Today is Thursday, October 30th. The show is up for four more days and I want to share this one post from the end of Book 3.

In 2019, the FLTC decided to add four miles to the eastern end, moving the terminus to Slide Mountain, the highest peak in Catskill State Park. Practically speaking, this adds eight miles to the end-to-end trek because once you have reached the peak, you must turn around and hike back down the mountain. The climb is almost 2000 feet, some of it quite steep. I made plans with Donna Coon and her friend Julie to complete this section in June 2022. Rather than start at the parking area on Denning Road, I found a trailhead for the Phoenicia East Branch Trail that would start us directly west of Slide Mountain. It was a steep climb to connect to the main FLT, but it shaved about 2 miles off the day’s hike.

Unfortunately, Donna was not feeling well enough to make the climb that day. But she generously drove Julie and me up to the trail head and then met us on Denning Road later when we finished. Several friends had warned me that this climb would be challenging. In preparation, I hiked up the steep Buttermilk Gorge in Ithaca a few times. Julie and I were both nervous. We took our time climbing the steep, rocky Jeep Trail. Once that connected with the main FLT, it was a gentle walk through the woods. The weather that day was perfect – clear skies and not too hot. The views at the top were breathtaking!

I would go on to complete my E2E later that year. It would then take me another 2-1/2 years to finish the series of photo-sculptures. Now, it is August, 2025, and this journey through my art, my photos, and my words has come to an end. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I did. If you are not familiar with this wonderful trail, perhaps it will inspire you to explore some or all of it. Or, if you know parts of the FLT, or you are an end-to-ender like me, hopefully I have triggered in you some memories from your own hiking experiences. And if you are unable to hike for any reason, I hope my books have allowed you to enjoy the experience through my eyes.

Stay tuned for my next set of blog posts featuring my adventures in Scotland….