Episode 242 - Devil in a day with Josh Gorsch from Ursa's Compass

[00:00:29] The bushwhacks were some of the worst days I've ever had in the mountains, or life really Whereas Pantsy Mountain is totally opposite, it's a mountain on top of a crater I think the weather challenges on this incident were particularly difficult It is really the development of New York State, Catskills will respond to it

[00:00:52] Passing into Inside The Line, the Catskill Mountains Podcast Alright, episode 242, Josh Gorsch joins us tonight Talk about his little amazing escalate over the Devil's Path in a Day

[00:01:19] The Devil's in a Day, we haven't talked about this, I don't know how we haven't talked about this I think Josh is the perfect person to put on this That's why we waited 200 and something episodes Because Josh is here to talk about it, he's a metal head, so why the f*** not have him up Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, sorry about that, I just said a swear word Oh, I'm throwing a red flag We're giving you a warning Folks, we're trying to clean up our act and make this more family friendly

[00:01:50] For all the families out there that hike together Yeah, so, Josh, welcome to the show, glad you can join us, buddy Yeah, thanks, I'm stoked to be here I've been listening for a while, lurking, and, you know, I'm excited Stalking us like a mountain lion, like a mountain lion in the woods We know it You know it, for sure Yeah, and so, Stosh, before we get too far into the episode tonight I just want to let you know that I'm not wearing pants

[00:02:20] Okay? We're back to it It was a warm, it was a warm day out there I'm, you know, I'm in shorts I know we, last week we disclosed what we were wearing below the table So I just want to, you know, keep that disclosure going Same Given that this is a family show now Correct, yeah, family friendly Well, I'm the same, I'm not wearing any pants either Josh, how about you, buddy? Let's get comfortable with each other Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

[00:02:51] What's that, Josh? I've got the pants on today All right Josh is one I'm normally a shorts guy, but my apartment is freezing So by the time it was warm, you know, I was just already, you know, ready for pants anyway Yeah, good Well, that was the thing here today It was warm enough that my wife had some of the fans on in the house and the windows open And then once the sun, like, crusted over the horizon, it just got cold so fast Yeah, it's nice

[00:03:20] I wish I could have the fan in the window Speaking of that, Josh, why didn't you just come over to my house and do this? I don't know You live right like you see your backyard probably Pretty much, Josh, like I can fricking like I could hold the microphone and probably walk over to Josh's house and be like, hey buddy, what's going on? Like, I seriously just thought of that today I'm like, what the, why the hell didn't I just go over there? We already covered that, Josh has got like all of his hiking gear

[00:03:48] He's probably displayed, you know, he's flexing with all these backpacks Sure I see at least three backpacks there And a lot of, a lot of soft goods So, a little, little sense of legitimacy, Josh's pedigree Yeah, so good to have Josh on tonight Let's break it in to, we'll start with the wilderness search that happened in Hunter October 3rd at 9.35 p.m.

[00:04:12] Green County 9-1-1 requested forced ranger assistance for a hiker who separated from their group on Devil's Path Josh, when were you on Devil's Path, buddy? September 19th Okay, okay, okay Continuing on, Rangers Fox and France searched Sugarloaf Mountain with negative results They checked with the Mink Hollow lean-to and discovered the 21-year-old from New Jersey had found the rest of the hiking party The incident was clear at 5 a.m. So, once again, 9.35 p.m.

[00:04:40] So, that was over seven, six hours Seven hours of, like, a search and rescue So, that's, that's pretty crazy And that, you know, a lot of, a lot of things, once again, to, to, to think about Register sign-ins, you know, where you could have left your last known location, your last known point, you know What's it called? Your garment in reach, stuff like that And kind of letting, you know, it seems like they separated from the party

[00:05:10] Why didn't the party tell them where they were going to? Um, that, I mean Yeah, you know, well, this is just a weird story altogether Cause, you know, it, it, from the story It seems like these folks were westbound on the Devil's Path And they lost somebody from their group And that person eventually found their way to the rest of the group We don't know whether they were planning to stay overnight or not Whether they were prepared to stay overnight or not

[00:05:39] But what's interesting is that if the call came in at 935 You have to suspect that the Rangers by 1130 midnight were up on Sugarloaf And then they're up there for almost another five hours Looking for somebody who apparently is not there Who's down at the lean-to with their pals Did, so did the folks down in the lean-to just not think of calling and saying

[00:06:05] Oh, Stash showed up he's in the lean-to with us or, or what? You know? Yeah, that is correct I, I, I, once again, like I, I'm jealous of New Hampshire And the way they, they put out their incidents And like do every sort of detail and say everything like that Like, you know, once again, like there's Two Rangers covering, you know, Sugarloaf Mountain They probably went up, they went up, well probably Well, no, they didn't go probably Mink Hollow They probably went up both Roaring Hill

[00:06:35] Because you think if one of them went up Mink Hollow They would have went, you know, a tenth of a mile off the trail To look at the lean-to first So they probably went up both Roaring Hill Searched the mountain, met up the top, came back down And found them at the lean-to So just weird, very weird Really interesting and I just point out That probably one of the best search and rescue devices Is one of those cheap plastic whistles

[00:07:05] You get lost from the group Yeah, just, just blast on your whistle three times And it's very directional because it's high pitch And it makes it a lot easier for them to find you Yeah, so Let's get, I need to get the DEC Or these people that are doing that to do a little bit more interesting Not interesting details But more details, kind of like what New Hampshire does You know, give all All the stuff, if they're prepared, if they're not prepared You know, how they get lost

[00:07:33] You know, once again, having a little bit more Like confidence With these people that get lost and stuff like that With their DEC reports Like, you know, maybe these people read these And be like, oh, that's cool I can just go out with this and get rescued That's fine You know, unless they say You know, this person wasn't carrying this Wasn't carrying that Should have carried that And they're like, oh, maybe we should carry an extra layer of clothes To stay warm in the winter when it's 30 degrees And then at nighttime it gets down to 15

[00:08:03] Ah! Anyway So big story that's been coming out Wanted to bring this up Carl Bushby The Goliath Expedition Have you ever heard of this guy? Like, I just started hearing about this Ted I I think I sent you this It popped up on my Insta feed Yeah, I put that on the show notes And then like, like three hours later You sent that to me So, so Carl Bushby November 1998 Uh, British ex-parapetrooper embarked on the

[00:08:32] What they call the Goliath Expedition An epic mission to complete the longest unbroken foot journey In human history Starting at the southern tip of Chile With just $500 His goal was to walk all the way back to his hometown Of Hull, New England Or New England Hull, England He had two strict rules on this No motorized vehicles So all by foot In advance Could not return home until arriving entirely on the ship On foot Uh, 36,000 miles 28 years

[00:09:01] In 29 countries Trekked across America Survived lawless jungles Arctic landscapes Asia He went to Asia and Europe And a grueling swim across the English Channel And in October 2026 October 3rd 3rd, I believe Uh, 5th He returned to British soil For the first time Walking, stretching to his mother's doorsteps 29 years And 29 countries He had a couple Little facts about this

[00:09:31] Um, Bushby began his walk With a custom cart Which hauled a 100 pound gear And he nicknamed the beast To carry survival stuff Through Pagagonia He did the Darien Gap cartels Which was 200 miles of juggle Who had, of course, cartels down in Colombia And Panama Invading paramilitary groups And drug cartels Uh, he went over a frozen sea in 2006 His teammate Dmitry Kiefer Became part of his first modern expedition Across the dangerous frozen ice bridge

[00:10:01] From the Bering Strait From Alaska to Russia on foot Ah, immediately after crossing Russia V in the Bering Strait He was arrested for border violations Held in custody And nearly deported Under assiduations of spine Surprising That was surprising That was in Russia Not in America Interesting Ah, yeah Uh, swimming through the Caspian Sea By pipe To bypass complex geopolitical And restrictions in Russia and Iran He spent 31 freaking days

[00:10:31] Swimming a hundred and forty Hundred and eighty four miles Across the Caspian Sea From Kaskin To a I'm tough with this one As a bear John It's close enough As a budget As a budget Yeah, everybody who's been there knows where it is Yeah, yeah Uh, he originally hopped Hopped to walk the service tunnel Of the tunnel across the UK But Euro Tunnel authorities Rejected his request Due to safety concerns

[00:10:58] And uh, this twenty-eight year journey Has definitely caught the attention of people Of course Uh, legendary filmmaker Warner Herzog Who is documenting the trek Is gonna title it The Walk of Life So, crazy stuff If you ever get a chance Uh, I'm gonna link Put the link in the show notes Check out his stuff Unbelievable When someone Yeah When someone told me this Uh, I forgot who told me this It wasn't Uh, God I'm gonna

[00:11:26] I'm very sorry for who told me this Uh, Darren I think it was Darren White Hmm He told me this And I looked into it And I was like This is bullshit Like, he did not swim this Why didn't he just Like, motorized Yes But you couldn't Wouldn't like using a boat Be the same thing as no Like, motorized stuff Like, just paddling Instead of swimming Yeah, well, he made his own rules And to him that wasn't Part of Part of the rules What I wanna know Is Post-hike, brew, and bite

[00:11:58] 20 28 years Like, you're walking home Kind of an epic journey Apparently the longest documented one In human history He gets home I mean, mom's gotta know When he's arriving Like, when he's a day away She needs to know Oh, tomorrow I'm gonna see my son What does he get? Bangers and mash? I don't know Fish and chips? Yeah A stout? I don't know But it must've been good

[00:12:26] The second thing is There's like a little There's a little problem With his story here You know He left with 500 bucks But with this cart That he was hauling And the cartels Didn't touch him Hmm Josh I'm thinking this guy Was a drug mule What do you think? Yeah, yeah Could've been Yeah, for sure Definitely And then he's detained in Russia Are Is he saying that the Russians Did not put him in a car

[00:12:55] And drive him off to detention? Hmm Yeah Good point Yeah Well, like when he got out Did he just like bring me back To exactly where you picked me up? Yeah, yeah I have to walk that Right? So that's Yeah Hmm Hmm Why do you always have to To call out the bad stuff? Like bad stuff I'm speaking for the inquiring minds Of our listeners Who are calling bullshit 28 years I don't believe it I wonder

[00:13:25] But I wonder if during the course of 28 years Like the family and friends fly out To rendezvous with you from time to time Or you just not see your family and friends for 28 years True Cause there's no rule against that That mom couldn't have like You know, come out every year on his birthday And brought him a birthday cake or something I mean, it's not He doesn't say it's unsupported He had his buddy True With him, you know So I don't know Does this guy set the FAKT? If he didn't That doesn't matter Like it's In hiking, backpacking Stuff like that

[00:13:55] If you don't set that Technically it is the FKT It is Cause nobody else has did it Did it? So Josh What's I know I haven't done something Like this for 28 years How about you? Have you ever done like a hike or walk for 28 years? Not 28 years, no No? Okay Do you wish you could do this? You know Maybe Maybe Maybe But I kinda think I mean At this point No I mean I think I'm good after like two weeks You know Correct

[00:14:24] Let's do something else You know Move on Yeah, 10,209 days That's impressive That's really impressive Yeah, 28 years That's like That's Some guys go to prison for that long Yeah So they stay in the same place for 28 years This guy walks across Why it says One and a half laps of the earth Yeah That's That's pretty freaking insane So this This guy Prepare to hear more about this Cause we know it's gonna It's I mean He's Looking at the map

