Small, remote mountain peaks may go unnamed forever, or get stuck with monikers like “Number 8 Hill.” In his new book, “The Lostkills: Bushwhacking and Hiking the Lesser-Known Catskill Peaks,” Slingerlands resident Alan Via gives names to a variety of smaller peaks that are far from the well-trodden paths appearing in most guidebooks.
Via has spent much of his life exploring woods and mountains, including climbing all 46 High Peaks in the Adirondacks, the 35 highest peaks in the Catskills, and the Northeast 111, the highest peaks throughout the Northeast.
Many of those peaks can be reached by trail. But Via is known for his affinity for off-trail hiking, also known as bushwhacking, using a map and compass, GPS and good woods-sense to navigate to seldom-visited summits and viewing spots. That can mean climbing through thickets of prickers and working around cliffs and other obstacles. He used that experience to write his first book in 2012, “The Catskill 67: The Hiker’s Guide to the Catskill 100 Highest Peaks Under 3500.” He followed that with “Doghiker: Great Hikes with Dogs from the Adirondacks through the Catskills” in 2020…