Overnight Backpack on Mill Brook Ridge, Catskills

Misty Alder Lake

Note: This hike was actually done in August 2010 but for some reason I didn't hit "Publish Post" on this entry.

I went on an impromptu overnight backpacking trip in the Catskills. My intention was to hike from Alder Lake, along the Mill Brook Ridge to the Balsam Lake Mountain trailhead, and continue along the Neversink-Hardenburgh Trail to spend the night at a campsite just past Vly Pond. Essentially, completing the Mill Brook Ridge and part of the Fall Brook sections of the Finger Lakes Trail. You know the saying, "No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy"? Well, none of my plans survive contact with... well... me.

Spent Friday night at a campsite at Alder Lake. Experimented a bit with taking nighttime shots with my new camera, and then just lay down on a picnic table to catch the tail end of the Perseid meteor shower.

Saturday dawned bright and clear, and after a quick breakfast I hit the trail. Given my previous Catskills hiking experience, I made sure that I was carrying enough water to last me the two days. My backpack (Gregory Z55) wasn't really designed to take this kind of weight and the way it was distributed (5L in bladders in the pouch inside the pack, another 2L in bottles in the exterior pouch) so it wasn't long before it - and my shoulders - started complaining. Off to a great start...

This trail doesn't seem to get a lot of use and the ferns and other plants grow quite close to the path, so for much of the time there wasn't enough room to place my hiking poles. I do like this kind of terrain though, and the greenness is very refreshing. With the many streams along the way, it's quickly becoming obvious that I needn't have worried about the water situation. Just as well, since my hydration pack bladder sprang a leak and emptied itself overnight.

Directions to the spring

The two scenic lookouts (at Mill Brook Ridge and at the Balsam Lake Mountain Fire Tower) revealed nice enough views, but nothing really to write home about.

By the time I got to the Balsam Lake Mountain Fire Tower, my chronic plantar fasciitis was acting up in a big way. Rather than continuing on to the Neversink-Hardenburgh Trail, I decided to make camp at the Balsam Lake lean-to, thinking that I was better off knowing I could make my way back, rather than suffering through an extra 10 miles of up- and downhill hiking. Turned out to be the right decision.

Catskill Mists