"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 twofer of West Kill and Halcott. Getting West Kill for a single season Spring round, five years in a row, and getting Rusk for round #70. Rusk put my total peak # to 4800, slowly creeping up on 5K. I managed to get West Kill done in the AM without getting rained on until just reaching the car. Dried off in the car while eating lunch and waiting for the shower to pass. Once the sun popped back out I headed for Rusk hoping to beat the forecasted rain/showers again. No such luck, the sun played peek-a-boo all afternoon. Teasing me brilliant sunshine then in minutes dark skies returned and rain showers began. Close to the top I surrendered and put the rain jacket on as the combination of cooler temps, a breeze and wetness didn’t make for a happy hiker. A quick sign-in at the canister then a quick skidaddle back to the car. I had thoughts of doing Halcott on my way home, as it’s right there, but the constant showers said leave it for tomorrow when should be drier." — Nimblefoot • May 24, 2025

"Despite a forecast for morning T-storms headed to the Cats to get two peaks, BLM and Rusk, toward a single season Spring round raising total # to 32/35. Since it was only 1:30 in the afternoon I decided to get Halcott for 3season round #47 raising total # to 34/35. Black flies were not a problem on BLM, only minor issue on Rusk, then on Halcott they came out with a vengeance. I head take my eye glasses off on my ascent so that I could swat them away from my face with my bandanna without knocking them off. On my descent from the canister on Halcott I met two other members of Hikers Anonymous, Ed and Jazz, that I haven’t seen for over a year. Nice chat while getting eaten alive by the B-flies catching up on hiking challenges and trail runs. " — Nimblefoot • May 17, 2025

"First Rusk with Joanne, Mimi, Chris G and his dog Misty where we enjoyed sunshine and warm temps that had us wishing we brought shorts. On our descent the sky began to cloud up then on our drive over to the Halcott PA we got rain which turned to snow once we reached the PA. A snowy ascent that took longer than usual as Mimi was suffering from being off the trail for so long. On our descent the snow subsided and clouds parted to allow the blue sky to return. The temperature began to drop considerably, preparing for an overnight sudden drop, so we got early Spring and Winter weather in one day." — Nimblefoot • Mar 1, 2025

"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

"Seven of us rendezvoused at the end of Gillespie road for an off trail loop of Roundtop and KHP. As usual we did see a variety of blue blazes of the old trail on our way up to the cairn marking the summit of Roundtop. Down to the small view looking toward KHP, that was the inspiration for Thomas Cole’s famous painting, then dropped straight down and eventually pickup a herd path. After signing into the canister on KHP we dropped down to the plane crash site, for some folks to see it for the first time, then down to the small view out toward the Hudson River. Back up to Hurricane ledge for a lengthy lunch break in the sunshine, quite nap inducing. A final whack brought us back to the cars by 1:30 and only 5 miles under our feet so I had time for a solo romp up Rusk mountain that I need for the month of May. Feeling frisky and using a herd path for efficiency I was able to put in a round trip hike, after a short chat with a friend in the PA, in under two hours. Unfortunately the time I saved was spent an hour later changing a punctured rear tire to a “donut” spare tire in the parking lot of Kenco outdoor store. Plus driving only 50 mph the rest of the way home was both tedious a..." — Nimblefoot • May 17, 2024

"A twosie of Halcott to close the month of April for my 5th grid and Rusk just to make a fuller day. Four hours of driving and four hours of hiking not something I want to make a regular habit of, prefer a 2:1 of hiking to driving. The forecasted showers never materialized though there was a mix of clouds and blue sky/sun with short periods of total cloud cover. A bit on the humid side but the clouds and slight breeze kept things comfortable. Red trilliums, trout lillies and Dutchman’s breeches are all popping out along with those dreaded black flies." — Nimblefoot • Apr 30, 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

"Sherri and I joined Richard in getting his last three peaks to close out the month of December for his grid. Beautiful day in the winter wonderland with snow still hanging on the trees. Fortunately all trails and the rail bed/herd path to SWH were broken out making for work for us. The knuckleheads who broke a track over East Rusk to Rusk and down to the Spruceton trail need to improve their game in trail braking. It was great that they did it but they plowed through stuff that was totally unnecessary and missed the entire herd path coming off of Rusk. Great day of laughs, giggles and the occasional slip and fall that we labeled as performance art in the slippery powdery snow." — Nimblefoot • Dec 13, 2023

"Three peaks for the month of November. Chilly morning start of 29* with a dusting of snow on the ground that would disappear as the day warmed up to the low 40’s. A quick stroll up to the tower on BLM first followed by a climb of Rusk and Halcott in the afternoon. Almost decided to pass on Halcott as it was 3:30 when I reached the small PA. Managed to reach the canister, sign in, then leave right at 5:00. Ironically I managed to return to my car right at sundown, 5:51 pm according to my watch. Todays cool temps and frost on my windshield upon leaving home was a good wake up to put scrappers/brushes and micro spikes back in the car in preparation." — Nimblefoot • Nov 2, 2023