Maintenance
Walk Through Mud
Here are three great reasons to always walk directly down the middle of every trail, and especially through any mud puddles or water you find on the trail.
Should We Stop Bushwhacking the Catskills?
I asked, “How can hikers best use the mountains right now, in terms of bushwhacking? Should we cool it for a while?”
The Great Twin Reroute Controversy of 2019
Until the middle of 2019, the trail from Pecoy Notch to the summit of Twin Mountain included a rock ledge that required a semi-technical lift to pass. It epitomized the ruggedness of the Devil’s Path. Then, during the summer, a rock-slide tore the place apart.
Trail Maintenance, Balsam Lake, Fall 2019
Finished my 2019 maintenance by tidying up a few things between the two junctions on the south side of Balsam Lake. When I first took on this trail section in the spring, it hadn’t been tended to in many years and was very overgrown.
Trail Maintenance, Lost Clove, Fall 2019
Lost Clove is one of the very steepest trails in the Catskill Park. Which is great, if you’re a hill-running lunatic. If you’re me? Not so great. But trail maintenance is rewarding work, and I was really happy to finish the tidy-up I started in May.
Trail Maintenance 101 in Mine Hollow
Look at this place. What a day to be outside in such a beautiful setting. The very next day, it snowed all over the Catskills—in mid-May! But on this perfect spring day, I joined a small group of fellow trainees for Trail Maintenance 101.