[00:14:54] It's It's crazy to look How he went Cause you know I was just like How the hell did he get there? But you know That's Looking at it now That's That's a lot of territory that I don't like that whole map He's going through All of Russia Goddamn drones flying over him And So 31 days Swimming across the sea Obviously he had some level of support I don't think he Spent 31 days In the water No

[00:15:24] Without Sleeping Oh yeah So there's some level of support there And so Was that the rowboat? Was the support Like a I guess we all have to watch What is it? The walk of life Mm-hmm Is it gonna be supported by dire straits? Yeah It's a walk of life Ah That's not a thing Oh boy Is that what? No that sets Bruce Springsteen's shit My bad Is that Bruce Springsteen? Or is that dire straits? I don't know Let's not repeat it though Let's move along But anyway Yeah so Check it out

[00:15:54] We'll probably keep some track on that You know what? I might invite him on the show And be like Hey man Let's talk about All the stuff that you did not do And that you're leaving Behind the scenes And we'll call you out on it No Yeah Not at all Not all that That's pretty insane Like once again This is crazy to think You know Was he carrying? Like for protection? Like I Going through South America Some of those parts Once again Like drug cartel and stuff Like what did he say

[00:16:22] When people approached him in the jungle With Uzis and M16s And he's just like Hey man I'm just hiking over to Yeah Yeah Yeah And they're just like Yeah Like Yeah It's all how you present yourself Maybe Maybe the rebels And the cartel knew This guy had nothing to give Yeah True They looked at him And they're like Man You're gonna be doing this The rest of your life We're not gonna mess with you True True

[00:16:52] So crazy Crazy Check it out Have it in the show notes Last but not least We've talked about this several times And this has been going on And on and on This is from the Overlook So I really thank the Overlook Want to reach out to them And thank them for all their stuff That they do in the Catskills Their news stories and stuff But apparently Windham Mountain Clubs The hotel plan Though their 26 room A thousand dollar night hotel Is still stirring debate And we talked about this I'm pretty sure it was last episode

[00:17:22] That they had a meeting And once again A lot of people Are just not okay With them bringing in Another bedroom villa And you know Thousand dollars Twelve thousand dollars hotel You know Just a bunch of Businesses are not agreeing with this Because they think This is not gonna benefit The you know I'm not gonna say the poorer side of town But you know The local people that Are living here And the local people

[00:17:51] That are just not Gonna pay Thousand Thousand Twelve hundred dollars a night My god I stayed in Jamaica At an all-inclusive resort For less than that For a quarter of that One of the greatest places Like one of the highest Places for my honeymoon In the world For a quarter of that And people wanna Are going to pay A thousand dollars Twelve thousand dollars Twelve hundred dollars a night To stay in Windham? What do you think Josh? I think it's ridiculous Yeah I mean

[00:18:20] But that's That's That's their choice You know They got that money That's what they wanna do with it I'd be buying that house on Moonha Yeah Yeah Right? Like who that is still We're still looking for That's 4.1 mil Still hasn't gone down Yeah Well I'm I'm saving my money And I'm waiting for Schneider's To go in the market I That'll be snatched by all hikers We will unite for that one But I'm shaving my pennies And I'm gonna Go all in

[00:18:50] Outdid everyone Yeah I'm gonna re I'm gonna reopen the front porch I like that I like that So Recapping that October 1st There was a planning board meeting And it said it was jam packed They questioned A lot of people in Windham Question the need for more lodging And urge the board to slow its review Nick Bove who owns Windham Mountain Outfitters Where you're going off to A lot of people From my way when I go to Big Hollow and stuff like that

[00:19:20] I can see Windham Mountain Windham Mountain Outfitters on the side To the right off of 40 Not 42 I forgot what that But anyway They're right over there They said We Don't want the Windham be host of a ghost town ski resort And we're scared about that Especially with 1000 to 1200 dollars a night Once again The three members of the board are ineligible to vote Because they are All

[00:19:48] Involved with Windham Mountain Club Definitely Going to keep looking into this Once again The standard year round membership costs $250,000 Plus annual dues And they receive extended Extended skiing hours And priority lift line access Am I reading that right? Tad is that correct? $250,000?

[00:20:19] Well That's That's what it looks like You know If you got 250k to spend on skiing Windham I don't know I mean you got to be pretty smart To get that kind of bread To blow it on skiing Windham And If you're that smart To have that kind of bread To spend it on Windham You could have a lot of great ski trips Out west for that kind of green So Yeah I was going to say Yeah You know And I skied You know

[00:20:48] A ton of times And I think it's a Decent ski area Before it was bought out I thought they had great snow making And really maintained their mountain well And had good conditions And great lifts And all that stuff But You know That's 250,000 Yeah And there's great ski resorts over in the northeast You know Like I mean Killington is what I can think of Jay Peak Of course we have the New York State ones Gore

[00:21:18] I would think that Plattacill is a great one So like just take a goddamn helicopter somewhere In a In a regular Field up in Up in Plattacill Or Roxbury And then you got it made Yeah Well I think at the end of the day Let's Let's get all the skier traffic on Windham Let's get all the skier traffic on Hunter And let's get a ton of skiing traffic on Bel Air And all of the locals can go ski Plattacill

[00:21:48] Nice Yeah Locals only Yeah All right So yeah So we're gonna We're gonna Keep an eye on this of course Because as it keeps going and going I have a feeling they're just gonna approve of it Because number one It's gonna bring a little bit of money to it But Like if you've looked at the The proposals of what it looks like And stuff It's very bougie And stuff like that It's Top of the I mean it's $1200 a night Jesus Yeah I can't say But you know all the people that stay there You know

[00:22:18] They're gonna be dining out They're gonna be shopping in town They're gonna be spending their money in town You know they're gonna go out and get beer They're gonna you know Order food Groceries or whatnot I doubt these folks are coming up And they're gonna be the type that they're gonna Stay in their room and cook in their room for the weekend True They're gonna go out They're gonna spend some money in town And The businesses in town I think would be really upset That if Wyndham was putting in

[00:22:46] A hotel that was gonna have prices that were competitive Or less money Than the local places Because now you're really siphoning away business From them But if you're gonna have $1200 a night At the Wyndham Hotel Versus You know another place In town that's $150 $200 a night That price is now really competitive So yeah Either way Yeah Yeah You lower it

[00:23:15] Keep it median Or the people are gonna complain That's the way it is And you know what I know what Josh is thinking He's like Josh wants to think about hiking Yeah That's pretty much it Yeah Yeah I mean a lot of people at the The planning boards I read You know Were wanting to collaborate and stuff You know you have We do They do have a lot of lodging Accommodations down in Wyndham You know you got that wilder place I think it was once like an old time Jewish resort

[00:23:44] That's that came into That has a bunch of stuff when you're going out of the Hickory Hill area I forgot what road that was But there's definitely places to stay So what is that That one place Once again Tad you don't go I mean you can you go into Wyndham and such It's called the It's not the Veal But it starts with a V The Vienna Yeah The Vienna is another place to stay So there's there's several like places to stay and stuff And Wyndham so it's not like

[00:24:14] Are all those places sold out or anything? Like Like do these people Yeah It's I've never spent a night In or around Wyndham Same I mean not even overnight Like like backpacking No all the places are too cheap for me I want a luxury hotel or it's nothing You want the top of the thing You want to be flown in by that one company that was doing the flights And what was there What were they called again? It's called Stosh's Mountain Tours Yeah just imagine everybody Just

[00:24:43] So how about that we get with the Wyndham Mountain Club They put money into us, the podcast And then we buy that place down in the Mouha And we do like a collaborative thing The poor people can stay down with us in the Mouha The hiker, the hiker trash and stuff And then everybody else has to go up the Wyndham And we can have a great good old grand time down in the Mouha Yeah Let's collaborate with Schneider's I don't care what the house looks like But if I could I would buy a house on Mouha

[00:25:12] Road just to have an address on Mouha Tad at like number 100 Mouha Road, Shokan, New York I mean just to say Mouha Yeah, where do you live? While I live over on Mouha Road Yeah I agree Is there a better name for a road in the Catskills? I don't know I gotta think about that You're a good question I mean everybody knows what Mouha is Like so But anyway, keep our eye on that So

[00:25:42] Alright, we're gonna move along Move along Josh is getting antsy Talking about the devil's path He is He is So Big shout out to the monthly supporters Chris Garabian Eric Rosario Ascana Nichols John Comiskey Mike Yes Desert City Radio Henry Burmeister Vicky Ferrer Jeff Jotz David Oliver The man who never listens to the show John Dunn Betsy A Vanessa And Jim C Thank you guys so much for supporting the show Greatly appreciated And of course

[00:26:12] The amazing sponsor for the show That's going towards that 4.1 million dollar house In the Mouha This will happen in probably the next 2,000 years So If you wanna join the sponsors You can talk about hiking and backpacking Or even you can brush up on your old skills in the backcountry And that one you should join Trailbound Project They are a hiking and backpacking school Scott and Joe from the New Jersey Search and Rescue team Have amazing backgrounds in Wilderness First Aid

[00:26:41] Wilderness First Responder And the Mountain Rescue Association And they are there to teach you old and new skills Of hiking and backpacking They teach everything from first aid, map and compass And many other skills that could help you and others out on the trail Check them out on all website and social media platforms Also check out Outdoor Chronicles Photography Molly from Outdoor Chronicles Photography Specializes in adventure elopement and adventure couple photography In the Catskills, Adirondacks and White Mountains

[00:27:09] She's an officiant for getting married, a licensed guide But most important She's a story maker Molly won't just give you photos She'll give you memories that will last forever Don't hesitate to get a hold of Molly on all platforms I've been doing this for 240 episodes I feel like I have a routine that I could That I just screw up with If I switch them up It'll make me feel a little bit more comfortable to do it So, but I screwed up So, anyway, were you really outdoors?

[00:27:38] So if you mentioned the podcast on one of your hikes through social media We will chat about it on the show Tag us by typing at ITLCatskillMTM Podcast So, I messed up on the last episode Cammie, CamCam5, and Logan did the Vermont 5 I said they became 46ers I messed up I messed up I'm very sorry, Cammie She called me out, so that was good Thank you for calling me out Yeah She's just like, hey She, like, apologized nicely

[00:28:08] I'm just like, don't apologize nice to me Tell me I'm an idiot And say you did the wrong thing I'm like, that's fine with me Like, I was I was running through the stuff So, congratulations, Cammie, on doing your Vermont 5 She said 46ers are next So, good to hear Samantha, broke trail hiker, did RPR Unmedicated With Mike And his 46er finished And then went out and did Habasa With Teresa Haystack Basin and Saddleback I believe So, they did that And we'll talk about it later

[00:28:38] Also, somebody else did that I don't know if it was the same time But also, Darren Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa Whoa, whoa, whoa You're forgetting, didn't she? The crack of Summit Cider? I believe that was the last episode That she had the Summit Cider Because that was with RPR What is RPR? I forgot I looked that up I thought she did one with Teresa Oh, oh yes, they did Oh my God So, maybe that's why I had her first up there There you go Yeah, they did Oh my God So, if you want to get to the top of the list You gotta do what Samantha's doing

[00:29:07] True True Crack it open True, yeah Darren Stimmed1 was up in the Adirondacks And did Cascade Porter Giant Along with the Tupper Triad So, Darren was up there And did some awesome stuff Congrats Darren Matt, aka PDCat766 Did the Breakneck Ridge And also cleaned up some trail trash So, thanks, Matt I know Josh is a big advocate of doing Leave No Trace You're a Leave No Trace advocate, correct?

