ADK leaf peeping - Round 2 (much better)

A week made a big difference in the foliage. I got out for a couple of the best fall hikes I have had in a long while. Temperatures were cool but warm enough and skies were clear and sunny with clouds building in the afternoons.

• I went for a late afternoon stroll up to Big Crow. Cloud cover obscured the views but BC is always worth the effort even if the views aren't the best. The highlight of the hike was meeting a local celebrity who was out for his regular afternoon walk over Big and Little Crow (must be nice to have this loop as part of your back yard).
• On Wednesday I hiked Noonmark from the AMR property. Noonmark has everything that is great about Adirondack hikes: exceptional views (Great Range, Dix and Nippletop ranges as well as Giant and Rocky Peak ridge) and fun scrambles near the summit. This was probably the best of my many hikes up Noonmark.
• On Thursday I opted for an obvious fall hike, the Brothers. Usually one hikes the Brothers on the way to Big Slide. The many ledges on First and Second Brother are probably the best place to see fall foliage in the Adirondacks. I got as far as Second Brother before finding a comfortable spot to relax and enjoy the view. I thought about continuing on to Big Slide (most of the rest of the hike is in the woods) or staying put to enjoy the views. I opted to stay and my decision was confirmed slightly thereafter as I spotted a smiley-face cloud formation in the east over Hurricane mountain.

ADK Leaf Peeping - Round 1

The autumn colors have been late coming this year. I guess this is the down side to having plenty of dry sunny weather well into September. I went for a couple of days of hikes last week to take in some colors. The weather wasn't the best (frosty temps and skies mostly overcast) but it is always great to be out for a fall hike. I enjoyed a loop over Giant's Nubble from the Roaring Brook trail although I would recommend the Ridge trail for views when hiking to Giant itself. I really enjoyed the new trail from route 9N to Hurricane mountain. It has an awesome view that combines the views of it's lower neighbors like Big Crow, Baxter etc. The trail is soft underfoot and a gentle slope until a short scramble at the summit. A crew were finishing work on the fire tower as I arrived. Hurricane will be a great option for a snowshoe hike this winter!

Sunny day on Mt Colden

I'm not sure if we are into Indian Summer yet but it certainly was a beautiful sunny day on Thursday as I headed out for a hike up the Lake Arnold route to Mt Colden. As I passed Marcy Dam there was a work crew starting the process of taking apart the remnants of the dam. It will be interesting to see how the area above the dam changes as time goes forward. The Lake Arnold trail was as usual rocky and steep. It is clear that trail crews have done a lot of work on the Morgan Porter trail. It starts out wet and muddy in the area around Lake Arnold but there are numerous sections where bog bridging has been installed as well as a few staircases. The north summit is a great spot to take photos of either Marcy and the Great range in one direction and Algonquin and the MacIntyre range in the other. On the trail over to the actual (south) summit there are yet more bog bridges and one big staircase. Back on the north summit enjoying a sub for lunch a hiker arrived saying he had hiked up via the Trap Dike. I think he would be the first person I have encountered on a summit who was smoking a cigarette.

It was a spectacular day to be out hiking for mid September. A big thank you to the trail crew for all the work done on Mt Colden!

Indian Falls two times

I went for a hike last Saturday from the Adirondack LOJ, usually not the greatest idea due to the crowds. I got an early start and opted to hike Tabletop, figuring it was the least popular destination along the Van Ho highway. The real views on this hike are from Indian Falls (just past the Tabletop herd path) so I headed there for a break before hiking up Tabletop. The herd path is pretty wet but it improves as you get higher up. The Tabletop summit view is definitely better in the winter when the snow-pack allows you to walk on top of the trees for a better angle of the Great range. Back down for a lunch stop at Indian Falls and a chat with some hikers who were filtering the water with a product that I will soon be adding to my pack. The view at Indian Falls is certainly worth a stop any time one is in the neighborhood! For some reason it always leaves me thinking I should hike to Algonquin again! I decided to return via the crossover trail to avoid the crowds. A good choice as I only encountered hikers at either end. The crowds were out in force near Avalanche camp ("Have you seen any available tent sites?"). A great weather day to be out and surprisingly quiet hike considering!

Dix loop from Elk Lake

Last Friday I did a loop hike over Dix mountain from Elk Lake. I went up via Hunter's Pass and descended the Beckhorn trail. I think I chose to do this hike in the correct direction (for me). The Hunter's Pass trail is plenty steep and scrambly before it joins the trail from route 73 but there were no show-stoppers. There were a few short sections at the top of the Beckhorn trail that I would have had trouble ascending without some help. Of course, with an assist from gravity there was no problem descending!!

The summit view is great although there were low clouds that filled inbuilding while I was stopped for lunch. There was also a cool effect of clouds (like fog) blowing up from the east side of the ridge. I had thought of adding Hough to the hike but made a wrong (right) turn on the Beckhorn. Oh well, I guess I will have to visit the rest of the range at a later date!

