November 27, 2010 - Wright Peak

In an attempt to re-start a family tradition, a large group of us set out for an extended family hike on Thanksgiving weekend with the goal of topping Algonquin Peak. Jack had to head back home for the first day of his first job, but Rich, Craig, Kate, Rob, Cindy, Noah and Cal packed up the gear and headed to the hills. Snow on the roads made us get a slightly later start from the Adirondack Loj than we wanted, and the heavy snows really slowed us down in the early going (although it was a beautiful walk).

By the time we reached the first of the steep climbs, we were slogging through six (6) inches of snow on the previous day's ice, and even the micro-spikes couldn't prevent a number of slips and falls. We set a 1:00 PM turn around time to make sure we weren't hiking in the dark, and by 12:30 we had just reached the branch to Wright Peak (still 0.9 miles from Algonquin's summit). Kate suggested a nice picnic lunch and a return to the car, but Noah wanted to press on to one of the peaks. We decided to try and see if we could make decent time towards the summit of Wright. Less than a quarter mile up the trail, everyone had difficulty making headway on the ice, and we decided it was best to turn around.

Disappointed that we were so close, Rob convinced Rich to take a shot at reaching the top. The ice cover got consistently thicker as we ascended, and we received the added benefit of severe winds once we cleared the tree line. It was probably a good decision for the rest of the group to turn back, but we both think Cal would have made it (even though he probably wouldn't have enjoyed the severe conditions). Nevertheless, we made it to the top without incident, but nearly got blown off the summit by the strong winds. We stayed on the top just long enough to take a couple pictures and race back down through the wind to the tree line and then hustle to catch up to the rest of the group.

It wasn't much further past the juncture to the Algonquin summit that we started to hear a group in front of us talking about steam showers, and we knew it was our pack. It was an easy hike back to the car, but a slow drive through the snowy roads to the cabin. No new peaks this trip, but hopefully we've successfully re-started the Thanksgiving hiking tradition.

September 6, 2010 - Macomb, Carson, Grace, Hough, and Dix Mountains

When we first started our assault on the 46 High Peaks, we were very concerned about our ability to succeed given the large number of mountains that have unmarked trails. Being novice hikers, there was a lot of worry about getting lost trying to follow the herd paths. On the last weekend before school started again, Rich and Jack set out to try and overcome that fear in the Dix Wilderness, with the goal on getting to the top of three of the peaks in that area.

We got a early start from the Elk Lake trail head, but very quickly gave back any head start by remembering that our GPS was left in the car and needing to go back and get it 15 minutes into the hike. The cairn at the start of the Macomb Mountain herd path was easy to spot, but there were several times during the early going that we felt like we had lost the trail. Once we got to the big rock slide that marked the bulk of the hike, we gained a lot of confidence and made it to the summit well ahead of our self-defined schedule.

It was an easy trip from Macomb over the col to the summit of Carson Peak, and on that peak we had a great conversation with a couple of experienced hikers that gave us directions and tips about the herd paths in that area. Additionally, they planted the seed in Jack's head that we had plenty of daylight to reach the peak of all five (5) Dix range High Peaks.

Following the path to Grace Peak was also fairly easy, but the vegetation was more dense and we sustained our share of cuts and scratches. On the summit of Grace, two different father / son teams chatted with us and informed us that they were both attempting to climb all five (5) peaks in that chain. That finalized the decision for us, and we started our climb back to the summit of Carson and the unmarked trail to Hough Peak.

The trail to Hough was the toughest part that we had experienced on the day, and to make things worse, the temperature dropped significantly and it started to rain a little. Regardless, our course was set, and we reach the top in about an hour and a half. It was exceeding windy and cold on the summit, so we took a few pictures and left quickly for Dix Mountain.

The temperature improved and the wind died down on the way over the path to Dix, but the heavy cloud cover made it seem like we were losing daylight fast. It wasn't a tough hike to the top of Dix from Hough, and once we got there, it seemed like the clouds cleared out a bit. We had some fantastic views of the Great Range, and the valley South towards Elk Lake. Unfortunately, our car was parked way down by that lake, and it was over six miles away. At least we had maintained trails to guide us the rest of the way, so losing our path was less of a concern.

It took a bit longer than we expected to get all the way back to Elk Lake, and darkness was settling in fast, but we made it to the car without having to break out the headlamps. We were very excited about bagging five (5) peaks in the same day, and couldn't wait to call Mom to tell her (and explain why we were 4 hours late). The total hike was about 16 miles in 11:30 (including the lost time to go back to get the GPS). Twenty-six (26) High Peaks down; 20 to go.

