Catskill Adventures Then and Now

By Paul Misko

We certainly have come a long way in how we approach our Catskill outdoor adventures, especially in how we ‘gear up’ for our foray in the forest. The last few decades have witnessed big changes in technology which have greatly improved comfort and safety.

In my youth, our Boy Scout troop was still using some WWI surplus enamelware plates and cups. Many Army-Navy stores sold plenty of wartime leftovers which were sometimes in new condition or worn but quite serviceable. We bought canteens, pup tents (with wooden stakes), clothing, canvas rucksacks and lots more. It was cheap and durable, but HEAVY.

Hiking in the Catskills really started taking off in the 1860’s, soon after the civil war ended. Before then, most people only climbed a mountain to hunt or harvest timber, but as more artists and writers revealed the beauty of the forest, as well as the enticing challenge it involved, an ever-increasing number of folks headed into the mountains. By searching old journals and photographs of naturalist John Burroughs, T.M. Longstreth and others, one can trace the changes which took place over the years.

The first wave of adventurers headed into the forest in whatever clothes they typically wore while working on the job or around the house. If they were veterans, they would often wear portions of their sturdy and warm uniforms; and why not? The idea of purchasing new clothes specifically for hiking was only for the wealthy. It is an interesting fact that, especially in the early 1900’s, it was not uncommon to see men wearing vests, ties, derbies and even top-hats on the trail, thought they were “well used” versions and rarely new. Another trend which developed, mainly concerning the young men, was to adopt some clothes with a western theme … encouraged no doubt by the plethora of cowboy stories in print, which fed their imaginations.

Women began hiking as well and would often wear the same slightly worn-out dresses and other apparel that they would wear in their daily tasks. By the late 1800’s though, some clothing was being specifically made and advertised for outdoors women. An interesting tid-bit to add, is that in some circles, it was considered bad form to help a woman as she climbed. One account from the 1890’s records a female member of the hiking group carried not only her own rucksack, but a 9 lb. rifle as well. She lagged behind but made it to the top on her own, which earned the group’s respect.

In the old days, when it rained, you got wet, but eventually more clothing was designed for the outdoors. The development of nylon, Gore-Tex, and polyester insulation were groundbreaking advances. These materials replaced canvas, wool, leather and fur. Clothing which provided better protection from the elements allowed more people to participate, who might have otherwise just stayed at home in comfort.

Here is a listing of some other categories of gear along with a brief description of how they changed:

Shelters and bedding: The earliest Catskill Campers would usually wing it, and sleep out in the open under the stars with the bears. On occasion they would quickly construct a shelter out of branches and bark. If they were lucky, they would find the remains of a hut, and in a pinch even a rock ledge or “cave” would suffice. It was common to make a mattress out of boughs, from either hemlock or balsam trees, or perhaps some leaves would be raked into a pile. Blankets were the norm, and every camper had a ‘bedroll’. Naturalist John Burroughs used a couple of civil war blankets for years. The early 1900’s saw the development of tents and sleeping bags, which got increasingly lighter and better. Tents with floors and bug netting were huge advances in comfort. Today’s tents weigh about one tenth of the early ones, and can be set up in a couple of minutes.

Fire and lighting: Folks from years ago were generally more practiced at lighting fires, as many homes still used fireplaces and woodstoves for heat, as well as wood fired kitchen stoves. Light- ing a campfire on a day hike just to make a pot of coffee was the norm. This made the task of procuring firewood on the mountaintops increasingly difficult, something that John Burroughs mentions on his first campout on Slide Mt. in 1885. Igniting the fire was of course usually done by matches, although some of the earliest hikers were handy with flint and steel; a mostly lost art today. When I teach an outdoor skills course today, it is interesting to see how few people can get a fire started under ideal conditions. It’s a good skill to learn.

Most cooking was done over open fires, but in the early 1900’s the development of camping stoves began, and the same arc was repeated with the earliest ones being big and heavy, typically of brass, and current ones being tiny and of only a few ounces weight, sometimes made of titanium with a built-in igniter.

Night-time tasks were typically accomplished by the light of the campfire or the ever-reliable candle, which would be used held by the hand, set in a pot, or used in a fancy folding lantern.

I have read accounts where lit matches were used as lighting not only when a moment of vision was required, but also as emergency lighting on the trail. Small lanterns were made for burning various fuels such as whale oil, lard, and eventually kerosene.

A folding candle lantern and a small lard handlamp

You might be surprised to learn that flashlights were available as early as the 1890’s. The batteries of the day were so weak that when the switch was slid on, only a brief “flash” of light was given with the light dimming out soon afterwards. After waiting a while, you could get another “flash” of light. As you know, both batteries and flashlights improved dramatically, especially in the last decade. The latest evolution of portable electric lighting is truly impressive.

Guns: Packing heat was the norm. Most outdoor adventurers brought guns on their trip in defense against the occasional bear, the rare mountain lion, and the imaginary wolf. John Burroughs carried a revolver, and so did his friend Walt Whitman. War surplus guns were cheap and plentiful, yet accidental shootings were surprisingly rare.

A tough bunch. Guns, axes, and whiskey ... what could go wrong?

Ladies almost to Wittenberg summit

Trash: Until about the 1960’s, burying was the recommended means of disposal of campsite trash. Today, one can sometimes find old bottles and rusty cans under a rock on the mountaintops, now the rule is “Pack it out.” One time, while camping overnight on Wittenberg, John Burroughs and a friend were quite happy to find an old tin can which they used to heat up their cold coffee. Early recycling?

Communication: In the earliest days, in order to organize an adventure, a letter or telegraph had to be sent. The late 1800’s though, saw the appearance of the telephone. As was true with the telegraph, it too showed up first in the town’s general stores, hotels and then other businesses, and eventually the lines snaked their ways up the valleys. What is surprising is that some of the mountaintops had a telephone before most of the valley folks. The summit of Slide Mt. had a telephone at its mini fire tower in 1912, and some of the prominent Catskill mountaintop hotels had them early on as well. Walkie-talkies later followed, but then the biggest breakthrough of all … the cell phone! My first one, purchased in 1990, weighed 5 lbs and was as big as a phone book! They are a tad smaller now.

Photography: The earliest photos I’ve seen of hikers in the Catskills were taken in the 1880’s, though there might be earlier ones floating around. These early photos were taken with huge cameras that used glass negatives, which took a lot of effort and care to transport and operate. Nevertheless, they hauled these instruments up the big mountains and deep into the valleys. The people from back then would likely fall down dead from shock if they saw our present phones which can shoot 4k video in stereo … let alone the phone calling feature.

A natural shelter and a glass negative camera on Wittenberg

I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into the past and a better understanding of the rougher times folks had while “roughing it.” From the stories I’ve seen and the smiles evident in the old pictures, they certainly had at least as much fun as folks do today on their adventures; possibly more.

Paul Misko is a Catskill historian with a focus on the Shandaken area, and John Burroughs. He gives presentations on history, and leads hikes with the Catskill 4000 Club. He can be contacted at climbapeak@gmail.com. His blog is at catskillforestadventures. blogspot.com.