many more pictures here.
Showing posts with label backpacking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label backpacking. Show all posts
skylight - #44
we are only one dayhike away from becoming 46rs after this weekend's backpacking trip. we spent three days camped at flowed lands and climbed mt skylight. so many people say this is their favorite high peak and after seeing the summit on a clear day i can understand why.
many more pictures here.
many more pictures here.
successful none the less.
perhaps it was the amount of time since our last backpack. perhaps it was the declining frequency of our gym visits. perhaps it was an over ambitious plan. perhaps it is the nature of aging. i don't recall when post-trip expectation switched from muscle aches to joint pain.
regardless, our backpacking trip was shortened by one day and one mountain peak. (poor skylight, we just keep shirking you! this time it was due to a trail-less behemoth named allen mountain-trip report to follow in a separate post).
we started from the upper works trailhead outside of newcomb on independence day. it's the first time we have hiked this trail in a few years and the re-routing caused by hurricane irene is obvious. the calamity brook trail, some of which is newly cut, now follows the north side of the brook for the beginning portion. one of my favorite suspension bridges was washed away. i feel fortunate to have gotten some pictures of it to refer back to.
we headed for a campsite off of flowed lands that is new to us and a bit out of the way. it turns out that the livingston point campsite was the highlight of the trip. livingston point is on the east shore of flowed lands, 0.6 miles from the junction of the calamity brook and hanging spear falls trails. it initially climbs up above flowed lands only to descend back to water level. it seemed clear that the trail and the camping areas saw much less use than other sites in the vicinity.
just prior to arriving at the camp area, we passed a fresh pile of bear scat in the trail. it seems this was nature's foreshadowing as that bear, apparently a mama with three cubs, visited our bear-proof food canisters early on the second morning of our adventure. our food was safe but our neighbors across flowed lands were not so lucky. we heard them banging pots and calling, 'hey bear' for quite some time around dusk. crossing paths with a DEC officer on the trail out, we learned that that group had left juice and cooking dishes out, a big no-no in the eastern high peaks.
we chose to take the campsite rather than the leanto due to its proximity to the water and also because of the view. much of the time not on the trail was spent staring out over flowed lands towards mt marshall, iroquois peak, algonquin and mt colden. there was orange hawkweed growing throughout the campsite. we were visited by all types of birds and a brave little chipmunk. there were also tons of little, tiny baby frogs hopping around.
no one else came through the livingston point camps the entire time we were there and the leanto remained vacant. we enjoyed two nights without the need for a rainfly, caught the sunset and saw the stars.
despite the aching hips and knees, we covered 27 miles and had one of the most memorable adirondack backpacks in recent memory.
regardless, our backpacking trip was shortened by one day and one mountain peak. (poor skylight, we just keep shirking you! this time it was due to a trail-less behemoth named allen mountain-trip report to follow in a separate post).we started from the upper works trailhead outside of newcomb on independence day. it's the first time we have hiked this trail in a few years and the re-routing caused by hurricane irene is obvious. the calamity brook trail, some of which is newly cut, now follows the north side of the brook for the beginning portion. one of my favorite suspension bridges was washed away. i feel fortunate to have gotten some pictures of it to refer back to.
we headed for a campsite off of flowed lands that is new to us and a bit out of the way. it turns out that the livingston point campsite was the highlight of the trip. livingston point is on the east shore of flowed lands, 0.6 miles from the junction of the calamity brook and hanging spear falls trails. it initially climbs up above flowed lands only to descend back to water level. it seemed clear that the trail and the camping areas saw much less use than other sites in the vicinity.
just prior to arriving at the camp area, we passed a fresh pile of bear scat in the trail. it seems this was nature's foreshadowing as that bear, apparently a mama with three cubs, visited our bear-proof food canisters early on the second morning of our adventure. our food was safe but our neighbors across flowed lands were not so lucky. we heard them banging pots and calling, 'hey bear' for quite some time around dusk. crossing paths with a DEC officer on the trail out, we learned that that group had left juice and cooking dishes out, a big no-no in the eastern high peaks.
we chose to take the campsite rather than the leanto due to its proximity to the water and also because of the view. much of the time not on the trail was spent staring out over flowed lands towards mt marshall, iroquois peak, algonquin and mt colden. there was orange hawkweed growing throughout the campsite. we were visited by all types of birds and a brave little chipmunk. there were also tons of little, tiny baby frogs hopping around.
