Stairway to Saddleback

 



I took Friday off to go for a hike that had been on my list ever since hiking Bennie's Brook slide with Ken. I had my eye on the Orebed trail/slide with its spectacular set of stairs that are bolted into the rock. The Orebed trail leads from John's Brook lodge up to the col between Gothics and Saddleback. The stairs rise several hundred feet up the left side of the slide which is wide open and has a nice view across the valley towards Big Slide and Yard. I couldn't have picked a more perfect day with clear blue skies. At the junction with the Range trail, I opted for the right turn towards Saddleback. Saddleback has great views from both sides of its summit. To the east is one of the most beautiful sights in the Adirondacks, the range trail rising up the north-west side of Gothics. To the west is the very steep drop-off down the cliffs and the close-up sight of Basin. On the way back down I found the staircase easy on the knees as well as a stable spot to stand when taking photos.

A big thumbs up to the ADK for the work on this trail! I will remember this day when my membership comes up for renewal!

Cheers on Sawteeth

 

I started out the summer hiking season with a stroll up the Lake road on the AMR property. This road has many options as it leads up the valley between the Great range (north) and Colvin/Dial Nippletop (south). I gave some thought to other options but in the end opted for the shortest hike to Sawteeth. The peaks were initially socked in but by the time I reached views on the trail up Sawteeth the clouds were starting to lift and by the time I got to the summit there was a the usual stellar view of the upper range. I met a group who are working on the 46 and toasting each new peak with a sip from a flask, cheers! On the descent I took a tipsy stumble after catching my foot on a root and was lucky to land in a muddy soft spot on the side of the trail. Before returning to the Lake road, I made a quick stop at Rainbow Falls. This is a beautiful spot and well worth the side trip. The Lake road was as always a pain as the hard road is, well, hard on the feet in comparison to the trails. A great start to the season!