A week in the High Peaks: 7/16-22: part 1

[SherpaKroto]

I finally had the opportunity to spend a full week (ok, 6 1/2 days) in the High Peaks, and really made the most of it...

Pictures HERE - part 1

7/15 - Day 0: Left Boston AT 3:00 and sat in traffic, staring at my building for an hour, finally getting on the road at 4:02. I had gotten some excellent info on the best driving route and pulled in to Upper Works at 8:50. Not bad at all. Sat with Ed (ADK4487) in the parking lot through intermittent rain until Lyle (crazymama) showed up around 11:00. Man, that beer tasted great!

7/16 - Day 1: Swimming Marshall. Woke to a dreary day, with a forecast for rain. As we geared up, Carol (Daxs) drove in, and our merry band of walking wounded were ready to head out. We finally got on the trail at 7:40, joined quickly by the rain. The walk to Flowed Lands went quickly, and soon we were headed toward the herdpath for Marshall on Herbert Brook (11:25). This is one beautiful way to climb a mountain! The path mostly follows Herbert Brook in one long cascade for most of the route's length. I've never seen a cascade go so long and uninterrupted, and really enjoyed walking along it's length. Needless to say, we got a bit wet. Eventually we started to veer left toward the true summit, reaching it at 1:25. The only views to be had on this day was of 4 shivering backpackers. Needless to say, our stay was quite short. On the return, I commented that it looked like the brook had risen a bit, and we found this to be true. Not bad, but any pretense to stay dry soon ended. The descent went well despite the water, but Carol slipped once and I actually saw her bounce when she hit the rock. That's gonna leave a mark! We reached the start of the herdpath at 3:15 and decided that a quick stop at one of the Lake Colden leanto's would be a good spot to wring out our socks. We had quite an interesting set of feet - mine were dubbed Ghost Feet! Not much to say about the rest of the day. It was wet, we didn't stop much, and we finally settled in to our Feldspar leanto at 6:15 where we met up with Michel. Mike and Jim were also sharing the leanto with us, so it was full house at the inn. The worst section of trail was between Flowed Lands and Lake Colden, but was not too bad.

7/17 - Day 2: Gray Skylight over Marcy. Woke up feeling great. I decided that since Arm was coming in on Sunday and wanted to do Cliff/Redfield, I'd go back to my original plan to tackle Gray/Marcy and Skylight. Ed was most gracious and agreed to join me. Carol, Michel and Lyle were planning Cliff, and possibly Redfield, but we had heard that Redfield was extremely wet with all of the rain so it was PIBE (play it by ear). Warren came in as we were getting ready, having stopped at Uphill the night before, and was headed to Tabletop, returning to Feldspar to spend the evening with us. Ed and I headed off at 8:30. The trail is in excellent condition and a very moderate climb. We were soon at the Gray HerdPath at 10:10. It's easy to spot, at the outlet of Lake Tear, marked by a cairn in a large patch of moss. After a short break, we headed up the well trodden path and found that everything was still very wet. Soon we were again soaked, but the path is not long, and we reached the summit at 11:05. The clouds appeared to be lifting a bit, and we were blessed with some limited views. I was hoping that we'd get some from Marcy and Skylight! Ed scouted the bushwhack route to Marcy and decided that it was too darn wet to use it. We took a few summit shots, and then headed down, reaching 4 Corners at 12:19. Not much else to say about the Gray path - it's fun, rather direct, and a nice little change from the trail hiking on this day.

We soon set off for Marcy, and I was full of anticipation. The ankle was holding together, and Ed's herniated disk(!) did not seem to be slowing him down much. As we climbed, the clouds were lifting, and we were getting quite a few good views. Ed was great at helping me pick out the mountains that were so new to me. I was like a kid in a candy store - the more we climbed, the more the High Peaks showed themselves. We ran into Dave - the infamous VFTTer who recently climbed both Katahdin and Mt Washington on the same day. Quite a feat indeed. My guess is that he is an aspiring HighPointer since we now met him on Marcy. On the way up the final cone, we saw a group of 6 on Haystack. I remembered that Hillman was making his bid for 46er recognition on this day, and waved a hearty congratulations his way. I had previously decided that Haystack might be my 46th, and looking across, knew it was a great one to finish on. We reached the summit at 1:35, and found quite a few folks lounging around. We spotted a nice spot away from the crowds, and I looked in awe at the Great Range laid out before me. I am slowly getting better at recognizing the peaks from the pictures I've seen, but nothing can compare to seeing them all right in front of you. I commented to Ed that it looks like God just threw them up. They are so different from the Whites where I grew up. I was nearly salivating at the thought of climbing them all! Ed pointed out many sites that were apparent to his trained eye, but hidden to mine. I really enjoyed the time we spent sitting there. Unfortunately, thunder was soon heard, with a sheet of rain coming our way, so we looked at each other and knew that Skylight was calling. We passed the summit Steward who was anxiously looking at the seemingly unconcerned 27 other summitters, nodding as we passed. On the way down, I asked Ed if the little knob that we crossed had a name. Ed did not think it did, so I dubbed it "Sherpa Nubble" . I jokingly told him that I was going to petition the Governor for official status (Note: it is Schofield Nubble, but will always be Sherpa Nubble to me). We met a few more folks on the way down, but the backside of Marcy does not see nearly as many hikers as the Tourist route. As trails go, this one was a blast, and highly recommended. We were back at 4 Corners at 2:40, and immediately headed up to Skylight: weather was coming.

