Entre Les Murs

Catskills Training Hike

Last weekend we laced up our boots for an assault on Slide Mountain, the highest mountain in the Catskills (see stats).  Okay, the Catskills aren't the Andes, but we've been deskbound since Switzerland last summer.  A gentle practice run for our Rockies trip was called for.

We made base camp at a hotel in Kingston, NY.  No alpine start the next morning, but a leisurely hotel breakfast before heading out at the crack of noon.  The winding drive through the hills made us feel very remote from nearby Gotham. The hike itself was a well-made shady trail (we took the Curtis-Ormsbee Trail route) amongst leafy ferns and over mossy boulders.  It was steep and rocky enough that our knees objected on the descent, but otherwise it was only strenuous enough to provide the needed exercise.


One of the things that made the trip such fun was my brand new GPS.  Not completely brand new, I suppose, since it was a very generous Christmas present hence I've had it half a year, but this is the first opportunity we've had to really give it a whirl.  What a perfect navigator she is.  I say 'she' because it has an authoritative female voice that tells you what to do at each turning and branching of the route.  We christened her Barbara.

posted 22.7.08