We left Friday afternoon to spend the weekend in the Catskills. This was my first time staying at the Spruceton Inn in the hamlet of West Kill. The Inn is near Hunter Mountain off Spruceton Road and there’s not much nearby except for the West Kill Brewery which was just perfect. May 30th was our official wedding anniversary of 12 years, and it was lovely being in the Catskills on our special day.

After checking into the room, we walked the grounds and sat by the West Kill Creek. It was only the two of us so we sat for a while just listening to the flow of the water and the wind. It was cloudy and overcast and a little bit chilly. We hadn’t eaten anything yet so we walked up Spruceton Road to the West Kill Brewery where we had IPAs on tap and bite to eat. We walked back to the Inn and sat by the creek where we saw two beavers swim down stream on the West Kill. I also saw my first Belted Kingfisher. Later, as the sun was beginning to set, we explored the big barn. There’s a library full of books you can borrow for as long as you wish, so I chose one and started to read. The barn had three relaxing rope swings to sit in, so I sat on one of the swings and read until the light began to fade and the sun started to set. Barn swallows flew in and out of the barn, and I watched the beautiful hues of light change from golden orange to a deep shade of blue fading over the mountain. Night arrived. The red-winged black birds got quiet, but the sound of spring peppers in the nearby pond continued throughout the evening. I was feeling sleepy and relaxed, but as a bright full moon rose up over the mountain, I felt a surge of energy. We built a fire right next to the creek and sat quietly enjoying the sound of the water, the crackle and warmth of the fire and the bright glow of the full moon. That evening we slept with the curtains open in our room and let the moonlight spill out across the bed; a silhouette of pine trees outlining the top of the mountain. The next morning we woke at sunrise. It was cloudy, cold and windy. It started to rain just before 6 am. We got in the car and headed up Spruceton Road to the trailhead for Hunter Mountain. It was 42 degrees at the base of the mountain, and as we climbed closer to the junction for the John Robb Lean-to, it started to rain harder. The wind was getting stronger and the temperature was dropping. We decided to turn around and head back to the Inn instead of pushing on towards the summit. Once back at the Inn, we cleaned up then drove into Tannersville for breakfast at Maggie’s Crooked Cafe. She remembered us from the last time we were there in April. We had hot coffee, ate homemade breakfast and then stopped at Camp Catskill to check out the outdoor gear. Before heading back to the Inn, we made one last stop at Fred’s donuts. Back at the Inn, we took a good nap. The sun was starting to come out by afternoon and you could barely tell just how cold, wet and windy it had been earlier. Mountains make their own weather, so I was not surprised. It turned out to be a gorgeous day. We walked to West Kill Brewery, had a few IPAs and some food before heading back to the Spruceton Inn to enjoy the rest of the evening. The next morning we were up early again. We we built a fire and sat in the sunshine watching and listening to all the birds. It was a lovely way to wrap up the weekend before heading back to the city.

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