camping in the catskills

this weekend michael and i drove up to the catskills for a weekend getaway. we have originally hoped to go on a camping trip for our anniversary but with school starting and the move back to new york, it just kept getting pushed back. we decided that we might as well just wait until we could see some fall foliage while we were there!

we stayed at the mongaup pond campground. we got super lucky and snagged a lakefront spot! it was so peaceful.

my handsome camping companion 

the first night i could hardly sleep from excitement. it rained both nights we were there and the morning fog rolled in shortly after sunrise.

on saturday, we went on a 7.4 mile hike. the funny thing is, the weather kept going from cool and foggy to warm and sunny. we forgot our daypack so michael carried his full-size backpack all day. what a sweetheart!

half of the trail was through the 'ice caves'. the temperature difference was drastic and immediate. it felt amazing. i was a little worried about bears, though, so i didn't want to hang out in there too long.

so many beautiful leaves! fall is the best!

i learned a valuable lesson on this trip: don't go hiking with a glass water bottle. who would have thought?!

the second half of the trip was to the top of verkeerderkill falls. we had a little picnic on the edge of the 180 ft falls. it was lovely.

the weekend was just the refresher we needed before midterms/medical school interviews are in full swing. the park is closing for the winter this weekend but we will definitely be planning a spring trip!