July 2011

Magnificent obsession

Intrepid hikers’ quest to scale Catskills’ 35 tallest peaks … dressed to kill in ball gowns


Steve Hopkins • July 16th, 2011
The Gowns for Greenbacks crew atop Wittenberg Mountain, the third peak in their 35-peak quest. From left to right: Melissa Bean, Tom Rolland, Heather Rolland, Bill Lewis, Judy Mann, Suzanne Provenzano and Edward Moran.

The Catskill Mountains, those shadowy blue-green humps that undulate mysteriously across New York State’s pie-shaped lower extremity, have always had a transformational effect on human psychology and behavior. Stories abound of people wandering into the mountains and emerging years later, changed beyond recognition, their outlooks softened and feminized, their facial features calmed and beatific, like [...]