[00:29:35] Yeah, I'm a licensed trainer as well Yeah Don't pass trash Don't pass trash Oh, I like that I haven't heard that yet Nice Our good buddy Sean The Long Island Hiker Was up in the Adirondacks And tacked Colden for 13 Phelps for 14 And also did Mount Joe on a rest day And Mount Van Hoa on a rest day as well Said he had something wrong with his knees So, he ended up doing Mount Marshall Later on And then came back down to the Catskills Into Catterskill High Peak

[00:30:05] And Huckleberry Point Doesn't sound out Sound like you had a bum knee Because Goddamn Catskill High Peak Is Pretty straightforward And not so much easy But it's a long one And then Huckleberry Point Is that in another couple of miles So Sean Awesome Good to see you back out Sean Great to see you Sean Was up on Gertrude's nose Enjoying the fall foliage Sean Scion 72 Was mowing his lawn As usual Did Indian Head

[00:30:35] And knew that a protein bar Wasn't good enough on the summit And then did Good Now Mountain On a misty day So Sean wasn't out Do you think it's all It's the end for him? He's done mowing? No You still have at least one mow to go And a lot of leaf cleanup True, just leave the leaves there Yeah Ascana Catskill Everaster Did Wooden High Peak And had a great time lapse So we share that And was also up on Wittenberg Enjoying the amazing fall colors James

[00:31:05] John O'Boyle Did Mount Skitney Is that how you say it? Skitney? Or a skitney A skitney A skitney Depends on what part of the state you're from Via the Weatherfield Trail with Willie So Serena Marie 46er Was solo hiking in San Diego At a place where there was a mountain line reported So Good for you It's a little ballsy And also did Woodson Mountain before a crazy storm hit So

[00:31:34] Tad, we probably should copy that picture And put that all around Graham Mountain In Balsam Lake Mountain Yeah Of where it says mountain line reported And stuff and see what Yeah, warning, warning Mountain line reported Don't proceed unless armed That's Ooh, I like that All right Mike, Red Hand Adventure Guides When On another day in the Adirondacks To a Poke Moonshine Mountain Todd, Tebowl Outdoors With Katie Tagging Wittenberg And Cornell

[00:32:04] On a beautiful fall day And As expected Katie Henderson Hikes Was also back in the Catskills Doing Wittenberg and Cornell With Todd Beautiful pictures and colors and such Off in the Woods Sean was out with John, Jen and Scott Doing Round Top and Catterskill High Peak He was also with Sean As well And then parted way with Sean And did North Dome and Cheryl And then got up trying to Legend Panther the other day Hmm Brad Labrador And Brad Labrador

[00:32:32] And did Friday and Balsam Cap On a beautiful day Danny Mildly mischievous Did a beautiful reel of his good times On the trail this past summer Vicky At Hiker Goddess Adventures Took the road last traveled to Wyanoke High Point I think at Wyanoke Wyanoke High Point Might have got that one right on the second try Good old Jeff Jotson Orla Enjoyed a 10.5 mile hike With Little Elevation Gate To Raccoon Ridge On the Appalachian Trail Scott

[00:33:01] A.K.A. Catskill Mountain Brew Did four bush wacky peaks On a wacky day Doing Round Top Catterskill High Peak North Dome and Cheryl Those are his words not mine Very good Rob Did Habesaw as well Beautiful fall weather So I was curious if he ran into Pro Trail Hiker Samantha Might have Might have not Andy Brownski Did some paddling on Greenwood Lake And was probably dreaming of skiing Chrissy G. Did another downstate 28

[00:33:31] By summiting Black Mountain Jim C. Did a trail run up table rock In Oneonta During peak fall foliage We have up here Nigel Feral Hollows did an advanced backpacking course As an assistant with Trailbound Project Covering the entire Devil's Path He said a wonderful group of participants Who overcame everything on the Devil's Path That could they throw at him With a smile Long days over steep and extremely rugged terrain

[00:33:58] With nearly 9,000 feet of elevation gain And adjusted plans With a 4am wake up to deal with the forecast Calling for rain and strong winds Shout out to Helen who completed a 3500 challenge And under a year on this trip And also celebrated her birthday So congratulations to Nigel and Helen Last but not least Last but not least Danny did this just in time At 6.5 or 6.28 Mild Mastivus was up on Windham High Speed for the sunset

[00:34:28] And we are recording that So a total of Ted? 24 Insane Yeah So we are just like 9 short of the legal limit For Catskill 3500 hiking Oh But now we are turning to our favorite part of the show What we are drinking Yeah Oh Josh has got something I know he does Yeah I'm grabbing something here

[00:34:57] I'm just going to run over to your house Josh And I'll crack it open in front of you No let's so I mean I guess I'll go first Yeah absolutely So I'm actually I haven't quit drinking three years ago So I'm doing the non-alcoholic thing But I heard Rob from A couple episodes ago mentioned This company called Athletic Brew & Co So I got one of Some of their beer Well beer you know Yeah

[00:35:27] It's their Oktoberfest Tried one last night It's surprisingly Good For you know I mean Yeah it's We'll do the crack thing first Let's get into it That was impressive That was beyond impressive And your thoughts on it Thoughts on live Live thoughts

[00:35:58] It tastes a lot like beer Like If That's your thing Like if you're going from the non-alcoholic thing Like this is definitely it If you want something that tastes like a good beer Like it's made by people who do the craft beer thing But don't want the alcohol Nice So it's not just like a fancy soda Yeah It's good Nice All right Ted how about you? All right

[00:36:27] I'm locked and loaded All right Sound of good Excellent What do you got? Oh So I on my way out of the Catskills on Saturday I swung by local goods Which I have not been to in quite a while It's just out of Boyceville on Route 28 Down the road from Bread Alone They have an awesome selection

[00:36:56] Of beers and snacks So I picked up a Grimm Red Eye Which is a Coffee Stout So they take some stout They dump some coffee in it And that way when somebody's asking you What you're drinking You can say Coffee Nice That was my jam back in the day The coffee stouts Yeah Yeah

[00:37:25] They're good man I was looking forward to like having a sip of this That's why I didn't tend to that Oh okay As any good stout I gotta let the head settle a little bit Before I can take a sip I don't even know what that means But All right All right here we go Really? No I gotta shut that up I don't know what it means Excellent I'm having a raspberry bombshell Pretty sure Mike had that Not a raspberry one But a bombshell

[00:37:55] When he was up on RPR Doing his 46er finish I saw that It was delicious stuff Absolutely amazing I think it's from over in the Finger Lakes So ooh that sounded weird But over in the Finger Lakes area So a lot of companies are coming out That do the apple Or the What's it called? The vineyards and stuff like that Over in the Finger Lakes They're coming out with their own Kind of like their ciders and stuff like that So And once again Big congratulations to Josh

[00:38:25] Three years sober Awesome that's amazing Yeah Thanks It was actually just the day before We did Devil in a Day Oh shit? It was the three year anniversary Yeah So it was kind of cool That's fantastic You know it just Takes a lot of strength to do that A lot of courage Thanks Especially when you're a metal head Going to freaking like metal shows And stuff like that You're a Gojira kind of guy Right? You're a big Gojira guy Yeah Yeah Yeah it definitely kind of Changes the social life a little bit Yeah It's alright

[00:38:54] I mean I'm fine around it All my friends I think it's not a big deal for me It was just a personal choice Trying something new You know Yeah Frickin nailing it So how about We get into the most interesting part Besides Josh's hike His previous hikes What were you up to Josh? Did you do Was you Oh no you did like a little Backpacking trip right? Yeah I had a couple I had some time off I take time off For around October 5th Just cause the colors are great And

[00:39:24] I was gonna go down to the Northville Placid Trail Or up to the Northville Placid Trail But plans fell through So I ended up doing Trip to the Catskills I did Hunter and Southwest Hunter on Monday And just ended up This was like a week ago Monday And Just kinda like Before I left town Packed my bags for a couple days And food And figured I'd start there And find a place to camp And Ended up camping at one of my

[00:39:54] Secret Camp Car camp spots We'll say Cause there are car camp spots In the Catskills If you know where they are Yeah And Where you can legally sleep in your car And Then I went up to Balsam Lake the next day And Crossed that off for my grid It's the 12th time Well like 15th time But finally Knocked that out Which was cool So it's done And then Just this past weekend

[00:40:23] Went with my buddy Dave And did Twin And Indian Head And boy Was that Crazy Busy Was it really? We were going down Platt Clove Road The plan was to two car And go from Go up Twin West Cause that's the fun way And then over to Indian Head And down We were going to The Prediger Road I don't know how It's pronounced really But We're going to that trailhead And Platt Clove Is just

[00:40:53] A line of traffic And I'm like oh no This isn't gonna be good And we pull into the trailhead And it's like Quarter after 10 Overflowing People are Coming back out The other direction People are parking on the side Where the no parking signs are So We just go to Roaring Kill And we parked both cars At Roaring Kill Which was already overflowing But there's more Overflow parking there Available anyway And we ended up doing An out and back From The west side of Twin Over to Indian Head

[00:41:23] We went out to Sherman's Lookout And then back Oh nice Because my buddy Wanted a longer day He's kind of been Recouping a knee A sore knee So he wasn't sure how long But he wanted to do something So I was just along for the hike It was great But man was it busy And like We're seeing people coming up At like 4.30 Going up Twin With no backpacks No water bottles Obviously Probably no headlamps I'm like This is 4.30

[00:41:52] You know It's dark at 6.30 Here now In the Catskills So Or getting dark So Yeah One of those days But Crazy And I mean That's You know I can't I hate to say it But I can't blame I can't blame people Because you know Once again The foliage this year It's beautiful It just felt like This year Was one of the best years It's ever been There's just Colors popping everywhere All different colors

[00:42:22] And stuff like that I Never seen this many Purples Or like Bright oranges Or Different like Like I would say Reds and stuff So Everybody's got Out as beautiful Beautiful weekends So like It's I mean That's stuff for Sunday Yeah But like Just like It's the rush With the weather And stuff It rushes everybody To get out You know You have Saturday and Sunday You know And that's what sucks Is you know We only have two days here

[00:42:51] And that kind of Pushes everybody Into the same areas For two days So You're kind of screwed Yeah You should've gone buswagon And you know That's I You know You're thinking But a lot of times You know Like what you said He had a bum knee So he had a bum knee So he wanted to Check his distance Bushwhack Yeah It's a big question mark When someone has been injured And stuff like that You know If they step in a pop Pothole And hyper extend it

[00:43:21] That's gonna suck It's not good Yeah But you know Once again Twin Indian head Man what a What a spot for For fall foliage man Yeah it was beautiful Yeah Did you notice the My little research Up on Indian head Where all those viewpoints That are marked That are no viewpoints No more Oh yeah Yeah we sat and ate lunch At one of them I told him I was like This used to be a viewpoint And he was like Really? Yeah it used to be I have a picture of my buddy When we 2000 Not even that long ago Yeah 10 years ago Yeah 2016 standing there

[00:43:50] And you can see You know the reservoir And part of Burroughs range And stuff like that Now it's completely gone Yeah That's crazy But I'm glad you got out How was the backpack? How was Southwest Hunter? What was your weather like? It was beautiful Yeah I mean I couldn't complain I mean it was cold I love the cold though I mean it got down to I think my car read Like 36 degrees When I kicked it out in the morning With my coffee Nice

[00:44:19] But I mean I was in I was totally comfy I sleep well in the cold Yeah beautiful sunny day On Monday Beautiful sunny day On Tuesday When I hiked Balsam Had Balsam Lake The top To my The summit To myself For like an hour I just sat there And the cabin was open Nobody was up there But the cabin was open Oh So Interesting I don't know if that was supposed to be But Yeah it was It was rude I mean everyone was

