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.

October 25, 2009 - Nye & Street Mountains

The weather forecast called for a mostly cloudy, dreary day. Jack and Rich wanted to squeeze in another hike before the weather really went south, and since there is no view from the tops of Street and Nye, we decided it would be a perfect day to cross them off our list. We started from the ADK Loj parking lot on a surprisingly warm morning; there were reports of snow earlier in the week and there was heavy rain the day before. All of the above made for a very wet hike and tricky crossing of Indian Pass Brook. We quickly discovered that waterproof boots also mean that the water can't get out.

There were a lot of leaves on the ground, and as this is an unmarked trail, we were concerned that we wouldn't be able to find our way to the top (and back). We had to backtrack a few times when it was apparent that we were no longer on an establish route, but we eventually found our way to the top of each peak. It got a little exhausting trudging through the muck for so long, and the views did match our expectations (zero), but we had a good day.

 

We were rewarded at the end when the sun came out and we were able to soak up a few minutes of warmth sitting on a bench next to Heart Lake. The total trip was about 8.5 miles and took about 7 hours and 45 minutes. Sixteen (16) High Peaks down; 30 to go.

September 19, 2009 - Algonquin & Iroquois Peaks

Almost the last day of Summer, and Jack and Rich decided to take a break from Jack's heavy soccer and homework schedule to soak in a sunny and warm day on the trails. The forecast was for clear, sunny skies, so we resolved to try to take advantage of the view from Algonquin that we got cheated out of almost exactly a year earlier. The weather at the ADK Loj was colder than expected, but it wasn't long before we were warming up and losing layers. The trails were packed with hikers, and we met some very nice people along the route. As we neared the summit of Algonquin, it quickly turned colder, and we were treated to a thick layer of frost and some ice on everything in sight; a rare treat (for us) in what was still technically Summer.

After taking in some views on Algonquin, we made the short hike over to Iroquois and enjoyed lunch on that peak where we could take advantage of the sun and reduced wind than we had experienced on Algonquin. We met a nice family on Iroquois who suggested that we might enjoy the return trip down past Lake Colden, through Avalanche Pass, and over Marcy Dam to the ADK Loj. We decided to give it a shot. Other than the trip down to Lake Colden taking a lot longer than we thought (and us assuming that we had gotten lost), it was a great decision. Avalanche Pass was spectacular in the late Summer sun, and we got to enjoy our first trip through the Marcy Dam area.

The total trip was just over 13 miles, and our travel time was an impressive 9.5 hours. Fourteen (14) High Peaks down; 32 to go.

August 30, 2009 - Porter & Cascade Mountains

Only one year removed from her horrible lightening encounter on Buck Mountain, Ally decided that she was ready to head back out on the trails and wanted to climb her first high peak. Jack suggested Cascade, since it was the easiest hike with a good view (plus the shortest trip back to the car in case we had to cut it short). There were torrential rains the day before, but the morning looked promising and we got out the door by 6:00 AM. Unfortunately, both Sean and Otto elected to sleep in instead of coming along.

We made excellent time in the early going, and before we knew it we were at the junction to the trail for Porter Mountain. Ally recognized that no one else in the family had Porter as their first high peak, so in order for her to be different, she directed us towards Porter instead of continuing up Cascade. It was a good move, since a cloud had just come in, and the view on Cascade wouldn't have been very good if we had gotten there too early. By the time we made it over to Porter, the clouds parted and Ally got her first good view of the Great Range.

After enjoying a lunch of fresh banana bread (thanks Mom), we packed up and started the march back over to Cascade. Once we cleared the treeline and got near the summit, the wind really picked up and the temperature dropped at least 10 degrees. The view from the top was beautiful, although we had to huddle behind some rocks periodically to keep warm. Jack and Ally looked all over the summit for a letter box that we found last Summer, but to no avail. On the way back down, Ally announced that she was going to be a 46er. Also, I didn't have to worry about her keeping up with us; she and Jack were frequently stopping to wait for me.

July 24, 2009 - Saddleback & Basin Mountain

For the last day of our big hiking trip, we had originally planned to have an easy day; maybe walking up to Bushnell Falls and relaxing before we head back to civilization. However, Jack felt great and said that he would love to add another peak to his list and suggested that we head out to Saddleback Mountain. The trip up was reasonably easy, and we had a fun trip back up the Ore Bed Trail to the top. Finally, we had a great day with a beautiful view.

From that first peak, Jack felt like it would be a waste not to head over to Basin Mountain and conquer that as well. Since we had no time constraints, we headed in that direction. The trail was a little tougher than we thought, but we made it, even though it took us well over two (2) hours. It was worth it, as we had the best views of our entire trip.

After our accomplishment, we were still faced with a serious walk back to the JBL before our long trip back to the car (and dark). We made decent time, but it was a very long day. As soon as we got to the lodge and strapped on our gear, the skies opened up and we were treated to "biblical" rain during our trip to the car. We had an OUTSTANDING few days, and can't wait to go back.

After our hikes, we went to watch Aunt Kate compete in the Lake Placid Ironman. She did OK, but it has to be a lot easier when you're not hoofing it over boulders, cliffs, and roots. The third day's hiking was well over twelve (12) miles total, and took almost 12 hours. Thirteen (13) High Peaks down, 33 to go. That's over 30 miles and seven (7) High Peaks in three (3) days. Not bad.

July 23, 2009 - Gothics, Armstrong, Upper Wolf Jaw, & Lower Wolf Jaw

The main event of our JBL trip was to climb the mountains in the Northern end of the Great Range. After our unplanned Big Slide climb the day before, we were a little sore but we had a great breakfast and got an early start up the Ore Bed Trail from the JBL. There was a threat of rain all day, but regardless of the forecast, we pressed on.

The trail was great fun, and the trip up Gothics was challenging and exciting. We got to the summit without any rain, but there was only cloud and fog once we go to the top. Undeterred, and after having a little lunch, we marched off towards Armstrong. We got a treat about the same time we got to the second summit; the clouds parted and we got a really nice view.

The trail over to Upper Wolf Jaw was pretty wet; between the wet foliage and the puddles, we got drenched. However, the rain held off and we made it in a little over an hour. Our reward was that the view held out and we could still see a lot of the mountains in the region.

By this point, we were getting tired and we were starting to worry about making it back to the JBL in time for dinner. However, our goal was to also make it over to Lower Wolf Jaw as part of the loop, so we pressed on. We made it to the top (took a lot longer than we anticipated), and just in time for the skies to open up and force us to hustle back to the JBL in time for dinner.

I think we passed out at about 9:00 PM from our biggest hike yet, and easily slept through the night. The total hike was over nine (9) miles and took about 9.5 hours. Eleven (11) High Peaks down; 35 to go.