Rusk Mountain, standing tall at 3,678 feet, is one of the trailless Catskill 3500 peaks, while East Rusk is its slightly shorter (3,312 foot) neighbor. Together they make for a pleasant bushwhack loop that utilizes portions of the Spruceton Trail that ascends the nearby Hunter Mountain.

The bushwhack up Rusk begins at the Spruceton Trail’s trailhead on Spruceton Road. You’ll follow the Spruceton Trail for a little over a half a mile, where you then turn left off the trail and begin the bushwhack. While Rusk is considered a trailless peak, there is a well defined herd path (social trail) from the Spruceton Trail to the summit that takes little to no bushwhacking skills to navigate.

From the summit of Rusk Mountain, Jeff bushwhacked to the summit of East Rusk. The route between Rusk and East Rusk was very well established with a social trail, but there were occasional spots where some bushwhacking navigation proved handy.

From the summit of East Rusk, Jeff bushwhacked down to the notch between East Rusk and Hunter Mountain. This section lacked a well defined herd path, but the navigation is generally quite easy, as you are following the ridge down to the notch. Some basic map skills come in handy to make sure you don’t miss the notch on your descent.

At the notch, Jeff rejoined the Spruceton Trail, and then followed it back down to the Spruceton Trail Trailhead where he started.

Where was Moe? He was down in Damascus, Virginia celebrating with thousands of other Appalachian Trail hikers at the annual Appalachian Trail Days celebration.

All told, this was a 5.7 mile hike with a total elevation gain of about 1,736 feet.

You can find this hike on:

• The NYNJ Trail Conference's Catskill Trails Map Set

• National Geographic's Trails Illustrated Map for the Catskill Park

For additional information and resources for the Catskill Park, check out the Catskills Visitor Center.

We offer Hiking, Backpacking and Camping Services in the Catskills through our guiding company, Hike On Guides, and can guide you on this hike!

By sharing our experiences through outdoor activities and our knowledge of natural and cultural history, we seek to share our sense of place with our visitors, with the hope that they bring home an appreciation for stewardship of our natural areas that can take hold in their own communities.

Gear used and/or carried on this hike:

• Goodr Sunglasses

• Osprey Talon 22 Pack

• Altra Lone Peak Shoe

• Patagonia Nine Trails Shorts

• Black Diamond Trail Back Trekking Poles

• Injinji Trail Midweight Mini-Crew

• Energizer LED Headlamp

• NEMO Chipper Reclaimed Closed-Cell Foam Seat Pad

• Garmin Instinct Watch

Hydration and nutrition for this hike:

• The Complete Cookie

• Gatorade Endurance Carb Energy Chews

• GU Energy Roctane Ultra Endurance Energy Drink

• Jelly Belly Sport Beans - Energizing Jelly Beans

• GU Energy Roctane Ultra Endurance Energy Drink Mix

• NUUN Sport + Hydration Tablets

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