no one else came through the livingston point camps the entire time we were there and the leanto remained vacant. we enjoyed two nights without the need for a rainfly, caught the sunset and saw the stars.despite the aching hips and knees, we covered 27 miles and had one of the most memorable adirondack backpacks in recent memory.
oh, hi there.
happy july to you all. it's hard to believe that summer has only just begun. it seems that the vegetable garden and the flowers are so much further along than usual. it also seems that every spare moment of time has been filled with some task or activity.here is an abbreviated list of some recent happenings:
•we put new floor in the kitchen and pantry.
•we celebrated adam's 35th birthday at one of our local favorite restaurants, bistro tallulah.
•a gloriously uneventful day was spent on lake george.
•i unexpectedly learned of the death of a client of more than seven years in a sudden and unexplained way.
•i made a small effort to restart written correspondence.
•two new recipes made it into the repertoire: honey habanero tofu and carrot cake cookies.
•i updated my illustration website a wee bit.
•we spent a relaxed day catching up with friends, being charmed by their children, and floating around glen lake.
•and finally, we're getting our packs ready for the first backpacking trip in quite some time. we have four days in the backcountry lined up with the goal of hiking both allen mountain and mt skylight.
(whew, no wonder i'm tired.)
saddleback and basin.
after completing my jury service, catching up at work and having a disappointing wedding photographer issue, a multi-day walk in the woods was a welcome escape.
leaving crosbi at home, adam and i left from the garden trailhead on friday morning. a short walk later, we arrived at the ore bed camping area. although no one was in the lean to, we chose to set up our tent up the hill for privacy. the lean to and tent sites are adjacent to a small slide at the base of upper wolf jaw. we spent much of the first day exploring the slide, it's trickling stream of water and mossy rock waterfalls. it was reminiscent of a japanese garden.
the next morning we left camp at 8:30 to hike saddleback and basin mountains. after two hours of steep climbing up the ore bed trail, we summitted saddleback around 10:30.
i had anticipated and mentally prepared for a grueling day as the common lore says the hike between saddleback and basin is more of a sketchy climb than a hike. i can honestly tell you that the "sketchy" part is very small, perhaps about 175 yards. i was ready to be "climbing" for the whole mile in between the two mountains, when in actuality the climbing portion is only a little stretch immediately after descending the summit of saddleback. it is certainly a climb and not a hike, and we were glad to have left the dog home. crosbi is nimble, but at 5 foot 4 inches tall, i had to stretch for hand and foot holds in places.
after the short scramble, we hiked the beautiful trail on the col between the mountains, somewhere along the way losing adam's sunglasses and summitted basin around 11:45. the views from basin are spectacular as you can see all of the adirondack high peak royalty close up; haystack, marcy, colden and algonquin.
we rested for almost an hour, eating lunch and snapping pictures. on the return hike to saddleback, adam found his sunglasses hanging from a tree and i suffered some elbow scrapes after not having an appropriate foot hold climbing down a rock face. we covered the mile in about an hour and after another short break on the summit of saddleback, we were back at camp around 3:30.
this was probably the most rewarding trip and the best weather we have had on an adirondack backpack this season, if not in the last few years. not a drop of rain, allowing us to sleep without the rain fly both nights. there were few to no bugs and almost no mud on the trails. even more surprising, no one else camped at the ore bed site the whole weekend, leaving us to have the area to ourselves. an all around perfect trip.
38 high peaks down, 8 more to go!
leaving crosbi at home, adam and i left from the garden trailhead on friday morning. a short walk later, we arrived at the ore bed camping area. although no one was in the lean to, we chose to set up our tent up the hill for privacy. the lean to and tent sites are adjacent to a small slide at the base of upper wolf jaw. we spent much of the first day exploring the slide, it's trickling stream of water and mossy rock waterfalls. it was reminiscent of a japanese garden.
i had anticipated and mentally prepared for a grueling day as the common lore says the hike between saddleback and basin is more of a sketchy climb than a hike. i can honestly tell you that the "sketchy" part is very small, perhaps about 175 yards. i was ready to be "climbing" for the whole mile in between the two mountains, when in actuality the climbing portion is only a little stretch immediately after descending the summit of saddleback. it is certainly a climb and not a hike, and we were glad to have left the dog home. crosbi is nimble, but at 5 foot 4 inches tall, i had to stretch for hand and foot holds in places.
