April 1974: Bud lured a bunch of us on a planned 5-day backpacking trip up and across the mountains (Table, Peekamoose, etc.) "behind" or to the south of Slide--in other words, up the "back way" (via the East Branch Neversink Road at Tison's) to Slide, which we usually approach from the county road as it winds across the north edge of the Catskills' tallest peak. On the first day--April 19th, I think--temps were in the 60s. We took sweaters and jackets but that was all in the way of warm things. This photo was taken that first night out. But then we got hit by 17" of ice and snow. Some of us went a little bonkers and dragged the tents through the ice shards, ripping the tarps. We were hard pressed just to make a fire. Several of us walked back toward what is now Frost Valley's farm - to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ertz (who lived in what is now our farmhouse). We called Chuck White (of course) and Chuck, wearing his usually bemused smile (it said something like: you people don't have a clue), came and got us in a truck, and back we went to camp. Was this the only time in his long career outdoors that Bud Cox was forced to abandon a planned trip? He and I still talk about this journey, smiling and rolling our eyes.Don't you love Bud's Bob Dylan sunglasses? I always did. And I can hear him singing, as we hiked, "Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now...." Wish it were true.
