"Did a loop of the two Hunters and Rusk, which included the speed bump of the East peak of Rusk, then finished my day with an out and back to Panther. To speed things up so as to have time for Panther and still be able to do some grocery shopping on way home I did a shortcut after SWH from the junction of the DP and the beginning of the rail bed. I headed straight for the four way trail jct prior to the summit of Hunter to save some trail mileage. Very cloudy and windy all morning and into the early afternoon. The sky didn’t really threaten rain fall but remained gloomy with hints of sunshine that finally arrived for my hike of Panther. At least the wind and cool temps kept the black flies at bay. SW Hunter completed my single season Spring round, the fifth in a row and earning another Four in a Row patch from Ha! Panther completed the month of June for my 6th Grid of the Cat 35 bringing my total to 280/420. Winding down the peakbagging foolishness on the East Coast." — Nimblefoot • Jun 20, 2025

"A solo day doing WHP to complete 3-season round #47 then up to the end of Big Hollow road to complete 3-season ascent #49 for Blackhead bringing it even with Black Dome and Thomas Cole. To finish the day I dropped down Rt 214 to the Becker Hollow TH to climb Hunter to bring my total “known” ascent count to 79. Also completing the ‘25 DEC fire tower challenge. Forgot how much of a steady grind the upper half of the trail is, took the yellow short cut trail to the tower. Temps were pleasant and the bugs were not a problem." — Nimblefoot • Jun 3, 2025

"Mimi and I did a loop of the two Hunters starting on the Devils Path and finishing on the Spruceton trail. A beautiful blue sky sunny day that started off in the single digits then warmed up to nearly 30*. We went light by leaving the snowshoes in the car and taking only micro spikes which never got used. Nice quiet day where we only saw two other hikers all day." — Nimblefoot • Dec 26, 2024

"A day of onesies. Started off doing Hunter via the short and sweet Becker Hollow trail. Met Cassidy from Connecticut in the parking lot. She was doing Hunter followed by Slide to finish her Northeast 111(115) quest. We chatted about northeast peak bagging and other challenges before descending. Being younger and fitter she flew down to the TH way faster than I could. Did Hunter for the 4K peak per day challenge- #235/366. Next headed over to Deep Notch on Rt 42 to head up to the canister on Halcott for the month of october and round #2 of the 35R peak everyday( Hikers Anonymous.com)- 284/366. Nice quiet hike not seeing a sole on my round trip. There was a second car in the PA so that person(s) most have taken a different bushwhack or herd path route. Felt a little sluggish and tight calves after the faster hike on Hunter. Quick lunch break before driving over to Rt 212 outside of Phoenicia. The parking lot at the Tremper mtn TH was totally full, not surprising for a Friday and the Fall color looky loos. Went back to one of the small lots, used by those fishing the Esopus, to hop on the trail via the old gated access road to the tower. This saved me half a mile on my last clim..." — Nimblefoot • Oct 11, 2024

"Spruceton loop of 4- West Kill, SW Hunter, Hunter and Rusk. Traversed over the summit of East Rusk to get to the canister on Rusk. The herd path from the Spruceton trail over to Rusk is getting more and more obvious allowing for a swift traverse. On West Kill I earned day # 354 out of 366 for the 35R Everyday challenge." — Nimblefoot • Oct 7, 2024

"I hiked with my daughter Katie today. We left the Becker Hollow trailhead at 8:30 under cloudy skies with temps in the low 60s. We chose the harder but shorter trail to the summit trying to avoid the holiday weekend crowds. Trail was in good shape with only a couple blowdowns. From the car to the tower in 2 hrs. 2010' of e.g. in 2 miles. We never saw another hiker till we were leaving the summit. Summit view from the locked tower cabin was marginal due to heavy cloud cover. Returned to car at 12:30. Nice hike and a good workout!" — garyogden • Aug 30, 2024

"Devils Path Traverse East-to-West, with bonus miles up Hunter and SW Hunter, today June 8th. Azaleas in bloom along the eastern half of the range added a splash of color to the morning. A big,stoic bear lingered around Mink Hollow when we passed through. There’s great, flowing water just west of Mink Hollow at 42.13846, -74.16486, but this is the only reliable water on the eastern ridge until the spigot at Stony Clove Notch. The trail west of Stony passes many running sources right now, so no refill worries on that side. Hunter and SW Hunter were lively in the afternoon, so we didn’t linger. Mud was mostly minimal along the trail save for the regular culprit spots, like between Devils Acre and Geiger Point, and navigating these mini bogs was straightforward. Bugs were minimal until late afternoon when winds subsided, and the late-day feasters were largely of the mosquitoe variety. Nettles added a little extra discomfort to the trail, and they were particularly bad hiking out of stony clove towards Devils Acre. In general the trail seemed a bit brushier than usual throughout. Tick hitchhikers are a real concern right now. Check those crevices when you’re done with your hikes! 👀" — wacbravo • Jun 8, 2024

"Roughly 20 hikers affiliated with Hikers Anonymous met at the Spruceton TH for a loop hike of SW Hunter and Hunter. The occasion was to celebrate Mimi’s( aka Cream Puff) 1260 or third 420 Grid on the summit of Hunter. Two folks, Connie and Paul, took the onesie option of doing just Hunter mtn via the Spruceton trail. Tom and myself brought our wives and Sherri encouraged her two young sons join us and get two peaks they need for their first round of the Cat35. Also in the party was the legend herself and my long-time hiking partner Marguerite(aka Itty Bitty). She is nearing the completion of her own 840 Grid at the youthful age of 83 and still providing an example for all of us youngsters(!). It was a casual chat-fest hike to SW Hunter via the Devils Path and old rail bed. Old friends catching up on hikes past and present and others meeting each other for the first time and finding out who is behind that alias. Once most folks reached the canister on SWH and signed in it was time to take more group photos both serious and silly. On to the Hunter mountain summit, peak number 1260 for Mimi. At the summit with the fire tower as background we formed the classic arch of trekking..." — Nimblefoot • May 26, 2024

"Today was forecasted to be a nice sunny day though a bit cooler to start with. I needed Panther for the month of April of my fifth grid and I needed a 4K peak for the 4K/day challenge of the northeast. So I decided to make a day of hiking Panther in the morning from Rt 47 then Hunter in the afternoon via the Becker Hollow trail off Rt 214. Still getting used to the idea of leaving the TH without clipping on micro spikes to the pack and wearing tall gaiters over big boots. A spirited stroll up to and over Giant ledge encountering only one couple with a dog within the first 15 minutes. Beyond Giant Ledge it was just me and my thoughts. On my way out I encountered a single woman, we had a nice chat for awhile, then went our separate ways. Back to the car I began ingesting my sandwich as I drove over to Rt 214 for an ascent of Hunter. I always look forward to using the Becker Hollow trail as it’s a nice change of pace from the other routes. But today for some reason the ascent kicked my butt and took longer than I expected. Upon walking into the summit clearing, from the shortcut trail, I see a woman I know then two more friends up on the tower. We engaged in some lively chit chat re..." — Nimblefoot • Apr 16, 2024

"A loop of the two Hunters and Rusk after clearing two small blowdowns on my adopted section of the Diamond Notch trail. Getting some peaks for a winter round before the “Big Storm” comes in a day or two. Overnight flurries that continued into the early AM put a dusting of snow on the ground hiding the various ice patches leading to micro spikes going on and off all day. Wonderful day looking like a winter wonderland on the ground and blue patches with bright sun in the sky." — Nimblefoot • Jan 5, 2024