Adirondack High Peaks

The High Peaks are the 46 tallest mountains in the Adirondack Park of the great state of New York.  Originally thought to be the only peaks in the ADKs above 4,000 feet, erroneous measuring placed 4 mountains lower than the 4,000 mark on the list and left one at exactly 4,000 feet off.  The original list remains though and for the climbers that scale all 46 you gain admittance to the coveted 46er Club.

This page (and my 46er quest) are works in progress, so there's not a trip report for each climb yet.  Stay tuned though!

1. Mount Marcy
2. Algonquin Peak
3. Mount Haystack
4. Mount Skylight
5. Whiteface
6. Dix Mountain
7. Gray Peak
8. Iroquois
9. Basin
10. Gothics
11. Mount Colden
12. Giant Mountain
13. Nippletop
14. Santanoni Peak
15. Mount Redfield
16. Wright Peak
17. Saddleback Mountain
18. Panther Peak
19. Tabletop Mountain
20. Rocky Peak Ridge
21. Macomb Mountain
22. Armstrong
23. Hough Peak
24. Seward Mountain
25. Mount Marshall 
26. Allen Mountain
27. Big Slide Mountain
28. Esther Mountain
29. Upper Wolfjaw
30. Lower Wolfjaw
31. Street Mountain
32. Phelps Mountain
33. Mount Donaldson
34. Seymour Mountain
35. Sawteeth
36. Cascade Mountain
37. South Dix
38. Porter Mountain
39. Mount Colvin (Evil!)
40. Mount Emmons
41. Dial Mountain
42. East Dix
43. Blake Peak
44. Cliff Mountain
45. Nye Mountain
46. Couchsachraga

Big Slide Mountain

Peak: Big Slide
Distance: ~11 Miles
Trail Map


They commonly say that Big Slide has the best views in all of the ADKs, but at the time I started the hike I didn't give a damn.  Brian (aka Grizzly) and I set out that day to take on the third highest mountain the ADKs, Haystack.  When we arrived and passed a friendly Park Ranger who asked where we were headed he gave us a grim look and even grimmer news.  "You're pretty late in the day for Haystack!" he exclaimed.  "Do you boys have headlamps?"  Headlamps?!  We had no intention of hiking in the dark.  Luckily, from "The Garden" parking lot in Keene Valley there were plenty of other hiking options.  We opted for Big Slide.  A good choice given the fact Brian had a respatory infection...and was wearing jeans for some unknown reason.

After the first major ascent Brian's respitory infection (and stupid jeans) had caught up with him.  In between wheezing and panting strenuously he uttered the worst words he's ever mumbled in the High Peaks, "I don't think we can do this."  Kowing we'd both be furious if the day eneded there I begged him to make it to the top of the ridge and rest to think.  The ridge was breathtaking and Grizz soon forgot his woes.  It flattened out for a long bit anyway, so it let us take in the views and he could catch his breathe.

The climb up was a bit perplexing, seeing how we just kept making one quad-busting ascent after another and just kept getting nowhere.  The trail we took was called the Three Brothers Trail, little did we know the "brothers" were mountains, two mini subsidiaries and the tallest being Big Slide.  The climb would go from flat to near vertical the entire time.

By the time we got to the top we were a bit exhausted, but had no time to think about it because of our first major encounter with Black Flies, little nat sized vampires that feast on the flesh of the living.  I ate my lunch running in large circles to make it harder to get bit.  Unfortunately the flies were faster and must of have had a taste for dark meat, I got bit about a hundred times.  We took an alternative root down for some new scenery, this time the John Brooks Trail, which probably would have been a lot easier a climb up had we known, but no mind.  I wouldn't have traded those views for anything.

Mount Marcy to the far right and Haystack, our original target, in the center.

The Adirondack Upper Great range

In my humble opinion, this is the best hike in the ADKs.  It's a brutal 20 mile loop that takes the entire day and brings you over three gigantic peaks.  It's a true mountaineers dream, at least for those of those of us out East.  Brian and I started our trek at The Garden parking lot and headed towards Johns Brook Lodge on the Phelps Trail.  The morning was chill, but warming quickly and the air was crisp.  We stumbled into the Lodge just as those staying at the relatively primitive dwelling were lining up for breakfast.  We decided to sit down outside the lodge and have some breakfast of our own, primarily consisting of Cliff and Nutrigrain bars and a bit of Gatorade.

