Catskill backpacking

Two nights at Giant Ledge, and boy was it amazing. The view from the rock ledges at night was stupendous!

I Spot the finch in this photo

I've hiked that, a beautiful place!! Most have been stunning at night. The worst hike in the United States is close by, Slide Mtn.

Win

Why is it the worst? So high for no view? My buddy and I are planning to hike up the E. Branch of the Neversink to its origin, between Slide and Cornell, and then hike up to the col between the aforementioned peaks, and on to Slide itself.

Almost kidding, we were not really hikers at the time. We did it on a hot, humid day and the rocks were killers. We met a couple at the top who told us they'd hiked the Rockies and Tetons but this was the worst. Now that I've lived and hiked SW Utah for a few years, I still think it was really tough.

Sounds like a nice adventure you have planned!

Win

Hahahah. Couldn't agree more. They say when you have two rock for every dirt, you're in the Catskills (though it could easily apply to the Adirondacks as well). And yes, I hiked in Yellowstone and Glacier, and found the Cats and Dacks to be more challenging. Seems like they don't know what a switchback is on the east coast. But, you take what you can get, and the more I hike the Appalachians and their relatives (Cats and Dacks are actually geologically distinct from the Appalachians), the more I appreciate their once rugged features that have now been worn glacially smooth.