View Full Version : The devil's path
My friend and I are planning to hike the path at some point in October. From what I gather, it seems to be a difficult trail with lots of ups and downs throughout the 25 miles it covers. I'm hoping to get it done in two days but we are giving ourselves a third day just in case we can't get it done in two. We like to push ourselves hard but not to the point of exhaustion so we usually set up camp at around 4 or 5 and we always enjoy a lengthy lunch break. We will have two cars parked at either end of the trail and plan on an early Sunday morning start. I have a few questions as far as logistics are concerned and I would appreciate it very much if any one had any advice to offer.
1- should we go from east to west or the opposite?
2- we're both tenters so where should we plan on camping?
3- suggestions for 1 or 2 night itineraries
4- water sources and availability
I've done some research and have a fairly good idea of what to expect but would love to get the inside scoop from someone that has personal experience. Any advice would be awesome and greatly appreciated!
handlebar
09-22-2012, 20:25
You can find trip reports for this on site of North East Ohio Backpacking Club.
Feral Bill
09-22-2012, 22:33
I believe there is a Devils Path in the Catskills. Which are you asking about?
I believe there is a Devils Path in the Catskills. Which are you asking about?
Yes, that is the trail I'm referring to. Here's a link from a NYT article that ran a while back: http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/travel/escapes/25Devil.html?pagewanted=all&_moc.semityn.levart
You can find trip reports for this on site of North East Ohio Backpacking Club.
We may be talking about different trails. I am planning to do the one in the catskills.
Another Kevin
09-23-2012, 10:03
Best map to have is NY/NJ Trail Conference map #141: "Northeastern Catskills."
Whether to go east-to-west or west-to-east is really your choice: do you want to go up or down the steepest scrambles, and do you want the hardest stuff at the beginning or the end of the hike? The east half of the trail (Indian Head, Twin, Sugarloaf, Plateau) is a lot harder than the west (Hunter, West Kill). And the toughest scrambles are on the east sides of the mountains. For my money the hardest spot is the corkscrew chimney on the east side of Indian Head - thank heaven that tree is there. On the west side the only really steep spot - by Catskill standards - is the climb from Devil's Tombstone up to the col between Hunter and Southwest Hunter. (By the way, if you have the energy, and you haven't been, walk up a mile and a half on the yellow-blazed trail from there to catch the view from the fire tower. It's a must-see.) If you go east-to-west, make sure you save enough energy to climb St. Anne Peak. A lot of the guides don't call it out because it's not one of the Catskill 35, but it's only 80 feet short of being included, and you have to get over it to get to the Mink Hollow Road trailhead.
Camping: It's legal anywhere below 3500 feet and 200 feet from trails and water sources. On the eastern Devil's Path, anything that meets those criteria is steep enough that you might have to bushwhack around quite a bit to find a decent spot to pitch. What a lot of hikers do is to arrive the night before, hike in the couple of level miles from Prediger Road to the Devil's Kitchen lean-to and crash there. The next day, try to make at least Indian Head, Twin and Sugarloaf and stay at the lean-to in the eastern of the two notches named Mink Hollow. If you're going for a two-day trip, that's not really far enough. Try to push on across Plateau and get a tent site at Devil's Tombstone. (I don't like that - I like having the time to enjoy Plateau, because the level walk on the ridge through the balsam forest is absolutely gorgeous - even if it is viewless until the lookouts up at Orchard Point.) The west half, you can be more flexible. The Devil's Acre lean-to is right in the col between Hunter and Southwest, and there's also a lean-to a half-mile south of the trail in Diamond Notch. The forest is also more open down in Diamond Notch, so you can whack a way off the trail and find a level enough site.
I know you said you're a tent camper, and here I keep going on about lean-tos. It really can be a challenge to find a spot that's below 3500, far enough off the trail, level enough to pitch, and not covered with dense brush nor made up of head-sized sharp rocks. Bring your tent by all means, but expect to use the lean-to sites because they really are the best places.
