MattC
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- Sep 2, 2004
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Funky Freddy and I headed up Thursday night and stayed at Wilmington Notch State Campground. The caretaker Mike was a cool guy and turned out to be an avid hiker and trekker-he's got some nice New Zealand pics up by the registration desk. After a cold, windy night we started from the Atmospheric Center trailhead, which was just a few minutes away. After a brief descent to the little tower, the trail climbs up a moderate slope through a nice variety of hardwoods, which are starting to color up nicely. Our first view was from the Marble Mountain lookout which caretaker Mike told us he sometimes runs up to on his break!
Then it was on around Lookout Mt. to the Esther herd path. The state trail was quite wet and muddy at this point and the herd path was the same, but very well-defined and obvious. The little swampy area reminded me of the path to Couch, only this one is smaller. Anyone know anything about the natural history/ecology of these ADK bogs? Soon we were at the plaque commemorating the fifteen year old first-ascender Esther McComb. We stopped for a bite to eat and enjoyed the view from this charming little peak. There was a little scratchy path to a view of some water to the north (Union Falls Pond) and of course a nice vista of our destination Whiteface.
Back down to the cairn and back on the wet, muddy Wilmington Trail. At one point there was a pool about a foot deep! Fortunately there enough rocks and pieces of wood to hop across on. Soon we were climbing the talus below the Whiteface Memorial Highway and then we were on the road encountering the first of many tourists. After a brief stop we climbed back onto the trail and made our way to the top. Windy as h*** and a little ice falling from the roof of the weather center. Lots of people that had driven up and a few that had hiked, including one young couple who had come up from the other side.
Regardless how one gets up there, Whiteface offers an absolutely magnificent vista of Lake Placid and about a zillion peaks. I was able to pick out Moose, Mckenzie, Catamount and a few others. Freddy got some more great pics and we ended up spending at least 90 minutes up there checking out all the interesting cr** inside. Pieces of timber with ID tags, a picture of Ed McMahan on skis, Whiteface has it all! To complete our wilderness experience, we had a bite in the restaurant-Freddy had the chili while I munched some fries. I briefly considered a "This Car Climbed Whiteface Mt." bumpersticker but I decided I'd feel guilty putting it on my car since I cheated by walking up.
For novelty, we decided to walk back on the road to the point where it intersects the trail. Lots of ice falling off the little roadside cliffs provided a neat distraction from the endless views. Back in the woods the day was well-warmed up and the trail even seemed a bit drier. We chugged along pretty well and took a little rest upon returning to Marble Mt. The hardwoods on the lower slopes of Esther's NE shoulder actually seemed a little more colorful than in the morning.
I enjoyed this hike a great deal-Esther's a nice little mountain and the majesty of Whiteface combined with all the manmade stuff makes for a novel experience. Back at camp, we chowed down, I hung a clothesline and Freddy built a fire. The night was somewhat warmer w/ much less wind. The next morning we checked out of camp and headed off for Giant and Neil's 46er on Rocky Peak...
Matt
Then it was on around Lookout Mt. to the Esther herd path. The state trail was quite wet and muddy at this point and the herd path was the same, but very well-defined and obvious. The little swampy area reminded me of the path to Couch, only this one is smaller. Anyone know anything about the natural history/ecology of these ADK bogs? Soon we were at the plaque commemorating the fifteen year old first-ascender Esther McComb. We stopped for a bite to eat and enjoyed the view from this charming little peak. There was a little scratchy path to a view of some water to the north (Union Falls Pond) and of course a nice vista of our destination Whiteface.
Back down to the cairn and back on the wet, muddy Wilmington Trail. At one point there was a pool about a foot deep! Fortunately there enough rocks and pieces of wood to hop across on. Soon we were climbing the talus below the Whiteface Memorial Highway and then we were on the road encountering the first of many tourists. After a brief stop we climbed back onto the trail and made our way to the top. Windy as h*** and a little ice falling from the roof of the weather center. Lots of people that had driven up and a few that had hiked, including one young couple who had come up from the other side.
Regardless how one gets up there, Whiteface offers an absolutely magnificent vista of Lake Placid and about a zillion peaks. I was able to pick out Moose, Mckenzie, Catamount and a few others. Freddy got some more great pics and we ended up spending at least 90 minutes up there checking out all the interesting cr** inside. Pieces of timber with ID tags, a picture of Ed McMahan on skis, Whiteface has it all! To complete our wilderness experience, we had a bite in the restaurant-Freddy had the chili while I munched some fries. I briefly considered a "This Car Climbed Whiteface Mt." bumpersticker but I decided I'd feel guilty putting it on my car since I cheated by walking up.
For novelty, we decided to walk back on the road to the point where it intersects the trail. Lots of ice falling off the little roadside cliffs provided a neat distraction from the endless views. Back in the woods the day was well-warmed up and the trail even seemed a bit drier. We chugged along pretty well and took a little rest upon returning to Marble Mt. The hardwoods on the lower slopes of Esther's NE shoulder actually seemed a little more colorful than in the morning.
I enjoyed this hike a great deal-Esther's a nice little mountain and the majesty of Whiteface combined with all the manmade stuff makes for a novel experience. Back at camp, we chowed down, I hung a clothesline and Freddy built a fire. The night was somewhat warmer w/ much less wind. The next morning we checked out of camp and headed off for Giant and Neil's 46er on Rocky Peak...
Matt