[00:44:49] There was nothing No trash or anything Everyone that was up there Was respectful at least So Yeah it was a good day And that And twin This past weekend Saturday For twin and Indian head Yeah it was beautiful I love this cooler temps Cause As much as I love hiking in shorts You know I like not sweating constantly Yep Yep Not worrying about the sweat dripping and stuff But now the

[00:45:17] The little sweat that you have You're worried that you're gonna get cold to stay cold And you can't get warm when you're up on the beach Yeah It's all It's all clashes together So But still it's beautiful It's beautiful Yeah absolutely Fantastic So Ted how about you sir? Okay So I'm I had no plans Uh For hiking No particular plans for hiking on Saturday Other than to go hiking And

[00:45:46] I woke up early around 5 a.m. And Just couldn't get enthused over Going to hike in the gunks Which I seem to have trampled All over the carriage trails Since I Started hiking outside in Augusta Or in July And I I can't get enthused about going downstate this time of year Cause it does seem so crowded So One thing went to another And I was Driving in my

[00:46:16] Sedan I didn't take the jeep out But I hopped in the little sedan And I decided to go all the way over to Balsam Lake Mountain Because Given the state of rehabilitation My shoulder is in It was gonna be an easy And Non-technical hike for me to do So I Arrived at the parking lot at about 810 I was the fourth car in the parking lot And Grabbed my little over the shoulder bag And set out Signed into the canister

[00:46:46] Made my way up to the summit In 70 minutes Which You know is not a fast time for me But I'll take that as As a respectable time for somebody who hasn't really been able to do much in terms of Physical and cardio conditioning since May Got to the summit and there were three people Hanging out Two of them were a couple And they were waiting for Jim Booten

[00:47:14] And so when I walked in they wanted to know if I was Jim Booten Which I told them I'm not as good looking as Jim Nice You know you'll know him You'll know him when he arrives Because he is much better looking than me So we hung out for a while Talked and chatted And just as I was getting ready to set out I turned to my right and who did I see? Jim Booten in the flesh And so Jim and I chatted for a while He's a great storyteller

[00:47:43] Told all of us some stories about Some mountain history History of the fire tower up there He and I also talked about Getting him on the show He'd love to come on the show So we really need to make that happen That would be awesome Yeah because he you know He's great Yeah because he just packs so much Catskill history in his head And then the way he relates it to you Is so Colorful and Just entertaining

[00:48:12] He also related to me that the prior weekend He and a few people were up in the Adirondacks on a Canoe trip For a few nights days and nights And he injured his back Doing that so he's in the midst of Recovering from looks like a trap Type injury To his back Nonetheless I set out on my way down And felt kind of weird because on the way up I didn't run into anybody on my way down

[00:48:40] I started to encounter people coming up And it just feels weird walking down And I don't have a backpack on Everybody else at least one of the people in the group Would have a backpack Maybe all of them had a group But I'm like I look like I'm going to the mall With this like canvas bag under one arm You know true dress dress rather like low tech For hiking and all I did come across This one fellow He was on his way up

[00:49:10] As I was heading back to The main road From the fire tower And he was walking at a really brisk pace And we briefly chatted And I continued on Next thing I know I'm like you know Maybe half an hour 40 minutes later He comes running by me And I'm like wow That was fast So I said something to him I forget what it was He stops he turns around And he had just Started

[00:49:38] And Balsam Lake Mountain Was the first mountain he got to the summit of But he was doing the unsupported I'm going to hike all the 3500 Continuously nonstop Alex? Was that Alex? No, a guy named Christopher Oh I didn't check I didn't check out on Instagram But he says it's like Christopher Walker Or Christopher Walken Oh, he contacted He contacted you back on Instagram Because he contacted me Talked about I told him to contact you Oh shit

[00:50:07] Because I have like no Official authority or capacity On behalf of the podcast So I said if you If you want to get on the show You got to talk to Stosh Because all I know how to do on the show Is make wise cracks And brag about my hiking skills So yeah, it was fun seeing him I get back to the car It was like 11 o'clock Not even 11 o'clock It was just after 10 o'clock The parking lot was almost full And I just felt I could not go home That I just could not have spent all that time

[00:50:37] Driving up here Hiking one mountain And driving an hour and a half Back to the house And calling it a day So I decided So I decided Because I did have my Grid 2.0 with me And I looked at the list And I saw an open box For Vlai and Bearpen Ooh Yeah, so the big fail The big fail And I'm going to admit this The big fail of the day Is on my way

[00:51:07] Through Fleischmann's I stopped at that gas station On the corner With the like The deli inside To grab a beer Because I was going to do A summit brew And cider I wanted to be cool Like Samantha And those other people You know? And so I went inside And I just I couldn't justify Buying any one of their Like domestic Factory made beers and hauling it all the way up To the top of a mountain And cracking it open And like pretending It was cool

[00:51:37] So yeah, I I fully admit that I struck out on that But I continued the car I headed up Route 3 Parked it Made my way up Vlai And on my way up Going up Vlai Which is kind of the most Well is the most technical thing I've done since I Blew out my shoulder I'm saying to myself Well this will be interesting Coming down Because my right arm Is no good for holding Or grabbing onto anything So yeah, coming down Was slow

[00:52:07] Because I took my time Got to the bottom Went up Bear Pen Same as it ever was Was coming down Bear Pen Was early afternoon And it was a warm day And so the whole atmosphere Had that like smell Of baking autumn leaves You know what I mean? You know, it's not like It's just like the whole area Around you just has that smell Of fall

[00:52:36] And as I got back onto Route 3 Past the slaughterhouse I mean the hunter's cabin I'm walking downhill And there's a couple coming uphill And so we stopped and talked And we both had the same comment About being out in the afternoon And that autumn smell And that's They told me that's deliberately Why they set out As late as they did In the day To hike these Is because they just wanted to Submerse themselves In that

[00:53:06] So overall It was a great experience Hopped in my car And on the way home I did stop at Local Goods To pick up my Grim Red Eye Coffee Stout And as I got out of my car You know what I reminded myself Of? As I got out of the car After hiking like just over 3000 vert Maybe 10, 11 miles Back hurts? No, not my back Josh What What What

[00:53:35] What do most Hikers Experience When they haven't been out For a while Or they're just getting started? I don't know I had I had Such a bad case of Tin man legs You get out And I'm just like Like Lurching You know Towards local goods I looked like I I had been like held up in In my apartment In Boyesville For weeks And I was getting out To like get another six pack Or something at local goods Cause I was like

[00:54:04] I had a hiker's hangover Wait From putting in too much vert I like that In one bed That is good That is nice So yeah That's it Hiker's hangover Three mountains Who knows what's next? One question Okay On Bearpen Did you go to the far Viewpoint? I did go to the far viewpoint And I gotta tell you Josh I'm gonna admit this The only reason I went to The

[00:54:35] Western most Yeah there's two out there But the western most Viewpoint Was because I knew if I didn't Stosh would be like What the fuck? You were up there Did I just say fuck? I'll bleep it out Yeah Okay good So Cause this is a family show after all Yeah I knew Stosh would ask me And I had to report back that Eh It is growing in Yeah It is Well there's one that looks off to the west and one that looks off to the east

[00:55:04] Are they both growing in? Nope I'm gonna say the ones really more to the north Yeah That one Yeah and I think that's the better of the two right now Wow It was also It was afternoon

[00:55:19] So I did have some subtle haze that was settling in for the afternoon and I'm just not a big view guy but I did like I said I did get up to the summit and I said to myself oh you know here I am at the summit I start to do a 180 and I'm like nope I like Stosh's voices in the back of my head He's gonna grill me for this He's gonna be his only question I just have one question And that's like the pig before us like little area Oh yeah

[00:55:48] I think that's a better view Yeah Yeah And it's it's it's crazy okay okay I'll have to go back up there that's part of my research I was there when the dude was actually clearing it I was there with some guy that drove his truck his uh um whatever uh like uh some kind of off-road vehicle up that with his daughter and he was just going at it with a chainsaw a little chainsaw and he's like D. He's not gonna do it I'm gonna do it myself There you go That was not me

[00:56:14] No hands are up my uh my hands are up I I'm not me It's what he said and he was like we come up here he's like because he my impression was he was some dude that had a house He was from the city because he had he had the city accent and he was up visiting and he's he's a taxpayer he pays he's up there and he's just like I want my daughter to be able to see this stuff you know And he wasn't doing anything crazy with it, you know, just maintaining it a bit and I was like, hey, man, that's I'm I'm not gonna stop you. You got a chainsaw dude

[00:56:46] Yeah, right who's gonna argue with the guy with the chainsaw Stosh this now leads me to If we have a second amendment right to bear arms, why don't we have the right to bear chainsaws? Hmm. Why is it just a gun? Okay with the bullet in it? Why can't you walk around with a chainsaw and when there's a spot you want to create a view you just pull out your chainsaw saw down some stuff Straight army of darkness Yeah Interesting Mm-hmm

[00:57:15] There you go. I think we need a constitutional referendum Right to bear chainsaws Yeah Damn straight. Okay, stosh have you been out? No View hunting really? I thought you posted something today about a hike now No, no, that was that was from when I did sugar loaf Hmm Yeah, I gotta I gotta keep up with the new you don't fucking how Instagram works. I'm sorry You know how Instagram works like you gotta you gotta keep up with everything for people to keep up with you which it sucks

[00:57:43] But yeah, so you're you're telling us That you didn't get out to hike But the gimp did The gimp? Yeah, your gimp partner me Oh, yeah, yeah. Well the Sunday I had to work And today I had to work too. So Yeah I have no this weekend. I'm looking to get out so You had to work but some guy we just got done hearing some guy with 500 bucks in his pocket took 28 years off to hike home Yeah, right like 500 bucks

[00:58:11] Yeah, got a little bit more than 500 bucks. So maybe Yeah, what is that like 40 dollars a year? Good lord Not even a dollar a week Jesus what the hell? All right, we gotta get this guy on the show. I need to know Yeah, yeah All right So I didn't do anything. I will be out this week I am gonna reach out to people and see if they want to do something so This weekend I am free. Jessica is going somewhere so I'm free I'm not chained out But but yeah, didn't get out so that's okay. That's okay

[00:58:41] I wanted to bring up some catskill news once again volunteer 3500 club catskill trail crew catskill mountain club There's our center jolly rovers trail crew family mountain fire tower Wherever you can volunteer volunteer Also if you need stickers Send me a message Please or go to camp catskill and get free stickers Also on November 7th through the 8th the catskill 3500 club is hosting hosting a wilderness first aid course

[00:59:10] It was designed by our good old supporter David oliver Who does peace our preventative search and rescue in the catskill mountains and it is going to be held at the catskill forest association If you'd like you can also mention that the club offers Well, nevermind. Sorry Leaders can receive 75% off reimbursement towards their training That's one of the ways we help their hike leaders get equipped for the outdoors

[00:59:35] So November 7th through the 8th wilderness first aid catskill 3500 club sign up Also November 25th leave no trace class on panther by the 3500 club and December 18th first gross forest in tape peekamoose and table so check that out All right time to break it into the insanely inaccurate weather forecast Here is your weekend weather forecast

[01:00:03] This weekend is looking like a classic catskills October roller coaster weather Warm wet and a big temperature drop then a beautiful day on Sunday On Friday October 16th it starts out relatively mild but showers will move in especially in the afternoon Valley should start in the mid 50s and climb towards 70 degrees while the summits start in the mid 30s and could reach the mid 60s during the day

