Welcome to the AppalachianTrailCafe.net!
Take a moment and register and then join the conversation

Just an overnighter

    This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse this site, you are agreeing to our Cookie Policy.

    • Just an overnighter

      This weekend Kathy and I were able to get away for a quick overnighter. Due to a Saturday morning commitment we weren't able to leave until 3PM which got us to the area of Bear Mountain, NY about 5. Due to the late start we decided to not start from the Bear Mountain Inn parking lot but much closer to our intended camp site, we parked at the AT trail head on South Mountain road. We put on our packs and in a quarter mile we at the campsite. The map we used didn't name the campsite but we think it's called Hemlock Springs, we set up our tent and got ourselves set to spend the night. With our set up done we cooked up dinner, admired the clear night sky filled with stars and then went to sleep. About 12 hours later we got up, ate breakfast, packed up, and started walking southbound on the AT. In maybe a mile or 2 the AT intersected the blue blazed Anthony's Nose trail. We followed the blue blazes and in not too long we were at the peak with a nice view of the Hudson River below, the Hudson Valley to the north, and Bear Mountain across the river to the west. We then headed down the other side of whatever mountain Anthony's nose is on. About half way down the trail I slipped on some mud and hurt my leg on some rocks when I landed. We decided to take a lunch break to give my leg a rest and while we sat there dozens of people passed us going both up and down. The trail there is highly eroded and it's popularity is killing it. Once my leg wasn't hurting as much we headed back the way we had come until we got to the AT. Instead of going back on the Appalachian Trail we took a woods road that we thought would bring us back to where we had parked the car. It did after passing a firing range that is part of Camp Smith, a New York National Guard facility. There were a number of very bright, very visible signs warning people to stay out as there was a live fire range. After reading the signs we continued on the woods road down hill to where our car was. We changed into clean clothes, and headed for home. After a stop for a meal we got on the highway and had a very pleasant drive home, with no slow downs. All in all it was a nice way to get in a little walking and to relax away from phone calls, e-mail, and all the other stresses of normal suburban life.
    • Sounds like a good weekend LI Hikers. You are getting out there more than I am, that's for sure. I am looking forward to May and my next scheduled section hike.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • The week of June 15 thru 19 was a slow one at work and I got an OK to take that Friday off. That gave Kathy and I an opportunity to do a 3 day, 2 night backpacking trip. With that time frame Kathy decided she wanted to show me an area that she had been to by herself a couple of years ago. We drove the 3.5 hours to the western part of NY's Catskill mountains, near the town of Roscoe, NY. We parked along the side of route 206 and walked away from the car at around 1pm. The western Catskills are milder than the eastern part, the hills aren't as steep and don't go as high. Instead of mountains in the 3500 to 4000 range the ones in the west are about 2500 feet. We set out on the Cat Hollow Trail and took a leisurely walk the 7.6 miles to Trout Pond. We checked out the 2 shelters but decided to use our tent in a very nice area with a small stream that wasn't far from the edge of the pond. Once we were set-up it was late afternoon/early evening and we lounged around until deciding to cook a simple dinner of a Knorrs side with packets of Tuna. Then we took a walk along a trail that ran along the edge of the pond. There were all kinds of birds, frogs croaking in the water, and across the pond we watched a baby deer wandering about. The pond was only about 3/8 of a mile long and a few hundred yards across. There was a gentle breeze and we had the place to ourselves, who could ask for more. Getting back to camp we decided to turn in for the night and fell asleep to the night sounds of the resident animals. Saturday morning we were awakened by the sound of an owl somewhere not too far away but we never did get to see it. It was obvious that the weekend had arrived and it brought quite a few people with it. We were only .9 miles from a trail head parking lot and it was obvious that this was a popular place. We had our breakfast and packed up camp with no solid plan for the day except to hike to Mud Pond a few miles away. It was only a few miles and were there before long, even though we walked slowly. We sat on the shore for a while enjoying the scene and then debated using one of the two canoes that sat there, I guess for anyone to use. It would have crowded in the canoe with me, Kathy, our dog, and our packs. I suggested we leave our packs on the shore but Kathy wasn't comfortable with that, so we didn't use the canoes. We then followed a different trail back to to campsite had decided to have lunch before going on. We had passed a shelter while hiking in on Friday and thought we'd spend Saturday night there. But with lunch in my belly I decided a nap was in order before doing more walking. When we woke from our naps Kathy asked if I was ready to go and I said no, I'd like to spend the night here, again. It really was a beautiful, idyllic spot, much nicer than the shelter area we had in mind. So we stayed another night here. Sunday we hiked back to the car, stopping at that shelter to have lunch. It was much cleaner than the ones near the pond and we enjoyed our break there. Then it was a short mile or two back to the car where we changed into clean clothes and made our drive home in what seemed like traffic that was back to normal.
    • LIhikers wrote:

