Old Man Winter stubbornly refuses to spend any time in the Catskills this year and he's been missing out on a lot of fun we've been having without him!

This past weekend, we explored the lesser traveled Big Indian Range; on Saturday, we bushwhacked Fir and Big Indian Mountains and on Sunday we hosted a backcountry bachelor party in the Biscuit Brook Valley.

Saturday was simply gorgeous, once you embraced the fact that it felt like early April--we kept finding ourselves scanning the ground for spring beauties & trout lilies blooming!

The bushwhack of Fir starts with a gentle 2 miles into the Biscuit Brook lean-to, then off trail pretty much straight up to the summit of Fir, where we enjoyed a leisurely snack, then headed over to Big Indian.

An awesome crew--one is on her very 1st hike, one is already a Catskill 35'er, going for her Winter Patch!

The descent from Big Indian is mostly on trail, about 2 miles back down to the lean-to, where we had a legit lunch of chicken noodle soup with meatballs (or ramen & miso w/tofu) and plenty of Mountain Mocha and green tea around a roaring fire. 

Our day hikers headed out with full bellies for the final 2 miles back to Big Blue and a ride back to NYC. Dave settled into the lean-to with Friend of the Forest Wendy Porter and some very fortunate strangers who were glad to have a pro in camp with them...

On Sunday, a crew of guys (& the bride) celebrated an unconventional bachelor party with a day of Survival School in the woods! 

This truly awesome group of friends bonded over fire building and made plenty of jokes about how the bride will need to employ the Psychology of Survival we were learning. The groom also learned how to build a debris shelter, should he ever need a "man cave" to escape to--

He even invited the guys over to watch the Super Bowl...

We expect that Old Man Winter will see how much fun we're having and decide to join us in the Catskills for the rest of the season! Join us the coming weekend for a day hike of Balsam Lake & Graham Mountains or Giant Ledge & Panther Mountain. We're also got a great weekend in a cabin lined up--perfect for couples, singles & friends, but limited space! Use code VIP30 at checkout for 30% off any adventure!