[01:00:29] It'll also get breezy with some strong gusts possible on the exposed peaks Bring out your rain gear and your extra layers On Saturday October 17th will be much much colder with partly sunny skies and a few leftover showers which might convert into possible snow showers on the summits Valleys will start in the upper 30s to low 40s and only reach the upper 40s in the afternoon

[01:00:55] Above 2000 feet expect upper 20s in the morning and the 30s during the afternoon Winds will be out of the northwest and fairly strong so the summits will be considerably cooler than the thermometer says Just remember once again to bring those extra layers because the wind chill makes a significant decrease in the temperature On Sunday October 18th looks to be the winter of the weekend

[01:01:21] And we will see mostly sunny skies with valley temperatures starting in the mid 30s then warming to the mid 50s The summits should begin around the upper 20s in the morning to low 30s and reach to the mid upper 40s during the afternoon Winds will ease up on Sunday making it a much more comfortable day to be out on the trails Once again, it's a roller coaster weekend so you will want to bring anything and everything you can bring except your snowshoes and spikes Spikes you might need it. You might not. You never know. You never know. Just bring it

[01:01:51] And also remember to be safe Be prepared and don't become tomorrow's rescue story Back to you guys Thank you for that inaccurate weather forecast We're looking forward to you need to prepare more than what the forecast predicted because it's not accurate So If you want to go on a non-profit program that leads outdoor adventures and activities for veterans and first responders Join another summit

[01:02:20] They do outdoor adventures like walking, hiking, paddling and even backpacking And they welcome guardians of all ages and ability levels including those with accessibility needs Our adventures are still located through New York and the Northeast and they organize at transit accessible adventures throughout the Hudson Valley and the New York City area Apply today on another summit dot org Also, is it time for some new gear for hiking in the Catskills? Definitely say no more

[01:02:48] Camp Catskill in Tannersville has all your hiking needs Footwear socks, moisture wicking shirts, freeze dried meals, Catskill merch and more They have all the essentials for your hiking needs located in Tannersville and online Check out Camp Catskill If you want free stickers, stop at Camp Catskill in Tannersville Rock and roll So let's get on to the guest of the night So tonight, Josh Gorsh joins us to talk about his

[01:03:17] Extravaganza over the Devil's Path Devil in a Day Now we haven't talked about this before on the show I don't know why But I think we're waiting for this exact moment for Josh to come on Because Josh lives right down the freaking street from me He's a fellow metalhead Like it's just, everything's all hooking up right now So it works out So Josh, welcome to the show Can't wait to hear your story, man Thanks, stoked to be here Stoked to share my story, my experience

[01:03:44] You know, your gear and such Like, like, like for, for the longest time, you know, we've been friends We've been friends online and I've noticed a significant change And your, your gear and it's, and it's really cool, cool to hear it because I remember once again We like first start off backpack and we're backpacking heavy and now you are Mr. I forgot like lightweight What do you, what are you getting it down to? Like for a backpacking adventure Uh, depends

[01:04:10] If I do an overnight, I'm somewhere, like my base weight is somewhere around 10 to 12 pounds, you know, um, depending on You know, time of year's weather and everything Day hike, it's You know, maybe 10, 15 pounds total food and water, you know Not much It depends on the trip, you know So Yeah, well welcome to the show

[01:04:36] Uh, how about, uh, you give us a little background about yourself, um, and go all out buddy Yeah, sure Uh, I grew up in, uh, central, in Otseco County, New York here, central New York Um, I'm 44, you know, so I grew up playing outdoors, you know, we climbed trees, we played in the dirt, we rode bikes, we did all that outdoorsy stuff

[01:05:01] But I never really got into hiking until I was until about 10 years ago when I hiked, uh, Windham High Peak, 2016 It was my first hike, um, before that, you know, it was like just typical I love to go camping, but it was never really like, wow, this is what I really want to do sort of thing So, uh, yeah, I got a call from a buddy that was Playing in an overnight And I was like, you want to go camp on top of a mountain or go backpacking?

[01:05:31] I was like, alright, sure And I had no idea what I was going to do Um, pretty much did everything wrong, carried way too much gear, none of the right gear Um, but I loved it, so I was hooked I finished my first round of the 35 in 2018 So I am a Casco 3500 finisher I did the winter, but I never sent my paperwork in Um, I've done

[01:05:59] A couple trails in Pennsylvania Black Forest Trail Which was, um, what was that? 42 miles Did that with two nights, three days That was awesome That was in September 2022 Did the Loyal Sock Trail in Pennsylvania Which is 58 miles That was kind of a crazy time That would be a whole nother story But that was a beautiful trail Um, and then I, uh, yeah, the Devil's Path That's kind of my playground

[01:06:29] Here at Catskills Um, I've hiked the Northville Placid Trail Uh, I did sections, um, completing it in three different sections Yeah, I just, I love hiking Since that first time up Windham High Peak Like, everything just changed So, so now, uh, you, you move on You're, you're kind of getting the experience More and more experience And you have a guiding company now Yeah, I became a licensed guide Um, I'm a friend with a few guides

[01:06:57] And I just thought it was always kind of a cool thing To kind of have like an extra arrow in the quiver So I got my guide license last, late last year December, and I'm still new to it I've, I've had a couple good clients Um, well, no bad clients, luckily Um, yeah, it's, it's interesting I just kind of got it I want to take people out and Experience what I experience, you know Um, I'm looking to kind of do

[01:07:26] More of the, you know, um, the wellness side of things Like, I love hiking, I love the, I love the mountains I love grabbing high peaks But it's like experiencing what being out there And just moving out with the trees If we can go that far, you know We're gonna get a little hippie with this one, so No, that's all good It's just, it heals, you know So I wanna, I wanna be a guide to kind of get people out And, uh, you know, to do that legally You gotta be a licensed guide, so

[01:07:56] Yeah, what's, uh, what's your guiding company, Dan, by the way? Right now I'm, I'm going under Ursa's Compass Really just as like a Way to public, or advertise publicly on social media Without using my own name It's, you know, I'm kind of looking to To see what each individual's itch is outdoors Like, you know, mine's a little different I love hiking in silence You know, I wanna kind of focus on doing something like that

[01:08:25] Where you organize group hikes in silence And I think it's really fun getting a group of people together Who all kind of, we communicate without words You know, just simple looking at each other And just, we, we just allow ourselves to kind of sit in the environment A little bit more, you know, without that extra distraction to speak Or say anything, or, you know We still always talk But we try to, we try to keep it silent, you know

[01:08:54] Um, I would not be able to be on this hike at all Yeah, and how, how well has that worked out Getting a group of people together to have a silent hike And they actually remain silent Well, my friends and I, we do it pretty well Um, it's a new, uh, yeah Getting new people to do it It's strange, cause they'll see something new And of course they get excited, you know, you're gonna speak Yeah You know, some people like to go out for the silence

[01:09:22] To get away from all the noise in the city and everything And, you know, I like The sound of my footsteps Mm-hmm I like being able to hear that Yeah It's therapeutic, so Yeah, you know, and I'll, I'll, um I'll say one of the reasons why I like solo hiking is When you're by yourself You don't have that perception of self Because others aren't around you And so your, like, personal boundaries are just

[01:09:52] Discarded when you, like, step out onto the trail And you get out there and you just Can find yourself getting more submersed in And flowing with the environment around you Than, you know, it seems like you bounce off Other people and you're constantly reminded of your limits And in the space around you So, um Yeah, and that's, you know, I'm kind of addicted to that You could have been better words than I did Yeah

[01:10:19] You know, I'm, I'm the same way as like both you guys Being solo does something else And, you know, I do like hiking with people But, once again, like, there's, there's something about hiking on a Tuesday With no other human on the trail And there's so much, you know, I have an ADHD mind So there's so much going through my mind that it's just It's like something else Like, so That's cool So, Josh, anybody looking for a, uh, silent hike Josh Yeah

[01:10:48] Is gonna give it and we are gonna record the whole thing Yeah, that's right You wanna do something different? Hit me up for sure, yeah Or best episode So, in your hiking, uh, guiding company, Josh What is your typical client like? If you have a typical client? Uh, it's usually, um, I, I get, it seems to be the last minute planners Um, that's cause like, right now I'm still getting my name out there So, um, I'm getting, you know, the last minute people that are like

[01:11:18] All my friends will hand me, they're like, oh, I can't do it, but this guy can So I get the hand-me-down gigs So, you know, it's been, um, mothers planning birthday parties That don't know really how to They, they want, like their kids wanna go out hiking And wanna go fishing and wanna do all that fun stuff for like 16, 17 year olds But they don't hike themselves and they don't know the trails at all So, you know, like one was, I did a group, uh, a tour of Catterskill Falls For a group of 16 year old boys

[01:11:47] And it was one of their, one of the boys' birthday And their mom was with them So like, the mom was from New Jersey The whole group was from New Jersey They heard about Catterskill Falls And they just had no idea really How to navigate around that area Sure, you can just go and follow the herd of the crowds But like, she wanted a little bit more You know, so what we ended up doing was, um, I took them for a tour around the falls

[01:12:16] Took them down to both falls And then we went to North South Lake for some fishing And took them to the Catskill Mountain House site Um, it's kind of just being like a I mean, sightseeing for the most part You know, people come into the area They're just overwhelmed with the choices and options And don't know where to start, you know Someone who's inexperienced with hiking just gets overwhelmed So they hire a professional And what do you think is

[01:12:46] Or what have you found to be the most common reason Somebody hires a guide? Just, um, well, you know There's a benefit for the planning side Like a guide's gonna do all the logistics You know, for you Like if you wanted to just, you know You're like, I want to experience this You can hire a guide that'll find it for you Kind of thing You know, uh, then there's just

[01:13:15] People who aren't quite sure about doing it themselves Like to hire a guide It gives them the extra confidence, you know And then usually friendships are made out of it All to everyone I've worked with Now we're friends So it's, it ends up being Kind of a long-term friendship in the end But, uh Nice Well, so Stash, have you ever hired a guide? I have not When you, when you and your wife go out west Does that ever occur to you? That maybe we should hire a guide to go do this?

[01:13:46] Hell no Dude, I, I have so much like I want to, I'd say under my belt But, you know, I, I, I started off on Tuesdays Like hiking by myself And who the hell else hikes on a Tuesday? Like, retired people? Like, I'm sure you're talking to there Cause I'm trying to be a retired person I know, but like, like, but, but still like, you know, maybe The, a lot of my good friends are, are guides You know, Josh is a guide Moe is a guide

[01:14:14] Greg Caliprese is a guide My friend Ed, who is in search and rescue is a guide Like it, it makes sense And then Josh, you know, is getting, you know, once again Kind of like the hand-me-down stuff And you know, that's, that's the way everybody starts When you start It's not like he's going to be like Somebody's going to be like, hey, I need to do Frickin' the diatissima of the Catskills Let's go, Josh Yeah, sorry Little above my, my, my little

[01:14:43] Yeah, you're, you're going here, buddy I'm about right here So, so I, but I asked you that Stosh Because my daughter, when we went to visit her In Ireland, when she was staying over there As part of her college experience She planned all of these different things for us to do And one of them was, um, for her and I to hike a mountain, uh, one day And she hires a guide And I, at first I thought Should I take that as an insult?