The trail to Skylight has little in the way of mystery: it goes up. It is nice to look over your shoulder as you climb, seeing Marcy rising behind you. I had been carrying a rock since we left Feldspar that morning, and finally convinced Ed to carry one also, reminding him that I still had 6 days left to hike, and needed good weather!. The higher we climbed, the more clouds we saw coming over Marcy. It seemed that they were mostly behind us, but as we crested we saw them gathering behind Skylight also. Our stay would be shortlived, and the anticipated weather was headed our way. A few hasty shots, and we were scurrying down off the summit. As we descended, we saw firsthand why Marcy/Tahawus is known as the Cloudsplitter. The storm was breaking neatly right around us, with the clouds parting to spare us it's worst. We had no sooner sunk below treeline when we heard the first of many thunderclaps on Skylight's summit. We also ran into quite a few people coming up the trail to the summit. One particular guy asked us what we thought about Gray, never waited for our answer, commented that it was a waste, and proceeded to tell us that he had climbed 18 of the High Peaks. Ed admirably kept his count to himself. As we were out of ear range, I said to Ed that Gray's big brothers and sisters wouldn't like those words. Sure enough, about 15 minutes later, just about when he should have been reaching the summit, we heard the loudest of the many thunderclaps that day. I suspect that Skylight was more memorable for him than Gray. We were back at 4 Corners at 4:00, and soon set off. For some odd reason, I got a second wind, and felt great. I had another great day, and actually thought I might have a chance at reaching the summits of all 10 High Peaks that I had planned for this trip! I reached the leanto at 5:10 with Ed shortly behind me, another great day in the books. We all compared notes and I was pleased to hear Carol and Lyle both say that Cliff is a much maligned summit, actually a lot of fun to climb.

...part 2 follows below...

 

[SherpaKroto]

A week in the High Peaks: 7/16-22: part 2

...continued...