38 high peaks down, 8 more to go!
positive outcome!
i wanted to share a quick update about the missing hiker i mentioned in my previous post.
although i was frustrated to not find any information online, i was graciously contacted by the missing hiker's brother. he sent me an email after finding the blog post on the web.
here's some of what he wrote:
"they found him safe!!! but hungry and tired at duck hole in the afternoon on sunday [my note: duck hole is over 4 miles from the original tent site near the bradley pond lean-to]. he was looking for a tent site and got lost with nothing but the clothes he was wearing (shorts and short sleeve polypro tee shirt). he waited out the rain from about 3:30 sat. afternoon and overnight under a big rock in the drainage going towards duck hole. he is diabetic and takes insulin but apparently his lack of eating and lack of insulin offset each other. he followed the stream down hill and got on the trail to duck hole and wound up there where the helicopter found him on sunday."
what an amazing story! thank goodness for the positive outcome! it will certainly make me think twice about dropping my pack to look for a better tent site!
although i was frustrated to not find any information online, i was graciously contacted by the missing hiker's brother. he sent me an email after finding the blog post on the web.
here's some of what he wrote:
"they found him safe!!! but hungry and tired at duck hole in the afternoon on sunday [my note: duck hole is over 4 miles from the original tent site near the bradley pond lean-to]. he was looking for a tent site and got lost with nothing but the clothes he was wearing (shorts and short sleeve polypro tee shirt). he waited out the rain from about 3:30 sat. afternoon and overnight under a big rock in the drainage going towards duck hole. he is diabetic and takes insulin but apparently his lack of eating and lack of insulin offset each other. he followed the stream down hill and got on the trail to duck hole and wound up there where the helicopter found him on sunday."
what an amazing story! thank goodness for the positive outcome! it will certainly make me think twice about dropping my pack to look for a better tent site!
one step at a time.
adam, crosbi and i are back home and in "recovery" from a backpacking trip into the trail-less santanoni range of the adirondacks to hike couchsachraga, santanoni and panther peaks. we stretched what some hikers do in a day into a three day trip.
we left camp around 8:00 the next morning to a sky that was grey but bright. we anticipated rain and were (of course) prepared. we arrived at the cairn marking where the herd path to times square began shortly after leaving the tent site. after a little over two hours of climbing, we arrived at times square. choosing to hike couchsachraga first due to it's furthest distance from times square, we headed up and over it's multiple false summits. summitting couchie at 12:30, we snapped a few pictures and moved on. it was obvious at this point that there would be no sweeping panoramic views on this hike as it was completely overcast.
on the way back to times square it began to rain and would continue to do so, on and off, for the remainder of the day. without much in the way of a break, we moved onto santanoni, summitting around 3:00. by this time, all of us were feeling tired but there was no time for rest. crosbi's feet were beginning to bother her from the relentless mud and she took any opportunity available to lay down.
again, we returned to times square and turned to the final mountain, panther. gladly, we saved this one for last as there is little elevation to gain from times square. we summitted and turned to go back to camp around 4:30. the climb down from times square was excruciating on the knees. we were so glad to see the cairn marking the herd path's intersection with the marked trail!
returning to camp around 7:00, we were surprised to see so many tents having been set up while were were gone! we wound up sharing our site with a couple who had packed in that evening, planning to do our exact trip the following day.
in the morning, we wished our camp mates a safe trip but only after learning some disconcerting news. apparently, two gentlemen hiked in the day before and upon arriving at the santanoni lean-to camping area, they dropped their packs to look for a good tent site. one of the men returned to the packs, but the other did not. on our hike back to the truck, we passed DEC rangers and heard helicopters coming in to start a search for the missing man. we were questioned but could offer no real assistance. the worst part is that the missing hiker is apparently diabetic and left his medicine in his pack! i keep checking the internet to see if i can find out what the outcome is, but i can't find anything.
other than the sobering moment regarding the missing hiker, we had a great albeit very exhausting time. three more high peaks in the bag, bringing us to a grand total of 35!
