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| Beautiful Catskills and big backpacks. |
Our plan was to complete the eastern half of Devil’s Path Saturday using a base camp mid-trip, and head home Sunday. This itinerary meant summiting four peaks, five if both of Twin Mountain’s summits count, over 13 miles and 4,000’ of elevation gain.
Day 1: Friday, June 12
Our group arrived at the Devil’s Tombstone State Campground parking lot just after 4pm. We left my car there, and drove our second car to the Prediger Road trailhead. We set out on the trail around 4:30pm, a bit later than anticipated, for the Devil’s Kitchen lean-to or any established campsite we could find within 3-4 miles of our starting point.
Our little posse ended up summiting Indian Head (3,573’) 4 miles into the hike after unintentionally passing the lean-to. As with most other trips I’ve been on, things rarely go as planned, and we finally found flat land with an established site at the Jimmy Dolan Notch just before nightfall. We’d hiked 5.6 miles, a bit further than anticipated, and summited one of the four mountains we’d intended to do the next day. Water was extremely difficult to find along the way – we didn’t find a single source on the trail.
The site we stayed in was just south of the Notch on a blue blazed trail, which functioned as one of our bailout points on the hike. The site barely allowed room for our five tents, but was perfect considering the sun was rapidly setting. We took the Jimmy Dolan Notch north to find a cooking spot for the night, and discovered both a water source/puddle and a better campsite for the following night.
Day 2: Saturday, June 13
We set out early from Jimmy Dolan Notch and summited Twin Mountain (3640’), Sugarloaf Mountain (3,800), and Plateau Mountain (3840’), a total overall elevation gain of just over 4,000’ between the ascents and descents. The weather was perfect, and the views from Twin Mountain were breathtaking. There was no view from Sugarloaf, and the only way to tell you’ve reached the summit is when you realized you’re starting the descent. The entire trail was engulfed in life – trees, moss, lichens, flowers – and was some of the most enjoyable hiking I’ve done.
In order to make sure everyone in the group didn’t overdo it, we ended up going much slower than I thought we would. It's absolutely necessary for any group leader to recognize when breaks are needed, even if the group doesn't want it. Between the frequent rest breaks and pace, by the time we all reached the end of the trail at the parking lot, where we’d left my car, it was nearly 6:30 pm. This left us less than two hours to shuttle all of us 13 miles back to the Prediger Road trailhead and ascend back up to the Notch and our campsite. Then it started to rain.
It always seems when it rains on a hike or a backpacking trip, it really rains. Perhaps it’s just my change in perception when I’m out in the woods, but it never seems to rain as hard at home as it does on the trails. The rain was relentless, turning the forest floor into a swamp and the trail into a series of waterfalls. The clouds and impending nightfall made some of the blue Jimmy Dolan Notch Trail blazes hard to see. Thank goodness the Catskills trails are notoriously well-marked.
We made it back to camp as night was descending, completely soaked. I was nervous – Dan and I were unable to find a suitable, affordable replacement for his leaky tent, the same tent that forced me into a friend’s tent in the Adirondacks and Dan sleeping in a 4” puddle. We’d taken precautions, which included putting a tarp under the tent to prevent water from leaking in through the floor, and a tarp over it to help with the leaky fly. Our makeshift groundsheet was a few inches smaller than the tent footprint, but we figured it would be enough. Wrong. Our strategies in the battle against the unrelenting downpour involved two main problems and solutions:
- Problem – the ground sheet was too small, and water was finding its way between the sheet and the tent floor.
- Solution - placing rocks, sticks, sandals, anything we could find under the ground sheet to prop it up and keep the edges above the water.
- Problem – We’d placed the tent in a small depression, and water was collecting under the tent into a small lake.
- Solution – digging a small trench around the tent to divert the water, and digging a second on the downward sloping side to allow water to drain out.
Day 3: Sunday, June 14
We woke around 9am to one of the most wonderful, morale-building smells one can ever encounter on a camping trip – a campfire. One very talented member of the group managed to start a fire the next morning, despite how completely soaked everything was. Breakfast tasted like heaven, and the rain had stopped. We hiked two miles down the Jimmy Dolan Notch Trail to our cars, arriving in the parking lot just after 2pm. I discovered over 30 mosquito and black fly bites on my legs.
One of my favorite parts about backpacking trips is spending time in the small nearby towns. I’ll never forget sharing shots of whiskey with new friends at the Newcomb House deep in the Adirondacks last summer, or the incredible enchiladas verde I had at Pancho Villa’s in Tannersville that day.
Overall, despite a few hiccups, it was a great trip. It was (wonderfully) organized by the Philadelphia Hiking and Adventure meet-up group, which Dan and I joined to meet others in the Philly area to go on trips with. (Of course, my heart will always lie with TerraMar). It’ll likely be the last time I backpack with a meet-up group, and I’d much prefer a smaller crowd. Regardless, everyone brought something different to the trip - a unique personality, stories and experiences – that made the trip quite enjoyable.
Near-future adventures include more Delaware Water Gap hikes, an Adirondack canoe trip, and hopefully, the entirety of Devil’s Path. Stay tuned!