Pictures HERE - part 2

7/18 - Day 3: Holden on Colden. Finally - an easy day! Lyle would be headed to Skylight, and Carol was off to Redfield. They are both on pace to finish this year, and these were part of the weekend's goals. Warren needed to get back to the city, and he was headed out, likely passing Arm on his way in. Ed again decided to join me on Colden (one of his favorites), so we settled on a very civil 9:15 start for a relatively short dayhike from Feldspar. Ed soon was moving at a pace that I knew would test me, but knowing that the day was short, I did my best to keep up. Fortunately, this pace did not continue, and we settled into a pace that could be described best as leisurely . We ran into one gentleman who looked a bit ragged on the trail, commenting on how muddy his approach from Lake Arnold had been. We brightend his day by telling him truthfully that the mud lessened significantly in another 100 feet or so. He was headed to Skylight (which I believe was his 45th). We reached Lake Arnold at 10:22, and met 2 hikers who told us they were climbing Colden. They asked me how much longer to Lake Arnold, and Ed said they just passed it. They didn't appear to believe him, and continued on (I'm starting to think we don't look much like hikers!). A few minutes later we ran into the rest of their group who yelled to them and convinced them that they had missed the turn. Ed and I headed up, but were soon passed by this group. We were having a great time taking in the sights, and were in no real hurry to get anywhere. As we climbed, I'd ask Ed if that was the summit ahead and would get a "We'll see" for a response. It is an intreresting route, with many "we'll see's" along the way. We reached the false summit at 11:30, and were met with fantastic views of Avalanche pass, Wallface, and the McIntire Range. I asked Ed if that was the true summit to our left, and you know Ed's response . After a fairly stiff, but short climb, we reached Colden's magnificent summit. Easy to see why Ed loves this one so much! It was a bit unnerving to realize that one small slip would be fatal here as the ledges drop off thousands of feet beneath you, down to the lakes below. We had a quick meal talking with a few guys who had stayed at Lake Colden the previous night and could not believe the bear activity. All but one bear bag had been taken from the cables. Unfortunately, it was not theirs that remained, and their trip was cut short. Just about this time, my stomach decided that granola was not a great breakfast choice, so I told Ed I needed to get going. We had stayed on the summit for nearly an hour, so it was time to head out anyway. The more I went, the worse I felt. Finally, I said I can make it 10 more minutes. Ed had a good chuckle when we reached Lake Arnold's privy again looking at his watch: 9 1/2 minutes after I said that. I emerged 10 minutes later, feeling about 30 lbs lighter. We took a few pictures by the Lake while chatting with some of the guys we had met earlier. On the return to Feldspar, we again ran into the guy that we had met early in the day. He was on his way back from Skylight,had a great day, and told us that all he had left was Cliff. He was smiling broadly, and seemed a different man than we had met in the morning. A day in the mountains does that for you. Our leisurely stroll ended at 3:45, and we found that Lyle and Carol also had similarly great days on Skylight and Redfield respectively. Happy hour was soon to commence! We were well into our parting night revelry when around 9:00 a very soggy Arm made his way into camp. He looked the part of a long day as he had also climbed Marshall on the way in, but had a later start then we had, so less luxury of daylight. We had a few laughs, got him comfortable and settled in, and soon all of us did the same.

7/19 - Day 4: Mud, Blowdowns, Cliffs and Redfields. Arm and I said our good byes to Lyle and Carol, who were headed home after a successful peakbagging trip, and to Ed who was just here to play tour guide to our motley crew. We knew from Carol and Lyle that we were looking at no more than an 8 hour day, so we took our time getting geared up. Arm's ankles had gotten chewed up on the way in from the damp conditions, so a bit of trailside first aid was needed. We set off at 9:15, and were on the Cliff herdpath at 10:00 (we originally planned to do Redfield first, but found ourselves on the Cliff path, so kept on). Sometimes all the planning in the world doesn't overcome the exuberance of a hike, and we found that when we stopped off at Uphill, we caught the Cliff herdpath instead of Redfield's. I was thinking over Mavs' excellent notes as we waded through the mud and blowdowns. I'll eventually learn... Cliff was a blast to climb! We headed up the very interesting herdpath, through the blowdown fields, up the cliffs, across the false summit, and its many confusing false paths. "When in doubt, head left!" kept ringing in my ears, and we found that to be true. After climbing over, under, around and through some interesting terrain, we reached the true summit at 11:15, meeting 2 young ladies that were on a 46er quest of their own. One was nearing the completion of her 111ers (a list Arm and I are both working on) and had just completed the NEHH - to our knowledge, the first person we've met to have done both. We had a nice lunch, caught some fairly decent views, took summit photos, and headed down. Down was a lot tougher than up to me, but we were a lot better about following Mavs advice, dumping ourselves on the Redfield path at 1:00, avoiding the worst of the mud (Thanks Tim!)

The Redfield path is an absolute joy to climb! It mostly follows Uphill brook, dropping you on some beautiful pools and cascades along the route. We both found it to be a fairly tough climb after Cliff in the morning, but a nice contrast to Cliff's rugged path. It seemed to be taking a long time to reach the summit, but we reached it at 2:30, so 90 minutes was a very fair time for us. There is a nice large boulder to climb and relax on, taking in a great view of Allen and Skylight. We spent over an hour on Redfield's summit, and it is a beautiful spot to do so! We headed back down, meeting the boys from Uphill on the way (we later found that they had done Gray, Skylight, Cliff and Redfield that day!), and stopped at a beautiful pool where Uphill Brook and a small tributary converge. We didn't rush while pumping our water there and I was feeling pretty happy with myself: 7 summits in 4 days! Soon back on the trail, we ran into Ron (of ronandjon) and Scoutmaster Tom on the trail. Ron had had a rough day on Cliff and mentioned that the iodine that Tom was using was not agreeing with him. He happily accepted our offer to pump with our pump, and some good rehydration did wonders. We parted ways, but I felt bad for not inviting them to spend the night at Feldspar (apologies guys!) with us (they were headed to Avalanche Camp). We reached Uphill at 5:00, and Feldspar at 5:30. time to put those beers in the stream! Ron had told us about some bear tracks around our leanto, so I was looking intently for them, So much so that I didn't see the overhanging tree that I walked into, putting a nice gash in my head. Arm did his best not to laugh, nearly succeeding. The beers were going to taste real good.