Water is no problem on the west part of the trail. There are a lot of reliable sources: the spring at Devil's Acre , the West Kill in Diamond Notch, a couple of little streams west of Geiger Point, and the two springs on West Kill (one about a mile west of Diamond Notch, and the other down the switchbacks west of the summit). I was up on the west side of Hunter a week ago, and all the springs were running. The east half of the trail is another story: the trail proper is bone dry. The best bets are the two springs in Mink Hollow: one on the slope of Plateau, and one a short level walk down the unblazed Mink Hollow mountain bike path (NOT the current Mink Hollow trail with the blue blazes, but the one that continues straight across the Devil's Path from the lean-to). Beyond that, there's water at the Devil's Acre shelter, and nothing in between. If you're in need, the side trails in Jimmy Dolan Notch and Pecoy Notch lead down to water, but you lose a lot of elevation getting to it. From Pecoy Notch, don't drink from the first pond you come to. It's full of beavers, and I don't think I trust my water filter to clean it up sufficiently. There's a stream a little bit farther on.
What with all this, the 1 night itinerary pretty much has to be: stay at Devil's Tombstone. The 2-night itinerary is generally to stay at Mink Hollow, and either Devil's Acre or Diamond Notch. A lot of westbounders hike in the two miles the night before and stay at Devil's Kitchen so that they can get an early start. I presume that you're planning to take two cars and shuttle? If so, you might want to consider spotting the second car at Devil's Tombstone and moving the first car to the far end when you get there. That gives you a bailout point midway without having to hitch.
Hunter Mountain has problem bears - the tourists feed them. :mad: The Devil's Acre and Diamond Notch lean-tos don't have bear boxes, either. So be prepared to hang. (The Cats don't have genius bears like the Adirondacks, so you don't need a canister - I've never heard of the Catskill bears bothering a good PCT hang.)
Also: what kind of Long Island hiker are you? If you've done all your hiking in Harriman, Bear Mountain, Fahnestock, places like that, the Cats are a lot tougher, and you might want to start smaller with something like Peekamoose and Table, or the ridge with BelleAyre, Balsam, Haynes, Eagle, Big Indian. If you're the sort of New York City hiker who does Breakneck Ridge before breakfast, or you've done serious hiking in New Hampshire, Maine or the Adirondacks, then ignore this warning.
There are some Catskills specific forums here (http://www.adkhighpeaks.com/forums/index.php?)where you'll surely get more answers.
Here are a few other bookmarks I have that may help you:
Catskills 3500 Club (http://www.catskill-3500-club.org/)
Catskills Mountaineer (http://catskillmountaineer.com/index.html)
Catskills Mountain Interactive Peak Locator (http://viewsandbrews.com/ny/catskill35.html)
Catskills Mountain Club (http://www.catskillmountainclub.org/)
Catskills Hiker (http://www.catskillhiker.com/) (lots of hikes recorded here)
Best map to have is NY/NJ Trail Conference map #141: "Northeastern Catskills."
Whether to go east-to-west or west-to-east is really your choice: do you want to go up or down the steepest scrambles, and do you want the hardest stuff at the beginning or the end of the hike? The east half of the trail (Indian Head, Twin, Sugarloaf, Plateau) is a lot harder than the west (Hunter, West Kill). And the toughest scrambles are on the east sides of the mountains. For my money the hardest spot is the corkscrew chimney on the east side of Indian Head - thank heaven that tree is there. On the west side the only really steep spot - by Catskill standards - is the climb from Devil's Tombstone up to the col between Hunter and Southwest Hunter. (By the way, if you have the energy, and you haven't been, walk up a mile and a half on the yellow-blazed trail from there to catch the view from the fire tower. It's a must-see.) If you go east-to-west, make sure you save enough energy to climb St. Anne Peak. A lot of the guides don't call it out because it's not one of the Catskill 35, but it's only 80 feet short of being included, and you have to get over it to get to the Mink Hollow Road trailhead.
Camping: It's legal anywhere below 3500 feet and 200 feet from trails and water sources. On the eastern Devil's Path, anything that meets those criteria is steep enough that you might have to bushwhack around quite a bit to find a decent spot to pitch. What a lot of hikers do is to arrive the night before, hike in the couple of level miles from Prediger Road to the Devil's Kitchen lean-to and crash there. The next day, try to make at least Indian Head, Twin and Sugarloaf and stay at the lean-to in the eastern of the two notches named Mink Hollow. If you're going for a two-day trip, that's not really far enough. Try to push on across Plateau and get a tent site at Devil's Tombstone. (I don't like that - I like having the time to enjoy Plateau, because the level walk on the ridge through the balsam forest is absolutely gorgeous - even if it is viewless until the lookouts up at Orchard Point.) The west half, you can be more flexible. The Devil's Acre lean-to is right in the col between Hunter and Southwest, and there's also a lean-to a half-mile south of the trail in Diamond Notch. The forest is also more open down in Diamond Notch, so you can whack a way off the trail and find a level enough site.
I know you said you're a tent camper, and here I keep going on about lean-tos. It really can be a challenge to find a spot that's below 3500, far enough off the trail, level enough to pitch, and not covered with dense brush nor made up of head-sized sharp rocks. Bring your tent by all means, but expect to use the lean-to sites because they really are the best places.
Water is no problem on the west part of the trail. There are a lot of reliable sources: the spring at Devil's Acre , the West Kill in Diamond Notch, a couple of little streams west of Geiger Point, and the two springs on West Kill (one about a mile west of Diamond Notch, and the other down the switchbacks west of the summit). I was up on the west side of Hunter a week ago, and all the springs were running. The east half of the trail is another story: the trail proper is bone dry. The best bets are the two springs in Mink Hollow: one on the slope of Plateau, and one a short level walk down the unblazed Mink Hollow mountain bike path (NOT the current Mink Hollow trail with the blue blazes, but the one that continues straight across the Devil's Path from the lean-to). Beyond that, there's water at the Devil's Acre shelter, and nothing in between. If you're in need, the side trails in Jimmy Dolan Notch and Pecoy Notch lead down to water, but you lose a lot of elevation getting to it. From Pecoy Notch, don't drink from the first pond you come to. It's full of beavers, and I don't think I trust my water filter to clean it up sufficiently. There's a stream a little bit farther on.
What with all this, the 1 night itinerary pretty much has to be: stay at Devil's Tombstone. The 2-night itinerary is generally to stay at Mink Hollow, and either Devil's Acre or Diamond Notch. A lot of westbounders hike in the two miles the night before and stay at Devil's Kitchen so that they can get an early start. I presume that you're planning to take two cars and shuttle? If so, you might want to consider spotting the second car at Devil's Tombstone and moving the first car to the far end when you get there. That gives you a bailout point midway without having to hitch.
Hunter Mountain has problem bears - the tourists feed them. :mad: The Devil's Acre and Diamond Notch lean-tos don't have bear boxes, either. So be prepared to hang. (The Cats don't have genius bears like the Adirondacks, so you don't need a canister - I've never heard of the Catskill bears bothering a good PCT hang.)
Also: what kind of Long Island hiker are you? If you've done all your hiking in Harriman, Bear Mountain, Fahnestock, places like that, the Cats are a lot tougher, and you might want to start smaller with something like Peekamoose and Table, or the ridge with BelleAyre, Balsam, Haynes, Eagle, Big Indian. If you're the sort of New York City hiker who does Breakneck Ridge before breakfast, or you've done serious hiking in New Hampshire, Maine or the Adirondacks, then ignore this warning.
First, I can't thank you enough for taking so much time to address all of my questions; I was asking a lot and you managed to deliver even more. This information will certainly play a valuable role in our hike.
With regard to my hiking experience, I can't say that I'm experienced in any way, shape or form. However, I have done a few section hikes in the whites, most recently a 25 mile loop around Franconia Notch as well as some of the tougher sections of the AT in PA. I do a lot of day hiking, try to ski at least 25 days a year, and have always been very active (running, biking etc..) so I think I should be alright. Should I be concerned about the more technical sections as far as climbing is concerned? I have good core strength and can handle pulling up my own weight but I'm not sure how difficult/ long those sections are. Also, is it possible or within the rules to tent around the lean-tos?
When I have more time, I'll surely come up with a few more questions after parsing through my maps and the things you've posted. The one thing we're set on is getting an early Sunday morning start, so the plan would have to include some good mileage that day. I like to think we can avoid the shuttle by parking at both ends and finishing what we set out to do (that's the plan at least :) ). If not, it'll only add to the adventure, and that's what makes this hiking thing so damn fun!
There are some Catskills specific forums here (http://www.adkhighpeaks.com/forums/index.php?)where you'll surely get more answers.
Here are a few other bookmarks I have that may help you:
Catskills 3500 Club (http://www.catskill-3500-club.org/)
Catskills Mountaineer (http://catskillmountaineer.com/index.html)
Catskills Mountain Interactive Peak Locator (http://viewsandbrews.com/ny/catskill35.html)
Catskills Mountain Club (http://www.catskillmountainclub.org/)
Catskills Hiker (http://www.catskillhiker.com/) (lots of hikes recorded here)
Thanks, Perrito!