      The week of June 15 thru 19 was a slow one at work and I got an OK to take that Friday off. That gave Kathy and I an opportunity to do a 3 day, 2 night backpacking trip. With that time frame Kathy decided she wanted to show me an area that she had been to by herself a couple of years ago. We drove the 3.5 hours to the western part of NY's Catskill mountains, near the town of Roscoe, NY. We parked along the side of route 206 and walked away from the car at around 1pm. The western Catskills are milder than the eastern part, the hills aren't as steep and don't go as high. Instead of mountains in the 3500 to 4000 range the ones in the west are about 2500 feet. We set out on the Cat Hollow Trail and took a leisurely walk the 7.6 miles to Trout Pond. We checked out the 2 shelters but decided to use our tent in a very nice area with a small stream that wasn't far from the edge of the pond. Once we were set-up it was late afternoon/early evening and we lounged around until deciding to cook a simple dinner of a Knorrs side with packets of Tuna. Then we took a walk along a trail that ran along the edge of the pond. There were all kinds of birds, frogs croaking in the water, and across the pond we watched a baby deer wandering about. The pond was only about 3/8 of a mile long and a few hundred yards across. There was a gentle breeze and we had the place to ourselves, who could ask for more. Getting back to camp we decided to turn in for the night and fell asleep to the night sounds of the resident animals. Saturday morning we were awakened by the sound of an owl somewhere not too far away but we never did get to see it. It was obvious that the weekend had arrived and it brought quite a few people with it. We were only .9 miles from a trail head parking lot and it was obvious that this was a popular place. We had our breakfast and packed up camp with no solid plan for the day except to hike to Mud Pond a few miles away. It was only a few miles and were there before long, even though we walked slowly. We sat on the shore for a while enjoying the scene and then debated using one of the two canoes that sat there, I guess for anyone to use. It would have crowded in the canoe with me, Kathy, our dog, and our packs. I suggested we leave our packs on the shore but Kathy wasn't comfortable with that, so we didn't use the canoes. We then followed a different trail back to to campsite had decided to have lunch before going on. We had passed a shelter while hiking in on Friday and thought we'd spend Saturday night there. But with lunch in my belly I decided a nap was in order before doing more walking. When we woke from our naps Kathy asked if I was ready to go and I said no, I'd like to spend the night here, again. It really was a beautiful, idyllic spot, much nicer than the shelter area we had in mind. So we stayed another night here. Sunday we hiked back to the car, stopping at that shelter to have lunch. It was much cleaner than the ones near the pond and we enjoyed our break there. Then it was a short mile or two back to the car where we changed into clean clothes and made our drive home in what seemed like traffic that was back to normal.
      Y'all are doing a great job of hiking local. :thumbup:
      Unfortunately for me the OT and OHT are getting pretty dry and poison ivy is already out of control (less maintenance due to Covid-19), along with temps in the 90s.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • LIhikers wrote:

      ......It really was a beautiful, idyllic spot, much nicer than the shelter area we had in mind. So we stayed another night here. Sunday we hiked back to the car, stopping at that shelter to have lunch. It was much cleaner than the ones near the pond and we enjoyed our break there. Then it was a short mile or two back to the car where we changed into clean clothes and made our drive home in what seemed like traffic that was back to normal.
      My hiking buddy Slingshot and I have a name for those perfect camping spots. We call them "Advil Spots" because on our semi flip-flop we met a hiker called Advil who hiked with us on and off for a couple hundred miles who would sometimes stop for the day even if he had only hiked 5 miles. We would come to one of those nice spots beside a creek or a mountain top meadow with a good view and Advil would say " I'll see you guys later, this is me". We kept running into him because he had his truck and was section hiking in both directions. He even let us take his truck into Connecticut to resupply.
      To this day when Slingshot and I are out doing a section and we come to a nice spot, we'll stop and thinking of Advill, we'll say "Look, there's a good Advil Spot " and we'll snap a picture of it.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference