Bativa Kill Lean to area. We set up our tents and off load some gear and head off to hike over Acra point and Burnt Knob, approximately 7 miles round trip.

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The group was small this weekend so we were able to move swiftly and stop at the many view points off the Escarpment Trail. Our first nice view was at Acra point. The day was very cold and clear giving us nice views, of the valley below.

Continuing on the trail towards Burnt Knob there were some short climbs before getting to the view off Burnt Knob at 3.5 miles. Along the way we were treated to some nice views of the Blackhead Range.

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We headed back the way we came along the Escarpment Trail. The 3.5 mile walk back was uneventful. Our group was hiking well together and we all snacked and hydrated along the way. The temperatures felt like they were in the single digits and stopping for more than a few minutes would have been unpleasantly cold. Arriving at camp with our tents all set up gave us some time to gather some firewood for the evening. There were plenty of downed branches to give us a nice fire for a few hours while giving off precious heat. It was shaping up to be a cold cold night. At 5pm the temperature was at zero degrees.

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After having dinner and lots of laughs I was in my sleeping bag by 6:30. Seems like an early bed time but For me winter camping equals – catching up on sleep! I don’t generally sleep the entire time. I may even wake up for an hour or so in the night but I usually just listen to some music or on this trip chat it up with my tent mate, Mo, trail name Irish.

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Irish was waking me up periodically to make sure I wasn’t concussed. Earlier in the evening while hanging up the food, on the bear rope, the branch I was hoisting our line up broke from the tree and hit me right on the head. I was fine just more in disbelief that this fairly substantial tree branch broke off. From my vanish point it didn’t appear to be dead wood but in any case the branch was not to hold our food for the night. Not really a huge deal to sleep with food in winter. The bears are asleep however other vermin have been known to chew through a backpack or tent to get some free food. Luckily there weren’t any visitors through the night. Food secure and definitively…FROZEN!
The plan for Sunday was to get up at day break and hike up Black Dome and Thomas Cole. But that never materialized one guy had a very sore neck, one guy had to get back home and Irish, well she had a rough night…she’s discovered that the zero degree temperatures exceeded her comfort level. Enjoying the winter hiking and landscape but realizing that her threshold for winter camping may be closer to 20 degrees. As we hiked out early to the parking area we talked about her coldest night ever in the woods. And what she said summed it up pretty well “even the simplest tasks become difficult when it’s this cold”

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Another backpacking blog is born…

The idea of writing a blog has been on my mind lately.  I read several daily; in fact they have replaced the morning news. I find the news upsetting.  Whereas the blogs I read are enlightening, stimulate discussion, inspire to me to get out on the trail and make me feel a part of a community!

I’ve been hiking in the New York State area for the better part of fifteen years and over the past five years have moved almost exclusively to backpacking.  Four years ago I became a trip leader for the NY/NJ Backpacking Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC).  Becoming a backpacking leader has strengthened my outdoor skills, gets me on the trail a lot and there is always someone to go with.  Being involved with the AMC has taken me to places I have read about in magazines, the Grand Canyon, across the Great Range in the Adirondacks, the Devil’s Path in the Catskills, Winter Mountaineering School and walking through an entire state on the Appalachian Trail, to name a few – it’s my passion!

 npt fall picture

So why write a blog? Well, I have always had the desire to write but lacked a clear direction to and an audience for that matter! Ritu Ghatourey says “what you want will come to you at the right moment. Be patient”.  Funny but a few months ago I applied and was accepted to be a Trail Ambassador for Gossamer Gear, a small company that makes ultra-light and lightweight backpacking gear. As an Ambassador my task is to share the advantages, skills and gear for lightweight backpacking by being on the trail, social media and blogging. Desire meet direction…another backpacking blog is born.

I’m excited to start this project! I’ve got a lot of ambitious backpacking trips planned this year and can’t wait to write about them. My goals for this blog are to share my trip reports of all the great places to backpack in and around the New York State are, post reviews of my favorite lightweight gear and lots of other stuff that relates to being on the trail. I hope to stimulate discussion with my readers and inspire people to get on the trail and find their own passion.

What  backpacking blogs do you read each day?