I'll definitely check those out as I continue planning this trip and I'll let you know how everything turns out.
Another Kevin
09-23-2012, 22:22
However, I have done a few section hikes in the whites, most recently a 25 mile loop around Franconia Notch as well as some of the tougher sections of the AT in PA.I do a lot of day hiking, try to ski at least 25 days a year, and have always been very active (running, biking etc..) so I think I should be alright. Should I be concerned about the more technical sections as far as climbing is concerned? I have good core strength and can handle pulling up my own weight but I'm not sure how difficult/ long those sections are. Also, is it possible or within the rules to tent around the lean-tos?
It sounds as if you're in better shape than I am - and I've done it. It's tough hiking, not technical climbing. You'll be fine - the DP is what locals consider to be good training for sectioning in the Whites! The trail has some interesting scrambles, but nothing that needs a rope except in full-on winter conditions. I didn't mean to scare you. I was just remembering what it was like for me (another Long Island kid, originally) when I tried a section in the Whites after all my previous hiking had been in places like Harriman, and wanted to make sure that you'd been to actual mountains before. You'll see a lot of geological similarity between the Catskills and the Poconos - including the fact that the Catskill Crud resembles the Pennsylvania Rocks. It's a beautiful trail - you're going to enjoy it a lot!
I don't see anything in http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7872.html about camping near lean-tos. There's a general rule about being at least 150 feet from a trail, road, or water source (except at designated campsites), but I think I'd argue that a lean-to is a designated campsite! There is something to be said for tenting where it isn't a long hike to the privy. ;)
It sounds as if you're in better shape than I am - and I've done it. It's tough hiking, not technical climbing. You'll be fine - the DP is what locals consider to be good training for sectioning in the Whites! The trail has some interesting scrambles, but nothing that needs a rope except in full-on winter conditions. I didn't mean to scare you. I was just remembering what it was like for me (another Long Island kid, originally) when I tried a section in the Whites after all my previous hiking had been in places like Harriman, and wanted to make sure that you'd been to actual mountains before. You'll see a lot of geological similarity between the Catskills and the Poconos - including the fact that the Catskill Crud resembles the Pennsylvania Rocks. It's a beautiful trail - you're going to enjoy it a lot!
I don't see anything in http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7872.html about camping near lean-tos. There's a general rule about being at least 150 feet from a trail, road, or water source (except at designated campsites), but I think I'd argue that a lean-to is a designated campsite! There is something to be said for tenting where it isn't a long hike to the privy. ;)
I'm really looking forward to the challenge of the hike, and the planning that comes with it is just as fun. Now we have a third person coming along with us, so finding a suitable site to set up three tents may be a challenge. I guess we'll just have to see what happens. I'd so love it if someone could PM me with some top secret (wink-wink) sites to camp somewhere between 7 -10 miles in going from east to west. If not, we'll just have to do it the old fashioned way.
Thanks again for your help and don't worry about scaring me a little bit...it adds a little flavor to the whole thing. :banana
Another Kevin
09-27-2012, 23:42
Some of my other contacts have corrected me. The Catskill rangers interpret the rule of "no camping within 150' of a trail, road or water, except at designated sites" as forbidding camping within 150' of a lean-to. The only "designated site" at a lean-to is the lean-to's interior.
Let me know if you find anything resembling a lawful tent site up there! They're very hard to come by. The last time I tented off-trail in the Hunter Mountain area, it was on a ledge that I wouldn't recommend to anyone as a campsite. (It was also getting dark, and it was the flattest spot I'd seen in the last 45 minutes of bushwhacking. I didn't fancy continuing the search by headlamp.)
.... The Catskill rangers interpret the rule of "no camping within 150' of a trail, road or water, except at designated sites" as forbidding camping within 150' of a lean-to. The only "designated site" at a lean-to is the lean-to's interior....
I would double-check that information. Sounds absurd that you can't pitch a tent or hang a hammock next to a lean-to.
I would double-check that information. Sounds absurd that you can't pitch a tent or hang a hammock next to a lean-to.
Can confirm that you are not supposed to set up tents in the vicinity of the lean-tos in the catskills
cmoulder
06-27-2016, 16:18
If it isn't raining, cowboy camp at Devil's Acre leanto. I had to do that once.