leaving from the trailhead to duck hole around 10:00, we hiked to our intended tent spot near the santanoni lean-to. while the distance to the campsite was just under five miles, it took us over three hours to get there. once you leave the gravel road, the entire trail is completely muddy. the ADK guide called it "unrelentingly wet" and that is almost an understatement. 
at times the "trail" was actually a stream which was preferable to the times that it was just acres of boot sucking mud. the hike in (with loaded backpacks) was a non-stop game of "where's my next step". if you guess your step incorrectly, you're going to sink up to your shin (or higher!) in thick mud. after setting up camp, we relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and went to sleep early to prepare for the long day ahead.again, we returned to times square and turned to the final mountain, panther. gladly, we saved this one for last as there is little elevation to gain from times square. we summitted and turned to go back to camp around 4:30. the climb down from times square was excruciating on the knees. we were so glad to see the cairn marking the herd path's intersection with the marked trail!
returning to camp around 7:00, we were surprised to see so many tents having been set up while were were gone! we wound up sharing our site with a couple who had packed in that evening, planning to do our exact trip the following day.
it's not the heat, it's the humidity.
to me, it's hot outside.
did i mention we don't have air conditioning?
remember, i live in upstate new york...on purpose. this weather is sapping the little bit of motivation i have. almost everything seems difficult to the extent of being impossible. anything that touches me is likely to trigger great discomfort or potential violence.
in light of those negative affirmations, here are some positive things for you to read:
•due to a gross miscalculation on my part (hold on...it's really going to be a positive statement), i realized that we have actually hiked 32 of the 46 adirondack high peaks. somehow three peaks (south dix, dial and nippletop) got lost in the shuffle. i never claimed to be very good at math, but figured i would have kept better track of something like this. we're currently planning a backpacking trip and if the weather holds out, we'll be bagging three more peaks. that 46r patch doesn't seem so far off after all.
•i'm starting to narrow down the design for my shoulder tattoo. if you're interested you can check out the first color draft over here. please give me feedback if you feel so inclined. i am open to any suggestions; except perhaps those that include unicorns, rainbows or tribal/chinese characters.
•i am actually running on the treadmill at the gym. i was strictly confining myself to the elliptical and the stationary bike due to my hip injury. i am now running about 4 miles each gym visit. i am starting to add some incline and hope to be able to maintain a 6 mph pace soon.
any positive news to share on your end?
no rain.
we spent a perfectly relaxing, rain-free couple days at inman pond. i can't remember the last time i slept in a tent without the rain fly on, let alone been able to remain mud free for days!
it was a perfect choice for a stress free, no-brainer backpack. the trailhead is 30 minutes drive from our front door and within one hour's packing, we were making camp. from there, it was just lazing in the sun, watching nature, reading books, drinking red wine and enjoying the silence.
adam said it best when he declared, "if this doesn't clear your space, i don't know what will".
we tested out our meal dehydration skills, to good results. why i have never considered bringing hummus mix or tortillas backpacking is a mystery. it's so much cheaper, and in most cases, more delicious to make your own backpacking food! now i have to work to "perfect" some basic recipes. i see less salty, more healthy backpacking meals in my future!
i was surprised at how few people we encountered during the three days we were there. my suspicion is that it's a "locals" haunt. there were four groups of day hikers and no overnight visitors, which meant we had the place to ourselves each night. what a gift!
a day early, a mountain short.
it never fails, the first backpacking trip of every season teaches me a little more about humility and priorities. the former being that i am not, nor every will be, a super day trip warrior. the latter is that i hike mountains for the joy and redemptive quality of being in the backcountry. no badge or moniker will be my motivation for pushing past my limits.
we left friday and drove two hours to tupper lake for the coreys trailhead into the seward mountain range. three hours and 5+ miles later we arrived at our tent site near the ward brook leanto. the ward brook trail was mainly level with some serious muddy areas, but the time was due to all of my trailside backpack strap fiddling.
after a full night of rain, we left camp saturday morning to hike seward, donaldson and emmons. the loop was probably under 9 miles, but it took us twelve hours. the mud was legendary (especially between the peaks on the ridgeline) and the scrambling was pretty intense (especially on seward). anyone with knees would think this was a challenging hike.
