For 2019 my climbing partner and I decided to commit to a full five days in the Adirondacks (vs the two trips we did in 2018).
I put together an ambitious 15 peak plan starting with hiking out to the John’s Brook Lodge on Monday then summiting Big Slide Mountain. Tuesday’s plan was to traverse the entire Great Range. Wednesday we would hike out and go do Cascade and Porter, then go to Lake Placid for a recovery evening at a hotel. Thursday was to be an early departure for the trail-head to Elk Pass where we would set camp then climb Colvin and Blake. Friday would be a hump over Nippletop and Dial on the way back to the car for the trip home.
The first logistical hurdle would be getting to the Garden trail-head to get to the Lodge. The Town of Keene has the road to the Garden parking lot closed due to bridge repair and is only offering a shuttle service from Marcy Airfield on Rt 73 during the weekends. Fortunately the ADK Club provides a shuttle service for Lodge users so Brian and I departed Western NY at 0330hrs and made the parking lot around 0930hrs. The shuttle was waiting for us and we started our adventure.
From the trail-head is was about a 3.5 mile, relatively flat and dry (for the Dacks) hike into the John’s Brook Lodge.
The John’s Brook Lodge is a…well…Lodge…in the middle of the valley between Big Slide Mountain and the Wolf Jaw Mountains. It’s a comfortable place to make “home” while you explore the surrounding peaks. The Lodge operates in two different “service seasons”, Full Service and Caretaker Service. During Full Service you get meals included with your stay. During Caretaker Season you have access to the kitchen to prepare your own meals (you just have to clean up after yourselves).
We reserved two beds in one of the 4 man rooms. The lodge has two four man rooms and two ten person rooms. Each ten person room has a washroom with running water and “vault toilets” (essentially an indoor outhouse) that are accessible to all guests.
After we settled our gear into our room we geared up for the hike up Big Slide. Big Slide Mountain is the 27th highest peak of the High Peaks at 4199″. It was about 2.5 miles from the Lodge and the weather was fine.
After returning to JBL (the Lodge) I made a Hamburger Steak, Sweet Potato and Green Bean dinner with Sam Adams to wash it down (Yes, real food. The advantage of a full kitchen.). We went to bed early for the long day ahead of us on Tuesday.
The forecast was for rain overnight with anticipated clearing over the following day. We had planned on a 0300 wake-up but decided to play it by ear based on what it was doing outside. A light drizzle was a “go” but a downpour was a “no-go”.
It poured all night long.
Around 0600 it had stopped raining so we had breakfast and set out, but our traverse of the Great Range had to be significantly altered. The plan now was to do Saddleback, Armstrong, Gothics, Upper Wolf Jaw and Lower Wolf Jaw.
It took us a little while to get on our way. The volume of rain overnight had swelled all the waterways and the trail across the Ore Bed Brook was impassible short of a soaking wade across. We decided to backtrack to the suspension bridge near the Ranger outpost and then began the ascent of Saddleback.
The weather was cool and somewhat windy. The wind was blowing the clouds along and there were patches of blue sky appearing and disappearing. For the most part there was no rain. Fortunately most of the clouds were above 4000′ so there were still views from the heights unless a low cloud blew over you.
The ascent up Saddleback was the typical “boulder staircase steep” stairmaster workout. Crossing over streams (passable higher up) and some “slabby” parts till we broke out of the trees to a long stretch of slab that lead to a long wooden staircase.
Maybe a quarter mile up from the stairs the trail hits the intersection for Gothics and Saddleback. The weather got windier and grayer and after some more climbing we made it to the top of Saddleback Mountain. 4,528′.
We returned to the Gothics/Saddleback intersection where my climbing partner decided that, due to the worsening winds and the prospect of the “Gothics Cables” that were ahead, that he was going to descend. I decided to continue on solo.
From the intersection, the ascent up Gothics was mostly semi-steep slab walking till you emerge from the trees into the cabled section of the climb.
The cables are actually pretty sketchy. You can see that over the years they have been snapped and re-tied to the pitons. The last section was only the rubber sleeve of a cable that stretched and contracted with each pull.
After the cables I was on the summit approach, which was all bare rock and slabs. The views from the summit were awesome, even in the windblown overcast conditions.
I descended the col between Gothics and Armstrong, which was pretty steep and made my way up Armstrong Mountain for High Peak #17.
The col between Armstrong and Upper Wolf Jaws was also pretty steep…
The climb up Upper WJ was easier than the descent from Armstrong and I was rewarded with a clearing sky and increasing temperatures when I reached the summit.
My descent from Upper WJ was marked with a couple of slips and falls, resulting in a bloody scraped shin.