August 29, 2010 - Mount Colden

With Summer winding down, Jack and Rich tried to fit in a hike with our friends AJ and Kate; taking advantage of what might be the last hot August day. We got to the Adirondack Loj parking lot early, but no sign of AJ and Kate. The sky was possibly as clear as we have ever seen it on a hiking trip, and the temperature under the trees was very comfortable. At Marcy Dam, we met up with another hiker going to Mount Colden, and walked with him most of the way to the peak. Except for a brief break at Lake Arnold, we made excellent time reaching the summit before Noon.

The view across all the nearby mountains was spectacular, and each of us were surprised at how many of the peaks and we can recognize by sight and name. Using our binoculars, it was entertaining to see the number of hikers standing on the summits of Marcy, Algonquin, Wright, and Iroquois. It certainly was a busy Sunday in the High Peaks. After enjoying our PB&J sandwich, we decided to take a different route back towards the Loj, diverting down to Lake Colden and through Avalanche Pass (possibly our favorite spot in the Adirondacks). It was a steeper descent following that route, but we were not disappointed once we reached our destination.

During our previous trip through the pass, we were racing the setting sun and couldn't enjoy ourselves as much as we would have liked. This time we could take a little longer to soak up the sights and the sun. Still, we made good time through the flat zone back to Marcy Dam and the last push towards our car. At the beaver dam near the Loj, we were treated to an up close view of several beavers eating and playing in the water; a couple swam within inches of our feet. It was an entertaining final act to what might have been our best hike yet. From the trail head register, we learned that AJ and Kate arrived very late and decided to climb Phelps instead. The total trip was about 14 miles in a little over 8:15. Twenty-one (21) High Peaks down; 25 to go.

July 23, 2010 - Sawteeth Mountain

The goal for our final day in the Johns Brook Valley was hike up the Ore Bed Trail to the top of Gothics and then over the backside of that peak to Sawteeth. Interestingly, the weather picture was almost the opposite of the previous day; it started out promising, but steadily got worse as the day went on. We had no trouble navigating to the base of the cables that mark the final push towards the summit of Gothics, but we quickly saw that it was going to change fast. Clouds were moving in fast, and we were met near the peak by some fierce winds that were coming from the East.

Rather than spend much time sitting on the exposed ledges of Gothics, we quickly got into the tree cover of the trail over Pyramid Mountain towards Sawteeth. We had a very uneventful and enjoyable hike over the col to the summit of Sawteeth, and enjoyed watching the storm clouds swirl overhead. We didn't enjoy it for long, since we knew that we were going to have to hike back through those storm clouds to get back to JBL and our gear.

It wasn't as easy to get back down the Gothics cables as it was to get up, because now we had to do it in high winds and driving rain. Regardless, we made in back to the Ore Bed Trail without incident, and even made it to JBL in plenty of time to hike out to our car without danger of needing head lamps like the previous Summer. The total hike (including trip back to The Garden) was 13.5 miles in 10:30; the three (3) day total was 35.2 miles in about 26 hours. Twenty (20) High Peaks down; 26 to go.

July 22, 2010 - Marcy, Skylight, and Gray Peak

For the first new hike of our JBL trip, we decided to tackle Mount Marcy; the biggest of the group. The forecast was for 40% chance of rain, but the morning started out very dismal with cool air and fog. Our plan was to get to the top of Marcy as fast as we could, and if we had enough time and energy, see if we could also conquer Skylight before getting back for dinner. We wasted no time getting out on the trail after breakfast, leading a pack of JBL guests that were also planning to climb Marcy. As we made our way up to the summit, if became increasingly clear that we were not going to get much of a view. As we worked our way to the top, the weather deteriorated even more with high winds and sleet. Luckily, we had a couple of pairs of gloves in the pack from our last winter hike (not that we expected to need them in July).

 

We spent very little time on the peak, since it was cold and uncomfortable. Once we reached the tree line on the trail down toward the Four Corners, we were able to warm up and regroup. Since we worked such a good pace in the early going, we had plenty of time to get over to Skylight before we needed to head back to the lodge. On the summit of Skylight, the temperature seemed a bit warmer, although we still needed to seek shelter from the wind in order to eat our lunch.

On our way back toward Marcy and JBL, we decided to make a small diversion to see the Lake Tear of the Clouds. A fellow hiker pointed out the cairns which marked the trail to Gray Peak, and we took a photo for us to use in finding it for some future hike. As we turned to leave, another hiker encouraged us to not waste the opportunity to climb Gray, being that we were so close. Even though we were worried about missing dinner, that was all the encouragement Jack needed to hop across the creek and start the climb. It only took us about 25 minutes to reach the top, and the views improved significantly as we climbed.

