Ended up going to the Catskills for 2 nights to do some camping and hiking to a fire tower, hitting another 3500 ft peak @ 3,729 ft. We found a great place to make camp for 2 cold nights, near a beautiful, quiet lake. I slept in my MLD eVent Soul bivy on a Nemo Switchback pad and GG 1/8 thinlight pad with a 15° Outdoor Vitals hybrid quilt. Overnight temps night 1 were about 30°F with 7- 10 mph winds and gusts of 20+ mph with scattered rain showers and early morning frost. Night #2 was about 25- 27° F, no wind or rain but again, early morning frost. I slept perfectly comfortable both nights of 10+ hours. I dont sleep that well at home in my bed!! It was a waning moon just 2 days past being full and clear skies, so the moon would light up our campsite and all around us through the woods and over the lake. Before the moonlight hit the lake we stood out there with clear view of thousands of stars.. absolutely stunning!! The hike on day 2 was a total of 12.5 miles round trip to a fire tower and back which I did in about 5.5 hours or so. It was a rugged hike and some grueling miles, and I forgot that hiking in the Catskills is waaaaaaay different from hiking in Harriman. Well, here is a video I threw together for anyone interested. I love the Catskills but most of all I love being out in the mountains surrounded by nature, sitting with a lake in front of me and no sounds but nature her self. ” If there is magic on this planet, it is in the water”
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