My Gear To Go Hiking Adventure

This past weekend I checked out one of Park Slope's Gear To Go Outfitters organized trips. Even though my outdoorsy experience as a kid was limited to backyard tents and a two hour trail into Appalachian Mountains, I was game for a new adventure.

This past Sunday morning I set out with 2 liters of water, sunscreen and a camera in a borrowed backpack. Aside from organized trips, Gear To Go Outfitters is the only full-service outfitter in the area that sells and rents everything you could possibly need for hiking and backpacking. I didn't need many supplies, for the nine mile trek along the Shawangunks was low on elevation change but long in distance.

Kevin, our lead guide.

I met lead guide Kevin and his van at the Gear to Go outpost on 7th Avenue and Garfield. Along with gourmet lunch and licensed guides, Gear to Go also takes care of transportation. Day hike trips range from $65 to $75 and their overnight backpacking trips are $180-$250, depending on the location and duration. We picked up five other ladies and a second guide, Ki-Tae, before heading towards the Catskills. For hikes or backpacking trips, Kevin takes groups up to 12 people.

According to Kevin, smaller groups are more intimate and give people a chance to get to know one another. This is how I found out that I was the only newbie in a group made up of triathaletes and runners. I can bring it in spin class but the only running I ever do is to catch the B63 on 5th Ave. Still, I am competitive and was determined to hold my own with this group.

Kevin and Ki-Tae cook up some lunch.

We started up the path about midmorning, stopping only a few times to take in the views of the Dwarf Pitch Pine Barrens. The wild blueberry bushes mentioned in the hike description were bare this time of year. We would later come across spilled blueberries along the trail, but spilled blueberries are like roadkill- not for eating.

We took a lunch break at High Point, which is 2250 feet above sea level. While we relaxed, Kevin and Ki-Tae cooked up some pasta with homemade pesto, sundried tomatoes and shaved parmasan. Just as we finished the filling meal, they started boiling water again for their Backcountry Tiramisu. The dessert was a layering of lady fingers with instant espresso mix, Kahlúa and cream cheese pudding mix (in lieu of mascarpone cheese) It had a dusting of cocoa powder on top. Any hesitations I had about the instant cream cheese pudding mix were gone with the first taste. Along with their wilderness skills, these guides knew how to cook.

Cooling off at the top of Verkeeder Falls.After lunch, we headed for the Verkeeder Falls. After snapping a few shots of the double rainbows(!) over the waterfall, we made our way to the top of the cascade. Kevin had us take off our shoes for a refreshing foot bath in the chilled water. The spa-like treatment made a difference since we still had a while to go before reaching the ice caves.

It was around the 700th close call with a slippery rock that my enthusiasm started to falter. Tired, dizzy and still recovering from a sinus infection, I could feel the tears welled up inside. My 127 Hours momemt.I was over this. That's when Kevin started with the pep talk. We were thisclose to the ice caves which I had been excited about for weeks. It's true -- when picking a trip, it was the description of the caves that won me over.  Ok, I agreed, choking back the tears. With that, we were back on track and the push was worth it. The Ice Caves, an old tourist attraction, was a great ending to the hike. Usually iced over til August, the caves had a natural air conditioning climate that felt amazing after spending all afternoon in the sun.

Back in the van, we made a pit stop at a local drive through for some hard-earned fast food. An upside down banana ice cream treat turned out to be the only thing I couldn't finish that day.

If the only feeling of physical accomplishment lately is hauling several bags of groceries up a 4th floor walkup, I recommend checking out Gear To Go's trips. It's a great way to venture out of the city and your comfort zone. The price is reasonable considering renting a car alone would cost as much as an average day hike. Backpacking season is pretty much over til Spring, but shorter day trips will continue through the winter. In the next few weeks, trips include a Halloween night hike, a (shorter) family friendly hike, and a meteor shower hike.