Nippletop and Dial, counter-clockwise is better

On Friday I went for my first hike of the season, a counter-clockwise loop over Nippletop and Dial. I prefer to do the road walk (Lake road) in the morning and am a fan of ascending rather than descending the super steep section of trail from Elk Pass to Nippletop. The trail from Nippletop over Dial and back to the Lake road seemed longer than it should have been but it was downhill with less uphill bumps than I was expecting less mud than I anticipated. On the way to Nippletop, I added a side trip to Indian Head and Fishhawk cliffs. This is a no-brainer on such a clear sunny day!

I had one of my only bad ADK hike experiences when I first did this hike 10 years ago on a hot humid day, trying to keep up with a group who were much faster. That hike ended with me fainting in the parking lot while taking off my boots. Friday's hike replaced that memory with a happier one that includes a long nap on Dial's summit rock and clear skies for great views.