Can't beat Pyramid

Another Friday off work and I was walking down the Lake Road on the AMR property again. This time I headed up the right hand side of the valley towards Pyramid, Gothics, Armstrong and Upper Wolf Jaw. It was a beautiful day for it and the sight from Pyramid is hard to beat. Although the trail goes up from Pyramid, the quality of the views goes down! The peakbagger in me felt the need to hike over Armstrong and UWJ on the way back to my car to add 2 peaks to a second round. My knees were not amused as I made my way down and my brain did not remember how steep and ledgy the trail is.

I will certainly do the first half of this hike again. The second half, maybe not!

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.

Very Good Friday

 

The Good Friday forecast called for sun and with mid day temperatures of 10 degrees celsius. I was surprised to arrive at the Cascade/Porter trailhead at 10am to find only two vehicles. OK, one of those vehicles must have been a clown car as the sign in book indicated a group of 13 post-hole-ing teenagers (C'mon people, winter hiking is done on snowshoes). The melt hadn't quite started yet so there were only a few icy sections on the trail. A single layer of fleece was all that was required for the entire hike. It really doesn't get much better than this. A windbreaker was required above treeline on Cascade due to healthy wind gusts. I had a nice chat with a retiree from Montreal and then spent the usual half hour taking photos and enjoying the blue skies. Likewise on Porter.

A very good day indeed!

Springbreaking, ADK style

I "had to" use up some vacation days at work so a couple of long weekends in March hiking the ADKs seemed like a great plan. A long cold winter and steady snowfall since mid-January made for great snow conditions. I managed to get out on some cold but bluebird sunny days as well as  a couple of somewhat cloudy days for some great hikes and views. The quick trip up Mt Jo found the clearest views I have yet had up there. The hike up Round mountain was highlighted by the animal tracks evident in the thin layer of fresh snow. The most enjoyed of the hikes was to Mt Colden via the trail from Lake Arnold which brought my number of winter 46ers (all done in March) to 10. Although a mostly cloudy day, the winter views from Mt. Colden, of Mt. Marcy in one direction and the McIntyre range in the other, are spectacular!

Pics:

• Random St Huberts peak
• Round Mountain
• Mt Jo
• Mt Colden

ADK Leaf Peeping

I spent Wednesday to Friday of last week leaf peeping in the Adirondacks. The beginning of the week had some light rain so the leaves were starting to come down but there was still plenty of color and views were as usual fairly awesome.

In no particular order, I visited the following "shorties":

• Owl's Head: The short trip up was worth it for the vibrant colors although the low cloud cover hid all the high peaks.
• Round mountain: Another great short hike with fine views, easier than it's nearest neighbor (Noonmark) with slightly better (just my opinion) views. Again, the low cloud cover messed with my view of the Dix range but no complaining here. I'll be back here soon, perhaps next winter.
• Big Crow: This one is a hidden gem that rivals Owl's Head for lowest effort vs excellant view. The effort is slightly more but the view is much wider in scope. Low clouds again on the higher peaks but the nearest ones (Big Slide, Porter, Cascade and Pitchoff) were clear under bright blue skies.
• Mt Jo: Jo was packed at the summit including two groups of school kids from Saranac Lake (I think). Colors were brilliant and skies were clear blue. The hikers ranged in age from 4 to close to 80 (if I am an accurate judge of age!). Have to wonder if the 4 year old will hike it when aged 80?
• Mt Gilligan: Yep, I had a familiar tune in my head as I began this hike. This one is also hidden (off route 9 just west of the New Russia trailhead to RPR and Giant) though I am not ready to label it a gem.

A nice way to spend a few fall days and a great place to do it!

"Back" to Phelps

 

 

I needed a hike to test my ailing back. Phelps fit the bill being a short hike with a steep and rough section of trail and some nice views for the effort. It was a cool day yesterday and the skies were clear and blue when I got to the views. Everything checked out and with some reds starting to show in the valleys, leaf peeping season is not far off!

Slipping and sliding to Rocky Peak Ridge

 

 

Friday was another perfect hiking day, sunny and clear and not too hot. I took the day off work with an eye to hiking the Beckhorn trail but changed my mind and hiked the Zander Scott trail to Giant instead. The views start on open rock sections once you are about half way up so it is a good thing to stop for a few breaks to soak it in. Short but steep would be the best description of this trail so it does not take long to reach the summit. The peakbagger in me decided to head over to Rocky Peak Ridge after a short stay at the summit. I can report that the drop on this trail is still both steep and slippery. It is probably easier to hike up than down but that is little consolation. Rocky Peak Ridge has a nice isolated feel to it and awesome views including the close up of Giant. It was a great day hiking that included summit chats with an "old school" 46er who earned the patch in the early 1980s. If only every friday was like this one!

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!