at the end of the day, we hiked seward and donaldson twice and (thankfully) emmons once. by my calculations, including all the accents and descents, that's 5,630 feet of elevation changes. the weather held out and was mostly sunny the whole day, although this had little affect on the extra mud created by the previous night's rain. there were views at each of the peaks and along the ridgeline, but none were without obstruction. due to the difficulty of the hike and the incessant blood sucking insects, we took significantly fewer photos than usual. an unexpected find was a memory box hidden atop of seward as a memorial to a boy named jon (1998-2006). the pictures and family messages on the outside of the box had me in tears.
suffice it to say, we decided that we would not summit any more mountains this trip. if you looked at me, you would have thought i ROLLED back down seward; bruises, cuts and insect bites. we were both battle worn and tired. we hiked out on sunday, choosing to leave seymour for a later day hike (with crosbi).
we left friday and drove two hours to tupper lake for the coreys trailhead into the seward mountain range. three hours and 5+ miles later we arrived at our tent site near the ward brook leanto. the ward brook trail was mainly level with some serious muddy areas, but the time was due to all of my trailside backpack strap fiddling.
after a full night of rain, we left camp saturday morning to hike seward, donaldson and emmons. the loop was probably under 9 miles, but it took us twelve hours. the mud was legendary (especially between the peaks on the ridgeline) and the scrambling was pretty intense (especially on seward). anyone with knees would think this was a challenging hike.
at the end of the day, we hiked seward and donaldson twice and (thankfully) emmons once. by my calculations, including all the accents and descents, that's 5,630 feet of elevation changes. the weather held out and was mostly sunny the whole day, although this had little affect on the extra mud created by the previous night's rain. there were views at each of the peaks and along the ridgeline, but none were without obstruction. due to the difficulty of the hike and the incessant blood sucking insects, we took significantly fewer photos than usual. an unexpected find was a memory box hidden atop of seward as a memorial to a boy named jon (1998-2006). the pictures and family messages on the outside of the box had me in tears.
suffice it to say, we decided that we would not summit any more mountains this trip. if you looked at me, you would have thought i ROLLED back down seward; bruises, cuts and insect bites. we were both battle worn and tired. we hiked out on sunday, choosing to leave seymour for a later day hike (with crosbi).
keepin' it low pro.
•nothing of much consequence has happened this week. you can call it apathy or laziness if you want, but i'm gonna say it's "resting up". we're going backpacking on friday and plan to hike the four high peaks in the seward range. 'nuff said.
•we went to our friend's restaurant, The Long Horn on Lake Vanare yesterday. great "adirondack" ambiance, AND they have a veggie burger on the menu. they're still waiting on a liquor license (since february!), but once they get it, they'll be serving dinner in addition to breakfast and lunch.
•i've been dehydrating this weekend; food that is. this is my first test run making backpacking food. we'll be bringing commercially prepared stuff just in case i totally farked this up, but we'll also be eating baja burritos made by moi. here's a shot of some shriveled up cabbage...doesn't it look...well...shriveled? hopefully it'll taste better than it looks.
•we went to our friend's restaurant, The Long Horn on Lake Vanare yesterday. great "adirondack" ambiance, AND they have a veggie burger on the menu. they're still waiting on a liquor license (since february!), but once they get it, they'll be serving dinner in addition to breakfast and lunch.
•i've been dehydrating this weekend; food that is. this is my first test run making backpacking food. we'll be bringing commercially prepared stuff just in case i totally farked this up, but we'll also be eating baja burritos made by moi. here's a shot of some shriveled up cabbage...doesn't it look...well...shriveled? hopefully it'll taste better than it looks.
wandering home.
i just finished Bill McKibben's, Wandering Home. granted, i didn't "read" it, instead i listened to it on audiobook. i figure it still counts...anyway, the book is a travelogue of the author's backpack from his home in the green mountains of vermont to his home in the adirondack mountains of new york. he walks with different folks along the way and tells stories of the places he passes through.
he touches on the similarity and differences between each side of lake champlain, the struggle of land use issues and the meaning of wilderness. all of this with a hiking theme!!!
i've read Bill McKibben's books before, but i have to say that this is by far my favorite one.
a short backpack. a long story.
for our first backpacking trip of 2008 we decided to re-hike a high peak and try to grab a new one.
you see, we want to (eventually) get our 46'r patch. we aren't commandos though, and still want to enjoy the journey. i love the adirondacks and am mindful to not focus on the numbers.
