November 26, 2011 - Cascade & Porter Mountains

We had some fairly lengthy conversations this year about where we should take our annual Thanksgiving family hike. Kate wanted to try either Whiteface or Prospect Mountain so that she could drive to the top, Rob wanted something with running water so he could try his new purifier pump that would have saved him from dehydration earlier in the year, and Caleb was pushing to redeem himself on Algonquin from the previous year's turn-back. Ultimately we decided that fresh snow, warm temperatures, and clear skies made the short walk to Cascade's clear summit the perfect choice.

Rich, Craig, Kate, Rob, Jack, Noah, and Caleb set out with micro-spikes and snowshoes from our family rental in Elizabethtown; the rest of the clan hung back nursing the colds they got from being forced to jump into Mirror Lake the previous day by Kate (Child Services case pending).

Our trip almost got derailed before it started when Kate drove the van into a tree and got it stuck in the snow, but Rich and Craig rescued her and we were at the trail head by 9:15 with no speeding tickets this year. The walking was pretty slick, but the temperatures were heating up fast and the snow was melting quickly. Within 20 minutes everyone had shed their coats and hats, and thankfully Craig was there to carry the excess gear. Clouds were obscuring most of the sun, but they didn't diminish any of the view. By the time we got to the open rock faces, the snow and ice were non-existent and we had an easy scamper to the summit. We spent a little while on the summit admiring the views, counting off how many of the peaks we could name, and generally celebrating the first time that our entire family party made it to the top during a Thanksgiving High Peaks adventure.

Once the winds started to cool us down a little, we decided to keep our momentum going and walk the col over to Porter and have our lunch picnic on that summit. Other then the melting snow creating a slushy mess on the trail, the hike to Porter was quick and easy. We stopped a couple times to enjoy the views from the bare rocks en route, and every 45 seconds explained to Noah that we weren't quite on top yet. The peak was just emptying out when we got there, and we had a delicious peanut butter and jelly lunch prepared by Craig. The sandwiches were a little mushed from all the excess gear that Craig was carrying, but we decided to let him make it up to us by cooking dinner (again).

When we got back to the fork in the trail, we were delighted to see that someone had built a snowman. After a brief rest, we departed back down towards the car. The whole trail was a sloppy mess once we got within sound of the cars on Route 73, and we were stunned to meet a group wearing sneakers and just starting their ascent a little after 2:00 PM. Based on the way they gawked at our spikes, I doubt they were carrying the headlamps they would need if they actually made it to the top. It felt good to get the gear off and loaded into the car, but we were very happy with the successful day. Craig created a minor traffic disturbance on Route 73 so that Kate could back out of the trail head safely, but given her incident in the morning with the tree, it was probably a prudent move.

Back at the house, Caleb was seen reading a book about the 46ers, and examining a map with all the High Peaks. He said, "At this rate, I'll finish them when I'm in my 50s." The hike was about 6.2 miles and we finished in 5:15 (a land speed record for Rob).

November 6, 2011 - Phelps & Table Top Mountains

Unseasonably warm weather, and a surprisingly free family weekend calender, opened the door for another hike before our traditional family hiking event on Thanksgiving. Jack (one day removed from his first SAT attempt) and Rich took off early for the ADK Loj with the goal of visiting Marcy Dam to inspect the Hurricane Irene storm damage and climb Phelps and Table Top. We knew we would be pressed for time, as this marked the date to roll the clocks back to standard time.

When we turned in the ADK Loj road, the visibility of the high peaks were as clear as we have ever experienced. However, the parking area was sparsely populated with cars, and we encountered few people on the trail to Marcy Dam. From the dam, we walked around for a bit to survey the damage in that area, as well as the new slides visible on Colden and Wright. By this point, we were heating up pretty good and shedding layers of clothes. The path to Phelps was in decent shape, although the last half mile was heavily iced over and pretty slick. We brought our spikes in case we needed them, but none of the icy sections were long enough to justify the time it would take to put them on. We made it to the summit of Phelps by 10:15, and enjoyed a spectacular view with a small group.

Once the wind picked up and started cooling us down, we packed up our stuff and set out for Table Top. On the way between the peaks, most of the conversation was centered on which peak we would try to climb on Thanksgiving when the whole family is together. The previous year we bit off a little more than we could chew and had to turn back from Algonquin, and we don't want that to happen again. Once we reached the cairn marking the fork to the Table Top herd path, we took a break to eat our lunch. The path up Table Top was easy to follow, but incredibly slippery with ice. Jack said, "Kate would never make it over this ice; cross this one off the list for Thanksgiving." On the summit we bumped into a couple, but they cleared out and gave us the peak for a 15 minute rest. We had a great view of Marcy, and with our binoculars could see a number of people walking around the snowy, icy summit.

On the return trip, we diverted across to Indian Falls to see how much ice they had, and inspect the view from that vantage point. After spending a little while soaking up some sun at the falls, it was a quick and easy trip back past Marcy Dam and ultimately to the car. On the last leg of the trip, we encountered what we were fairly sure was a bobcat, which was thoroughly fascinating. However, we were a little disappointed to see that the beaver pond near the Loj seems to have drained.

The total hike was about 13 miles in a brisk 7:52. Thirty (30) High Peaks down; 16 to go.

October 23, 2011 - Mount Marshall

Despite the forecast for clear skies and reasonably warm temperatures, Rich was unable to find a hiking partner for the day. Not wanting to waste the chance for what could be the final Fall hike, coupled with a desire to see what damage Hurricane Irene had done to the High Peaks, I headed out solo. Leaving the house around 5:30 AM, I still hadn't decided on a destination, and wasn't even sure I would try a summit. Eventually I parked at the Upper Works trail head and set off along the Calamity Brook towards Lake Colden and the Flowed Lands.

The path got diverted to some new trails at a couple of points because of damage from the recent storms, but it was still a reasonable hike. The sun never really appeared for very long, but visibility was pretty good most of the time. Arriving at the cairn for Mount Marshall, I decided to at least investigate the herd path and see if I had the energy for a climb. There was significant blow down for much of the early going, and I lost the trail on two separate occasions. Just when I was about to give up and head back towards Lake Colden, I bumped into the first human I had seen all day (after about 4.5 hours) who was coming down from the summit. He showed me the path, and I was able to quickly complete the trek to the top. Surprisingly, my cell phone worked on the summit and I was able to call home and let everyone know that I was probably going to be a little later than planned.

Near the summit, there was a fresh dusting of ice and snow on all the trees and branches. Now that I was able to recognize all the trail markings and milestones, the descent was more relaxing and I could take in all the sights of the Herbert Brook. I had no issues making it back to the (now deserted) trail head, and I didn't bump into any more people for the rest of the day. The total hike was about 14 miles in about 8:15.