7/20 - Day 5: Up and out. No sense rushing - we had all day. Arm's ankles had gotten worse during yesterday's hike, so I offered my NB's for his hike to Gray, the only High Peak summit left to him in that area. He decided that it would be better to wrap his feet and stick with the Montrails. I had a Coban wrap that I gave him, and we both hoped it would do the trick. I slowly packed, chatted with the folks who came in, and waited for his return. I didn't want to overdue it as I had a few big days ahead of me. Arm was back at 11:00, and we made final preparations for the hike out. He knew it would be a long, painful one as his ankles were at the bleeding stage. We set off at noon on a nice easy pace. Thoughts of cheeseburgers at Schroon Lake flowed through our heads as we walked the trails toward Upper Works. It was truly a long hike out. Temps were a lot warmer (80's) than they had been, and it was humid. Stopping was no relief as the mosquitos were out in force. It was destined to be a slog. Fortunately, the scenery is beautiful, so I spent a good amount of time taking pictures to pass the time. Arm put on a good face, but his body language told the real story - his feet were hurting. We took our time, took many breaks, enjoyed the scenery and reached Upper Works at 6:30 and 7:00 respectively. I knew later just how bad Arm's feet were when I a) saw them, and b) heard him tell me how he drove solely with cruise control We drove off to Schroon Lake and found a FANTASTIC Pub with great food and beer. Flanagan's Pub, directly across from Stewarts - highly recommended if you are looking for a good casual place to eat in that area.

...part 3 follows below...

 

[SherpaKroto]

A week in the High Peaks: 7/16-22: part 3

...continued...

