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HOUR RADIUS ICE CLIMB THE CATSKILLS The Devil's Kitchen may not sound like a place you'd want to tempt fate using the talons of crampons and the tips of ice axes, but it is, in fact, one of the best places to ice climb close to New York City. The series of waterfalls that grace these mountains in the summer, make the region the perfect training ground for ice climbing. Because there are a variety of easily accessible routes, many of which are shorter, the Catskills is a great place to learn the sport. And because many of the climbs are steep and challenging, the Catskills also attract seasoned ice climbers. Depending on the weather, climbing season can run from late November to early April. Contact the following guiding services for more informa- tion about classes, which usually run from $90 to $190, depending on how many people are in your group: Alpine Endeavors (845-658-3094 or www.alpineendeavors.com); Mountain Skills (845-687-9643 or www.climbingschoolusa.com); High Angle (800.777-2546 or www.highangle.com); or the Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) climbing school in New Paltz (845- 255-3280 or emsclimb.com). For up-to-date ice condition reports, visit North East Ice at www.neice.com. For gear rentals (boots, cram- pons and ice axes), call Rock and Snow in New Paltz (845-255-1311). CAMP CAPE COD NATIONAL SEASHORE Visit during the winter and you'll have 43,000 acres-including a 40-mile long stretch of pristine beach-to yourself. You'll be charmed by lighthouses, Cape Cod-style homes, wintering birds, salt-water marshes, brilliant stars and a variety of hikes. Temperatures aren't debilitatingly cold off-season (30 to 40 degrees) but the combination of wind and damp air can be brutal. Salt Pond Visitor Center is open all year round (508-255-3421), and organizes interpretive walks. For historic reference, check out Henry David Thoreau's Cape Cod and Adam Gamble's In the Footsteps ofThoreau, which traces his Nasuet to Provincetown expedition. For more information of Cape Cod National Seashore: www.nps.gov/caco/ or 508.349.3785. There is no camping on the beach, but there are year-round sites at 1,900-acre Roland C Nickerson State Park, in Brewster. Campsites are sur- rounded by pond-peppered forests, where you can hike and cross-country ski. There is also an eight-mile bike path connect- ing the campground to the 25-mile Cape Cod Rail Trail. For more info on Nickerson (no reservations during winter): 508-896- 3491 or 877-I-CAMP-MA 422-6762, or visit www.state.ma.us/dem/parks/nick.htm. For private campgrounds: Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce at 888.33.CAPE.COD. HIKE THE PRESIDENTIAL TRAVERSE IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS The longest section of the Appalachian Trail above treeline is part of a stunning 22-mile traverse between eight peaks in the northern White Mountains of New Hampshire. This rocky ridgeline rises about the Great Gulf Wilderness, hitting the summits of such notorious Northeast mountains as Washington, Jefferson and Adams. If you're up for the challenge, you can hike the entire traverse in one day (no technical climbing required). Most guided trips are three to four days. Washington, being the highest peak on the traverse, is 6,288 feet. The trip is best in winter when there are fewer crowds, more access to camping (campers are restricted to minimal sites in the summer, but can overnight anywhere in the winter), and less impact on the fragile alpine environment. The EMS Climbing School in North Conway (800-310-4504 or www.emsclimb.com) requires above treeline/winter camping experience and no problem carrying a heavy pack. An EMS guide will take you on the traverse for $485-870. For a list of other guiding services and reports, call the Appalachian Mountain Club in NH (603-466-2721) or the US Forest Service (603- 466-2713). ICE FISH IN THE ADIRONDACKS If only for the experience, and as a test of endurance, you should consider shacking up in an ice fishing shanty in the Adirondacks. If you want to rough it and go without a shelter and a guide, all you'll need are lots of warm clothes, an ice chis- el to cut a hole, a strainer to keep it clear, a hand line, small hooks, sinkers and some bait. Perch, Trout, Walleye and Pike all slowly swim icy Adirondack waters. Bear Cub Adventure Tours (518-523-4339 or bearcub@capital.net) will outfit you with snowshoes and lead you to some hidden ice fishing holes near Lake Placid. Here you'll do everything manually. If you prefer to be with your own kind, the south end of Lake George is a popular ice fishing area. Guiding services such as Lockhart's charter fishing (888-848-5253 or www.fishlakegeorge.com/ice.htm). have package tours . For more guiding services and ice fishing destinations, visit www.adirondacks.com/icefishing.html or www.adirondacklakes.com. For the required fishing license, call the Department of Environmental Conservation (518-457-8862). 77