Let’s take a deep dive into backpacking skills! Spend three days and two nights in the beautiful Catskill Mountains and acquire the experience to thrive on multi-day outdoor trips. On the first day, we’ll take you through the skills that you are going to need to thrive in the wild. Then, it’s going to be your turn. You will take the lead and practice what you learned. Of course, we’ll be there every step of the way for support and encouragement, but the goal of this adventure weekend is for you to acquire the skills and confidence for a greater enjoyment of the outdoors.

This trip is perfect for you if you have done some backpacking but would like to hone your skills and take on a more demanding terrain, or if you are a regular hiker looking to start doing overnight trips.

We will focus on these skills throughout the weekend:

• What to Pack
• What to Wear
• Packing a Pack
• Fitting a Pack
• Leave No Trace
• Navigation
• Water Treatment
• Choosing a Campsite
• Setting up Camp
• Backcountry Nutrition
• Backcountry Cooking
• Backcountry Cleaning
• Bear Safety
• Fire Safety
• Backcountry Hygiene
• Staying Warm and Dry in a Tent

Looking for more backpacking adventures? Come adventuring with us out west, backpacking the gorgeous gorges of Escalante!

For multi-day trips, as a precaution, we ask that you get a PCR COVID-19 test 3-5 days prior to the trip regardless of vaccination status.

Get ready for a true off-trail adventure! Today, we’ll hike two of the Catskill Mountains’ most remote trailless peaks. We’ll brave thick forest in order to reach these rugged summits, and once you sign in at the summit canisters, you’ll be in rare, trail-hardened company. Be sure to bring your gaiters, because these slopes are covered in witch hobble shrubs and scratchy balsam!

These are required peaks for Catskill 3500 Club Membership and #20 and #25 Catskill High Peak (elevation 3,692’ and 3,608’).

Note: Must have prior tall-peak hiking experience in the Catskill Mountains or Adirondack Mountains before joining a bushwhack. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to info@adventureuntamed.com.

Rocks are meant for climbing! Whether you have experienced the unbridled joy of climbing outside, are a gym climber looking to climb outdoors, or a first-timer, join us for a trip to the Gunks. It’s one of the best climbing areas in the country! The rock guides will set up multiple ropes, so you will get a chance to try routes of varying difficulty and climb as much as you want throughout the day. We will teach you the basics and give feedback and beta throughout the day.

We will provide all the equipment that you need, including harnesses, helmets, and climbing shoes.

Please email us your shoe size.

What is the AU Salon? It is a virtual (for now) space where we will meet, share ideas, discuss, connect. Every last Wednesday of the month one of our guides will lead a discussion about a film, book, podcast, or anything and everything outdoor-related. All the events are completely free. We hope you can join us for a chat! And come on over to our Facebook Community to share thoughts, ask questions, or connect with others at any time.

May: The Genius of Birds (Book)

“An award-winning science writer tours the globe to reveal what makes birds capable of such extraordinary feats of mental prowess. Birds are astonishingly intelligent creatures. According to revolutionary new research, some birds rival primates and even humans in their remarkable forms of intelligence. In The Genius of Birds, acclaimed author Jennifer Ackerman explores their newly discovered brilliance and how it came about.

As she travels around the world to the most cutting-edge frontiers of research, Ackerman not only tells the story of the recently uncovered genius of birds but also delves deeply into the latest findings about the bird brain itself that are shifting our view of what it means to be intelligent. At once personal yet scientific, richly informative and beautifully written, The Genius of Birds celebrates the triumphs of these surprising and fiercely intelligent creatures.” (Penguin Random House)

Join us on a trailless adventure! Make your way through the woods using a map and compass, and learn how to identify and use ‘handrails’ – land features that help navigate the terrain. Hikers often find bushwhacking the Catskills’ precipitous slopes and rough terrain more difficult than hiking on marked trails, but the satisfaction of climbing a mountain in this manner is unparalleled. See if you can locate the 3500 Club’s summit canister on this unique outdoor adventure!

This is a required peak for Catskill 3500 Club Membership and #21 Catskill High Peak (elevation 3,687′).

Note: Must have prior tall-peak hiking experience in the Catskill Mountains or Adirondack Mountains before joining a bushwhack. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to info@adventureuntamed.com.

Join us for arguably the most famous hike in Mohonk Preserve! If you like scrambling and rock formations, this adventure is definitely for you! We’ll squeeze our way through narrow passages and among giant boulders, climb up ladders, and scramble to our heart’s content. After climbing and crawling through the ‘Labyrinth’ and “Lemon Squeeze” features, we’ll reach Skytop Tower. The tower itself is beautiful and internationally-famous, but what is even more breathtaking are the magnificent views of the Hudson Valley. We might even get the first peek of fall foliage!

This hike is a popular one, and we’ll be leaving early to beat the crowds!

Today we’ll climb two mountains of the northern Catskills’ Blackhead Range. This rugged hike is more challenging than its distance leads you to believe! Be prepared to hike over twisted roots and scramble up steep rocks. We’ll see some epic views on our way to Blackhead and Black Dome’s fragrant summits, thick with spruce and fir trees.