[01:15:13] Is she like not confident in my ability to like do basic navigation This, that and the other thing And frankly, one of the weirdest things about that hike Was there were no trees You see around you So I was not like there was a canopy over you It was kind of weird that you hiked up this entire mountain The whole time You're above tree line Because there are no trees But it was a good experience

[01:15:41] I, I enjoyed it because the guy was just full of knowledge Um, about all sorts of things Made for great conversation And because I was doing with this With my daughter and I would be kind of like more vigilant When I'm with her to make sure she's safe And that we're prepared for it That kind of duty Was put more on him than on me So I was kind of more relaxed doing that So at any rate, Josh

[01:16:09] Just briefly for our listeners Who are thinking of going into guiding Um, making a lot of money So they can donate to the cause To buy the villa at the end of Mouha Road Just generally, what are the requirements To get your guiding license in New York? Uh, you need to, uh, have a first aid And CPR course You need to pass and maintain a valid certificate

[01:16:39] Water safety course And that's even if you're doing just regular hiking You still need to have a water safety course You pass an exam Which consists of different questions Depending on what you go into guiding for Like I'm a fishing, camping Hiking, canoeing, and kayaking guide Um, anything except hunting Rock climbing and ice climbing So like I had Much wider Tests to pass

[01:17:08] But they're all basic questions That you probably already know I mean from hiking, you know Like if I had to know the rules for the Adirondacks The rules for the Catskills And then you, let's see Need a note from your doctor Which is saying that you're like Healthy enough to lead someone up a hill You're not going to be a risk yourself Um Well, that I couldn't get But, alright That wasn't a joke guys But, alright

[01:17:39] How hard's the test? You made it sound like it's mainly common sense You might have to brush up on You know, you can't pee within 150 feet of the trail Yeah, there's things like that Yeah, it's I mean, it's There was some of it I had to study on Because it's more or less They kind of The questions are worded weird So you have to kind of It's one of those where it's like Are you trying to trick me? But, uh Some of them The Adirondacks stuff I had to look up on Because I don't get up there much And it's

[01:18:09] Very similar to the Catskills But there are slight differences Yeah So before I hand it back to Stosh The one question I want to know about the test Is it true That they ask you If you listen to Inside the Line? Is that one of the questions? Unfortunately That would be rejected Instantly They talk shit about the DEC You're rejected Yes So yeah, Josh would've He would've marked that No, no, not at all This is a horrible

[01:18:39] So, yeah Well, good I'm glad once again Ursus Compass Do you have a website or stuff Or what are you starting out? I don't have a website I'm just doing Instagram and Facebook now Okay, I will I will tag the guiding company Once again Like you and Tad said It's good to have someone Once again, plan the logistics and stuff Like, let's say you want to know a secret Frickin' waterfall That nobody's gone to Yeah That's our job Yeah, exactly It's your job to get them there

[01:19:07] And to have the secluded You know, maybe teach them a few things You know, it's actually fantastic And when you told me Or when you posted about that I was like, fucking Josh is the man I know you fish all the time So, you're up always And only on to fishing All the time So, do you want to get with Josh about fishing? Get a hold of Josh And we'll have him tagged We'll get you hooked up Yeah Yeah, definitely So, as we move on to the Devil's Path Let's talk about the stats of the day

[01:19:36] So, you guys are preparing for Devil's Path What are the stats that you know specifically? What were you grinded with into your mind About doing the Devils in a day? For me, I just knew it was going to be long And close to like 23, 24 miles We did get some official stats at the end of the day But yeah, I mean, we just Start time was five You know, I was just I was ready to go

[01:20:06] And I was just I was I was stoked Were you Now Did this take some pre-planning? You, I mean, I know Moe was involved, correct? Yeah, so This was a like supported Through hike of Devil in a Day Moe with hike on guides Moe and Jeff They do A Devil in a Day Where you They basically work out the shuttle for you You know, everybody Meets up at the trailhead To start

[01:20:35] Which we did Predator Road And We'd have like a drop bag So anything we want at the halfway point There's a half Like at the Devil's Tombstone We can put in Moe's truck And then Moe's truck gets brought Halfway through And then to the end Sort of thing Yeah, Moe organized it We You know Had it We all met at, you know 5am to start How many people?

[01:21:06] This was A total of six of us Three were the clients We usually had We had five sign up But two backed up So Yeah, a total of six It was a good crew Nice And now So it's around like 23, 24 miles 9,000 feet of elevation gain You go over West We all count St. Ann's Peak You gotta fucking count that No doubt about that Westkill

[01:21:36] No Southwest Hunter or Hunter Did you guys do that? No, we didn't No Okay, once again That's not Devil's in the Day Plateau Sugarloaf Twin Indian Head So six peaks In under 24 hours So that's the goal, right? Yep And you know With the way Mo runs it It's not a race It's a group hike You know, we We hike together We finish together You know, it's It's not like an endurance Kind of thing

[01:22:05] It's there to have fun You know, we're there to have A fun day And do something incredible And was it? Oh yeah, absolutely It's impossible to not Have a good day on trail With Mo, really It could be pouring down rain And we're still smiling He's giving some information About the droplets That's in his hand He's a freaking He's like the second coming Of Dr. Kudish Like he's going to become

[01:22:34] The second coming of Dr. Kudish He's like the Jedi Like Obi-Wan But what about the weather? How's the weather? What did the weather look like For that day? We got so lucky Because usually it rains Every year Mo does this It rains But this year we had I mean it was It started off Mid-40s So it was a little cool But not anything crazy Stayed in like High was like mid-60s

[01:23:02] And that was down low maybe So it was like It was nice Sunny, good breeze We had perfect weather It did start to rain At night As we're coming down Westkill But that was just a sprinkle And it wasn't anything To slow us down really But yeah, beautiful weather It was perfect We couldn't have asked for anything better Yeah, and then you guys started At Predator Road And then you had The northern

[01:23:32] Well the western terminus St. Anne's Peak down at the Yeah, in Spruxton Okay, now Alright, so now With this Have you Ever done anything crazy Like this before? Like you said You've done some long distance hikes You know, over in Pennsylvania And stuff Is this top of the list? Yeah, this is like my first You know, I'd call it like Real challenging hike This was my goal for the year You know, I made this a goal This year

[01:24:01] I was like, I wanna do the Devil's Path In a day It's time You're 44 years old? Yeah, 44 Yep You were, why You don't show any gray? Like insane I am the exact same age as you Yet, it is like the complete opposite It's like snowing on my beard But it's not No gray I get a couple of ones in a while Awesome That's fantastic So, amazing Tad, what do you got?

[01:24:30] You got, bring it back to you, sir So, Devil in a Day Not something I could ever do But What, you know What is the overall experience like? What makes it different than any other hike That you've ever done? That makes it unique, special And something that Is worthwhile For me, it was just definitely The The challenge of Doing the Devil in a Day You know, it was

[01:24:59] As a local, I hear about it I've heard about it I've hiked the Devil's Path Like in sections For the past 10 years And backpacking it sometimes And, you know It was just really It was the first one that was actually Really, really challenging for me Like usually Not to just say Hiking is easy But I like this kind of fun So, for me, it's a little different Like, I like the challenge This was a challenge

[01:25:29] That I actually was like Okay, this is This is something for real here You know Yeah So, do you reach a point Where you feel like This is too hard But I should bail? I didn't No? I didn't I was on like I was feeling fantastic The whole day No hiker hangover afterwards? No, surprisingly Wow Like, I actually got home And I went running the next day Damn, Jesus So, you know

[01:25:58] Let's talk about the gear And all that But let's also talk about The listener who's Listening to this And is like you You know, they hike The Catskills all the time They hear about the devil In the day They want to tackle the devil In the day Should they train for it? Or should they just show up At 5 a.m. And hike, you know 20 some miles 9,000 vert Over, you know St. Ann's I won't call it the normal name Because it's a family show now And the show Up and down St. Ann's Peak

[01:26:28] Right? What should they do To get physically Ready for it? Hike, hike your butt off I mean, I think running really helped Yeah I started running Towards the end of last year You know, so a little bit of training Nothing super crazy But you need to be You need to be in some pretty good shape Just it's a lot of abuse on your knees Over the course of a day Yeah, you can't be a weekender And just show up and do this

[01:26:56] Like a super weekender Yeah, if you're stubborn enough Yeah, and have enough ibuprofen Okay, so let's talk about Yeah, so other than your normal gear in a day pack What did you bring different? And what did you have at the halfway point? For resupply or change of clothes or whatnot What things worked for you to make it a successful day?

[01:27:26] Tell us about that Yeah, I mean I definitely Tried to pack light For this one just because I knew it was going to be a long day I wanted to carry I still had to carry some Guiding first aid stuff Like when I hike alone My first aid kit is like A small little bag of ibuprofen But when I'm kind of working Or helping out on a guiding trip

[01:27:56] It's totally different So, you know I did have my guiding gear with me I didn't really bring anything special For I mean the halfway point I brought an extra pair of shoes Because it's notorious for raining on the devil in a day That's just how it usually happens And I wanted to have a pair of dry shoes If it did rain at the halfway point To put on dry shoes, dry socks I brought those, didn't need them You know, I At the halfway point

[01:28:24] I just really had a bunch of extra food You know, just sit there And indulge in Gear wise I would say You know My backpack definitely Killed it You know, I got a new bag Earlier this summer And it just carries so well It's like it carries weight, fantastic What backpack was that? It's It's an outdoor vitals like fast pack

[01:28:54] It's like a half running, half backpacking pack Interesting How many of the ones on the wall there? Yeah, that'd be The small white one I was gonna say Yeah, that's what I had that down for And Stosh asked how many liters? Yeah, of water That's 30 How many liters of water? Oh yeah, so it's a 30 liter backpack That's not bad I carry, I think, oh no, my carries a 44

[01:29:22] So my other, my smaller ones are 33 So when you started out, how many liters of water did you start out with? I carried close to three It's I say close to three because I have two one liters on each side And then I have The pack is a, has a running vest style strap And each strap has a flask for water on it And they hold about half a liter in each flask So I carried three Really two for myself

[01:29:50] One for in case one of the One of the, I guess, clients or registrants needed extra water Cause Like I said, I packed This was a challenge for myself personally But I was also working So I had to make sure, you know, like I had things for other people if they needed it True So I carried three most of the way Were you just drinking water? Did you have like electrolytes in the water? Yeah, I do the element

[01:30:18] I do the watermelon or the raspberry element Just so good And what were you doing for food? For food, I actually really I like the meal on the go bars From Green Belly Because when I'm moving I don't really have a whole lot of an appetite And they're just so calorie dense and protein dense And I think they taste fantastic And so what's the brand again?

[01:30:48] Green Belly It's by Green Belly Green Belly? And they're just like really nutrient dense granola bars Wow But they're tasty So... And it's like a vegan protein? Yeah, they make a vegan protein I think most of them are vegan I'm not vegan But they just happen to be that way They're good I started getting into those when I did the Northville Placid Trail I'd bring them for breakfast And they just worked out great for a breakfast trail food Okay Interesting When you're on the go

[01:31:17] They're just... It's better than your Clif Bar It's more satisfying than your Clif Bar Yeah It feels like a meal That hits home because I'm a Clif Bar fan So alright, my last question before I turn it back to Stosh How well prepared were the clients? Good question They... I mean, I have to say they were pretty... they were well prepared They had everything they needed I think they were in great shape

[01:31:45] You know, they all did amazing They struggled So it wasn't all just fun and games But it was like... yeah, they did really well It was a great crew My first time working or doing this with Mo And you know, it was... it was great Everyone was pretty independent You know, we just made sure the morale was high You know The big question was, was it silent the whole time? Or were you guys talking?

