West Kill Mountain

"A quiet day in the Spruceton valley. First I did my trail maintenance on the Diamond Notch trail then after hiding my tools I headed up West Kill. Just beyond the half way point I pass a male hiker descending, he would be the only other hiker I would see all day. Any icy patches were easily skirted so the Hillsound spikes stayed in the pack." — Nimblefoot • Nov 15, 2019

"Successful single day, solo traverse of the Devil's Path from East to West. This marks my first ultra-style, and longest hike in terms of mileage and duration. Set out at around 4:50am with 15 hours of moving time. I got over my fear of hiking alone in the dark, made some newt friends along the way, and finished the trail in one piece. I'm excited to keep pushing and see how far my heart and feet take me :) " — pandyabear • Sep 15, 2019

"Joined Tom for his ascent of Rusk for the month of August then we met up with our friend Peter in the PA to head up the road and ascend to the top of West Kill. Nice day with pleasant weather." — Nimblefoot • Aug 12, 2019

"Tom and I were joined by Peter and Emma, aka Sprinkles, for a Spruceton straight shot of Sherrill, North Dome and West Kill. A nice cool day so the bugs were not an issue. Easy whack using old woods roads and herd paths to obtain Sherrill and North Dome then a spirited plunge down to the Devils Path. The hike up to St. Anne’s and on to West Kill was the toughest part of the day. On the summit of West Kill Tom earned his single season Spring triangle patch presented to him by Emma. West Kill marked the completion of the month of June for me, my second month completed for my third 420 Grid." — Nimblefoot • Jun 15, 2019

"Seven of us did a quick hike of West Kill before heading to the 3500 Club annual dinner. Bare ground down low then we encountered ice strips right in the trail that became more continuous the higher we climbed. The micros went on to avoid any foolish looking slips and slides. Another nice day for shorts." — Nimblefoot • Apr 13, 2019

"A nice winter day for a onesie, just West Kill, as the finale of our winter peakbagging frenzy. Some wind down low then surprisingly calm up top along with a sunny blue sky allowing for great views. We chose to leave the snowshoes in the car today and go with the micros all day on the packed trail. Met John Fellows with three friends and two frisky pups at Bucks Ridge. One person in his party, Angie, completed her W35. In our party of eleven we had one finish her W35(Emma) and three complete a single season winter(SSW) round- Emma, Peter and Tim. The two hiking bums, Tom and I , completed our second SSW with a few days left for some bonus peaks. Today was the first time the newly minted triangular SSW patch was handed out on the trail. After the usual summit shenanigans to celebrate completions we returned to Bucks Ridge lookout to enjoy a feast of homemade treats of soft pretzels with mustard, kimchi pancakes and Korean chicken sliders plus a selection of sausages with sauerkraut, ginger tea and beer from West Kill brewing. Now properly fortified we cruised back down to the cars and prepped for a short drive to the beer(!) for a doubleheader. While enjoying our beverages we drafte..." — Nimblefoot • Mar 17, 2019

"Beautiful day in the Catskills for Bhakti’s first climb of West Kill. Started at the Spruceton Road lot. It snowed for much of the ascent, but the clouds opened as we reached the Buck Ridge Overlook for a great view. Fun snow squalls on the descent made for a great “winter” feel to an otherwise snow-deprived Catskills this season. " — wacbravo • Jan 6, 2019

"I joined Tom and Karen fora double shot of Rusk and West Kill mountains. After Rusk we relocated our cars to the next PA up Spruceton road to enjoy our lunch in the warmth of our cars before heading off for West Kill. We bare booted up to the spring then finally put on the spikes to reduce the slippage and gain confidence in our footing. Shortly thereafter we noticed that the two hikers we were following put their spikes on. Photos at both the summit and Bucks Ridge followed by a rather spirited descent with plenty of running on the gentle downhills and flats." — Nimblefoot • Jan 3, 2019

"Brought my buddy out for his first Catskill High Peak. It was a great way to close out 2018. I only wish the clouds were a few hundred feet higher as the summit was socked in." — Right-On • Dec 31, 2018

"Ten of us gathered on a rather brisk day to celebrate Paul T’s completion of his 4-season Grid. Tom presented Paul with his newly earned patch as we sipped on some bubbly and snacked on cheese and crackers. Once back to Spruceton road, using only spikes and carrying snowshoes for the simple joy of a heavier pack, we adjourned to West Kill brewery. The eleven of us spent some quality time drinking beer and eating celebratory cake along with everything they offer on the menu." — Nimblefoot • Dec 8, 2018