adam and i started hiking together very quickly after we started dating in 2002. i had been hiking the high peaks and backpacking for a few years before we met, so i had to "introduce" him. luckily for our relationship, he was quickly hooked on the adirondacks also.prior to this trip, adam and i had hiked 22 of the 46 high peaks in the adirondacks. the problem is, we started hiking high peaks before we felt the need to become official 46'rs and we didn't document our hikes very well. it wasn't until the summer of 2004, and our hike up phelps mt., that i started journaling our trips. so that meant we would have to re-hike five high peaks to officially have them count towards our 46'r journey.which brings me back to this trip. even though i had hiked mt marcy twice and adam once, we picked it to re-hike for 46'r documentary purposes. gray peak is a trail-less bushwhack, but very near mt marcy. we figured we'd pick this one up as well, which would bring our count to 23 a piece. not to forget about our awesome dog, crosbi; she had not hiked either mt marcy or gray, so her total would be 11 peaks after this trip.
07.11.08: DAY ONE. THE HIKE IN.
we started from the upper works trailhead around 7:30 AM after an hour and a half drive from home. we opted to sleep at home rather than camp at the trailhead to savor one last night of bed sleep.
many other backpackers had signed into the register before us and were also going to basecamp in the lake colden area.
as usual, i couldn't help but notice the bear warning signs. this year there was an extra twist though, as they made note of the bear canister failures from 2007. we currently carry two bear canisters, each of different brands. our newest canister, made by Bear Vault, is the brand that has failed. awesome.
the day was overcast and humid, which isn't preferable for carrying a 35-45 pound pack full of stuff, but we managed to hike the calamity brook trail into lake colden in about three and a half hours.
we set up camp just as it started to rain, cooked some lunch and took a glorious nap. upon waking, the rain had stopped and the sun was just peeking out. we were visited by two different rangers that day at camp. each was looking for our bear canisters, which are now required by law in the eastern high peaks. the second ranger noted that the bears were at lake colden just the night prior and had taken another backpacker's bear canister. he told us to place a bunch of pots and pans on top of the 'weak link' canister. that way, if a bear made an attempt to break into it we could hear the clatter, get up and "scare him off".
with those thoughts in our heads, we sipped some tequila, ate dinner and went to bed.
07.12.08: DAY TWO. GRAY, MARCY and TESTS OF SANITY.
woke up after a great night of sleep, with no noticed bear activity. had breakfast, pumped some water and got back onto calamity brook trail around 8:30 AM.
the day was great; mostly sunny and around 85 degrees. it was still humid, but you can't have it all. the trails were very muddy and i was glad to have my gaiters.
drizzle woke adam up around sunrise and he secured the rain fly. we woke up again around 9:00 AM to the sound of heavy rain and the realization that our tent was in a depression in the ground. simply put, we were flooding. a frenzied tent move in the pouring rain and a damp discussion on the unlikely prospects of improved weather followed. it was decided that we would pack up and hike out.
after waiting for the rain to let up, we loaded our soggy gear and got on the trail a little after noon. the rain held off for the next hour or so, but then unleashed it's fury. we hiked in the pouring rain for two hours. the trails were first muddy, then flooded. it was so uncomfortable that it was funny. i mean, when you stop to pee and pull soaking wet underpants back on, you either laugh or go crazy. we stopped avoiding water; simply because it was impossible to not walk through puddles and our feet were fully saturated anyway. adam noted, "it feels like my boots are filled with cottage cheese". quickly followed by, "some cottage cheese would be good right now".
we kept ourselves sane by thinking of the delicious, fresh meal we would prepare once we got home.
(if you are curious...we decided on nachos with refried black beans, vegetarian meat sauce, guacamole and all the fixin's)
you see, we want to (eventually) get our 46'r patch. we aren't commandos though, and still want to enjoy the journey. i love the adirondacks and am mindful to not focus on the numbers.
adam and i started hiking together very quickly after we started dating in 2002. i had been hiking the high peaks and backpacking for a few years before we met, so i had to "introduce" him. luckily for our relationship, he was quickly hooked on the adirondacks also.prior to this trip, adam and i had hiked 22 of the 46 high peaks in the adirondacks. the problem is, we started hiking high peaks before we felt the need to become official 46'rs and we didn't document our hikes very well. it wasn't until the summer of 2004, and our hike up phelps mt., that i started journaling our trips. so that meant we would have to re-hike five high peaks to officially have them count towards our 46'r journey.which brings me back to this trip. even though i had hiked mt marcy twice and adam once, we picked it to re-hike for 46'r documentary purposes. gray peak is a trail-less bushwhack, but very near mt marcy. we figured we'd pick this one up as well, which would bring our count to 23 a piece. not to forget about our awesome dog, crosbi; she had not hiked either mt marcy or gray, so her total would be 11 peaks after this trip.