[01:32:15] Or when did it become silent? Because we all know there is those times Of maybe on the descent of a certain mountain Or a certain length That it becomes silent and everybody is pissed off That they're not at their car right now Yeah, there was a few of those The first silent moment would have been in the morning When we're hiking in the dark Because everyone's trying to figure out where to step Yeah, but definitely coming down Plateau Was when everyone started feeling it

[01:32:43] You know, and it was the... Definitely the communication dropped there Coming down Plateau into Devil's Tombstone It's just so steep Yeah, yeah And it's just... it's... It's not an easy steep It's a messy steep Yeah Like, you know, it's not like you got technical stuff It's just messy the whole way down And you're... and you're also... Once again, it's like that mentality Of you're ending the hike Because you're going to the halfway point Yeah Like, shit

[01:33:13] And once again, you guys with your... your cliff bars What the... Like... Like, seriously When I did the Pemi Gosset Loop I had a jar of peanut butter And like six frickin' slices of bread And you guys are like, yeah I can have a granola bar for the whole day What the hell is wrong with you guys? Is that with everybody? Did any... was anybody in the... in the pack Like in the group unusual And had some crazy stuff like I would have? Like an Italian hoagie? Yeah, like seriously

[01:33:43] Well, I mean at the halfway point I had a... I had a sub from Daddy L's I had a turkey and pastrami sub from Daddy L's waiting for me Good call So, I did have that at the halfway point See, I couldn't do that I couldn't... I couldn't eat a turkey and pastrami sub And then go out and hike Okay, that just wouldn't agree with me I don't have a problem with the pastrami on any day But, wow, so... So, you also... you mentioned like that

[01:34:11] That going down plateau was a difficult time, quiet time Any other parts of the hike that you would say was like the hardest part? Like, you know, we all know WTF Peak is kind of a hard part We're not gonna say the full name Yeah This is a family Yeah But like, any other parts that like, you know Once again, you said Twin West is an incredible insane climb Sugarloaf going on the west side of Sugarloaf is an insane climb Any like difficulties around those areas?

[01:34:41] Where's your concerns? No, I mean the... we all kind of just charged up it We made great time through to plateau, you know And then we... it was coming down plateau I think that started to show the signs on... or show the signs of wear on everybody Maybe we try... we... charged through the first four a little fast or something But, yeah, spirits were just really high, man We were enjoying it

[01:35:11] Everybody was feeling it, feeling good Until we started coming down plateau So, was Mo pacing you at all? Or were you pacing the group or... Yes, we had... that's actually kind of what we were doing What Dylan and I were doing So, Mo had... Dylan... Dylan Utter was on the show a couple times Yeah He was another pacer with me We were both pacers, basically Because originally there were six clients

[01:35:41] And Mo likes to have people kind of spread out You know, in case there's... everyone hikes differently You know, Dylan would take the lead pace I'd take second And then Mo kind of held out in the back You know, we... I mean, I kind of set pace for half of it Dylan set pace for the other half And everyone really just kept up, you know How aggressive was the pace? It was about two miles per hour

[01:36:08] I mean, just usual average, kind of two miles per hour A little slower on the uphills Lots of breaks at the views It was... it was good That sounds normal, that sounds pleasant Yeah What about like the viewpoints? Did you have views at every single spot? Pretty much, yeah That's kind of what took us... gave us... or made us take a little longer We just kept taking breaks at views Because it was... it was nice And it was a beautiful day So... we... we enjoyed it What was your overall time?

[01:36:37] You... you told me like 19 hours, right? Yeah, we did 19 hours Yeah Nice, that's a soft, nice pace I mean, 19 hours is a long... That's a long... I mean, I... what an idiot That was the stupidest... it's a nice, soft pace 19 hours, oh shit It... it was though I mean, honestly, like people... you know, I heard last week Or the last week's episode Someone... um... tagged you about doing it And I think it was 14 hours

[01:37:04] And I was like, that's... kind of where I think it would be a normal pace But we were just really... not pushing it We were just enjoying ourselves We took only about 40 minute break at the halfway point Because any longer than that, you're not gonna wanna move You're not gonna be able to... you know, move Your legs start to lock up I mean, it was a good... good pace Nice Do you regret not... bringing anything? Is there anything that you wish you'd had in your pack? Peanut butter and jelly Oh...

[01:37:34] And then I'd bring my good old peanut butter and jelly And it was what I was craving all freaking day No shit... like... like what kind... like how... like in a... in a... in a... in a squeezable thing or like what? It's just a sandwich I always bring a peanut butter and jelly sandwich hiking Cause I... it's what I hike on And then this time it was like... The night... I was leaving to do this the night before To stay down in Tannersville with Mo and Dylan You know, so we'd be there nice and early And not have to drive crazy early in the morning

[01:38:02] So it was like, do I make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich now And let it sit for a day and a half before I eat it? Or I just scratch it? So... uh... Ditch the PB&J So... Uh... Last question for me And then I'm gonna go... go over to Tad With your peanut butter and jelly Are you... like how thick is your peanut butter? Like is it... Oh... super thick I'm a peanut butter fanatic Same... When I... Like the jelly's just there for a little bit of extra flavor

[01:38:31] So when we... when I did the Pemi Gosset, man Like my... my loaves of bread My peanut butter was thicker than my loaves of bread And people are like... like... you know You're... you're... you're eating it Like you're eating like... like granola bars You're like chomping And they're like... are you eating peanut butter? I'm just like... yeah... I'm trying to And then they're like... Well... if you... if you can respond like that Your peanut butter's not thick enough Because... Dude it was... That's like the true sign But that's so good protein It's very good protein I'm... I'm asking for the listeners who... who want to know

[01:39:00] Are you genuine peanut butter connoisseurs? I mean what... what brand of peanut butter do you use, Josh? Skippy, Jeff or... Oh... I'm very strict I... I use the Price Chopper brand Or get it Price Chopper only Where... where... where can you get that Price Chopper? It sounds pretty... like... you know... bougie Oh no... not at all No? Yeah... only Price Chopper stores Yeah... I don't know Price Chopper... that's what it's... you don't have Price Choppers near you, Ted? We have Price Choppers

[01:39:29] Josh... what do you use then? What brand do you use, Josh? Josh will notice... Hannaford I am a... Hannaford? You're a Hannaford peanut butter guy? I freaking... like... there's some... there's some reason I got like Reese's one time Hated it God... you know... you know... great value Or some expensive stuff Hated it Some reason that... that... that Hannaford brand sticks with me The creamy... I just... I can go days on that And I did... on the Pemi Gossett Like I was just... like people were just like... I... I... at day

[01:39:57] Three... I stopped having the bread and I just had the peanut butter I was taking it with my fingers and I was just eating them They were like... you are some sort of psycho I'm just like... it's good stuff It's protein It's fat... it's protein... it's calories... like... And you know what? Like that... that whole jar could last you A... a good long time And it might be a lot of weight What is it? Like a pound and a half? Yeah... Yeah... you have the weight... the weight of the jar itself You know... the bread gets all smushed I can't say I'm a peanut butter and jelly fan

[01:40:26] On a hike... um... but what I want... what I do want to know about... uh... regarding food Josh And I think this is probably the most important question... uh... regarding this whole trek And it really is going to give us a sense of how challenging it was And how much fun everyone had

[01:40:47] Is... I want to know when... along the way... everybody started talking about what they were going to eat When they were done hiking That was Westkill Westkill? So even before St. Anne's... so you're... is it like at the summit of Westkill? Is it the way down? Because we've all been there before You're on like one of these hikes that's longer than you expected to be

[01:41:15] And you're already like talking about post-hike bruising bites So it's on Westkill? Whereabouts? It was pretty... I believe like right before the rock shelter maybe Okay... wow... so you're going up... you're going up Yeah... that's pretty early I think Josh Yeah... that's still pretty far away Yeah... well you had a long way to go These people... I think you guys are mentally like hurting If the food talk is that early

[01:41:43] So... what time of day was that? When you're like thinking about food You're 20... you're... you finished at 19 So this is... what... 15 hours in Yeah... about... this is around 6... around 7 o'clock Yeah... because it was just getting dark It was basically kind of like we put the headlamps on And you know... for me it's like a distraction of something to do Once it's dark... it keeps your mind off from the climb You know... start talking about other things

[01:42:11] Okay... so when you guys finish you... you get out to Spruceton Road Do you guys go and get like a post-hike meal? Or do you go right back to Predator Road and pick up your cars? What... what is the post-hike brew and bike activity for the Devil in a Day crew? Unfortunately that was almost non-existent We... we were done at like 11.55 Oh wow... yeah...

[01:42:36] So we got in the cars and we... we went over to... we... we went over to Predator Road And uh... yeah... by the time everything was done... you know... um... it was just so late Nothing was open Wow... there was a... Stuart's isn't even open... they closed at midnight right? I think so... Oh man... So... but Mo didn't plan like a pig roast for you all down on Predator Road? Right... Like a... like a keg and pig roast?

[01:43:04] Yeah... we were gonna do pizza or something But it was just like so late... it didn't end like... And then... we just... we were staying with uh... Dylan and I were staying with Mo So... we just went and crashed afterwards Crash hard? No big... no big post-hike brewer bike Wow... yeah... it was... that was... I mean... it was... I mean... I made a turkey sandwich So... maybe that's it I mean... that's... that's... that's acceptable

[01:43:31] So when Stosh and I planned this... um... to do this next year What's your advice for us? Go for it Go for it? Yeah... In terms of logistics... Let's say we drive... we're... a group of people... we're driving up from the city We only have one car... How do we go about arranging a car shuttle then? What's the best advice on that? No... I'd... I'd go ahead and either see... I'd... I'd hire Mo Or see what Greg's doing... What's that?

[01:44:00] Either... either Hike on Guides or Rip Van Winkle You know... they both run... great shuttle services I'd say they go for it I mean... So you say go for it... there... I... I remember this guy... this guy... Oh God... I forgot his name... is it Byerside Outfitters? I... I... I can't follow his shit... I talk shit about him all the time... He talked about the devil's path... and he's like... there are no bailout sections... anywhere... And I'm like... dude... every frickin' notch is a goddamn bailout section... You do not know your shit...

[01:44:30] Right... So like... you know... you say go for it... that's a great idea... You can bail out... you can give somebody a ring... and get somebody to maybe pick you up and stuff... And you know... once again... you say Greg... will be there... Greg Calabrese... will be there with... Prant Miracle Guides... he does shuttling... like... he... he accommodates a lot of good stuff... so... You know... sorry... sorry Ted... I just wanted to bring it out there... Well... yeah... so speaking about... accommodating... what... what are the fees that somebody would pay for...

[01:44:58] Signing up with Moe or somebody else for devil in a day? Yeah... this one Moe did... I believe it was... either $175... I believe... I believe it was $175 per person... And that... yeah... it covers your shuttle... that covers your bailout cover-y... He brings extra food for the halfway point... surprises... you know... like... So... it's kind of... I believe you pay... over $100 bucks for a shuttle alone...

[01:45:27] From one end to the other... So... yeah... I mean... I would definitely say... look for one of these events... And do it with a guy... with a guy like Moe... just because it makes it a lot easier to... To... it takes the worry out of it... you know... like I told Moe... When he asked me about helping him... I was like... If I'm not... if I'm not working it with you... I'm gonna be hiking it with you... either way... So... I mean... I want... I thought it was a great opportunity...