"Went on a big ole loop hike starting at the western end of the Devil's Path, going over St Anne's, West Kill, SW Hunter and then finally Hunter. There was a dusting of snow on my climb up St. Anne's and over to West Kill but it melted not to long after that. Diamond Notch Falls was roaring and the clouds and lighting from Hunter was superb. Quite a few people out on the trails for a mid-october Friday, but it was quite the beautiful day. Finished the trip off with a three mile road walk and a stop in at the West Kill Brewery." — Right-On • Oct 19, 2018

"Doug came down the night before. He was planning on finishing his NEU8 with a Devils Path Traverse. I wanted to be there for it and to also pick up 5 peaks for my Catskills list. We drove over in his car and headed up. The first half of the traverse was cool. Terrain and rock formations were really cool. But damn, those col depths were serious. Between Sugarloaf and Plateau, we dropped 1200 feet, then had to regain 1240 feet. There were few summit views. The traverse was more about ledge views. We came out at dusk. Doug then got to drive back home that night while I took the next day off from hiking. It was a 24.5 mile day. " — newenglandwarrior • Aug 26, 2018

"Pleasant day, with an overcast sky, for Laura,Steve and I to stomp up to Buck Ridge Lookout then onto the summit sign. Trail nicely packed down for easy shuffling in the snowshoes. Peak #11 done 12/12 months for Grid2." — Nimblefoot • Apr 2, 2018

"First hike after the big storm hit the Catskills. Fortunately the Diamond Notch trail was broken out thus making for an easy start for Steve and I. Once acrossed the bridge and onto the Devils Path we found a broken track...woo Hoo...would it go all the way to the summit..No but close. It appeared like only two snowshoers made the track so it wan’t fully packed down and with the snow being heavy and unforgiving it was still a tough climb. Right where the trail descends and you can see the summit looming ahead of you, approximately 1/2 mile shy, the trail breakers turned around. We broke out the rest of the way to the summit sign as best we could, definitely a workout. On our return we tried to pack the track better but the snow was like cement and not cooperating." — Nimblefoot • Mar 6, 2018

"After tagging the summit of Plateau in the morning, Laura,Steve and I headed to Spruceton Road to hike up West Kill on a day with early spring-like temps. While cruising through downtown Hunter my car thermometer hit a high of 54*. Down low the snow was slushy with a mix of snow ,ice and water while up higher it was getting wetter and fortunately not sticking to our snowshoes. Not sure how much longer this thin coat of snow is going to last with temps. rising so high and rain in the forecast." — Nimblefoot • Jan 11, 2018

"The Catskill crew of gridiots, Laura, Tom, Steve and I, did a Spruceton scattershot of Halcott, Rusk and West Kill. On our final climb the sky has clouded over and we get an occasional light snow showeras a treat. The few small ice patches we encountered on the trail were easily skirted or carefully crossed. Back to the car just as darkness was falling so no headlamps were harmed on this adventure." — Nimblefoot • Dec 7, 2017

"Out after Sunday's big rain storm visiting West Kill and Hunter. The Esopus Creek was running fast and muddy so I knew the trails would be wet in the usual spots. Many limbs and trees on the trail heading up West Kill. Normally I would spend time to clear the trail, I was carrying two saws with me, but I didn't have the time nor the extra energy as I'm still recovering from a bout of food poisoning/flu over the weekend. Nice cool breezy day with blue sky but the sun kept hiding behind a large cloud." — Nimblefoot • Oct 31, 2017

"Out with the wife hitting Slide and West Kill mountains for the month. Sharon pooped out a mile from the top so I finished the climb solo, bypassing the view, then caught back up with her at the car. Stopped off at West Kill Brewing, who was having a beer and pizza party, to sample some new beers then down to the Brooklyn Cider House in New Paltz to sample some new hard cider with pizza to complete the day." — Nimblefoot • Sep 2, 2017

"The fourth peak of our traverse of Sherrill, North Dome, St Anne's and Westkill. Lollygagged a while at Bucks Ridge taking in the view and relaxing as best as we could with the black flies buzzing about." — Nimblefoot • Jun 8, 2017

"Buttercup( Laura ), Steve and I did a traverse of Sherrill, North Dome and West Kill from Shoemaker road to the end of Spruceton road. After visiting the canisters on Sherrill and North Dome we had our final climb up the Devils Path to the summit of West Kill. The warm temps and/or over indulging on Mothers Day had Laura struggling on the climb. We dropped down to the view point to have our lunch and swat at the black flies." — Nimblefoot • May 16, 2017