Devil’s Path

The Devil’s Path is the name of a mountain range and hiking trail in the Greene County portion of New York’s Catskill Mountains. The mountains commonly considered to be part of the Devil’s Path are, from west to east, West Kill, Hunter, Plateau, Sugarloaf, Twin, and Indian Head.

The name comes from early settlers of the region, who believed the range’s craggy cliffs were specially built by the devil so that he alone could climb them and occasionally retreat from the world of men. Today, they are famous for the deep gaps between them, which get lower in elevation as the mountains between them get higher when proceeding westward on the hiking trail.

The mountains and the land around them were acquired by the state as Forest Preserve and made part of the Catskill Park in the 1920s and ’30s. Today the area is managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as the Indian Head Wilderness Area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil’s_Path_(hiking_trail)

Patterns

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I noticed this near the lean-to. You can figure out what it is from, but I liked the reds against the yellow.

Taken on Sunday February 21, 2010 at Hunter Mountain.

Spring

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This spring on the trail is near the John Robb lean-to. They don't horses drinking out of the spring, or actually you know what they don't want horses doing near the spring.

Taken on Sunday February 21, 2010 at Hunter Mountain.

Looking Down a Steeper Trail

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After passing the saddle between Rusk and Hunter, the trail narrows and follows a series of switchbacks. It's not very steep for mountain trails at 15%, and easily ski-able, but it certainly gains 500 feet in elevation relatively quickly over the next 6/10 mile to John Robb Leanto.

Taken on Sunday February 21, 2010 at Hunter Mountain.