These are required peaks for Catskill 3500 Club Membership and #5 and #3 Catskill High Peaks (elevation 3,941’ and 3,995’).

This fall we are picking two amazing destinations to see fall foliage!

The first one is Mount Tammany (the second one is Gertrude’s Nose)! Featuring some of the best views in the Delaware Water Gap, this mountain will be the perfect spot to peep changing leaves. After we ascent Mount Tammany, we’ll continue on to Sunfish Pond, one of the “Seven Natural Wonders of New Jersey.” The terrain will even out following the initial steep ascent, and we’ll enjoy the day on quiet, wooded trails, looking for wildlife and taking a break from the hustle and bustle of our city lives.

Come see fall foliage with us!

Have you ever wondered how you would do if you had to spend a night in the wild, and you brought nothing with you? On this day hike, we will be focusing on the foundational skills that can give you peace of mind, a feeling of self-reliance, and have the potential to save your life in any outdoor scenario. We’ll be hiking 4 miles through the gorgeous Black Rock Forest while covering the basics of shelter building, friction fire, water purification, wild edibles and medicinal plants, awareness, tracking, bird language, and much more. After this hike, you will have an understanding of what you need and how to procure it from almost any landscape.

Your Guide: Zach Fisher is a Primitive Technologist, Educator, Outdoor Guide, and Artist living in the Hudson Valley of New York. He has studied at Tom Brown Jr.’s Tracker School since 2010 and has taught with numerous organizations in the Northeast, West Coast, and the Caribbean. Additionally, he is the Co-Founder of Earth Living Skills (earthlivingskills.com), a registered NY State Guide, and a certified Wilderness First Responder. His goal as a teacher and guide is to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation for our wild landscapes and the lives that they encompass. By sharing these experiences, we can shift not only our perspectives but also our relationship with the natural world.

Join us on an amazing adventure in the heart of the White Mountains! Franconia Ridge is the second highest mountain range in the Whites and is well known for its breathtaking views. After a challenging climb, you will spend the majority of the day traversing from peak to peak. Along the crest of the ridge lies the alpine zone. Not only will you hike among its beautiful plants, but the absence of tall trees will afford amazing views. On a clear day, you will see for miles in all directions. We’ll be hiking during peak foliage season, and the colors are breathtaking! If you have always wanted to be a leaf peeper, this is the perfect place to do it!

The route will climb three 4,000-footers – Mt. Liberty (4,459′), Mt. Lincoln (4,459′), and Mt. Lafayette (5,260′). With the main portion of our hike complete, we’ll spend the night at the Greenleaf Mountain Hut. This backcountry hut sits on the shores of Eagle Lake. Perched above the treeline, it offers beautiful views of the ridgeline we just hiked.

Day 1 (October 9th)

We’ll depart at 7:00 am, stopping for lunch on the road. After arriving at the campsite, we’ll set up camp then do an easy but very picturesque hike to stretch our legs and start enjoying fall foliage. That evening, after dinner and a gear check, we’ll get a good night’s sleep before embarking on our adventure.

Day 2 (October 10th)

After breakfast, we’ll start the climb up to the ridge. The ascent will be challenging, but we’ll take our time. We’ll be rewarded for our hard work with amazing views from the crest of the mountain range. We’ll spend the majority of the day hiking from peak to peak, among alpine plants, with nothing obstructing our views of the beautiful fall colors all around us. At the end of the day, we’ll arrive at a hut perched on the side of the mountain. That’s where we’ll spend the night.

Day 3 (October 11th)

After a good night’s rest, we’ll eat breakfast and hike back to civilization. Then, we’ll settle in for the drive back to New York City.

Accommodations:
Night 1: tents in campsite
Night 2: bunk room in Greenleaf Hut

Meals: all meals provided except for food stops on the drive from and to NYC.

This hike takes us to the very western edge of the Catskill Mountains. It’s so remote that it’s outside the official boundary of the Catskill Park. We’ll follow an old, unmarked trail to the summit of Vly Mountain before tackling Bearpen, the original “Beast of the East”. It got that nickname when it was poised to become a hub for Northeast skiing. Following an old ski road on a moderate climb to the top of Bearpen, we’ll enjoy spectacular views and investigate the ruins of an old ski lift.

These are required peaks for Catskill 3500 Club Membership and #32 and #28 Catskill High Peaks (elevation 3,542′ and 3,587′).

Spend the first half of the day hiking on the trails of Minnewaska State Park Preserve, with it beautiful glacial lakes and sweeping ridge views. Then, enjoy the rest of the afternoon at a local orchard, picking apples and pumpkins.

Join us for a unique opportunity to see majestic birds of prey in the wild! Hawk Mountain is the international center for raptor observation and research. It becomes a temporary home to some of the largest birds in the world, as they migrate through the Northeast. We’ll hike the rugged trails, scramble though boulder fields, and stop at beautiful vistas where we’ll be able to observe these majestic birds of prey in the wild. October is peak eagle and red-tailed hawk migration season!