On Saturday I joined Claire for her finish on Allen together with her friends Laurel, Rose, and Rebecca. According to Laurel, the Burnside book claims that so many people save Allen for last that it is known as the champagne trail. However that may be, it was certainly a day for celebrating a new 46R, being bright and sunny, and Claire provided not only the bubbly but even champagne flutes for pouring a round and hoisting our salute to her with a touch of class. After a dismal week of rain the Opalescent was high. We looked at the boulders near the site of the old bridge but they were too wet and the current too swift for a safe rock-hop so, being prepared with sneakers and/or sandals, we went back and crossed where we were supposed to. The entire trail and herd path were much muddier than on my other encounters with Allen and some of the quagmires on the path after the gravel pit had extensive new herd-path detours. The two brook crossings were just a bit tricky but really no problem. The trail after the waterfall was a running brook. Even when dry, the rock on Allen is slicker than on most Adirondack slides and it was even more so today. The view of Haystack from the lookout facing the Great Range is breathtaking, but I especially favor the panorama of Dixes from the other lookout, which has the added amenity of a couple of nice dry ledges to sit on. I suspect there are those who have climbed Allen and never seen that lookout, because it's only apparent after a short downclimb. We met about a dozen people coming and going, which is a lot for Allen. It's no tourist mountain.
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