"Hiked up Panther Mt. in the Catskills today from the Giant Ledge Trailhead. Easy hike up to Giant Ledge, which provides some great views toward the Burroughs Range as well as Plateau and Sugarloaf Mts. After a quick descent, the trail ascends to the balsam-rimmed summit of Panther. It is an easy climb, but there are no views from Panther. Still an interesting summit however. Overall a very nice hike, and the lot wasn't full at 10am on this fine Sunday. I logged 7.8 miles and ~2000 feet." — elimihuta • Oct 4, 2025

"Panther in the late morning then Halcott for the afternoon. Met good friend Yong Ae near the summit of Panther then over on Halcott ran into the Can Man, Jim Bouton, and had a lengthy chat. A very warm day….a sweat fest." — Nimblefoot • Jul 26, 2025

"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

"Back for day two in a row and again solo. Tagging the summit of Panther for round #70 followed by Halcott for 3-season round #48. Another day on the coolish side and I was wearing shorts so a strong steady pace was the order of the day. Passing folks all the way up who were heading to Panther whether they knew it or not. Its amazing how many people hike right pass Giant Ledges thinking there are more ahead. Nope that would be Panther, there is no signs identifying either one. Between Giant Ledges and the TH I passed numerous groups coming in, thinking the PA must by overflowing and cars parked up and down the shoulder. I temporarily forgot, senior-itis, that it was a holiday weekend until I met an assistant ranger heading in. Her season was just beginning along with the summit stewards and fire tower volunteers. Off to Halcott PA while eating my lunch hoping there will be room to park. Plenty of room but with the warming temps, finally!, the bugs were back. Now a quick ascent in order to stay ahead of the bugs, yeah right! Had to take off my glasses in order to swat at the growing number of black flies swirling my face. On my descent I neared two folks ascending that seems overly ..." — Nimblefoot • May 25, 2025

"Hiked two onesies to get closer to completing a 69th round of the Cat 35. Carried the micro spikes just in case I hit some extensive ice patches but they went unused on both hikes. Just off the herd path to Halcott I spotted some early ramps popping up in the sunshine. To make sure I broke off a small piece of one leaf and got the typical onion-like smell." — Nimblefoot • Apr 1, 2025

"A solo onesie to raise my total ascent # to 68 and closing in on completing 70 rounds before moving to the west coast. Trail still had some icy patches but they were easily avoided." — Nimblefoot • Mar 18, 2025

"Helping a gridding friend from NH get one the four required peaks for Catskill 3500 completion. Also invited Ed from Long Island and local couple Ellen and Mike. After enduring a sudden snow squall at the PA, while prepping our layers and packs, we had a beautiful sunny day with blue sky to enjoy the out and back saunter. We carried and used both micro spikes and snowshoes but the snow is still not deep enough or the right consistency to enjoy using the ‘shoes. The numerous rocks and boulders are not covered enough so it’s rough on both pieces of gear. We got to experience the full “wind tunnel effect” on the stretch of trail between Giant Ledge and Panther in both directions. It’s one of the windiest spots in the Cats. Ed and I stopped in at Brios in Phoenicia for a slice and soda before our long drives back home." — Nimblefoot • Jan 28, 2025

"A fine Fall day for doing a twosie of Slide and Panther mountains. The morning started off cool, requiring some light layers but no hat or gloves, then as the cloudy sky cleared the temps rose nicely. First up an out and back climb of Slide from Slide TH off Rt 47 with only one other car in the lot at 8:18 am. The young couple seem to be waiting until I headed up the trail first. Had the summit ledge to myself which was a pleasant surprise then I was well down the mountain before I started meeting or hearing other hikers. This climb checked off day #236 of 366 of my 4K peak/ day challenge. Next I headed back down Rt 47 to the Panther TH. A DEC work crew was just finishing loading up their skid-turn tractor and roller after filling in the trench that develops between the road and the PA. I chatted with the two guys while eating my lunch and drinking a hot beverage. On my way out to Panther I decided to wander off the trail to visit the actual summit of Giant Ledge then return to the trail beyond the ledges. Again I had the summit to myself and as a bonus continued onto the next small view before heading back. I didn’t see any other hikers until I was beyond Giant Ledge and getting ..." — Nimblefoot • Nov 15, 2024

"Out getting two onesies of Panther and Slide again taking a break from working on the house. Panther for 35R Everyday(round#2-#283/366) and Slide for 4K peak/day(#234/366) but also catching Slide mtn. up to Hunter mtn. with 75 “known” ascents. Additionally first two peaks in a single-season Fall round. A very overcast day that gradually changed over to a blueish day with clouds while on Panther then the clouds slowly came back together as a climbed Slide. Still got a decent view off of the open ledge beyond the summit of Slide. Wanted to finish my day with a climb of Red Hill, completing another round of the Fire Tower Callenge. But I needed to drive home in the opposite direction to shop at Fruition Chocolate in Shokan on my way to Kingston. Wanted to purchase some high end chocolate bars and truffles for my wife for our recent anniversary. Ironically I stopped at Olives Country store to pickup some rehydration bevs and cheap chocolate(snickers!) right beforehand." — Nimblefoot • Sep 27, 2024

"Met Tom M. at the TH for Panther at 7:30am to find the lot almost full and some cars parked along the road prior to the lot….surprise! Then I realized it was a weekend day, especially for those that work, so most of the cars were from overnighters. All the way in and across Giant Ledge we met backpackers coming out, most were noobs with shiny new gear “dangling” off their packs and looking a bit famished. After tagging the summit of Panther, with its view growing in rapidly, we were on our way back up to Giant Ledge when we got some bad news. Our little buddy, Itty Bitty, an 83 yo dynamo did not return home last night after a solo hike of Big Indian and Fir. Rangers were searching all night for her. Fortunately we had service, though quite spotty, so we spent a half hour at one of the ledges trying to find out more and to get phone #s to Tom’s wife Anna who would make critical phone calls with better service. Additionally we reached out to our friends in the Catskill SAR team, who were pulled in for more searching this AM, to find out more and to give a clearer picture of where she might be knowing her habits. Fortunately we got the message that she was found safe and healthy, walk..." — Nimblefoot • Sep 15, 2024