Catskillmountaineer.com Forum

Great job Mike! Answer the question.

William Costello is my father - he never resided in New Jersey... he lived in NY all his life and resided in the Capital Region for the last 32 years.

Oh and he was 52... wouldn't have turned 53 until July 1st. (Just wanting to set the record straight where I can...)

Everyone at Catskill Mountaineer would like to express our condolences to you and your family. While there is little we can say to make this tragedy better, everyone was deeply sadden by this event.

Thank you for providing us with correct information. We do try very hard to get the information correct, but after it passes through several people, the facts seem to change. At times, it is very frustrating. We had been told by an official source that he had a wife in Oceanside NJ, and had no children. We were told that he was recently separated/divorced. It was our understanding that he had just moved to Delmar. After doing an address check, the facts appeared correct. Now we learn that some of the facts were incorrect, along with his age. We hope that our inaccuracies didn't cause any hardships with you and your family. In any event, we apologize for our mistakes.

We know that some of his friends do visit our website, and some have asked questions which we cannot or will not answer. If you want to list any information or pictures of your father, please feel free to do so. Some people consider family matters, such as this one, private and don't want to share. While others like to share information to help them get through those hard times. Again, our condolences are with you and your family.

Thank you Dave for your condolences. My family and I appreciate it.
I know that information gets twisted as it goes through many sources which is why I wanted to clarify some of that on here. I feel like I need to be his voice since he is no longer with us...

My Dad was an amazing man. He had 4 children, of which I am the oldest. We are all completely devastated, shocked and horrified by what has happened to him. If you are ever contacted by any of the hikers that were with him, please let them know that my family would LOVE to hear from them. One very BRAVE hiker did come to the funeral and we were truly honored by that... we were able to ask questions and find some closure. Another hiker came to the wake, but was too shaken to really speak to us, which we completely understood and respected. We also received a card from another hiker, which meant a lot to us. I feel such a desire to be in contact with any of those people that were with him that day - as if it is just that last connection to my dear father.

Luckily, my Dad's camera did survive the fall and someone had taken a beautiful picture of him on this hike just before it happened. I have posted it below.

In reading your post about how extremely dangerous this area is I can't help but wonder, why was it ever re-opened????

I would like to express my condolences to you and your family. I think I have run into your father a number of years ago. The name is so familiar. But, I just cannot remember where. Over the years I have run into a lot of people. It is odd, but we are only a couple days apart in age. I was born a few days before he was.

I know that this is a difficult time for you and your family. I lost my father when he was in his fifties. It was very unexpected. It took a long time before life seemed "normal" again. Our family was direction-less for quite a while. You sound like you are a good leader, and maybe you will be the "glue" of the family. It is important to not let the family drift too far from the center.

I think we still have a few names and addresses of some of the people who were on the hike. I can provide them to you if you like. I think we also have a list of people from meetup.com printed out somewhere. Hopefully, we can get a few of these people to come forward.

20-30 years ago, Devil's Kitchen was very popular. There was a large parking lot at the top of the hill. At that time, this area was on private land. There were many deaths over the years. But, one year there were a string of deaths. This prompted the land owners to close the parking lot, which left people with no place to park. They reduced the parking lot to just a small turnaround with a no parking sign. A couple of years ago the State purchase the land, and created a parking lot a couple hundred feet away. The State is prohibited by law from closing the area because State land has to be open to the public. People are now going back into Devil's Kitchen again. Devil's Kitchen is one of the most beautiful places on earth. But, that beauty comes with significant dangers. It is also one of the most dangerous. Many people come into this area unaware of the long history of deaths. Some of us who are old enough remember the dangers, and hike very cautiously.

The picture you posted were really great ones. I appreciate you sharing them with us. If we can help you with anything, please ask.

I didn't know your father. But, I am very sorry to hear of the tragedy. I too would like to express my condolences.

Very sorry to hear about about your Father. You have my condolences. It is never easy. The days ahead will get easier, but it will take quite a while. But, your memories of him will always be there. My Father died when I was 16, and I still miss him today.

Dave - Thank you for updating your post to include the accurate information on my Dad. My family and I appreciate that. And thank you to all for the kind words and condolences... My Dad was an absolutely amazing, beautiful man who was loved TREMENDOUSLY and will be missed INCREDIBLY.

Sorry it took so long to get it changed. We though that we got it changed. If we can help you with anything, just let us know.