When I reached the trail intersection for Lower WJ and the return to the Lodge I decided to return. I had seen no other humans in the mountains all day and the additional time to summit lower would have pushed me into the hours of approaching dusk. I would have pushed it if someone else was with me and could go for help if I twisted an ankle or broke a leg but the prospect of spending an injured night alone wasn’t appealing. I will have to return to the area in the future for other summits anyway.
I returned to the Lodge and found that a group of 10 Canadian women had descended on the place. They had brought in enough food to feed a veritable army and provided Brian and I with dinner…for which we returned the favor by washing the dishes. After an evening of conversation around the wood stove we went to bed.
The following morning (Wed) we hiked back to the Garden parking lot and met the shuttle van for our return to the Marcy Airfield Lot.
From the parking lot we departed for the Cascade and Porter trail-head. It was a crystal blue day, and warm.
For all the solitude at JBL, we had the polar opposite at Cascade/Porter. The closeness to the road, the short trail length to the summit(s) and the relatively easy ascent make Cascade and Porter one of the most popular beginner High Peaks hikes.
The short hike does make for a steep ascent. Not too far from the trail-head it’s nothing but “boulder staircases” through the woods. Nothing technically difficult but its up-up-up.
Not much to add about the climb, it was an easy ascent and the views from Cascade were an amazing 360 degree panorama. Someday I want to get up there and watch the sunrise.
Cant do Cascade without grabbing Porter Mountain too. A mile out and you reach the summit. There’s a 180 degree view there.
The reward for three days of climbing was a night in Lake Placid at the Crowne Plaza Hotel where we grabbed a shower, did some laundry, drank some beer, then ate a great burger and did a stroll through town. I soaked my legs in the hotel hot tub for a while then grabbed some sleep in a real bed.
The weather for the rest of the week was mixed. Rain was the order of the day for Thursday and Friday so I made a change to the Dial, Nippletop, Colvin and Blake plan. Those peaks are known for mud and not too stellar views as it is. If we were gonna hump it through the rain I figured I’d rather do something else. We still needed to visit Mt. Colden.
So…after breakfast we drove out to the Adirondack Lodge (different Lodge from Johns Brook) and hiked out to the Avalanche Pass Lean-to where we pitched our hammocks and set off onto the Arnold Lake Trail for the summit of Colden.
We were actually spared the rain and the weather was more like Tuesday’s. Windy, with a passing sprinkle, clouds, broken clouds, a streak of blue.
The Arnold Lake trail was “the typical”. Boulders, going up. 1.5 miles to Lake Arnold…
…then another 1.5 miles up to the summit. I have to say that I found the hike quite pleasant. Enough physical exertion to feel an accomplishment, but not so technically difficult after three previous days of climbing.
When going up the Lake Arnold trail to Colden you hit a “false summit” the higher peak to your left as you come out onto it is the actual peak. While I was standing on the false summit I saw a small creature sitting on the rock. I was very close, and it didn’t seem to see me and wasn’t moving. I wondered if it was injured. But I was downwind from it so I figured it just hadn’t winded me yet. As I withdrew my phone it spotted the movement. I was able to snap this photo of an American Pine Marten before he ran off.
Now there was nothing for it but to cross the col between the false summit and the peak. Even though it looked like it was going to be additional mileage, it was actually a pretty easy down-up assisted by ladders and stairs.
I made my way up to the Colden summit and started looking for the “actual summit”…the highest point…to see if there was a benchmark. On Colden you have to look for a trail up into the scrub-pine that goes up onto a boulder. There you will find the hole where the marker used to be.
They’re not many views from the marker so I went down to the Avalanche Lake side of the peak to take in the views. I could hear voices getting closer and could hear people bushwacking through the pines. Out on a boulder I spotted some movement and what do you think I saw? A Pine Marten!
I don’t know if it was the same Marten from the false summit that possibly followed me, of if it was a different one. I don’t know what sort of territorial range they have. But there he was. These were the first wild mammals I have ever seen on top of my 21 High Peaks and I thought it was pretty cool.
The voices turned out to be a couple who climbed up the Trap Dike from Avalanche Lake then bushwacked to the summit. I think their bushwacking may have been what pushed the Marten from cover onto that rock. I chatted with them for a while and took in the views.
I took my leave of my trail acquaintances and started back to camp. The sun suddenly broke out and the skies cleared into a beautiful day. By the time I got back down to Lake Arnold I had to “layer down” to short sleeves and drink some water. I met up with the couple from Colden who were descending down the same trail and had an enjoyable chat with them all the way back to camp. Even though I love the Adirondacks for the wilderness, I find meeting the people out there almost as enjoyable. So far, everyone of them have been friendly and open and interesting to talk to.
Back at camp I took a nap. We decided to cook dinner and get to sleep early with a plan to pack up at 0200 hrs and hit the trail back to the car by 0300.
The pack hump back early Friday morning was wet and dark but the hike kept us warm.
From there it was just the drive back home. 8 peaks. Total of 21 for me now.
Leave a comment