I've had a love affair for nearly forty years. When my wife found out about it, she encouraged me to continue it, and then she joined me. I love the Catskills. I love the mountains, the valleys, the cloves and hollows, the streams and reservoirs, the villages, towns, and hamlets: Peakamoose. Slide, Wittenberg, and Cornell. Friday and Balsam Cap. Panther. Bearpen and Vly. Maplecrest Valley, Stony Clove, McKenley Hollow. The Esopus and the Neversink. The Roundout and the Pepacton. Sundown and Shady. I've climbed the high peaks since the 60's, cycled through the valleys and the villages since the 80's, wrote about it in the 90's, and put all the writings together in the 2000's: Catskill Tales and Trails-35 chapters; one devoted to each of the 35 Catskill 3500' peaks.

30 HIKES INCLUDE -- Starks Knob & Schuylerville Champlain Canal Towpath -- Saratoga National Historic Park -- Geyser Park -- Vischer Ferry Nature & Historic Preserve -- Peebles Island State Park -- Oakwood Cemetery -- Burden Pond Environmental Park -- Ann Lee Pond -- Indian Ladder -- Bennett Hill Preserve -- Clarksville Cave Preserve -- Edmund Niles Huyck Preserve -- Balanced Rocks -- Shaker Mountain -- No Bottom Pond -- Tyringham Cobble -- Ice Glen & Laura's Tower -- Ashintully Estate & McLennan Preserve -- Vroman's Nose -- Pratt Rock -- Lindenwald & Martin Van Buren Nature Trail -- Rogers Island -- Olana -- Montgomery Place -- Ravena Falls -- Hudson River School Art Trail -- Catskill Mountain House Escarpment -- Saugerties Lighthouse -- Overlook Mountain -- Sky Top & Mohonk Lake

Eighty-eight different mountaineers/writers offer 101 true tales of high adventure in the Catskill Mountain High Peaks, as compiled and edited by Carol Stone White. The stories are divided into sections that include: Marathon Hikes, Wildlife Encounters, Wild Weather, Navigating in the Wilderness, Misadventures, Winter Adventuring, Lost in the Wilderness, Mysteries, Reminiscences, and Catskill Mountain Highs.Since 1962, mountain climbers in the Northeast have joined the quest for membership in the Catskill 3500 Club, reserved for hikers who summit all thirty-five Catskill Mountain peaks over 3,500 feet high. Adding to the challenge, four peaks must be climbed in winter, and thirteen of the peaks are trailless. (A special, separate membership badge is awarded to those who summit all 35 peaks in winter.) Despite these obstacles, the Catskill 3500 Club has over 1,700 members, and membership continues to flourish. It?s no surprise that many seekers after this hikers? Holy Grail come out of the wilderness with tales to tell. Some of these tales of success and failure, misery and exultation, rejuvenation and near-death, make their way into the Club?s quarterly newsletter, the Catskill Canister (named for the canisters the club has placed on the trailless peaks to pinpoint the summits). Carol Stone White, a Club member (summer and winter) and accomplished writer and editor of hiking guidebooks, sifted through 45 years of Canister issues and solicited stories from current hikers to come up with over 100 tales that run the gamut from exhilaration to sheer terror.

Book Two: The central Catskills includes hikes through the rugged wilderness terrain of the heart of the Catskill Forest Preserve, taking you to the summit of the highest peak in the Catskill Mountains, the massive cliffs of Giant Ledge with its Range made famous by America's first literary naturalist, to the geologic mystery of the Panther Mountain Circle and the splendors of a sunset over the peaceful Ashokan Reservoir.

"Drawing freely from New York folk and Indian lore, from literature, history, and his own imagination, James Burton McMurry has fashioned sixteen fanciful tales of unforgettable characters inhabiting the region of the Hudson Valley. Some of the stories, here retold in a simple and lucid style, are old favorites. They are joined by nine new stories which take their places here naturally and compatibly. Readers of Washington Irving will recognize the major figure in "Anthony's Nose," who here returns from the shores of Spuyten Duyvil to find a wife and a whole new set of adventures. "Pokepsie" and "The Saranac Wizard" are based on the old Indian legends, as was the title story, and "The Ramapo Salamander" has roots in an old English or German tale. McMurry notes that the terrible Ogress of Claverack recently passed through those parts again, enabling the author to get the story first hand, and ruins of the troll house under the White Clay Kill bridge are still there. The children of Tivoli have reported that the troll Eyesore can be seen just as it's getting dark at night. The mists of fable gather here around the storyteller on the banks of the beautiful Hudson River, to the delight of children of all ages. After experiencing these tales, the reader might be able the better to see old Teunis, the Dutch-speaking giant who roars in the Catskills." -- Provided by Publisher

Hiking the Catskills provides everything hikers need to plan day hikes in the Catskill region of New York State: a five-county area west of the Hudson River that includes parts of Delaware, Greene, Otsego, Sullivan and Ulster counties. This guide selects 40 hikes from the best among the Catskills’ famous peaks above 3,500 feet, as well as more moderate trails to backcountry waterfalls, easier trails to some of the area’s most spectacular viewpoints, and rail trails that provide access to fragrant woodlands and unusual geological wonders. This book provides a separate, full-color, detailed map for each hike—making it different from books by the Appalachian and Adirondack Mountain Clubs—and waypoint-by-waypoint directions to guide readers along trails with confidence. Color photos and descriptions of the history, natural wonders, and special features of each hike help readers choose the best hikes for their personal interests and skill levels. In a region largely abandoned by tourists and just now seeing renewed interest from visitors, Hiking the Catskills provides the guidance readers need to plan exciting trips into the mountains. This book leads them to the ridges, notches, and cloves that inspired a uniquely American landscape painting style, the vistas that drew thousands of vacationers here throughout the twentieth century, and the peaks that challenge the most rugged explorers. It’s time to rediscover the Catskills, one of New York’s most fascinating natural areas.

"This guide from the Appalachian Mountain Club offers hikers turn-by-turn descriptions of more than 300 miles of trails in New York's Catskill Mountains. These trails suit every ability level--from an easy walk to Kaaterskill Falls to strenuous climbs on the Devil's path. Includes topographical maps"--