05/22/2026
Digesting The Devil After 24.5 Brutal Miles and Turning 60 Years Old
May 14th came and went and so did another trip around the sun, but this trip was a little different. I’m not going to lie to you, turning 60 was a real slap in the face, one it had me asking myself, how much time do I have left? And can I still push hard the way I have in the past.
Two years ago at age 58, i attempted to conquer one of the toughest hikes in the Northeast ,the brutal Devils Path, one that travels 24.5 miles, over 6 high peaks, and 8400 feet of elevation gain, on some of the most ridiculous terrain in the Catskill mountains. My friends Eric, Indy, and Ben, and myself completed this hike in one day, and surely it gave us a first class beating that we would eventually overcome by slaying the Devil.
Enter 2026, two years later, when I planned this do over event, in January as a group hike for our Christian hiking group “Going Again To the Top” and a date of May 16th. I must admit I started my training for this hike, late in the game, and I stopped three weeks early due to a pulled glute, that would continue to nag me.
Fast forward to Saturday, May 16th , the day that 11 of us would attempt to slay the Devil. We would begin our journey in the dark at 4:15 am, a trek I would attempt on 3 hours of sleep, with a pulled glute, and 60 trips around the sun. We began at Prediger road on the Eastern half of the path.
Headlamps were a blaze, and four mountains in the Eastern half were awaiting us. The terrain was loaded with incredible rock, and the elevation gain was eye opening , especially for six of the people who never set foot on this angry path.
Ben , Lindsay, Stephen, and Tommy took off quickly , they were definitely in phenomenal hiking shape, and on a mission. Indy, Eric, and myself, went easy as we helped some of the newcomers, Jackie, Dee, Alex, and my girlfriend Moni,
As we made our way across the four mountains, Indian head, Twin, Sugarloaf, and the dreaded Plateau mountain, we came to the halfway point of the hike ,the Devils tombstone campground at around 1:30 pm. Ben , Lindsay, and Tommy were all gone, and nowhere in sight. It was there that 6 in our group , Eric, Stephen, Alex, Dee, Jackie, and Moni, would call it a day after the ridiculous Eastern half. Three were already out in front , and so that left Indy and myself. We decided that we were going to slay the Devil and so after giving my beautiful Moni a kiss, Indy and I moved on towards the wicked ascent of Hunter mountain. We continued on, and as our feet took a beating on the descent of Hunter, we rushed to mountain number six, West Kill mountain.
Finally, West Kill! 7.5 miles left as we marched on and summited this mountain relatively easily, but as we trekked on, it felt like the hike would never end, especially when we came to St. Anne’s, a smaller mountain that nobody really talks about, because it’s not a high peak, but, it’s mountain number 7. As we descended off of Saint Anne’s we finally came to a sign that read, Spruceton road, 1.5 miles to the finish, and let me tell you something, that 1.5 miles felt like it was never going to end. As we finally came to the Spruceton parking area, Tommy was there waiting for us for about two hours. Ben and Lindsay had planned to do 18 miles and bail at West Kill after Ben had just driven from Virginia and finishing work from the week.
In the end I needed to finish that hike, and I thank Moni for supporting me to continue on. 60 is a tough number, but now I a new is fire lit yo do more challenging hikes, and I’m thankful to God, that he allows me to continue to climb his mountains. As I said in the past, for me physical, and mental strength go hand in hand, but spiritual strength rules everything! God is great , and I’m blessed in so many ways. I’m blessed to have a girlfriend who loves God, and who loves the mountains as much as I do.
Keep pushing because 60 is only another number. We hope to see you on a peak soon!