Early morning stroll to Cascade and Porter

 

With a deluge that would get Noah's attention forecast for Sunday, Saturday was the day for another spring hike. I opted for the ever popular Cascade and Porter hike and got an early start to get the best of the trail conditions and weather. Near the trailhead the melting is well underway but the monorail is dependable once you gain some elevation. While sunny, there was a stiff breeze when above treeline near the summits. I certainly hope the many hikers I saw later on in sneakers, shorts and t-shirts didn't catch a chill up there! :-) I had a half hour to myself on each of the summits to see if I could find a few good photos out of the many that I took. Always a pleasure to do this hike and I can report that the view is only getting better with age!

Springing up Ampersand Peak

 

Ampersand is a great little mountain located just east of Tupper Lake. It has everything the larger high peaks have but in a smaller package. It fit the bill on Sunday as I could get up reasonably early, drive down, hike and be home before dark. I was suprised to be the only car in the lot at a civilized starting time of 9:45. The trail is flat for a mile and then straight up. Conditions were perfect for spikes. The main attraction of the view from the open summit is Seymour and the Seward range with the Santanonis peaking over Seymour's shoulder. You can see the MacIntyres off in the distance to the east, especially when they are coated in white. I found a spot out of the wind and enjoyed a sunny spring day. On the way down I tweaked my back by holding onto a branch too long as I slid down a particularly steep spot. The snow was balling up on the front of my spikes which made for sort of reverse-televators! Plenty of people and dogs were heading up to enjoy a great day.

 

 

Spring break

First two days of spring break vacation:

• A hike up into a warm-ish cloud of snow on Esther mountain and
• a short hike up Mt Van Hoevenberg on a sunny but bitterly cold day.

Sore knees and more hikes to come!

MIght as well go for a Soda!

The last hike of my summer/fall vacation and the tail end of leaf peeping season. I enlisted Ken as fellow leaf peeper and co-photographer. With two cameras you can get such classic shots as "photo of photographer taking photo of fall colors". We also tried "photo of fall colors with picture in picture of photo taken by other camera". Fingers crossed that the latter turns out well. I had hiked to Big Crow before but not the Nundago or Nun-da-ga-o or Soda Range. Ken had done the opposite. We started out the loop clockwise and added the short steep spur to Big Crow to sample the outstanding views. The colors are past peak but this is otherwise an outstanding view from an interesting angle. It was also overcast but neither of us were complaining. As there is a plethora of high peaks to see, we had some spirited name the peak debates. After an obvious ("rookie") mistake, Ken redeemed himself with an astute identification of Street mountain behind the notch between Cascade and Pitchoff!

This is really nice hike. It makes it's way across several bumps on ridge between Big Crow and Weston mountains before looping back to the Crow Clearing parking lot. It is soft underfoot like a herd path. You never go more than 15-20 minutes without scrambling out onto a rocky ledge with a slightly different view than the previous stop. We had initially thought of doing most of the loop and then hiking up and over Hurricane to route 9N. While this was a great idea, we never got that far what with all the picture taking and view gazing. No complaints as this was a day well spent on an awesome hiking trail!

More pics here (there are some nice cloud shots)

Part of the trail conversation was me remembering my first concert with Max Webster opening for Rush. Ah, for the good ole days when concert tickets cost $3.50!! As added nostalgia I offer the following video which is worth watching for the old school tv channel changer at about the 1 minute mark. Enjoy!

Rooster Comb on a cloudy day





I went for another leaf peeping hike up Rooster Comb. It was a cloudy day that was not good for photography but I enjoyed the hike nonetheless. The trail was often blanketed with leaves which were coming down as I hiked. I tried to take some pictures of this process but was not successful. I was treated to the king of all "tree growing on a rock". The colors of the Porter ridge as well as the Brothers were spectacular.

For more pics see here

Owl's Head, Baxter and Jay Range

On one glorious day of leaf peeping I hit two "shorties" with great views and then checked out the new trail to the Jay Range, another great hike with plenty of above treeline trail.

First stop of the day with the favorable early morning light was Owl's Head. It is a short jog of about 20 minutes up to this perch with a nice angle view of Porter, Cascade and Pitchoff. It is an open summit with views in all directions but the light favored the view to the west. For more pics see here .

Next stop was Baxter peak with it's "longer" trip of 30-40 minutes of switchbacks to some nice ledges looking south and west. Plenty of color in the valley and slopes of John's Brook valley. For more pics see here

Last but certainly not least was the Jay Range. I started out at 11:30. This hike has plenty of open ridges which is unusual for the elevation but welcomed indeed. An official trail was opened this year complete with parking lot with space for about 10 cars. I hiked this range with Ken several years ago and remember the initial part of the trail as being pretty steep. The new trail is the opposite. It is soft underfoot and switchbacks up the slopes of two hills before emerging on the open rock that I remembered. I found the switchbacks a bit annoying on the way up but welcomed them on the way down as it was an easy walk out when I was running out of gas. You can see most of the Adirondack High Peaks as you make your way up the open rock across many bumps to actual summit of Jay. I stopped about 2/3 of the way along as I was more interested in the views than the destination. It was a great spot to find a nice spot to sit and soak in the sun. This hike is a must for anyone who hasn't already done it. For more pics see here .