For the first time in many years, members of the Susquehanna Chapter ventured into the Catskills for a more challenging hike than we do in our local area. Pastor John Buddle, an avid Catskill hiker, agreed to lead the hike. When it became apparent that he was unable to lead it on that date, he asked his fellow-hiker, Stash Rusin, to lead. Stash commented “that it was a great hike and some people had challenges that they haven’t experienced before. But they all handled it like champs! The weather was great, being cool enough so you didn’t sweat too much. The view at the top was phenomenal. They enjoyed views to the south overlooking North-South Lake and Kaaterskill High Peak, while also going to the other side and enjoying views to the north overlooking the Hudson Valley. You could actually see Albany! Overall it was around 4.2 miles and 900 ft. of elevation gain.
Report by Diane Aaronson. We met at the Scutt Rd. parking lot and carpooled to parking near the trailhead. We headed up the trail, our destination North Point. The trail was steep and rocky in places, with a few scrambles. There were some waterfalls, and ledges with views, and beautiful fall foliage. Stash showed us some photos on his phone of these locations in winter. The view from the top of North Point was great and we spent some time looking towards the Catskills to the south and west, Hudson River to the east, Adirondacks to the north and Vermont in the distance to the northeast. Then the weather changed and it began to rain, so we headed down. The descent was a bit slow and cautious because the rain caused the rocks to become slippery. Although we had originally considered seeing Badman’s Cave, the weather made us head back to the cars. We all enjoyed the hike and Stash was a great hike leader. He looked after us and offered help navigating some of the tricky, slippery places on the trail. He also told us about local history and other hiking stories.
Photos by Stash Rusin.
Susquehanna Chapter 