TOP SECRET OVERNIGHT FROM KINGSTON TO DELCO
(route maps below)

Grill-out and sleepover at Mike's Wednesday night May 21, tents in the yard or sleeping pads on the floor. Thursday morning rail trail and roads toward the Rondout Reservoir. There is surely a more ambitious and scenic path to take through Minnewaska, but that could easily add a couple thousand climbing feet to an already pretty big day, and there are also a bunch of trail closures this year. I won’t tell anyone not to divert through the Gunks, but I’ll be cruising the O&W to put down some morning miles.

The Grahamsville Deli is the last stop for any supplies 20 miles before the end of the day, with larger Peter's Market in Napanoch about 13 miles before it. After Grahamsville, we'll spend most of the remaining day climbing into Willowemoc Wild Forest. The destination is tent camping around secluded hilltop Hodge Pond at the site of an abandoned scout summer camp, but there are some alternate campsite options along the way as well, including the Long Pond Lean-to shelter.

I posted two options for Friday’s ride to Walton. I’ll be taking the shorter more direct route in order to get to the house earlier in the day for other arriving guests. I encourage everyone to take the 50-mile option instead though, to see a few of the best unpaved descents in the area with opportunities to stop by both the Tremperskill Country Store and the Hamden Inn bar before finding Old Lockwood Hollow.

Returning to Kingston is where it gets a little complicated. You could leave Sunday (or whenever) and overnight back. You could arrange a shuttle if there are seats available in cars heading back toward the Hudson Valley. There should be at least one vehicle headed back to Mike’s that could carry everyone’s bike bags, so that we can ride unloaded on an 80-mile mostly paved route back to Kingston on Memorial Day Monday, with 4500ft of climb and about 6000ft descending. That one is my plan.