Hunter Mountain Part 1

I got back to my regular Wednesday routine yesterday (finally). The dogs and I hiked Hunter Mountain. It's the premier ski area in the Catskills. The hike was a nice change....very steep and beautiful views along the way. There is an old fire tower at the top that I walked up and and got a great panoramic view of the Catskills. JC had no interest in walking up with me, so he had to stay on the bottom, which he was unhappy about, too. Halfway up the mountain there is a lean-to which is the first one I have seen. They are located all over the Catskills, but I really had no idea what they looked like. It's essentially a covered 3-walled wood shack with a wooden floor used for camping. It's a great idea! You don't have to carry in a tent, it's still "roughin it", it's not community camping as there is only one structure, and there's a huge fire pit where you can sit in your shack and enjoy the warmth. There was even an outhouse associated with this one. As far as I know, it's first come first served for camping. There's a pic in the Part 2 section. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to camp in one this spring!