Eastern Section of Devil's Path - West to East

The Devil's Path is a 28 mile trail through the Catskill Mountains. I hiked the 13.4 mile eastern portion, described as the "classic Devil's Path" from the west heading east, covering 12,000' of cumulative elevation change. Considered to be one of the most difficult trails in the eastern U.S., it summits 4 mountain peaks: Plateau, Sugarloaf, Twin, and Indian Head.

I dropped my car at the eastern trailhead at Prediger road off of Platte Cove and got a ride back to Devil's Tombstone at the base of Hunter Mountain where I camped for the night.

Sunday morning brought overcast skies and a cell phone that wouldn't turn on. I carried my tent, sleeping bag, 100' of rope, knife, map, compass, first aid, headlamp, mp3 player, ~3 liters of water, trail mix/granola, base layer, light rain jacket, and running shoes. Started out in Fivefinger KSO's, running shorts and tech shirt.

The trail reached a rocky chute and I spent the first 2 miles climbing climbing climbing. I was winded early and slowed a bit until I found a pace. Made some minor adjustments to my pack and felt strong. Crossed paths with another hiker at the top of the mountain and continued across to the other side where I began the descent.

About 4 miles in I put my fifth toe on my right foot into an immovable object and hobbled for two miles before switching to my running shoes. By the time I finished, my toe would swell up, turn purple and red, and creep up green along the top of my foot: broken? Once I laced up my running shoes the pain was less.

The terrain was varied: mostly rocky scrambles on the ascents and descents with minimal switchbacks, making for lots of grabbing and climbing up/down steep inclines. The most challenging aspect of the 13.4 mi was finding the safest way to navigate the technical terrain, which became more difficult when the rocky climb was wet from the rain.

The first four miles took me 3.5 hours and I had to pick it up to make it back to my car before sundown. I had my headlamp and gear to spend the night in one of the lean-tos along the way, but wanted to make it back that night.

As I climbed a chute up Sugarloaf I felt the ground shake beneath me and heard the sound of a horse galloping next to me. I figured it was a bear so I sang the rest of the way to avoid surprising another one. Mostly sang about love lost.

Summits that should have offered views of upcoming mountains and conquered miles were instead covered in mist. At every summit the air was thick with moisture. Above 3,600' felt like Ferngully.

My time on Twin and Indian Head was spent entirely under rainfall and I wore my Buff because the wind had become intense. But I seemed to be getting more energy with every step and by the last 2 miles I increased my pace to a jog: the terrain had finally flattened out.

The drive home was strange. I thought of my foot and the race I've been training for the last 3 months. I thought about the rain and the rocks and I felt my face with my fingers. I saw my reflection in the rear view mirror. I listened to Superwolf on repeat. I thought I would find a bar and have a beer. But I went to sleep.

Monday I woke up to a redblackswollen toe. I stood up and felt my thighs screaming gloriously: burn burn burn. I tested my weight on my foot. It felt used. I threw on yesterday's running shorts, laced up my beaten Nike Katana's and stepped out into the cool 60's for my Monday morning recovery run.