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Catskill Backpacking for Beginners

Posted on by Posted in Articles, Backpacking, Catskill Backpacking, Catskills, Trip Reports, Upcoming Trips

Our Catskill Backpacking experience is a fully guided overnight hiking and camping trip that is ideal for beginners and novices.   This fun and hands-on experience will focus on teaching backcountry fundamentals in a small group setting. Therefore, it is ideal for backpackers who want to learn new skills or brush up on old ones while getting away for a relaxing weekend in an enchanting location.

We will hike between 2 and 4 miles with minimal elevation gain to a beautiful campsite in the Catskill Mountains. Your experienced guide will provide assistance, instruction, and coaching as you learn by doing.

Dates: We will be running additional Catskill Beginner Backpacking Workshops this fall and are happy to schedule specific dates upon request.

Come explore the wonders of camping at 2150 feet of elevation with us.

Price: $249

Reserve your backpacking experience now!

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Santanoni Backpack

Posted on by Posted in Adirondacks, Backpacking

Our next Santanoni Backpack trip is scheduled for August 7 – 9, 2020. This trip features 2 nights of camping and hiking the Santanoni Range, which includes three of the Adirondack 46’er peaks. We will summit Santanoni Peak, Panther Mountain, and the “character building” Couchsachraga Peak.  This will be a small group with appropriate social distancing and PPE guidelines followed.
View of Couchsachraga
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Catskill Hikes 2020 Social Series

Posted on by Posted in Articles, Blog, Catskills, Upcoming Trips

Join us for some or all of the monthly hikes in our series of free Catskill hikes.  Each month on a Thursday we’ll meet for a guided hike of one or more of the Catskill 3500 peaks.  Although we’ve tried to keep things relatively simple, most of these hikes have some challenging sections.

This is a great chance to hike with a guide and meet fellow Catskill hiking enthusiasts.

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Full Moon Backpacking in the Catskills

Posted on by Posted in Backpacking, Bushwhacking, Catskill Backpacking, Catskills, Trip Reports, Upcoming Trips

Full Moon Backpacking in the Catskills is a special experiences that you’ll want to bring friends along and repeat. Our take on this amazing experience goes off-trail and navigates a fun route to an amazing remote campsite. The camping location is next to an open summit that (weather permitting) will allow fantastic views of the full moon. Please book in advance so that we can take take maximum advantage of timing of the full moon.

Full Moon Backpacking in a secluded mountain-top location

This full moon backpacking is definitely off the beaten path (pun intended) and is a Catskill bucket-list experience. It is strenuous covering 9 miles and 3000 feet of elevation gain over the 2 days while carrying overnight gear. Clear skies not guaranteed, but this is a fantastic trip even without the moon.

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COVID-19 Impacts on Hiking and Camping

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The COVID-19 impacts on hiking include the universal disruption of plans, including ours. 

This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses.

Like lots of people, I’m going more than a little stir crazy due to the COVID-19 outbreak. I’ve been taking local hikes to get some fresh air and exercise and this really does help. It’s been a challenge to keep up with constantly changing COVID-19 impacts on hiking activities.    Active guiding is on hold for now and near-term trips that were planned have been canceled.  Longer term everything is tentative, although we are still taking bookings for guided trips.  These will be dependent on both public health policy and local rules as well as common sense regarding COVID-19

Officially, we are still encouraged to get outside, but there are important common-sense guidelines.  Below are some key takeaways regarding COVID-19 impacts on hiking and camping, my personal thoughts and interpretations regarding access and safety considerations, and some links you can use to keep track of rapidly changing guidelines for outdoor recreation

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Burroughs Range Traverse – February 6

Posted on by Posted in Catskills, Trip Reports

Catskill Free Guided Hike Series

This challenging winter through-hike of the Burroughs Range is not for everyone. The 10 mile hike with 3800 feet of elevation gain includes three Catskill high peaks (Wittenberg – elevation 3782 feet, Cornell – elevation 3858 feet, and Slide Mountain – elevation 4184 feet). Along the way we’ll negotiate many steep ledges including the famous Cornell Crack. The Burroughs Range Traverse is a fun hike for fit hikers who enjoy some light scrambling.

There are several spectacular viewpoints along the route including the famous views from the Wittenberg summit, spectacular views of Wittenberg and Slide Mountain from Cornell, and others.

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Slide Mountain Hike

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Catskill Free Guided Hike Series

Winter view of Slide Mountain

We’ll summit Slide Mountain in the final hike of our 2019 Catskill Fall Hike Series, although “pre-winter” or even “winter” may describe the conditions that we will encounter.  Slide Mountain is the highest peak in the Catskill Mountains at 4190 feet and we’ll need spikes or crampons and possibly snowshoes depending on snow conditions.  The total hike will be 7 miles with approximately 1800 feet of total ascent.  Please wear winter hiking boots and bring layers of clothing that can be added or subtracted depending on the temperatures.  We’ll discuss strategies for staying warm before and during the hike.  See our recommended gear list for day hikes for advice on what to bring:

Recommended Gear

Slide Mountain Weather Forecast

Please register for the Slide Mountain hike by by emailing edmoran@gmail.com, calling 631-741-3765 or use the contact form below.  Mention where you learned of this hike when registering.  There is no charge for this hike. Registration ends December 10 or when all spots are filled.

We will continue the monthly Catskill hike series in 2020. Check back for details on upcoming hikes. Winter’s coming and many feel it is the best time of the year to hike.

Contact Ed to reserve your spot

Contact

Adirondack Backpacking – 4 Peaks

Posted on by Posted in Adirondacks, Backpacking

We’ll be welcoming the fall September 20 – 22 with a 3-day Adirondack backpacking trip to bag 4 remote peaks. After a long hike in and setup of our campsite, we’ll set our sights on bagging Cliff, Redfield, Skylight and Gray Peak.  This trip is for experienced hikers in good physical condition.

View from Mt Skylight
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Full Moon Backpack of Allen Mountain

Posted on by Posted in Adirondacks

Join us for a two-night fully guided backpack of Allen Mountain.  This trip is scheduled for Tuesday July 16 – Thursday July 18, 2019.  The midweek hiking should provide us with Adirondack solitude.  The full moon will add an additional sense of wonder to the evenings.  All meals and group gear will be provided by your enthusiastic and professional New York State licensed guide.

The entire hike to Allen Mountain and back is 19 miles with 4000 feet of elevation gain, but we’ll sandwich a moderate backpack around a day-hike of approximately 5 miles to the summit.

Allen Mountain has fantastic views as you climb and another fabulous viewpoint featuring the Great Range of the Adirondacks near the 4340 foot summit.  The summit itself is wooded, but the great views are close by.

Although only 5 miles round-trip, the hike from our campsite to the Allen Mountain summit will be very strenuous.  The route near the Allen Brook is steep, rugged and sometimes slippery.  Therefore, the reward of a hot meal back at our campsite will be well earned.  Once back at the camp, it will be R&R time under the full moon until we have to load our packs and leave the next morning.

The cost for the July 16 Allen Mountain Backpack trip is $400.  Limited space is available.

 

Reserve your spot now:

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Contact us now to request more information or to schedule custom trips:

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Allen Mountain Backpack Itinerary

 

 

Bridge over the Opalescent River on the way to Allen Mountain Tremendous views close to the summit of Allen Mountain Full Moon over the trail to Allen Mountain - September 2018