07.11.08: DAY ONE. THE HIKE IN.
we started from the upper works trailhead around 7:30 AM after an hour and a half drive from home. we opted to sleep at home rather than camp at the trailhead to savor one last night of bed sleep.
many other backpackers had signed into the register before us and were also going to basecamp in the lake colden area.
as usual, i couldn't help but notice the bear warning signs. this year there was an extra twist though, as they made note of the bear canister failures from 2007. we currently carry two bear canisters, each of different brands. our newest canister, made by Bear Vault, is the brand that has failed. awesome.
the day was overcast and humid, which isn't preferable for carrying a 35-45 pound pack full of stuff, but we managed to hike the calamity brook trail into lake colden in about three and a half hours.
we set up camp just as it started to rain, cooked some lunch and took a glorious nap. upon waking, the rain had stopped and the sun was just peeking out. we were visited by two different rangers that day at camp. each was looking for our bear canisters, which are now required by law in the eastern high peaks. the second ranger noted that the bears were at lake colden just the night prior and had taken another backpacker's bear canister. he told us to place a bunch of pots and pans on top of the 'weak link' canister. that way, if a bear made an attempt to break into it we could hear the clatter, get up and "scare him off".
with those thoughts in our heads, we sipped some tequila, ate dinner and went to bed.
07.12.08: DAY TWO. GRAY, MARCY and TESTS OF SANITY.
woke up after a great night of sleep, with no noticed bear activity. had breakfast, pumped some water and got back onto calamity brook trail around 8:30 AM.
the day was great; mostly sunny and around 85 degrees. it was still humid, but you can't have it all. the trails were very muddy and i was glad to have my gaiters.
we made it to lake tear of the clouds around 11:30 AM. here is where we found the cairn marking the official start of the bushwhack up to gray peak. adam hurriedly pumped more water as the black flies were savage and neither of us had our head nets.
it's very difficult to describe how awful and maddening black flies are unless you experience them personally. all things considered, they are tiny and very poor flyers. but they make up for this in their numbers and sheer commitment to drinking your blood. black flies will hover until they find a deet-free spot on your clothing. from there they will latch on and crawl until a spot is found to bite. you probably won't feel them bite, but you will later find a bloody spot, which will soon become inflamed and will itch like the seventh level of hell. oh, and don't forget the incessant buzzing and the fact that they get in your ears, nose and eyes. if you stop or slow down, they will find you.
lake tear of the clouds seemed to be where all of the black flies in the entire world are born...
the trail up gray peak was steep and required a bit of scrambling, but was over in less than a half hour. we summited around 12:15 PM and had fantastic views south and west.
we could see mt marcy from our perch and decided not to go back down the way we came and summit marcy by the marked trail. instead we agreed to venture on the unmarked, herd path from gray peak to mt marcy.
to summarize that next hour, we experienced an epic struggle with miniature, high altitude hardened evergreens and blood sucking insects. none of the trees were taller than five feet, but were so dense that you could not see your own boots. the "path" was less than six inches wide and easy to lose; mostly because you couldn't see it through the shin-scraping, eye-poking trees. anytime you stopped to find your way, the insects found you and forced you to quickly move on. there was lots of swearing and getting our packs snagged on branches. i will be unable to wear a skirt to work for some time; lest people think i like to be hit with switches across my thighs. although adam isn't worried about not wearing skirts, he did lose his kershaw knife somewhere during the battle of the gray peak trees.
we did eventually find our way above tree line on the shoulder of mt marcy. it was a quick, but steep jaunt to the summit, arriving at 1:30 PM. it's never lonely on the top of mt marcy and there were many others sharing our experience. we cooked a meal, mended our blisters and let crosbi savor a quick nap after her first summit of the highest peak in new york state.
we agreed that attempting to summit mt skylight was out of the question for the day and got back to camp by 6:15 PM. after a refreshing 'bath' in the opalescent river, we had dinner, again drank tequila and went to bed.
