A dissected plateau. That’s the official term for the Catskills in the unpoetic language of the geologists who coined the phrase. It makes sense when you stand on their summits and note the similar heights of the various peaks.
Still, the designation was clearly given by a scholar at a desk. On the other hand, our hike, The Devil’s Path Traverse, was clearly named by those with boots on the ground.
I had the rough pleasure of hiking the traverse, which is also known as The Hardest Day Hiking Trail in America. At 25 miles and 17,000 vertical feet, it’s a sprawling journey of soaring views of the Hudson Valley and Catskills Park, replete with opportunities to scramble the climbs and cruise long downhills.
A few years ago Jay Peak’s advertising campaigns poked fun at casual skiers: “Black Diamonds, they sound expensive.” 