Pictures HERE - part 3

7/21 - Day 6: The Santanonis - you gotta get up to get down! Solo section, and it started with my toughest day. No hiking partners to motivate me, and that was on my mind. I got up at 5:30, packed a light pack, and set off 30 minutes behind another couple who were planning the triad as a dayhike. At 6:45, I was off, feeling great. It was already in the upper 70's, and the forecast was for the high 80's. It was thankfully drier than past days (but very humid), and I reached the true trailhead at 7:17. I had seen no one on the trail but didn't really expect to, as it was Wednesday. The trail was as described, and steepened, getting rougher a bit as it climbed. I reachd the herdpath, but decided to continue to the Bradley Pond Shelter, through what I dubbed the "Bradley Mud Run". When I reached the shelter at 9:30, I found 5 other backpacks, and placed my pack on the side. I knew I'd be beat when I got back and hoped my bunkmates were nice folks! At 9:47, I started up the herdpath, and immediately lost it. I backtracked about 20 feet, found it again, and from there it was smooth sailing. The path goes up some nice territory, shaded by the Panther ledges. I got a bit spooked as I walked past them, thinking of the recent slide in BSP. I passed the now illegal campsite (there are many legal options nearby) at 10:30, and continued upward. The trail heads up Panther Brook and I remembered the notes regarding water above this section (heed that advice well!!!). I pumped what I believed to be plenty: 4 liters, and continued upward. At noon, I reached what I believed to be Times Square. There is a "TS" on one tree, and many markings on others (Note: This is NOT Times Square). The mind does not always process information well when the body is tired, so I headed straight (as did others there at the same time), though later when reviewing why I went wrong, the map was clear. This path led me into some thick spruce, and I thought "this can't be right". I met my bunkmates, who were having no better time of it, and they decided to skip Couchie. Another group of 3 show up, adament that I was at Times Square, and the path that I took was indeed the Couchie herdpath. They headed off, and I did not see them for the rest of the hike. I figured I should take out the map again and get a good compass bearing to see where I was. It was obvious that I was north of where I wanted to be, so I backtracked back to the false "TS", looked at my map (from AdirondackJourney), and it was painfully obvious what I missed. I immediately took the path to the left, and reached Times Square in a minute or so. Couchsachraga's herdpath beckoned, and I was buoyed with adrenaline as I started to descend. And descend. And descend. It was never thick, but the thought of climbing back in 80+ degree temps started to play on my mind. I ran into the couple that I met at the trailhead earlier in the day, and they said I had about 45 minutes to the summit. They looked as tired as I did, but still were going strong (this would be #43-45 for them, leaving only Allen). They mentioned that I was wise to do the rough ones first. I reached the knoll in the middle of the route and cross the bog (damn the torpepoes - full speed ahead!) (Note: I can't remember if the bog comes before the knoll or after - I think after, but my mind is trying to forget!). Eventually, at 1:56 I was at what I thought was the summit. No sign - this couldn't be it, The view was great, though disheartening. I could see what I needed to climb. I turned around and did see the path heading further, and I saw the true summit (I hoped) through the trees. At 2:01, I saw the final boulder that AlpineSummit mentioned, and I had made it (Alpine: there is no chance that I will return within a month! Kudos!). It was indeed a quiet, wild spot. I really felt that I had earned this summit, especially knowing that I was only 1/2 way done. I was hoping to make it back to Times Square by 4:00 as I still had a goal of climbing all 3 summits, making it back to Bradley before dark. At 4:00, I was at Times Square, and off to Santanoni. I checked my water and realized that Couchie ate up 3 liters of it. 1 liter left with 2 summits to go. I again ran into the couple and they were doing well, now about 45 minutes ahead of me. I had surprisingly made up nearly an hour since our last meeting! Water was also a concern for them, and the hydration game played on. She mentioned that Santanoni has a few false summits, and I prepared myself for this. It is a good thing I knew about them but I still cringed as I reached each false peak, knowing I had one more. I check my altimiter as I climbed what I felt must be the true peak, and saw I was 50 feet short. Sure enough, there it was, another 300 feet further. I finally reached the summit at 5:26. Two down, 1 to go. Then I looked at Panther Peak, and it seemed a lifetime away. I knew that I needed to be off the ridge before 7:00, and hastened my traverse. I was down to 8 ounces of water, and planned to take half in the col, then the rest at Panther's summit. Off I went, reaching Times Square exactly at my 6:30 goal (to the second!), and Panther summit at 6:42. I had made it! I was completely drained, but happy. The lengthening shadows from each summit around me enhanced the beauty of my surroundings, and I was so satisfied with the day and week's hike nearly completed. I was truly exhausted, taking in my last 4 ounces of water and knew that I had to head down. It was a long walk to Panther Brook, and when I reached it, I put my filter together, pumping directly into my mouth. After about 20 pumps, I figured I'd better fill my platypus. I knew time was of the essence, and I hurried to fill it. Once rehydrated, I felt a lot better and the path rolled by. I stopped to get my headlamp on at 8:30, sang for the next 20 minutes, and stumbled to the leanto at 8:50, over 14 hours after I started. I decided I was too tired for dinner, unrolled my sleeping bag, and sacked out for the night. Realistically, and figuratively, I was done.

7/22 - Day 7: Down and Out! Woke up at 5:00, stayed in bed until 6:00. Still felt a bit dehydrated, but not bad. Weather was perfect for a hike out. Grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed out at 7:05. Took one last leanto shot, and felt great. How that happened after a weeklong trip I'l never know. Once out of the Bradley Mud Run, I started making good time. The trail was in superb condition, and I felt a lot better than I expected to feel after a week. My ankle held up, no new injuries, but a lot of bumps, bruises, scrapes and bites highlight the fact that I'd been in the woods. I ran into a couple of guys near the last bridge that were hiking the triad as a dayhike. When I tell them how long it took me, they looked a bit surprised (they noted the time posted by the couple I saw yesterday and thought it must be wrong: they got out at midnight). I wished them well, and continued on down. Eventually, I reached the road, and before long (and after a lot of bugs) I was back at my car at 9:20. One week gone, 10 summits planned, 10 summitted. A trip couldn't get much better than that!

A huge thanks to all who helped me in the planning, and particularly to those who joined me. Your help and company really made my trip. I spent most of the hike out thinking about what I was going to do for next year's weeklong trip. You got it - I'm definitely coming back for another one of these!

 

[Gris]

Good job. Sign me up for nex year, but only if I can hike in front...

 

[poison ivy]

Wow, Sherpa K, I am exhausted just reading about your adventures! Sounds like it was a terrific trip.

- Ivy

 

[mavs00]

Sherpa,

Sounds like you had a great trip. Sounds like you caught a little Adirondack fever too, Well....... you know what the only cure is . Seriously, It sounds like you had a great trip, I only wish I could have joined you for part of it. Let me know the next time you're coming up, I'll do my best to be there with ya.