07.13.08: DAY THREE. THERE IS NO DRY. ONLY WET OR GO HOME.
sleep was not so great due to a tent-hogging dog and an aching hip flexor.
it's very difficult to describe how awful and maddening black flies are unless you experience them personally. all things considered, they are tiny and very poor flyers. but they make up for this in their numbers and sheer commitment to drinking your blood. black flies will hover until they find a deet-free spot on your clothing. from there they will latch on and crawl until a spot is found to bite. you probably won't feel them bite, but you will later find a bloody spot, which will soon become inflamed and will itch like the seventh level of hell. oh, and don't forget the incessant buzzing and the fact that they get in your ears, nose and eyes. if you stop or slow down, they will find you.
lake tear of the clouds seemed to be where all of the black flies in the entire world are born...
the trail up gray peak was steep and required a bit of scrambling, but was over in less than a half hour. we summited around 12:15 PM and had fantastic views south and west.
we could see mt marcy from our perch and decided not to go back down the way we came and summit marcy by the marked trail. instead we agreed to venture on the unmarked, herd path from gray peak to mt marcy.
to summarize that next hour, we experienced an epic struggle with miniature, high altitude hardened evergreens and blood sucking insects. none of the trees were taller than five feet, but were so dense that you could not see your own boots. the "path" was less than six inches wide and easy to lose; mostly because you couldn't see it through the shin-scraping, eye-poking trees. anytime you stopped to find your way, the insects found you and forced you to quickly move on. there was lots of swearing and getting our packs snagged on branches. i will be unable to wear a skirt to work for some time; lest people think i like to be hit with switches across my thighs. although adam isn't worried about not wearing skirts, he did lose his kershaw knife somewhere during the battle of the gray peak trees.
we did eventually find our way above tree line on the shoulder of mt marcy. it was a quick, but steep jaunt to the summit, arriving at 1:30 PM. it's never lonely on the top of mt marcy and there were many others sharing our experience. we cooked a meal, mended our blisters and let crosbi savor a quick nap after her first summit of the highest peak in new york state.
we agreed that attempting to summit mt skylight was out of the question for the day and got back to camp by 6:15 PM. after a refreshing 'bath' in the opalescent river, we had dinner, again drank tequila and went to bed.
07.13.08: DAY THREE. THERE IS NO DRY. ONLY WET OR GO HOME.
sleep was not so great due to a tent-hogging dog and an aching hip flexor.
drizzle woke adam up around sunrise and he secured the rain fly. we woke up again around 9:00 AM to the sound of heavy rain and the realization that our tent was in a depression in the ground. simply put, we were flooding. a frenzied tent move in the pouring rain and a damp discussion on the unlikely prospects of improved weather followed. it was decided that we would pack up and hike out.
after waiting for the rain to let up, we loaded our soggy gear and got on the trail a little after noon. the rain held off for the next hour or so, but then unleashed it's fury. we hiked in the pouring rain for two hours. the trails were first muddy, then flooded. it was so uncomfortable that it was funny. i mean, when you stop to pee and pull soaking wet underpants back on, you either laugh or go crazy. we stopped avoiding water; simply because it was impossible to not walk through puddles and our feet were fully saturated anyway. adam noted, "it feels like my boots are filled with cottage cheese". quickly followed by, "some cottage cheese would be good right now".
we kept ourselves sane by thinking of the delicious, fresh meal we would prepare once we got home.
(if you are curious...we decided on nachos with refried black beans, vegetarian meat sauce, guacamole and all the fixin's)
EPILOGUE:
while it may seem that this was a horrible experience, it was not. it certainly won't rank in the top ten backpacking trips, but it was none the less a good time.
we are already planning our next trip, but are going to leave upper works and the calamity brook trail alone for a bit. we will never, ever again camp at that site at lake colden even if were assured that it wouldn't rain.
and we will always bring our head nets.
while it may seem that this was a horrible experience, it was not. it certainly won't rank in the top ten backpacking trips, but it was none the less a good time.
we are already planning our next trip, but are going to leave upper works and the calamity brook trail alone for a bit. we will never, ever again camp at that site at lake colden even if were assured that it wouldn't rain.
and we will always bring our head nets.
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