Colvin

After our lengthy stay at Indian Head-Fishhawk Cliffs, we left at about 12:45 and started up Colvin. There would be no Blake on this day due to time and daylight but Bryan wanted to add another 46er to his list and Colvin has a nice view. I had been to Colvin-Blake before on a hike with the Albany ADK chapter but we did not spend a lot of time at the summit. This is a typical Adirondack hike with mud, roots and rocky ascent up slippery slabs with some fun steep scrambles and at least two false summits. It was a welcome bonus that the cold temperatures made the mud pits solid so one could walk right across them.

It seemed that everyone we met was going the other way and it was getting colder as we went up. Regardless we spent about 15 minutes up there snapping pics in all directions and hopping around to keep warm. I related to Bryan that it was too bad that we would not be able to head over to Blake as the autumn colors would have been awesome!! It was past three already and daylight was becoming a factor so we headed out. The Gill Brook trail is a real nice trail lower down as it passes many nice flumes and pools that one could stop at to cool down on a warmer day. As always the Lake Road is a brutal slog, to put it nicely, that punishes ones feet that have already taken a beating. Bryan tried walking in the leaves at the side of the road but I doubt it made any difference. We kept hoping the bus would come by and give us a ride but no such luck. The last two miles were in the dark but the road is wide enough that you don't really need to see where you are going. There were plenty of stars in the sky as we walked past the golf course to the parking lot.

A nice full day to cap off the hiking season....let it snow!

Indian Head and Fishhawk Cliffs

Bryan and I wanted to get one last Adirondack hike in before it snows for good there. He wanted to up his total of 46er peaks while I just wanted to take in the remaining folliage from a good viewing area. We settled on hiking to Indian Head and Fishhawk Cliffs and then if time allowed after the requisite photoshoot we would continue on to Colvin. We arrived at the trailhead later than we wanted due to a few stops for must see photo-ops at Barnum Pond (mist on the water) and LOJ road (frosty grass).

It was colder walking along the LOJ road that I had thought and there were tons of leaves falling from the trees and lying on the ground. We took the Gill Brook bypass trail and there were even more leaves covering that trail. After a short hike we stepped out on Indian Head and had it ourselves for about twenty minutes. A spectacular view for sure even though most of the color was gone leaving a frosty white shade where the color had been and patches of yellows and oranges here and there.

We took many photos of the various views: Gothics and the lower range, Colvin, Lower Ausable lake. This is a great spot to sit and have lunch. After soaking in all we could we head off to Fishhawk cliffs. This is a short walk that starts with a real steep drop off. This viewpoint shows you the profile of the Indian face and makes for some great photos of this profile with the great range in the background.

This a great hike that you can do in half a day and can be combined with a visit to Rainbow Falls and a leisurely stroll down the East or West River trails.