That was us (Hillman's 46er train) on Haystack. There were actually 9 of us. you saw 6, but my two kids saw all those rocks up ahead and just started goin' at em. I went ahead with them to make sure they did fall off into Panther Gorgous (to borrow from Alpine).

Great report

 

[SherpaKroto]

Tim,
I caught Adirondack fever while on all 4s in the stream on the way to the Sewards over Christmas. No way I was going to let them get the best of me that easily!

I felt a great amount of redemption on this trip. It was as perfect as a trip can get, followed by a great week in Maine with Ms Sherpa. Just when I think life can't get better, it does

 

[MichaelJ]

Wicked awesome!

 

[hillman1]

Thats one of the greatest trip reports I've ever read. Let me know when you're coming back, I'd like to tag along for a hike or two.

 

[crazymama]

Enjoyed it!

Great report Sherpa...I had a great time, and hope to hike with you again.

Its amazing how your Santanoni experience mirrored mine...I did the peaks in the same order, and seemed to have the same thoughts in the same spots! We must have had a cooler day, as we didn't even come close to running out of water like you did.

CM

 

[SherpaKroto]

crazymama: Good to hear that your Santa trip went well. I know how happy I felt when I reached the leanto! It was 87 degrees in the valley the day I did that hike, humidity was fierce, as were the bugs. I was drinking like a man in the desert (and Couchie did look like a mirage ) I'm starting to have fonder memories of that leg of my hike, particularly the view of Santanoni Peak from the last false summit, and lying under the new Couchsachraga Peak sign. I really need to get my pictures up, but hiking keeps getting in the way! (Thurs: Moosilauke, Fri: Owl's Head)

I'm up for another ADK trip soon also! Keep me in the loop on your and Carol's progress. It would be cool to climb your 46th with you (I can't make Carol's if it's over 8/25 weekend)

 

[Rick]

Sherpa - Sounds like you had a great time.
Reading your reports - Especially about Herbert Brook on Marshall and the Sants brought back so many memories.
I recall the elation of being on Couchs and the "nothing can stop me feelin" now. Thanks for bringing back those memories!!!!!

 

[arm]

thanks for the hospitality at feldspar lean-to ... didn't get to hike with Ed, Lyle or Carol, but we got some good laughs in before crashing that night

thanks to SherpaK for hanging with me on the hike out ... that picture of me on Gray sums up how blistered feet had me hurtin'

enjoyed a great trip, despite the mud and rain

we were also treated to a very cool lightning storm (in the distance) while hanging out in feldspar lean-to after hiking Cliff and Redfield

 

[JimB]

Sherpa K, great trip report(s). It made me relive all of the peaks again as I read your details of not only the trails , but the feelings that they evoked. Lyle had invited me earlier to join all of you and it would have been great to see everyone again but I was getting ready for a 101 mile mt bike race which I completed on 7/24. It was almost as hard as doing the Santanonis in one day

 

[daxs]

Sherpa, reading your post made me break out my pictures again! What a fabulous weekend! I am sooo glad the boot sucking mud of the Bradley Pond trail did not engulf you and swallow you up. And of course you got to enjoy the mystique of Couchie.

I know I'll be hiking with you at the Catskills gathering. If you are around the weekend of 8/27-29 I hope to be finishing up in the Dix range. I have sufficiently bribed Ed to hike the Sewards and Allen with me...

 

[bubba]

Well, from an ADK perspective you're saving the best till last! Fine reports and enjoyable reading. Many great hikes are in front of you; hope to join you on some.

 

[Guinness]

Sherpa, it was good playing in the hills together. We had a great group and I will be looking forward to some more trips in the future. The weekend following your Santanoni adventure, crazymama, a new friend Nancy and I went to the Santanoni’s and spent a couple of nights surrounding a long day of hiking. The great times never cease. I'll be up there on August 14th to do something (it is nice to not have to “need” any peaks but to just go and play). Then off to the gathering at Spence's for 6 days. Carol and I will stay a few extra days for the Sewards and Allen.

See you in the hills,
Ed

 

[SherpaKroto]

Ed: I look forward to our next hike (as I do with Lyle, Carol, Arm, and Warren!)

BTW, I like your prehike style! Made for a nice end to the long drive up there, and a nice start to a great hike! Thanks!

 

[SherpaKroto]

Pictures are up!

Marshall, Gray, Marcy and Skylight
Colden, Cliff and Redfield
Santanoni Range

 

[JimB]

Great pics. Did you bring your own sign for Couchsacraga? When I was there a month or so ago it only had a tattered flag. That thing is HUGE