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I have been hiking and backpacking in the Catskills (with a couple of trips to the Eastern Sierras mixed in) since the mid 70s and have never seen a bear. Bear scat, yes, but no bears. Until one morning last month when I was driving up the NYS Thruway from Long Island to East Greenbush (across...

After getting a later start than I wanted to (because of my hiking partner's reluctance to get an early one), we ended up at the PA in the dark. I planned to put on the mocs for the drive home, but after a brief phone conversation with my PO-ed wife, was in a hurry and drove home in my boots...

We're going to start at Wittenberg as well, so descending Slide will seem like a walk in the park compared to what came before. :) I've been on Slide and Wittenberg twice, but have never made the three-peak trip. This is the year!

Thanks for the tip, MtnSister3. I'll pass it on to my hiking partner. He's never hiked in the Catskills, so I think he'll be ok. I've never been on the C-O trail, but from what I can see on the map, taking it would add about a mile and a quarter, but if it's easier on the knees and has better...

That was my thinking in planning to start at the Wittenberg end. Up and back on Wittenberg was my first Catskills hike, but that was in the mid-70s. My knees are now 40 years older and I've already had one 'scoped for a torn meniscus.

Hi, Tom. Thanks for getting back to me. We intend to spot a car at each end and through-hike, starting at Woodland Valley. I've done Wittenberg and Slide, twice each, but have never done the three. I figure I better do it soon! :)

Has anyone done the Wittenberg-Cornell-Slide hike as a day hike? A friend and I are contemplating doing it in early October. We're in our 60s, but in good shape. Doable? Thanks!

Hmm. He was in his late 40s to early 50s? I'm 60 and have hiked Peekamoose and Table solo as well as many other trails in the Cats and the Sierras. This story has made me think about hiking solo (haven't shown it to my wife yet), but I don't think it will deter me.

I clicked both "Black flies/mosquitoes" and "other." The "other" in this case was a wild turkey hen crossing the Ashokan Hight Point trail about 10 yards in front of me with her brood of about 12 chicks, about a mile in from the TH early last June. We kind of surprised each other, as I had...

Thanks!! These are all great suggestions, folks. Thanks very much. VFTT has to be the best, friendliest hiker community there is in the NE! Nope, the hike doesn't have to be in the Cats, and the Lake Minnewaska suggestion is an intriguing one. P.S. - I also agree with Freddy's assessment of...

Hello, all. I have taken several first-timers up to the summit of Overlook Mt. in the Cats because it's an easy hike with great rewards at the top. But it's not a really pretty hike on the way up. So I thought the Huckleberry Point hike might be a reasonable alternative, but I've never done it...

For me, it's my Lowe Alpine internal frame top-loading pack. Don't know the model - I've long forgotten and there's no ID on the pack. It's still comfortable, carries all my stuff (and I tend to overpack in all seasons) and I've had to replace only the sternum strap after about 32 years. There...

Just as we all hike our own hike, our needs for exercise are our own, depending on age, condition, fitness goals and activity goals. That said, I hit the big six-oh last September and have been following pretty much the same gym routine for the last several years. 55 minutes of cardio (broken...

For me, 2-3 hours to the Cats, 5 to the ADKs. I usually go solo, so it will hurt more this fall, but I have no intention of cutting back. Other things will go first.

easy way out Most often, because I tend to overpack everything including food, I end up finishing off the leftovers in my pack (that don't have to be cooked) on the drive home (pepperoni, cheese, sourdough, trail mix, etc.). Then, at home, a shower, whatever is for dinner that night and a glass...

Just a guess Not sure this would work, but what about wrapping the grips with the stuff used to wrap tennis racket grips?

Dragonfly It's B-52 loud, but I love it and use it year 'round. I've only used it with white gas, though, but it comes with a field repair kit and the nozzles for other types of fuel.

black toenail on an easy hike I took a first-timer colleague from work up Overlook Mt. in the Cats a couple of weeks ago. For those of you not familiar with this "trail," it is (except for the last third of a mile or so) a gravel road at moderate grade. I chose to wear a pair of Nike low-cut...

Thanks again for all the help! Well, I decided on the Katadyn Hiker Pro and will take it on a shakedown cruise Monday 6/20 up the Peekamoose/Table trail in the Cats. I'll file a report. Thanks again everyone. Pete

Wow! What service! Thanks to all for the terrific info - and to Dugan, my fellow kuvasz owner, for the link to that chart. I'm off now to the local EMS store, but I still haven't made up my mind yet between the MSR Miniworks and the Katadyn Hiker, but I am leaning towards the Katadyn. I think...