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In search of a trail

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    • In search of a trail

      My wife Kathy and I had such a good time hiking The Laurel Highlands Trail this past spring that we'd like to do another week long hike next spring.
      We've looked thru the books we have and nothing catches our attention.
      We're looking for a trail somewhere from Maryland to Massachusetts that's about 70ish miles long that allows camping.
      We'd even consider a section of a longer trail as long as it's not too hard to get to.
      Anybody have any suggestions?
    • Astro wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      You could do a piece of the Long Trail or piece of the AT/LT. Finish or start from the Inn at the LT in Killington.
      Inn at Long Trail would be a great place to finish!Probably also a good pace to leave your car and get a shuttle.
      not to mention the reasonable rates, free humongous hiker breakfast for guests, great stew, beer, and more beer. Call Rutland Taxi for a shuttle.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference
    • New York Long Path - slice off a section as long as you like.

      Some of the Long Path is unavoidably crappy - the south end is in suburbia and the north end is a work in progress. Still, I can personally vouch that Sections 17-25 are all awesome trail.

      That area is tough. Parts (17-19, 21, 24) are really tough, comparable to the northern Long Path, the Presidentials or the Adirondack Great Range. I won't name names, but I've warned a couple of the regulars here to reduce their mileage accordingly/ - and had them end their trips with unplanned hitchhikes because they didn't believe me. Come to think of it, my avatar is an old picture taken on the Long Path at Bad Man Cave, on section 24. (My daughter, who was in high school at the time if I recall correctly, was kind of disappointed - she thought I'd said 'Batman Cave', which does sound like more fun!)

      When you say 'spring', I don't know how early you're talking about. I personally wouldn't plan to backpack this section until at least May. Sugarloaf and Blackhead, in particular, are dangerous if there's ice, because there are particularly icy spots that are also exposed. The forum section on catskillmountaineer.com/ is a good place to ask locals about snow conditions.

      You can camp approximately anywhere in that stretch - there are a number of established campsites and shelters, and for most of that stretch anywhere more than 150 feet from a trail or surface water is fair game. One thing that confuses the people who aren't from around here is that the immediate area of a lean-to is NOT an established campsite and you have to get at least 150 feet away. Most of the lean-tos have nearby tent sites indicated with a yellow marker. If you don't mind a dry camp, there's a really nice site on an unmarked side trail between Twin and Indian Head Mountains. Turn right where the Jimmy Dolan Notch trail turns left, and follow the herd path. (The path continues past the campsite to a pretty spectacular overlook.)

      Phoenicia, between sections 19 and 20, is a full-service trail town, very hiker-friendly. Palenville, at the end of section 22, is another possible resupply point although much more limited. The North-South Lake campground (23/24) is state-run. The prices aren't bad, and you could probably sweet-talk someone into running you into Tannersville or Hunter if you're in need of a town stop. (If nothing else, it's just a couple of bucks for a day pass if you arrive on foot, which is an opportunity for a hot shower.)

      There are superb views from many mountains along the way. The trail summits eleven of the Catskill 35's, and a twelfth is a short side trip (up an unmaintained but well-beaten trail).

      Bring at least the mileage tables from the online guidebook, because the LP through there is like the AT in New Hampshire used to be - the signage is all for the earlier trails that it follows, and the aqua blazes are nearly nonexistent through there. It's all well-beaten trail, but easy to get off on the wrong trail without the guide. (The printed guide is worthless. This is a good thing, because in the last few years, trail work in there has been advancing by leaps and bounds.)

      The scrambles on the Burroughs Range, the Devil's Path and Blackhead might be too much for Tora unless she's trained to a climbing harness. I don't know whether you were thinking of taking her along. I've seen an Alsatian at the top of Cornell Mountain with a very perplexed family - the poor beast was terrified, and he was balking at every route down. I don't know what they did. There's a workaround for the Cornell Crack, and I offered to scout it for them and the dog, but they refused. I hiked on, you can't help them as won't be helped. On the same trip, though, I saw a beagle (a beagle?) trot across the slab on the east side of Slide while her owners were getting the climbing harness out of their pack. She looked back at them, as if to say, "what are you messing around with that for?" She made up in attitude what she lacked in stature.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

      The post was edited 1 time, last by AnotherKevin ().

    • Another Kevin

      Is the spring on Slide Mountain still flowing?

      My father, when he was a young man, use to take a train out of NYC and head up to the Catskills and hike. He always talked about Slide and the spring. When he passed away in '93 my brother and I hiked Slide and scattered his ashes near the spring
      The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you.
    • Early April is when Kathy has a week off from work in 2018, so that's when we want to hike, and yes I suspect our dog Tora will be with us.
      We spent a night at The Inn At The Long Trail while hiking the AT in Vermont and agree it's a great place.
      I guess we could do a section of a longer trail, but there's a certain satisfaction that comes with doing an end to end hike and knowing you've seen the whole thing.
      The hunt is still on. Keep the suggestions coming, please.
    • montana mac wrote:

      Another Kevin

      Is the spring on Slide Mountain still flowing?

      My father, when he was a young man, use to take a train out of NYC and head up to the Catskills and hike. He always talked about Slide and the spring. When he passed away in '93 my brother and I hiked Slide and scattered his ashes near the spring
      If you're talking about the one high on the east side by the ladders, it sure is! Best water just about anywhere. Someone else's video:



      There's a piped spring down near where the Curtis-Ormsbee trail branches off from the carriage road, but it's nothing to write home about.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.