Once back to the summit of Marcy, the cloud cover still had not improved, but the winds had died down and the temperature was warmer. As we were about the leave, the clouds magically parted and we were treated some outstanding views of the entire range. We were significantly harming our chances to get dinner, but spent 30 minutes soaking up the sights anyway.

We worked hard down the trail to make it back to JBL just as they were serving dinner. It was fun describing our outstanding late afternoon views on Marcy, all while listening to all the other guests complain about heading back to the lodge long before the clouds parted. The total hike was a little over 15 miles in an exhausting 10:15. Nineteen (19) High Peaks down; 27 to go.

July 21, 2010 - Big Slide Mountain

Jack and Rich embarked on the annual Johns Brook Lodge trip with a hike to the top of Big Slide via The Brothers. We had been 0-2 as far as summit views went up to that point, and we were hoping that the weather would hold out as we raced the storms up the trail. The going was very slow, since we carried all our gear for a three day stay at the lodge, and the air was quite humid. On the route to the peak, we officially got lost for the first time, as we were following footprints instead of trail markers. Our confusion only lasted about 15 minutes, and after back-tracking about a quarter mile, we were able to pickup the trail again.

Once we got to the summit, we enjoyed the views that had eluded us during our previous hikes. However, the thunder from an approaching storm quickly chased us away, but not before we were able to share some of our sandwich with a chipmunk.

Ponchos were required for the trip down the mountain to JBL, but we made it in plenty of time to unpack and meet some of the other guests before dinner. Jack was excited that we were able to claim our same bunks from the previous Summer. The hike was 6.5 miles with full packs in 5:15. No new peaks (again), but big plans for the next couple of days.

July 2, 2010 - Porter & Cascade Mountains

Kids sports and busy social schedules dictated that we got a late start on our Summer hiking excursions this year. Sean wanted to get back into action, and since he was now the only family hiker who hadn't enjoyed the view from Cascade, we decided that would be a good warm-up to what we hope will be a busy hiking season. We got a jump on the holiday weekend crowds by hitting the trail very early, and took our time to get to the top of Porter before 11:00 AM. It was a perfect day for hiking in that it was very clear, and moderately cool.

We enjoyed the summit of Porter all by ourselves for a while, and after a little snack, headed over to Cascade. Once we reached that summit, we started to encounter some crowds, but had plenty of room to spread out and have a picnic lunch. Jack demonstrated his new field cooking skills by whipping up a chicken and salsa MRE. We were also greeted by a St. Lawrence University student working on a photo documentary project of hikers in the High Peaks; he interviewed all of us and took our pictures for his portfolio. Jack tried in vain to find the letter box that we had stumbled upon 2 years earlier, after having been informed by an unknown source that it had been returned to its hiding spot on the summit.

During the entire trip back to the car we were entertained by Sean who alternately provided conflicting advice to all the uphill hikers who asked the age old question, "Are we getting close yet?" He oscillated between, "The summit is just around the next bend" and "Oh, you have miles to go." A little over six miles in a relaxed 5:30. No new peaks for Jack or Dad, but Sean is now up to three (3).

January 18, 2010 - Phelps Mountain

It was Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, and the forecast called for a break from the recent frigid cold and wind that had been tormenting our ski trips over the previous month. Dad was anxious to try out the new snowshoes that he got for his birthday and get out of the house for a day. Unfortunately, none of the kids were willing to drag themselves away from the TV for the day, so Dad went by himself.

The temperature in the ADK Loj parking lot was about 32 degrees, and the trails were all hard packed with wet snow. I started out with multiple layers of shirts, ski jacket, hat and gloves. Within 30 minutes I was down to just a wet T-shirt. It was a perfect day for a winter hike, and the trails were packed with people taking advantage of the unusually warm weather. The only drawback was the lack of any kind of clear views from the peaks. Sitting on the summit of Phelps, you could only see about 50 feet, but it was dead calm and very peaceful.

Since I made such great time getting to the top of Phelps, I headed in the direction of Lake Arnold with the possible notion that I would summit Tabletop if I felt like I had enough energy. While resting at the trail juncture to Tabletop, a Giant glob of wet snow fell from a branch above and landed on the back of my neck. I took that as a sign from the Gods that I should loop back in the direction of the car. It was a good thing, because by the time I made it back to the trail toward Marcy Dam, I was exhausted. It's too bad none of the kids ventured out; it was a perfect Winter hiking day. The total hike was about 11.5 miles in 5:35 (no wonder I was tired). Seventeen high peaks down (for Dad); 29 to go.