Spring Has Sprung in the Catskills

The weather finally broke today and though we were donning winter wear just three days ago, today we put on shorts for the first time this season and hiked to our sweaty heart's content.

The sapphire sky with cotton candy clouds reflecting off Bear Cub Pond was an omen for the remainder of the three hour, semi-strenuous hike over trails no. 11, 2 and 3 on Bear Spring Mountain in Delaware County.

The sky was in stark contrast to the monotone palette of the landscape. Even Charlie Browne was camouflaged.
The mid-60's temperatures and weighted backpack left us both thirsty.

The first mile of the trail netted a several hundred foot elevation gain and because of the rocky footing carpeted in last autumn's hardwood leaves, there was no opportunity to appreciate the landscape until ascending the summit at the intersection of trails 11 and 2.
Once there, the trees seemed to whisper messages. 

One was about the permanent scar of a hopeful love, forever memorialized on the spine of a poplar tree.
Another, a Shagbark Hickory, encouraged embracing individuality and quite frankly reminded me of my unruly hair.

Yet another indiscernible species reminded us that even when we find ourselves twisted into knots, perhaps traveling a road that clearly takes us in the wrong direction, that we will eventually land right where we are supposed to, back on target.

Because the forest was still naked, natural landmarks - such as this toppled-on-edge piece of stone that resembles the hood of a car - was visible.

In the coming weeks when the brush is flowering and the trees are leaving, the stone will once again become invisible.
The Bear Spring Litter Bugs had run amok this past winter and left tell-tale signs of their imbibing and tobacco use.

A hike would not be complete without a roll in a mud puddle, which Charlie Browne made certain to do right before we exited the trail.

*Between hikes, Lillian Browne writes about the environment, politics and business in Delaware County. She is a NYS licensed outdoor adventure guide exploring the world around her, one step at a time, with her dog - Charlie. Follow her on Instagram @catskills.unleashed on Twitter @browneinwalton or on Facebook/Catskills Unleashed. www.CatskillsUnleashed.com - #unleashyourpotential

A Shore Thing - Opening Weekend of Trout Fishing Season

Many people celebrate April 1 with pranks, tricks and gags in celebration of Fools Day. The jokester's holiday is celebrated differently in the Catskills with winter-weary anglers descending on area streams and rivers in welcome of opening day of trout fishing season.

The western Catskills are the birthplace of American fly fishing as the likes of Theodore Gordon bestowed fame on the headwaters of the Beaver Kill in Ulster County.
Marketing geniuses capitalized on the oft-told fish tale of the BeaMoc, a two-headed trout who forever swims beneath the waters of Junction Pool, the convergence of the Willowemoc and the Beaver Kill in Roscoe, NY and rebranded the tiny town "Trout Town USA."

Those in the know forego the hype of the ceremonial first cast on opening day and head to favored secreted fishing holes.

However, opening day this year came complete with the ultimate April Fools Day prank by Mother Nature herself - a morning filled with freezing rain, followed by an afternoon of light snow and an evening of downed limbs and branches as a coating of ice proved too weighty for some tired trees.
An early morning decision to hike rather than fish proved to be an exercise in well ... exercise, as slushy, grainy snow became something akin to walking through beach sand, for six miles.

We stopped to admire the tenacity of budding maple leaves that appeared to be encased in a snow-globe and for some non-purist cairn building.

The naked forest welcomed us by showing us some love.

Venturing out the following day proved to be more angler friendly. However, access to area waters, like the East and West Branches of the Delaware River in Delaware County, was denied unless one was equipped with a boat or waders.

Not a single complaint was heard from shore-bound anglers up and down the river banks - with too big smiles and empty lines - who revealed with the fish simply were not biting.

*Between hikes, Lillian Browne writes about the environment, politics and business in Delaware County. She is a NYS licensed outdoor adventure guide exploring the world around her, one step at a time, with her dog - Charlie. Follow her on Instagram @catskills.unleashed on Twitter @browneinwalton or on Facebook/Catskills Unleashed. www.CatskillsUnleashed.com - #unleashyourpotential