Because the Catskills are a reasonable day hike’s distance away from my home in New Jersey, I had a rare opportunity to hit a 4k with a few of my local friends. We got a late start heading up and didn’t make it to the Becker Hollow trailhead until 11 am. It was humid as heck and even this late in the season, we were seeing bugs. The rocks started immediately with the short-but-steep elevation gain creeping in after the first 3/4 mile; seriously steep moments of actual climbing on all fours up slate crumbling beneath our feet.

We took the guide’s advice and took the loop counter-clockwise to the summit - a huge, open, grassy area with a famous northeast fire tower. For the Catskills, the views were stunning atop the lookout; I preferred Hunter much more than Slide for this very reason. From up there, it was quite the blustery day, but the leaves were starting to change indicating fall was nearing. On the way down, a group clad in purple was stationed in the far corner of the summit - they were running a hiking event fundraising for the Alzheimer’s Association, just another testament to how kind and giving the trail community can be. I happily dropped a donation and got back on trail.

Rough go on the knees through the steeper sections; we fell more times than we’d care to admit, but made it back to the car before 5 and went for beer and burgers at our favorite spot near my friend's place in north Jersey. I’ve no aspirations to join the Catskill 3500 Club, but perhaps some day I’ll be back to square up for another round.

NH 3/48
New England 8/67
New England 10/100 Highest
Northeast 10/115