Going east to west, from Prediger parking to Devil's Acre is a pretty long day with a fairly tough 1500' climb at the end. Good news is, the next day will seem quite easy by comparison. :sun
AK: The last time I tented off-trail in the Hunter Mountain area, it was on a ledge that I wouldn't recommend to anyone as a campsite.
Hmm... sounds like Buck Ridge, perhaps. I wouldn't recommend it either. :-?
End to Endish meander Trip report Mid August: Wow, what an amazingly challenging trail... The first day, heading westbound from the Eastern Terminus to mink hollow shelter, was way harder than I expected. I'd like to believe much of that was heat and humidity, but still... I drank three quarters of a liter of water at my car and brought another liter and a half, and was way short of water by the time I got to the spring sign near the shelter. Pretty endless demanding rock scrambles -- way more than the occasional "photo op" boulder problem. I was definitely walking way under two miles an hour, pretty much as I was warned. Probably damn close to heat stroke. With a thunder storm on me, I headed for the spring when I got to the sign showing shelter to the left and spring to the right. It wasn't clear to me if there was a secondary stream supply at the shelter, so I went to the spring. That ended up being a good call -- it does seem that the water supply for the shelter is the spring, which is around a half mile away. So, I got water , got my tarp up just off trail nearby, and the skies opened. I was so fried I skipped dinner and went to sleep. Next morning I knew I needed plan B... No way was I going to walk out and back on the Devil's Path as I originally planned! So I walked on to the west and out at Rte 214 by Devil's Tombstone campground and hitched back to my car (not super easy...) and then drove to the western terminus where I left my car, then hitched east on Spruceton road to the Spruceton trail head and walked the gravel road that leads up to the John Rabb shelter at the top of hunter... Where I spent the night. The side trail to the Rabb shelter could be the most beautiful shelter approach trail I have ever been on, and the view is wonderful. Then I passed the fire tower in the clouds early the next morning, hit the Devils path again just east of Devil's Acre shelter and walked the two miles east to the campground trailhead... Hung out for a bit, then turned around and headed west. The trail was easy enough on the western end so I just keep walking till I ended up at my car, and on to home for me. I guess a pretty long mileage tally for that day. So, three days two nights with a lot of hitch hiking, that added hunter mountain loop and a double back by the Devil's Tombstone campground. All in all, pretty much a standard stupid hiker trip for me. I definitely had a great time. Only met one other group hiking the trail end to end. There are spectacular views fairly often. The trail is beautiful, and is a stark contrast to the Northville Placid Trail for terrain and views. And pretty much not an annoying bug in sight -- I didn't sleep under a net.
Another Kevin
09-03-2016, 23:09
End to Endish meander Trip report Mid August: Wow, what an amazingly challenging trail...
....
There are spectacular views fairly often. The trail is beautiful, and is a stark contrast to the Northville Placid Trail for terrain and views. And pretty much not an annoying bug in sight -- I didn't sleep under a net.
'Amazingly challenging' is right. It has its name for a reason.
Even trying to compare Devil's Path and the Northville-Placid trail is like comparing peas and apples.
DP and NPT are both great trails, and they're challenging in their own ways. DP's challenge is the unrelenting punishing rock scrambles. Many require upper body strength, and many may place shorter hikers at a disadvantage. I'd stack up DP against any 25-mile segment of AT and say: it's harder. (Yes, that would include New Hampshire!)
NPT's challenge is the water. There is hardly an NPT thru-hiker that has not fallen off a bog bridge, sunk nearly up to the knees in quicksand, or found himself wading thigh-deep beaver water. And the solitude - I had one three-night segment (40 miles between road crossings, starting on a near-o) where I didn't see another human being the whole trip. If you're not comfortable with your own company, NPT is harder than even the Hundred-Mile Wilderness.