We didn't get the best nights sleep before the hike because our preferred campsite was filled with cyclists who were competing the next day in....something.  After a wild drive that brought us to the shores of Lake Champlain, we sat down to have to have some of the worst pizza in the state, washed down by water that tasted curiously like a lake.  We strolled through the small town we stumbled upon and got "hollered" at by some less than lovely young ladies.  I enjoyed it quite a bit, Brian decided to reveal that he has an irrational fear on country folks, even if they were only 19 and hitting on us.  We decided to sleep in Carla.  No, that's not one of the girls, it's my Jeep:

Once on the trail we marched and marched and marched and it never seemed to get any higher, but thats the trick to Haystack, you have to fight just to earn the privilege to start climbing it.  Haystack is one of the more remote mountains in the park, so much so we had never even seen its name on a trail sign while doing one of our other hikes.  When we finally got to the junction for the final push we were confronted with a 40 foot rock scramble that commenced the ascent.  It was one scramble after the next, then up and over Little Haystack, a small subsidiary peak before the main summit.  I had more fun climbing Haystack than any other mountain in the ADKs at the time.  The exposed summit, the endless scrambles, and breathtaking views made me feel like a true climber for once.  At the top we found out why they call this mountain "Marcy's Balcony"; it is the best view of Marcy in the park.  We were on the summit for just a few minuets before a father and daughter joined us, shouting what we have been dreaming of since we started, "46!"

Mount Marcy and Mount Skylight on the Left

Summit of Haystack

We lingered in the crystal clear day only a bit then went on our way.  We could see Basin perfectly from the enormous Haystack, the third tallest peak in the park, falling just short of 5,000 feet.  The ascent up Basin gave us some excellent views of what we just climbed and beyond.  Basin was a much wetter and muddier mountain than the rocky peak we just came from, but who doesn't like it a little dirty?

Haystack in all its glory.

Since Basin is a bit closer to major trails and other peaks its summit was crowded and much louder.  We came across a couple from Montreal who were also on their way to be 46ers, but they had the added bonus of getting engaged that day atop of Marcy.  After giving them a hikers hug (a momentary one-handed press while holding your breathe) we were on our way.  The last and shortest peak of the day was Saddleback.  We hadn't read up on the summit before we left so what we saw next was simply terrifying.  As a rule of thumb, the grade of an ascent (or decent) is hard to figure out at a distance.  Normally in the ADKs, that which looks very steep ends up being pretty mild when you get closer to it.  This was not the case on Saddleback.  The string of hikers on descent looked like they were repelling down a vertical skyscraper and sure enough thats what it felt like when we got there.

I was in my glory!  I love heights, I love scrambling, and I even love the terror of scaling steep sections. Brian, not so much.  As I was busy finding the most difficult scrambles I could find, Brian (terrified of heights) was genuinely unnerved.  I cooled my jets.  He got to the top and shouted a string of celebratory obscenities (hence the nick-name Grizzly).  Upon decent we came across a massive rock slide from years past that we had some fun running down.  After power hiking it back to the Jeep all we could think of was steak.  It was Brian's turn to pick a place to eat and he picked the Adirondack Steak something, something, across from the Olympic complex....don't ever eat there!  No mind though, we conquered half the Great Range.

    

The Colorado 14ers

If my quest to be a 46er is a work in progress, then my quest to be a Colorado 14er is a dream about a work in progress.  I've only taken on two 14ers so far and there's a staggering 53 of them.  My greatest outdoor adventure is planned for this summer though, a 100 mile traverse of the Sawatch Range, bagging 14 peaks along the way.  With any luck I'll be a 46er and about a third of the way to being a 14er, so stay tuned!

1. Mount Elbert
2. Mount Massive
3. Mount Harvard
4. La Plata Peak
5. Blanca Peak
6. Uncompahgre Peak
7. Crestone Peak
8. Mount Lincoln
9. Castle Peak
10. Grays Peak
11. Mount Antero
12. Torreys Peak
13. Quandary Peak
14. Mount Evans
15. Longs Peak
16. Mount Wilson
17. Mount Shavano 
18. Mount Princeton 
19. Mount Belford
20. Crestone Needle
21. Mount Yale
22. Mount Bross
23. Kit Carson Mountain
24. Maroon Peak
25. Tabeguache Peak
26. Mount Oxford 
27. Mount Sneffels
28. Mount Democrat
29. Capitol Peak
30. Pikes Peak
31. Snowmass Mountain
32. Mount Eolus
33. Windom Peak
34. Challenger Point
35. Mount Columbia 
36. Missouri Mountain
37. Humboldt Peak
38. Mount Bierstadt
39. Sunlight Peak
40. Handies Peak
41. Culebra Peak
42. Ellingwood Point
43. Mount Lindsey
44. Little Bear Peak
45. Mount Sherman
46. Redcloud Peak
47. Pyramid Peak
48. Wilson Peak
49. San Luis Peak
50. Wetterhorn
51. Mount of the Holy Cross
52. Huron Peak
53. Sunshine Peak

