West Kill Mountain

"Did a Spruceton circular of West kill to Rusk. I hit the summit of West Kill first, to find the cairn knocked over and the remnants of a recent “camp” fire including a scarred tree roots, then whacked down to Diamond notch. After an easy stroll through open woods it was a steep drop that was a bit slippery with wet leaves. Next was a steep ascent on sliding rocks to head toward SW Hunter. Once most of the elevation was regained it was an easy stroll to the canister. Now it’s rail bed and trails to Hunter with the overcast sky breaking up and the sun showing through. The two people descending the tower were the only two other hikers I saw on the summits. Popped up and over the East summit of Rusk on my way to the canister on Rusk followed by a speedy descent on the herd path trying to stay ahead of gravity with the slippery leaves again." — Nimblefoot • Oct 27, 2020

"A quick scoot up West Kill in the morning then Red Hill in the afternoon after a bit of driving. Drove on fresh oil and stone at the end of Spruceton road put down on Wednesday the 15th. On my way to Red Hill drove by the infamous Blue Hole which was a bit zoo-ey with cars parking everywhere and people walking to the swimming hole. The boys in green(DEC) were on site doing some pricey paperwork and keeping the peace." — Nimblefoot • Jul 16, 2020

"Up for an easy twofer of West Kill and Halcott for the month of June. It was a lovely day so I encountered numerous others coming and going on West Kill then no one on Halcott until back to the PA, not too surprising. Much more of a well used herd path on Halcott, once above the Brook, than I’ve seen in recent years. The sign on West Kill is still there but the summit cairn got toppled by a cairn-knocker." — Nimblefoot • Jun 8, 2020

"Tom, aka Flexible Flyer, and I had an easy day of only one peak while winter is in hibernation at least snow-wise. Spikes all day on a solid track. Wonderfully clear view from Bucks Ridge lookout. More driving than hiking but at least I got peak #20 of 35 for a winter round and towards a single season triangle patch. We had the peak to ourselves." — Nimblefoot • Jan 7, 2020

"Another late start doing a scattershot of West Kill and Rusk. Fortunately West Kill was an easy hike with the trail well broken out and only a heavy dusting of recent snow on top of it for me set some new tracks in. On my return I ran into Ranger Christine Nelson who was out removing blowdowns that were reported on the trail but I didn’t see them. I managed to get to the can on Rusk just as darkness was coming on, so no headlamp, by following someone’s rather in direct route so I could save time from breaking out my own route. A speedy headlamp descent got me back to the car earlier than expected and left me with only two peaks to do to complete a second single season round in Fall." — Nimblefoot • Dec 18, 2019

"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