DP's views are spectacular views from high mountains.
https://c5.staticflickr.com/6/5113/14278837284_4c3ee39dfd_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/nKLLRJ)
View southwest from Orchard Point (https://flic.kr/p/nKLLRJ) by Kevin Kenny (https://www.flickr.com/photos/ke9tv/), on Flickr
https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3683/9764729016_5b51219db8_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/fSSMJQ)
Jimmy Dolan Notch overlook (https://flic.kr/p/fSSMJQ) by Kevin Kenny (https://www.flickr.com/photos/ke9tv/), on Flickr
NPT's views are views OF high mountains, from lakes and ponds and marshes. Not as breathtaking, but charming in their own way.
https://c4.staticflickr.com/1/334/19405758219_698113f502_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/vyPzQg)
South Lake view (https://flic.kr/p/vyPzQg) by Kevin Kenny (https://www.flickr.com/photos/ke9tv/), on Flickr
https://c8.staticflickr.com/4/3929/15353613519_c18234f65a_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/poKhot)
Rodney Point (https://flic.kr/p/poKhot) by Kevin Kenny (https://www.flickr.com/photos/ke9tv/), on Flickr
NPT is wonderful for the lazy hiker. It beckons the hiker to swim in crystal waters:
https://c8.staticflickr.com/1/746/20801170855_e21e547d27_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/xG8roP)
Tirrell Pond (https://flic.kr/p/xG8roP) by Kevin Kenny (https://www.flickr.com/photos/ke9tv/), on Flickr
or cast a fly into streams that teem with skittish little brook trout:
https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3940/15540324875_97f07a4a9d_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/pFfeaM)
Roaring Brook (https://flic.kr/p/pFfeaM) by Kevin Kenny (https://www.flickr.com/photos/ke9tv/), on Flickr
Devil's Path tolerates no such nonsense. It's all about finding your way through the next lemon squeeze, or up the next scramble:
https://c6.staticflickr.com/4/3706/9764675293_8758ba8ddf_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/fSSvLz)https://c6.staticflickr.com/4/3670/14092646157_d0e9732486_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ntjuHT)
Rock chimney (https://flic.kr/p/fSSvLz) by Kevin Kenny (https://www.flickr.com/photos/ke9tv/), on Flickr
Boulder scramble (https://flic.kr/p/ntjuHT) by Kevin Kenny (https://www.flickr.com/photos/ke9tv/), on Flickr
They're both trails. They're both in New York. I thoroughly enjoyed hiking both of them. There the similarity ends.
Scotsman
10-16-2016, 07:05
Here are a few notes from my Columbus Day weekend Devil's Path hike: Arrived Thurs. 10/6 around 9 PM, stayed at the Snowed Inn B&B on 23A. Only cost $40 because it was off-season (meaning not ski season). Very comfortable. Ate a big breakfast at Selena's diner (opened at 7 AM) nearby on 23A and then parked at the Prediger Road trail head and started my Devil's Path westbound hike at 8 AM. Smiley's taxi wanted $70 to drive me from the western end of the Devil's Path on Spruceton Road back to the eastern end so I skipped that and decided that I would hike/hitchhike back to my car after I finished the Devil's Path. Weather was awesome on Friday, 10/7. The first water source when starting from Prediger road is near the intersection of the Devil's Path and the Mink Hollow trail, which is about 8 miles from the start at Prediger road. I drank about 2 liters during this 8 miles but carried 4 liters, so I could have carried less water. After this first water source locating additional water sources was not a problem. On Friday night 10/7 I camped at the Devil's Acre lean-to all by myself. Started hiking Sat. 10/8 at 6:45 AM. Sat. was cloudy but still nice. Finished the Devil's Path at 12:20 PM. I was thinking that I could have completed it with one brutally long day if I had started earlier the day before, but if I had taken this approach then I would have wanted to have my car at the western terminus trail head.
Now I had to get back to my car, which was parked at the Prediger Road trail head. Next I hiked to the end of Spruceton road and then hiked on the Spruceton trail to the John Robb lean-to, where I decided to stay for the night. There was an awesome view of the fall foliage near this lean-to. I was the only person in the shelter but there were many people in tents. It rained some overnight but stopped before morning. I started hiking on Sun. 10/9 at 6:30 AM and went the rest of the way on the Spruceton trail to the Hunter mountain fire tower and then hiked the Becker Hollow trail out to route 214, which leads to 23A, which leads to 16, which leads to Prediger road where my car was parked. The road hike would have been about 7.5 miles, but at about 2 miles into it some hikers (who happened to be going to the Prediger road trail head) gave me a ride, saving me about 5+ miles of road hiking (yeah!). Ate breakfast at Selena's diner again and then started the 5 hour drive home before 11 AM. Overall, this was an excellent trip. I highly recommend the Devil's Path end-to-end hike. Challenging but many nice views and not too long.