Hiking Scared: Slide Mountain

Ok, I wasn't scared, but hiking anxious didn't have the same ring.  As a rule of thumb hiking alone in wilderness areas isn't the greatest of ideas, there's no cell reception most of the time, no one to help in case of an accident, and the trails are scarcely traveled so no one will come across you for some time if you get injured.  On those marvelous notes, I decided to solo climb the highest mountain in the Catskills since Brian was working, Allie was sick, and I had the day off.  I've been so antsy to get outside I've been writing trip reports from old ADK hikes.  I got up a little behind schedule and was totally misty eyed for some reason; I'm normally pretty quick to shake off the morning dust.  I left in a hurry and forgot, well, everything.  I left the memory card for my camera, my phone charger, the directions and right about everything else of use.  I chose the Catskills because I wanted a short hike outside of the Adirondacks where I only hike with my Bears, unfortunately this meant I had no idea where I was going.  After taking the super long route through some beautiful mountain towns, I arrived at the Slide Mountain trailhead.

Slide is 4,180 feet tall, small by Adirondack standards, but it is actually the tallest mountain in the Appalachians between Virginia and Vermont.  The hike was supposed to be quick (5.4 miles roundtrip), fun, and easy, instead it was continuously unnerving.  Literally 20 feet into the trail I was confronted by a creek turned river due to the snow melt and rain.  I wanted to turn back, I wanted to find a bar and call it a day after a frustrating ride, but instead I waded through ice cold waist deep water and crossed onto the trail; I was instantly miserable.  My brand new Merrell Norsehound hiking boots were rendered worthless after the soaking, even after I dumped a pint of water out of each of them with frigid fingers.  Since it was my first solo hike I kept feeling like someone was behind me, a crazed hillbilly or a Lord of the Rings monster, but that feeling faded pretty fast.  I started to enjoy the hike quite a bit until I realized I forgot my memory card for my camera.  I didn't think of it much until the most cool/terrifying moment of the day.  I saw I was the only one on the mountain when I signed the hikers log, and could see the tracks from the sole hiker the day before.  When I got 2/3 of the way up I noticed the biggest paw prints I had ever seen, then quickly realized they abruptly started and stopped after 20 feet.  Bear!  I took a quick peak around me and bolted.  After coming to my senses I realized the print was melting with the snow around it, so it must of been a bit old, but nonetheless frightening and exhilarating all at once.

I reached the summit where I had no views as the day was cloudy with a winery mix.  I wanted to make good time back so I hustled quite a bit.  When I got back to the aforementioned creek, it had turned into a torrent of rapids.  There was 20 feet of water between me and my Jeep, and did I mention I cant swim?  This was probably the most freighting point of the day.  I knew I couldn't wait it out; the temperature was dropping and I was already soaked and freezing, so I bushwhacked about a quarter mile upstream until I found a narrow enough section to leap rock to rock all the way across.  It didn't work quite as planned when my last leap came up short and soaked me further, no matter, the Jeep was in sight.  After sitting in the warming car for a while I got a whole new appreciation for my hiking buddies, even if it was just to share the pain with.  I have more solo hikes planned, but it's nothing like when I have the crew.

Note the trail marker on the right and Jeep in the background.

The Adirondack Lower Great Range

Peaks: Sawteeth, Gothics, Upper Wolfjaw, Lower Wolfjaw and Armstrong
Distance: ~20 miles
Trail Map


Peak bagging: [peek bag-ing] verb; An activity where hikers summit multiple mountains in a single hike or overtime.
Peak bagger: [peek bag-gur] noun; One who engages in the act of peak bagging.

The ADK Great Range is so great in size (pun intended) that it can only be hiked in two separate trips.  The Upper Great Range contains a staggering five mountains in the chain, which can be summited on a twenty mile loop.  Me and the crew made the fateful decision to combine this hike with two more twenty mile loops over a period of three days, but more on that disastrous plot when I get to the Nippletop trip.  We took off from Johns Brooke Lodge off route 73.  The area is a bit bizarre to me because it houses the Ausable Club, a private organization of people who do.....well I don't think anyone knows but them.  However, you have to hike through their golf course, tennis courts, "clubhouse" (read mansion), and then down a private road (to another "clubhouse") before finally reaching the Arnold Weld Trail.  It all strikes me as a bit much for being nestlesd in the wilderness, but I digress.

