Bridges & Boulders, part 2

                               by Silent Panther

After somehow surviving a nearly sleepless night in the freezing cold, we got up at the crack of dawn and prepared for the second day of hiking.  We said goodbye to our campsite, never more grateful for the heating systems in our cars, before driving and dropping off the cars at each end of the hike.  Along the way we spotted two glorious bald eagles perched in the trees and made sure to stop to get a picture.

Shortly after we began hiking we realized we were in for a long day.  Unlike the previous day’s hike which began with optimism and was easier than expected, this hike was initially marked by fatigue and frustration.  We were sore and sleep-deprived and quickly became dismayed as the hike began with a long series of steep, never-ending inclines.  We were certain the guide’s mile markers were off as it took an eternity to scale Peekamoose Mountain. 

Our spirits eventually brightened when we reached a series of landmarks:  outcrops of large boulders, a spring, and a sign confirming that we had reached 3,500 feet in elevation, which the soreness in our legs told us was a drastic understatement.  The views from the top of Peekamoose gave us an idea of why we were crazy enough to do this in the first place as we gazed out upon the endless hills and serene fields of the Catskills.

After a much needed rest in the midst of a dwarf spruce forest straight out of Lord of the Rings, we flew down the surprisingly snowy trail with new life in our battered bodies.  

An easier ascent up Table Mountain was followed by a painful, knee-punishing descent.  Additional misery arrived when we realized we weren’t done going uphill.  We had to scale two hills described as “small knolls” which looked more like Himalayan horrors.  Our reward for conquering the knolls was an awesome log bridge which carried us high over a crystal clear stream.

  We encountered a few more bridges, as well as some campers, as we ground out the final stretch of the hike and triumphantly exited out onto Denning Road, having conquered 18 miles of rough Long Path hiking in two epic days.