[01:45:53] Because you do have those bailout points... you know... if you can... if you can't go any further... You just... hike down... or one of us will hike you down... to the trailhead... And you'll get picked up and taken back to your car... you know... So... without telling us... obviously... the names of the guests... Or the clients that you had... what can you tell us... About them in terms of their age... their background... their experience... What type of people signed up for this to do it? Pretty wide range... They're all awesome people...

[01:46:23] Yeah... we have... I mean... I'd say... Pretty much my age... And a little younger... We had a school teacher... Which was pretty awesome... Because he's gonna... he's... he's an awesome teacher... He's gonna... it was cool just to see... To pick his brain... and just to know... He's out there teaching kids... Or teaching young adults... We had... A marriage counselor... Or a counselor... She's super cool...

[01:46:53] They're all... They're all... Fairly fit... Regular hikers... They do... They knew what they were getting into... So it wasn't just like... You know... Sign up and hike... They were aware... Nice... Now... With this... When's your next... Expedition of doing Devils in a Day? Are you gonna do this with Ursus Compass? And... And... Tad and I are gonna sign up?

[01:47:21] I'd like to... Yeah... I definitely would like to... It's a little tricky... Would be tricky working out the... The shuttles and everything on my own... That's for sure... I know... Mo's looking to... He does... He usually does a couple of these every year... And he was saying this year... You know... I'm 49... I don't know if I'm gonna wanna keep doing this every year... So... I mean... To be honest... That's a good question... He won't stop... He won't stop...

[01:47:49] He's a go-getter... Tad, you did the Eastern Path... I remember that... Do you know why I remember that? Why is that? Because it was... He didn't show up at your 100th... Correct... He did the Eastern Path... So he can do half of it... I mean... I did Sugarloaf... Last week... And to be honest... Coming down at the quarry... And stuff like that... I'm sitting in my head... I'm just like... Fuck... I can't wait to get back to the car...

[01:48:19] And just... Get something to drink... Like... Eat something... And just rest... But like... Thinking about doing this man... It's just... It's just crazy... I... To be honest... I don't... I think I'm gonna... I would wiss out... And I would... It's a lot of work... I mean... Sugarloaf alone... Is almost 2000 feet of elevation gain... So I've done a... Somewhat of a quarter... Of the Devil's Path... But... You know... That's... Fantastic... And then maybe...

[01:48:48] Going with a guy... Does it be me? I'd be like... Mo... If I'm gonna hire you... Or Josh... If I'm gonna hire you... I need at least three... Frickin... Bacon ranch... Slices... From... From Stewart's... Carried in your pack... At all times... And... A couple beers... You know... Get you up the mountain... Get me up the mountain... Something's gotta be waiting... Up at the... The Devil's... To... Or the Devil's Acre... Lean to... You know... It's gotta be... You know... Specifics... So... I mean... I'm looking forward to when...

[01:49:18] When you can do this and such... Like... As your own guiding... I mean... Are you... Are you planning that? I... I definitely would like to... You know... If anyone's interested... I... Can definitely... Make... Something happen... Yeah... It's just... I saw... What goes into this... And it's a lot... But I mean... That's... That's what it is... I mean... That's... What being a guide is... It looks fun... I definitely would like to start organizing my own... Someday... Yeah... Like... With that... Like...

[01:49:48] Besides the peanut butter and stuff... Like... Do you... If you plan on doing this again... Going with the same pack... You going... You going a little bit bigger? Yeah... Well... Next... I would use a bigger pack next time... Because... I... So... Moe was carrying so much... And we could split up the weight a little bit... You know... We were sitting there... I was like... Dylan and I were hiking ahead... And... You know... We didn't realize... Till the end... We both... All three of us have the same... Pack...

[01:50:17] We could have like... Totally looked super cool... Wearing the same pack... And you know... Split up some of Moe's gear a little bit... To distribute the weight among the three of us... Helped a little... Helped everybody out a little bit... But... Yeah... I mean... If I was doing it on my own... I would do the same pack... Same gear... Same shoes... Which... I did get new shoes for this... Which worked out great... Um... They weren't like... Brand new just for this... This hike... But uh... What do you wear? What type of shoes do you use? I'm...

[01:50:47] I'm Topo Ultra Venture... Um... Topo Athletic... Ultra Venture 5s... A lot of people... It's actually like the same shoe... That the dude last week had... Yeah... A lot of people have been talking about this Topo stuff... I'm very curious... I... I'm all about Topos... I've been wearing them for... Six years... Now hiking... And this is my... Fourth pair... Of Topos... Nice... A lot of people are going with these... Like Topo stuff... I'm... I'm almost... I'm Merrill... I'm like... Like...

[01:51:16] I'm checking those out... They have like a very rounded... Sole to them... Am I looking at the right shoe? Yeah... They're like a round toe... They have a wide toe box... They have that whole like... Duck foot looking thing... But... So is that like for the... The downhill... Kind of stuff... Or what... What is it? It's just so your toes don't pinch... Like every shoe has such a pointy toe... Has a pointy toe box... Like if you walk... I... I go barefoot a lot... And... Not hiking yet... But...

[01:51:45] Your toes are supposed to spread... So... I definitely think... Having a wider toe box... Helps... Helped me... Helped my knee problems... That I used to have when I was younger... Yeah... Interesting... What type of mileage do you get out of those... In the Catskills... Before... They wear out? I get... Three... Well I used to get three seasons... But now I've started running in them too... And I run on concrete...

[01:52:15] And they're trail shoes... So you kind of wear them out a little faster... I'd say... I'd be happy to get a year... Out of each one... Maybe... And I'm assuming they have great traction... Oh yeah... Absolutely... Like I feel like Spider-Man with them... Oh really? It's crazy... That's a good description... Yeah... Wet rocks... Don't even worry about it... Oh yeah... Nice... So... Josh... What's your future pans for Ursa's Compass? You guys... You...

[01:52:44] You plan on anything in the future... You want to kind of like chat about... Or you know... Preach about? I'd like to get into... I do plan to do some... Like introduction to snowshoeing... This year... If we can get some good snow... I love snowshoeing... I want to get people out there to enjoy it... I think... Most of the time when people get out snowshoeing... And don't have a good time... It's usually because they have the wrong snowshoes... And I just kind of want to help aid in that... Show them how beautiful it is out there...

[01:53:13] In the winter... So... It's a whole different story... Yeah... So what's the most common mistake... You think people make about snowshoeing? Buying the big... Too big... Buying a snowshoe... That's way too large... Because they read that MSR chart... That was made in like 1980... Or something... Where it says like... Someone... My height or my weight... Needs like a size 24 inch snowshoe... I don't know... I mean... I just found... People buy too large...

[01:53:41] Because they follow the recommended size... And so we don't get that much snow here... We're not Alaska... You know... Yeah... True... So what... What snowshoe do you use? I use the MSR... I think Evo Ascent... Yeah... It's the same one Stosh uses actually... Because we bought it right at the same time... Those black plastic ones... Yeah... They're like... Remake of the Denali or something... So... Yeah... I use the same thing... And I beat the living shit out of mine...

[01:54:11] That's what I'm saying... Yeah... And they take it... Yeah... And I... And one of the reasons I settled on those... When I was looking at snowshoes way back when... Is they seem to be the most rebuildable... Or repairable snowshoe... Out on the trail... Where the other ones... Yeah... Out on the trail... That's what you said... Out on the trail... Not at all... That's where it's important... Yeah... Yeah... Because when you're like a solo hiker... And you're five... Six miles... In the middle of nowhere... That's kind of important... Yeah... If something breaks... Being able to fix it...

[01:54:39] Without having your hands exposed too much... To the elements when you're doing that... And... That was a selling point... The other thing I like about those snowshoes... Is the traction rails are inboard... Whereas the... Other ones... They're outboard... And I think having the traction rails... Closer to your foot... Gives you more control over them... And gives you better traction going uphill... Yeah... I agree... I'm a big proponent of those... So there you have it... I mean... If you want...

[01:55:07] A lesson... How to enjoy snowshoeing... Contact Josh... Yeah... Love to get you out... For sure... Don't... Don't suffer while snowshoeing... Yeah... That's it... There you go... There's your new... Tagline right there... So... You ought to use that... Definitely... So... Josh... Thanks for joining us tonight... Last question... You've hiked in the Catskills... Numerous amounts of times... Of course... Post-hike... Bruising Bites... What's your place...

[01:55:37] A recommendation to go to? Honestly... I'm usually a stewards guy... But... I'm going to say... What is that... Salinas... In Tannersville... The diner that's like... Right there... And... Yeah... Yeah... It's past... Past the edge of town... Yeah... Yeah... They got everything... Anything you want... Like they got everything... They got it... And it's good... So... Except... Except when it's... Best part about Salinas... Is it's a great place to sit down...

[01:56:06] If you want to sit down... After you've been hiking all day... Yeah... Right? Correct... You can sit down there... They bring the coffee to you... You can hang out... If you have a notepad like me... You pull out the notepad... You start writing notes... You take your... They take your order... They make it any way you want it... It's good... Nice... Nice... I don't think we've had that before... So... Cool... Awesome... Awesome... So... Josh... Big thank you for joining us... Really appreciate you taking out your time... Next time...

[01:56:36] If we have this... I'll walk over to your house... And we'll definitely have this... Either that... We'll just sit out in the freaking middle of the road... And just do it... Like what the... Cemetery actually... All right... All right... So I look... I know... I need to ask one last question... Okay... So Josh... What type of neighbor is Stosh? We're not that close... We're not that close... Uh... Oh... But you know where his house is... Don't you? Like his yard... I mean... Is his yard the one with like... You know...

[01:57:04] The refrigerator in the front yard... And the tractor tires painted white... Is that Stosh's place? I've never driven down his road... Oh really? Is that sketchy? No... That's sketchy... I just have no reason to go down there... Yeah... Yeah... So... Let's see... Let's see... Josh is... Approximately... Half a mile away from my house... Yeah... So... And most of that's walking around houses... Exactly... So it'd probably be a quarter of a mile... Just cutting right through houses...

[01:57:33] So... Maybe next time... We'll get together... Why... And we haven't hiked together... This is ridiculous... I am... Once again... Hiking on Tuesdays is great... But it sucks... So... But Josh... Thank you for joining us... I greatly appreciate it... Thank you for listening to the show... And tagging the show... And once again... Check out Earth's Compass... His guiding company... You know... We wish you the best success... And we'll promote your business... Here on... Inside the line... Because... You know... Once again... This is all about community... We have a great...

[01:58:03] Fantastic community... And Josh... Mo... Jeff... All them... Great part of the community... You guys just... Kick-ass... Jim... Mike... Tim... Yeah... The whole crew... Yeah... You guys help create this community too... So thank you... I mean... I just want to say... You guys help make this whole circle... So... It's awesome... Thanks... Thank you... The circle... Yeah... Thank you... The circle is... Is fantastic... And it... And it... Once again... It just continuously goes and goes... I love it... I love it... So Josh... Thank you for joining us... Let's get together in the future... And let's... I'm not going to say...

[01:58:32] Let's do a devil in the day... I'm not going to do that... That's right... But glad you got to do it... And we'll hope to see you in the future... Yeah... For sure... Definitely... Thank you... All right... Have a good night... Hey everyone... I just want to thank you for listening to the show... If you enjoyed the show... Subscribe... And throw down a smooth review on Spotify... Apple Podcasts... Or any podcast platform... That you use...

[01:59:00] You can also check daily updates of the podcast... Hikes... Hiking news... And local news on Facebook... Instagram... Twitter... And the official website of the show... Remember this... You gotta just keep on living... In the Catskills Man... L-I-V-I-N... Wicked... Wicked... Wicked... Wicked...