The hike up the Weld Trail is as beautiful as it is brutal.  One of us had to use natures restroom, ran up ahead, then yelled "holy crap!"and sent the other two of us into a panic.  No, it wasn't a bear, just the first glimpses of the beautiful Rainbow Falls.  The waterfall was the last pleasurable part of the hike for a while.  The hike then turned into the most brutal one I've ever taken.  The grade of the trail was so steep that as some points we had to bear crawl up some of the exposed sections of rock.  With our thighs burning and sweat stinging our eyes we reached the first target of the day, Sawteeth.  It's a partially wooded summit so views were only mildly impressive, but it felt good to conquer our first target.

The decent to the col between Sawteeth and Gothics went quick, far quicker than actually getting to Gothics.  Gothics is the 8th tallest and most stunning mountain in the Adirondacks due to its large rockslide that gives it a gothic appearance.  It also has quite the ridge line too, with several false summits.  Since Gothics was Brian's and my 17th peak in the ADKs we continually yelled "17!", until we realized it was just another faux summit.  Around the third time around, we were finally there!  Gothics has 360 degree views that make you want to stay all day, but we had to get to Armstrong, number three for the day.  To tell you the truth, Armstrong is the least memorable mountain I've ever climbed, so much so I can't remember why it was so uninteresting, and with no photo evidence I would guess I dreamed the whole thing if I didn't need to climb it to get to the last two mountains.

Courtesy of Allie

Upper Wolfjaw was next on the list and by then it was break time.  After fighting the urge to sleep we took off for the last peak, Lower Wolfjaw, the lowest and most insect covered of the day.  We took in the limited views for a brief second while swatting at the late season Black Flies and were off again.  By the time we were closing in on the end of the loop we began to run out of water.  By the time we reached the end of the loop we looked like were in the backcountry for days and were ready for a beer....or 6.  It was a successful trip; 5 mountains, 20 miles, and many thousands of vertical feet gained in elevation, but the mountains demanded a sacrifice that was payed the very next day when we tried to repeat this task on another range, that's another story though.

Around the World on a Greyhound Bus

The circumference of the Earth is 24,901 miles.  According to my Greyhound Road Rewards (the frequent flyer equivalent for us Greyhounders), I've made 92 one way trips between Syracuse and New York City, 25,116 miles in 460 hours; take that Earth!  That's not counting the dozens of trips I've taken but forgot to sign into Road Rewards, nor the times I took Megabus (forgive me Greyhound).  All in all, I'm probably halfway to going around the world again.  And folks, when you spend that much time on a bus you see some things.

I've been on buses with no AC in August and others that had no heat in January; I've seen the soft orange glow of flames coming from the engine illuminate the walls of the Port Authority bus station as the bus belched thick smoke into the night air; I've fallen asleep on beautiful strangers who were too kind to wake me, and I have been fallen asleep on by more obese men to count; I've made friends with a Canadian mother taking the treacherous 12 hour ride from NY to Toronto to see her daughter for Xmas.  Another time I made a friend from Kentucky who offered to drive a complete stranger, dressed like AC/DC guitarist Angus Young, two hours out his way because they had missed their bus.  I've caught glimpses of Rhiana and Lady Gaga in Times Square while waiting for the bus to depart;  I've been hit on by homeless men, women, and cross-dressers; I've seen a driver jokingly state that our "coach" (never a bus) was heading express to Miami Beach and sent a Serbian couple into a panic.  I know the exact point to look right in the Delaware Water Gap and catch a glimpse of the Appalachian Trail, and the exact points to look up and catch the first views of Syracuse or the Manhattan Skyline.  I've devised ways to make sure I am the last person on the bus you would ever want to sit with, and also ways to not smell like the distinct funk the busses have when I get off.

I feel like the experience has made me tougher, my tolerance for aggravation has had to go up quite a bit in order to deal.  With grad school coming to an end though, so will my weekly trips to and fro; yippie!!!!  From there on out I'll ride when I need a lift to a trailhead someplace, but until then I have a few more months of the circus which is Greyhound, a circus I appreciate very much.  So I leave you with the words of my favorite driver:

"I hope you enjoyed the ride and have a pleasant day.  Remember to cover your mouth if you need to cough; no one wants your germs. Take care and God to bless."