East side Spotted Mt. East Dix Bushwhack

[buddy]

Thinking about bushwhacking around on the east side of Spotted Mt. and East Dix. I've whacked up E. Dix from the Lindsey brook watershed and thought that the east side of Spotted looked pretty interesting, as in apartment building size boulders and lots of open slopes. Navigating around ledges sounds great, navigating through rubble fields with deep holes not so great. Anybody whacked around in that area? Looks like a route traversing Spotted N.E. to S.W. to the col between the middle bump and East Dix could be fun, or climb the shoulder of East Dix before the col. Any thoughts? Buddy

 

[TCD]

buddy,

That's a beautiful area in general. Mostly open woods and easy bushwhacking. I know a little about the area. I've bushwhacked from the Lindsey approach up Wyman via the long NE ridge. I've also been up Spotted along the ridge from the Boquet. I have never been on the SE face of Spotted, but it has always looked interesting to me; tell us what you find!

Lindsey Brook approach trail is flooded by beavers, so it's closed in summer; might be well frozen now, but I don't know. The Lindsey drainage comes very close to the S Fork Boquet drainage at one point; they're only separated by a very narrow strip of land. If you're going to approach that area when things are not frozen, you might consider one of the Boquet approaches. I can think of three Boquet options to get to the SE face of Spotted:

1. Follow the S fork of the Boquet from where it crosses rte 73. There is some parking there, and there is a fish stocking trail along the L (NW) bank of the river for a little ways. After the fish stocking trail runs out, cross the river and continue upstream on the R (SE) bank. A little furher along, a good trail joins the river on that side (I think this trail is a private trail onto state land from the Underwood Club). That trail continues to the point where the river makes it abrupt turn to the NW. The trail ends there at a very attractive maintained campsite on a knoll by the river. From there, you could bushwhack SW into the valley alongside Spotted.

2. Take the "Hunters herd path" that starts along the N fork, past Lillypad Pond to where it joins the S fork; then bushwhack downstream SE along the S fork and around to the SE side of the Spotted ridge (I have been through there; the going is not too bad).

3. Again from the Hunters herd path, angle up onto the ridge to the small prominence (686m) called Elizabethtown #4 on some maps. Then traverse onto the SE face of Spotted.

I think Jayne Bouder and/or Rich Crammond have led some Glens Falls ADK groups up the SE face of spotted in recent years. Contact information for them can be found at <http://www.adk-gfs.org/outings.html>, as they continue to lead chapter outings. I'm sure they would know a bunch more about the area.

Good luck!

TCD

 

[Neil]

In October we went up the South Fork, followed the southern trib, crossed over to Lindsay Brook where the 2 nearly meet and went up Wyman then over East Dix and out over Spotted. There was no flooding along that particular route although I can only speak about the upper part of Lindsay Brook. It is interesting to ponder where the waters from each drainage make it to the sea.

We looked at and talked about scrambling straight up Spotted's east side and looking down from the ridgeline decided it would be a go. You would want to pick your way around some steeper sections. I once descended NW, directly from Spotted's summit to the Boquet and even though there were some interesting big cliffs to skirt around the east side, with all of the open rock, is the most interesting looking.

Here's a TR with some pics.

 

[TCD]

Neil, that sounds like a great loop! Isn't Wyman an excellent mountain? So much open terrain, great views, great location - it's one of my favorites. Wyman is fun from West Mill Brook, too. (The flooding on the Lindsey approach is right at the beginning, between Route 9 and the Northway. As of this fall, there is a "Trail Closed" sign posted at the start on Route 9. I walked in to see why, and about 100 yards in, the trail ended at the edge of a giant lake.)

TCD

 

[Neil]

The first time I did Wyman it was the other way around. We did West Mill to Macomb and around the herd paths to Grace and then went to Wyman and down the ridge to Lindsay, S. trib of S. fork to highway. It was a memorable day.

Looking forward to trying the east side of Spotted soon.

And hey Buddy and TCD! Another nearby area for further "research" if you haven't already done so is the Niagara, Nippletop, Camel's Hump, Sunrise conglomeration. It never ends, does it?

 

[buddy]

Westmill is a great area

Neil, I've done a couple of camping /bushwhack explorations around the Wyman, Buck, Bear Mt area and found it fabulous both times. It was the first time I've had an experience with a fishercat. It didn't run when it saw me, just the oppisite. It floated up a 15' ledge, stopped 10' feet from me and I swear it was sizing me up as a meal. The noise of my buddies approaching scared it off. I guess I was eather to big or to smelly(day four). I looked over at the Camels hump area with interest quite a bit. To much terrain not enough time. Thanks all for the imput. Buddy

 

[Neil]

Once, back in the days when I worked in Lake Louise I saw two jet black fishers racing through the forest from tree to tree at incredible speed. It was a magical moment.

I sure wouldn't want one of them in my sleeping bag.

 

[ADKdremn]

I sure wouldn't want one of them in my sleeping bag.

If remember correctly, you're not opposed to Pine Martens in your sleeping bag though, right?