Neil
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2004
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This was the hottest hike I ever did! It all started when I posted on a friend's thread that I would be careful (due to the intense heat) when I go and hike a HH peak. Antlerpeak showed interest and we settled on doing Moose and Mckenzie. Ha! The devil plays with the plans of moose and men don’t he? Antlerpeak couldn’t make the hike but since I had all the fresh beta I decided to go it solo. Well it sure felt like the devil himself was breathing down my neck on this hike.
This is a wonderful trip that I know I’ll re-do someday. Mavs00's advice (“do Mckenzie first”) was very well taken so after parking the car I headed south up the trail towards the McKenzie junction passing a great looking lean-to en route. Once on the McKenzie trail be ready for a typical ADK scene. Ie. the trail goes straight up for about a thousand feet. Normally this would not be a big deal but with the intense heat and the fact that I trained hard running uphill the day before forced me to take it real easy. In fact, I wore my heart rate monitor and whenever my pulse went over 130 I stopped and rested until it decreased. This was a smart move because if left to my own devices I went faster and the sweat poured off of me in buckets. I carried 3 liters of water and a liter of V8 juice and I knew it would be a long time before I could refill.
Anyhow, the views on top of McKenzie were pretty so-so due to the thick haze so I kept moving. The trail between the 2 M’s is one of the nicest I’ve been on in the ADK’s. So few hikers use it that it’s a faint whisper, often covered in greenery and very soft underfoot. You have to be vigilant or like me you’ll go off of it once in a while. I can’t emphasize enough how pleasant this trail is.
The heat was so intense that I hiked in my underwear and my synth t-shirt. I was soaked all day. The sweat trickled down my legs to my ankles in rivulets, it soaked my glasses’ lenses distorting my vision and it trickled into my ears. My power dry underwear and my shirt were drenched. My pack must have absorbed a liter.
After the descent off of McK. you gain altitude steadily as you make your way to Moose. I couldn’t believe how whacked I felt! Now, with what looked like minimal effort my heart rate soared and I felt totally spent. So I stopped to refuel and was instantly coated with flies. A hasty chunk of cheese, some triscuits and a huge gulp of chilled V8 was my lunch.
Slowly, I trudged up to the top of Moose where I stopped to snap a pic and eat some more. The flies coated me again so off I went after 5 minutes. On my way down I met a group of young hikers and their leader who were doing the same route in reverse except they had full packs! One poor camper’s face redder than anything I’ve ever seen..
Descending, I took the trail to Loch Bonnie which was a misteak. To get over to the Two Brooks Trail from the Loch you climb 150-200 vertical feet. You go through blowdown so today that meant climbing, fatigued in the scorching sun.
That was pretty well it. The rest of the trip was a lengthy and pleasant hike out to the car.
I carried a gps on this hike and it was particularly helpful in getting back to my car. I recorded a tracklog and if you want it just let me know.
The pictures are a click away.
This is a wonderful trip that I know I’ll re-do someday. Mavs00's advice (“do Mckenzie first”) was very well taken so after parking the car I headed south up the trail towards the McKenzie junction passing a great looking lean-to en route. Once on the McKenzie trail be ready for a typical ADK scene. Ie. the trail goes straight up for about a thousand feet. Normally this would not be a big deal but with the intense heat and the fact that I trained hard running uphill the day before forced me to take it real easy. In fact, I wore my heart rate monitor and whenever my pulse went over 130 I stopped and rested until it decreased. This was a smart move because if left to my own devices I went faster and the sweat poured off of me in buckets. I carried 3 liters of water and a liter of V8 juice and I knew it would be a long time before I could refill.
Anyhow, the views on top of McKenzie were pretty so-so due to the thick haze so I kept moving. The trail between the 2 M’s is one of the nicest I’ve been on in the ADK’s. So few hikers use it that it’s a faint whisper, often covered in greenery and very soft underfoot. You have to be vigilant or like me you’ll go off of it once in a while. I can’t emphasize enough how pleasant this trail is.
The heat was so intense that I hiked in my underwear and my synth t-shirt. I was soaked all day. The sweat trickled down my legs to my ankles in rivulets, it soaked my glasses’ lenses distorting my vision and it trickled into my ears. My power dry underwear and my shirt were drenched. My pack must have absorbed a liter.
After the descent off of McK. you gain altitude steadily as you make your way to Moose. I couldn’t believe how whacked I felt! Now, with what looked like minimal effort my heart rate soared and I felt totally spent. So I stopped to refuel and was instantly coated with flies. A hasty chunk of cheese, some triscuits and a huge gulp of chilled V8 was my lunch.
Slowly, I trudged up to the top of Moose where I stopped to snap a pic and eat some more. The flies coated me again so off I went after 5 minutes. On my way down I met a group of young hikers and their leader who were doing the same route in reverse except they had full packs! One poor camper’s face redder than anything I’ve ever seen..
Descending, I took the trail to Loch Bonnie which was a misteak. To get over to the Two Brooks Trail from the Loch you climb 150-200 vertical feet. You go through blowdown so today that meant climbing, fatigued in the scorching sun.
That was pretty well it. The rest of the trip was a lengthy and pleasant hike out to the car.
I carried a gps on this hike and it was particularly helpful in getting back to my car. I recorded a tracklog and if you want it just let me know.
The pictures are a click away.
