Hiking for the Catskills (Center)
They started from the Peekamoose Valley and headed north to Windham Mountain via the Long Path. It turned out to be longer than they thought. The best-laid plans… However, they persevered in their determination to complete the hike along rugged terrain in the name of raising money for and awareness about the Catskill Center’s Stewards Program. Moe Lemire came up with the idea, and Josh Gorsch and Dillon Utter wanted in on the Hike for the Catskills.
Moe planned the hike for early June, after black fly season and before any extreme heat took hold. Instead, the trio encountered a likely effect of climate change — the middle of black fly season along with a heat wave. We came up with a new slogan, said Moe, “We’re dying for the Catskills.”
The trio practiced on the trail what stewards advise: planning and preparing to prevent a potential problem, leaving no trace and educating visitors about reducing their impacts and how to recreate responsibly. This comes naturally to Moe, who is the New York State Advocate for the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. He’s also a licensed guide.
The Catskill Stewards Program puts seasonal staff at the busiest locations of the Catskill Park including Kaaterskill Falls, Peekamoose Blue Hole and Platte Clove. The Stewards greet tens of thousands of people every season. They met more than 72,000 visitors in 2020 alone. For the 2021 season, the Catskill Center doubled the number of stewards from last year, given the large increase in visitors to certain high-use areas. And new this year is a steward who serves as a ridge runner on or near the Devil’s Path trail in Greene County, and on other trails as needed.
Moe says the hottest day of hiking was down Wittenberg Mountain, along the Phoenicia East Branch. They had two miles to go before they could “camel up,” i.e., drink water at a spring. In the meantime, the hikers split Moe’s extra 3-liters of water. Along the more than 90-mile hike (96, to be precise, as Moe insists current mapping is incorrect, that there are three more miles between Peekamoose and Windham), a few hikers joined portions of the Hike for the Catskills. Catskill steward David Hans was one. He met up with the hikers in Phoenicia, at the base of Mount Tremper, and stayed with the trio for 12 miles and one overnight.
After black flies swarmed the hikers at the top of Slide Mountain, and heat advisories plastered the area, the hikers encountered another of Mother Nature’s surprises as they ascended Plateau Mountain — thunderstorms. They tried to outrun the storm, but to no avail, and arrived at the Mink Hollow lean-to for the night while the storm passed. It was at Mink Hollow that Moe encountered a hiker from his past. Moe says her joining the hike invigorated the journey and boosted morale at just the right time. Plus, any time is the right time to talk about the importance of stewards, which Moe discussed with his friend.
And, speaking of a point in time, It turns out that 2016 was a pivotal year in the world of two of the hikers: Moe thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine and Josh hiked his first Catskill high peak (Windham) and had his first backpacking overnight adventure. Dillon began hiking the Catskills in 2017 with Balsam Lake Mountain his first conquest.
The three hikers wrapped up their six-day hike June 11, yet the fundraising challenge remains. You can still help them reach their $5,000 goal.
The Hike for the Catskills was Moe’s first for the Catskill Center. He is contemplating a fall fundraising hike for the Catskill Center - Devil in a Day (the 20+-mile Devil’s Path). However, not everyone who wants to help preserve the Catskills and its economy can do a 96-mile hike, or 20 miles in one day. Moe hopes the Long Path fundraising hike will spur others to launch mini-fundraisers for hikes they like because the more people who connect with nature, the better. They become invested in protecting natural resources in the region and hopefully, said Moe, become stewards of the Catskills.
(Moe is Catskill Center Executive Director Jeff Senterman’s spouse of 12 years.)