West Kill Mountain
West Kill Mountain. Sounds scary right? Well, it's the last section of the Devil's Path. Devil's Path is a 24.2 mile hike that is considered one of the most challenging and dangerous hikes on the eastern part of the US. Doing this hike was a big step for me because it's more difficult than the others I have done!! Also, West Kill is the sixth highest mountain in the Catskills at 3'891 feet. This is going to be fun!!
The beginning of the hike is very flat and easy. It takes you along West Kill Creek which offers the peaceful sound of the flowing water. Right after the trail junction is the amazing West Kill or Diamond Notch Falls. It is about 15ft tall and it is a beautiful sight to see right before you start on Devil's Path. The falls were flowing from the rain from the previous day so it made it perfect!
After the falls, the craziness begins. The trail was very wet and it had rained the previous day and night so all the rocks were slippery and there was mud everywhere. The weather forecast for the day was cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms and I was ready for that with my raincoat and backpack cover. Once you start on the trail it slightly decreases in elevation for a little bit and then suddenly starts going up dramatically. At first it was just going up steep parts with rocks It wasn't like straight up vertical rock climbing, but it was going to be at times. Like I said before, it was wet. The rocks were very slippery and I wanted to take my time so I didn't hurt myself on the way up. There were a few difficult sections along the way. Pictures can't show or describe what it looked like in real life, but here's a couple to maybe give you a hint of what it looked like:
Now this isn't the steepest part in the Catskills, but you had to use your hands to at least pull yourself up the roots and rocks, especially when it's wet and muddy. This was what it was like basically all the way up. Once again, it wasn't rock climbing, but enough to slow you down. When I was halfway up, I meet another hiker on the trail. He had shorts and shoes on, no shirt and was flying and hopping down the mountain. I thought he was crazy. But on future hikes, I realized why he was doing it. Going down the mountain is probably the toughest part of the hike. It puts a lot of wear and tear on your knees and they start to feel like jello. It makes it for a difficult and long time down the hill. He told me that the view was great and it was a fun climb up. He looked like an experienced hiker since he was flying down the mountain so fast, so I took his word for it. After a little further up i reached the 3500 sign. This sign is to show you that you've reached 3500 feet on the mountain to hopefully gain your confidence that you don't have much further to go. Sometimes when you see that sign it feels good, other times, it stresses you out because you still have a good amount to go till you reach your destination.
A little after the 3500 sign came this cool formation that they call 'rock shelter'. It's a rock that is at 45 degree angle that provides shelter for hikers that need it. A very interesting creation by mother nature.
I felt good at that point thinking that I didn't have that much further to go. Not too much really hard climbing like the past two miles. I started coming into the conifer forest which for some reason relaxes you. Maybe its because you feel like your closer to the top, or maybe just because it's a beautiful sight made by mother nature. You can see a picture of a conifer forest to your left.
The trail still gained in elevation, but no where near the past two miles I've just done. In fact, I would call it a walk in the park. Just after the trail started flattening out, it brought me to what they call Buck Ridge Lookout. This view was stunning. It gave me one of the best in the Catskills.
The stunning view off of Buck Ridge Lookout:
I was in awe. But at the same time, I was also worried. I looked over to the right and off in the distance I could see a thunderstorm rolling in. The mountains off in the distance started to disappear and it was getting darker. I took in the view for a couple more minutes and started going onto the trail so I could reach the summit. When I got to the summit, I could hear thunder off in the distance. Now I know why that kid was flying down the mountain! I took my lunch out and headed back down the mountain on the same trail I came up. I didn't go too fast, because one mistake on the slippery rocks and there goes a broken ankle or leg, but I was still making good time. I missed another lookout on the north side of the mountain but it didn't worry me. The mountains weren't going anywhere.
The storm rolling in to the right covering the mountains:
When I started to descend it started raining. I don't mean an easy rain, I meant pouring. Usually not much rain gets in through the thick trees up in the mountains, but this was coming down hard. I put on my rain fly and started down. I heard a couple thunders but I didn't see any lightning, which is good. It was actually very relaxing to hear and feel the rain. Kind of like a natural shower!! There wasn't any flooding going on down the trail but it was still wet and muddy so I took my time to be safe. When I got to the base of the mountain the rain started to let up and it was an easy peaceful walk. I went by the falls again which was very soothing to the ears. For some reason, the sound a waterfall makes is one of the most relaxing sounds I have ever heard.
The trail back to the car was flat and foggy and the rain had stopped. It was a great hike and a great experience to get caught in the middle of that thunderstorm!! Until next time!!