Every year, the local chapter of the AMC organizes two hikes. One is an end-to-end hike of the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail, which I did back in 2016. I had intended to do its companion, an end-to-end hike of the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail, that same year as a training hike for the SBM, but I missed it due to a cold.
I'm not sure why some people regard the RD as an easier version of the SBM. The SBM is 24 miles and 5,000 feet of elevation, while the RD is 23 miles and 6,000 feet of elevation. I'd say the 1,000 extra feet more than make up for that mile. Either way, I have few memories of the SBM - no doubt my brain is deliberately protecting me from them - so it's hard for me to compare.
The beginning of the hike was rough; the humidity meant sweat went nowhere, and I was overheating despite temps in the 60s. Plus, much like on the SBM, I was trying to keep up with people setting a faster pace than I could sustain. Once the sun burned off the fog and I slowed down, I fared much better.
Still, I wouldn't have bothered to finish if K hadn't been pushing with me at the end. (It doesn't help that there are no bail-out points in the middle. You can quit early or so late it's too late.) But I made it!
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