Are You in the Catskill 3500 Club?
While we’ve been hiking for 14 years together, we have yet to complete the climbs and join the Catskill 3500 Club. But a ten year old did. We just want to say how proud we are of this young man and we hope he continues to thrive, climb and build a beautiful relationship with nature.
New York Peaks
We were hiking though New Jersey recently and realized that their highest peak is 1803 feet. Our home is situated at 1450 feet so this seems very low. New York State has a lot to offer, and most of it can be found in the Catskills.
The Catskill 3500 Club was created in 1962 by Kay and Bill Spangenberger. They thought of the idea in 1949, when The Adirondack 46ers had their first meeting, but failed to get members to join. The club was formed later on in order to encourage people to come back to the Catskills and explore the peaks. I can tell you that the few peaks that I experienced were breathtaking.
In order to become a member you need to finish the 35 Catskill Mountain peaks that are over 3,500 feet. You also need to complete four winter ascents between December 21st and March 21st. Once you’ve completed the sheet and paid the club fee you’ll be able to show off your patch.
You too can easily join the Catskill 3500 Club or the ADk46ers (Adirondack 46ers) if you complete the challenge. These are our new goals, once we complete the Long Path and SRT from start to finish. So much hiking to do in 2021!
Ten Year Old Hiker
Asher is a ten year old, son of Nihad’s cousin Manuela and her husband Aaron. He has been hiking with his parents since he was a baby. When he learned to walk he was climbing the mountains alongside his parents. This summer we went hiking Panther Mountain with them and the kid is a professional. He was first in line with his trekking pole, climbing rocks and going up the hills like it was nothing. Did I mention he had his own backpack! He stopped only to catch frogs or point them out to us.
This incredible ten year old has just completed the Catskill 3500 Club challenge. Along with his dad, he was able to finish the challenge 20+ years before us. I’m not jealous, are you jealous? We are truly proud of Asher and hope that he continues to love nature and hikes through old healthy age.
As for all of us, I hope we can follow suit and get our Catskill peaks patch as well.
