Wilderness Safety
The articles below are focussed on day-hiking in the Catskills. They introduce basic concepts like navigation, basic kit, food, safety, emergencies, and so on. They are based on one person’s limited knowledge, which you should supplement with your own research — and by talking with more experienced hikers.
Be Prepared
The Catskill Park is not enormous, but maps of the area are stamped “wilderness” for a reason. Every month in “The Cats”, people get into trouble, almost always by being under-prepared.
I regularly meet hikers who, literally, have no idea where they are: they’ve turned around before reaching their goal, or overshot their goal without realizing it. I’ve met several people who thought they were on a different mountain.
People are amazing. People should be amazing. But not that kind of amazing.
Catskills Wilderness
In the Catskills, cell coverage is often very spotty. Even if you can get a call in, help is many hours away. Unfortunately, people do die here. (The lucky get rescued. The unlucky get recovered.)
Please do not think of the Catskills as lesser than, or less dangerous than, other mountain ranges. It’s crucial you arrive fully prepared so as not to put yourself and the lives of rescue volunteers at risk. This is especially true in winter — but it’s not a whole lot less true in the other seasons.
With that in mind, please enjoy these posts, which I hope will help you stay safe.
Hiking Pace Formula: How Long Will My Hike Take?
One of the simplest things you need to know about any hike is: how long will it take? Knowing a planned hike’s duration is crucial to being able to figure out what to bring in terms of safety supplies, water and food.
The Best Hiking Apps for 2020
These are the best hiking apps I’ve come across to date — broken into four categories: navigation/planning, field identification, photography, and fun. Whether you enjoy easy scenic trails or challenging mountain hikes, these apps will help you plan, plot and prepare for your next adventure.
Kit List: Winter Hiking Gear
Winter mountain hiking in the Catskills is spectacular — the snow-blasted woods, the bleached landscape views, the harsh elements that test your mettle — but the days are shorter, the nights are longer, and the temperature is lethal. The stakes are way higher: a lack of preparation or a missing piece of kit could mean death in a very short time.
Kit List: The Ten Essentials
The ten essentials is a list of items you should carry on every trip into the backcountry. This essential gear can keep you safe and on track. In an emergency, it might save your life. You may not need these items on every trip but, if you only ever need them on one trip, you’ll be so relieved you packed them.
The 3 Best Ways to Not Die in the Catskills
Every month, people get into trouble in the Catskills, almost always because they are under-prepared. Here are the three best things you can do to stay safe on your hike, while making sure you’re prepared in the event of an emergency.
Kit List: Basic Mountain Hiking Gear
While hiking gear can change from trail to trail, and from season to season, the following items will serve you well on every hike. They are a fleshing out of The Ten Essentials (the absolute bare minimum you should pack for every hike).