It is a feast for the senses. Boulder strewn hillsides and ridges covered in an airy, green, lush understory. There are bright splashes of white mountain laurel. Brilliant gold spotlights and ever moving shadows dance across it all as the summer sun breaks through the oak canopy high overhead. The steep rock outcroppings provide a wonderful view of deep green mountains all around us. The whole place has this deep earthy smell of forest floor with the occasional surprise when I pass through blooming laurel thickets. Sections are quiet with only the sound of our footsteps and birds in the treetops. Sometimes there is the sound of a babbling creek. We can not escape for long from the sound of traffic below, the sight of houses marring distant hillsides, or people on the trail. If only we could bottle those moments. We are exploring the Catskills and the preserve lands around them.