Veteran hiker Alan Via began climbing the smaller peaks of the Catskills alone with his dog Bookah nearly five years ago.
Soon, hiking the group of often overlooked mountains became a personal quest for him to finish and the seeds for his first book, “The Catskill 67: A Hiker’s Guide to the Catskill 100 Highest Peaks under 3500” were planted.
“My wife would laugh because this is how it started with all the hiking lists I’ve ever done,” the Slingerlands resident said. “Eventually the list takes over and I’m out every weekend chasing it. There are just so many peaks out there unnamed or unknown to the public.”
Via has been hiking mountains for more than 40 years. He was an avid fisherman and hunter in his youth and a coworker asked him to join the Adirondack Mountain Club when he was in his twenties.
Since then, he was the club’s outing chair for 14 years averaging 200 trips a year, the head of the Bethlehem Area YMCA Hiking Group and a moderator for the online hiking forum “Views from the Top.” He is a member of the Catskill 3500 Club, an Adirondack 46er and a New England 111er.
The book was edited by Times Union journalist and hiker Fred LeBrun.
“It was a terrific amount of fun to go over these peaks,” said Via, who started taking notes and pictures along the way. He did all of the peaks by himself first, with only Bookah the dog for company. The chocolate lab is the first dog to hike the 100 highest peaks in the Adirondacks and the Catskills, with Via training her for the climbs since she was a pup.
“It’s been a fun experience to see her grow up and become experienced hiker,” he said, of the now 7-year-old Bookah, or “Boo” for short.
But over time Via began bringing friends with him. Each time he would take new notes, dozens of photos and use his GPS system to download the track he walked onto his computer when he got home.
He hiked the peaks over and over again until he had everything he needed to create the book.
Liz Cruz, a hobbyist cartographer from the Catskills who now lives in Florida, was recruited to create the book’s colorful maps. She designed nine custom maps for nine regions in the book, and spent hundreds of hours creating them.
Two illustrators and five photographers contributed to the book, as well.
“With the guide, I tried to put together a guidebook with all of the elements I think are missing from most guidebooks for the general public,” said Via. “I tried to incorporate in this book everything I think is missing in typical hikers guides.”
The book lists difficulty ratings, the best places to take photos and possible biking, canoeing, camping and fishing opportunities nearby.
According to Via, the guide is useful for hikers of all skill sets, from beginners to advanced.
“I think a lot of people will buy it just because the photos, maps and artwork are so beautiful,” said Via, explaining the guide isn’t your average coffee table book, but isn’t a typical hiking guide, either.
“I wanted to get people to attempt it themselves,” he said. “What will attract people? Of the 67 peaks, probably 50 some odd of them are peaks that are little known to the public or haven’t really written about. It’s a chance to go somewhere that everyone and their brother haven’t been to before.”
According to Via, once people see the guide he believes people will want to see the sights for themselves, especially photographers. He explained woodland creatures are easily spotted in the lower forests and the upper peaks are filled with flowers during the spring. The guide also warns hikers where they are mostly likely to see bears and other dangerous wildlife.
Via is currently in the drafting process of writing two additional hiking books.
“The Catskill 67” is 192 pages and includes over 60 photographs and a dozen maps and nature illustrations. It is available in softcover for $21.95 and can be found in both Adirondack Mountain Club stores in Lake George and Lake Placid, at the The Book House in Stuyvesant Plaza, on Amazon or by visiting www.adk.org. It will also soon be in larger retain bookstores like Barnes and Noble.
“I hope the guide will encourage people to get out there and try it for themselves. Anyone can do it,” said Via.