Favorite Adirondack bushwhack peak?

[Dennis C.]

After you've completed the Adirondack 46ers, perhaps you've ventured off doing some of the the other 54 to complete your ADK 100 highest or done other bushwhacks to one day perhaps complete all the NY 3000 footers. So which one is a favorite that has redeeming features that you'd recommend to other hikers?

One bushwhack trip I especially liked was the Niagara / Nippletop / Camels Hump loop that John Swanson and I did in the mid 1990s. This area is just NW of North Hudson along I-87. Starting from the West Mill Brook DEC parking lot, we bushwhacked SW along the lowland stretch between Camel and Old Far Mtns to pick up Nippletop, then Niagara, two 3000 footers with open summits. We then followed the Niagara ridge line NNE to Camels Hump, another outstanding 360* open rock peak (Map REF: Insert coords: N44.01833 W 73.74998 into http://mapper.acme.com/, click TOPO and adjust view). I recall a very unique NW view from there: The summits of S Dix (Carson), Hough, and Dix are all in line by height, like looking down a rifle barrel sight, with Macomb and E Dix (Grace) forming the rear sight, on the left and right .... spectacular!

 

[ColdRiverRun]

Wow, best out of no where thread I've seen in awhile. I'm going to have to think about this one. There are some I've really enjoyed because of the people/environment combo and many solo that were just great with me and the surroundings. I might have to add a few later.

Almost everyone I've heard go into the area your talking about agree, the whole Dix wilderness area is my favorite when it comes to a nice day, many great hikes in there.

Neil, is going to love this thread.

You should check out Timmus's report on ADKhighpeaks on her "Allen wasn't the goal thread", I think you'll enjoy like a bunch of us did.

 

[Neil]

There are a few that come readily to mind:

Ausable 4 for the views of the High Peaks
Wyman-Grace-Spotted-Elizabethtown 4 for the amount of open rock.
Lost Pond Peak. Nestled in there amongst so many other peaks.
Sawtooth * (insert any number) For the wild, especially if you go in from Averyville.
Tabletop East-Howard for the views of Gothics North side as you descend to the low point.
Snowy Slide. It's a short slide but the rock is beautiful and the views down to the lake are unbelievable.

Puffer-Gore traverse. Amazing cliffs to negotiate on Puffer's east side and a lot of remote and wild ridges to traverse. You see Gore from Puffer and vice versa. Almost all hardwood forests. A great one in the fall.


Each of the 46 is a potential bushwhack peak but perhaps you meant peaks without trails.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Either Calamity or Sawtooth 5, so far.

And I just realized BlackSpruce was there for both!

 

[Steve-o]

I enjoyed the BW up to Shepards tooth.

 

[TCD]

Another vote for the whole Dix Wilderness for bushwhacking. Here are some more examples...

East ridge of Round Mountain - up from Round Pond; fun map and compass work, and lots of open rock.

Boquet Canyon, from 4 corners down until you pick up the fisherman's path - just fantastic.

"Peak 864" (864m), due south of Round Mountain, on the other side of the Boquet - great views, open rock.

All 3 of these are wonderful, close to the road, and packed into a small area. The whole Dix wilderness is full of this stuff!

Tom

 

[Neil]

Not exactly a POP on this thread.

(POP = plethora of posts)

Could that indicate that the ADK wilderness will go unbroken for future generations of whackers and whackettes?

Two thumbs up for whacking in the Dix Wilderness.

 

[prino]

I don't do many (enough) bushwacks, but one good one that springs to mind is Saddleback and Jay that I did with a guy named Neil a few years ago.

 

[Steve-o]

I'm not sure if it's a bushwack..
But, once I met this guy named prino about a year and a half ago.
And he said, " Steve-o, you need to see the jay range "
I did, and I won't forget it! One of the best hikes I've had in the dak's.

On a side note, one of the worst hikes i've had was on the dix's range.
It was just that time of year I guess.
We had just done Macomb, S&E Dixs, and were heading down from Hough, following Lillian Brook. We lost the trail several times and were being devoured by mosquitoes while negotiating many blowdown fields.
The skeeters were so bad, you were swiping 10+ off your arms every 5 seconds!

I'm sad I have'nt been to the adk's in a while.
Blame it on George Bush, But, I really need to get back out there, and work on " the other 54 ".

 

[mavs00]

Cheney Cobble and North River. Just cuz......

I have fond memories of Lewey too. Just the 3rd time I did it though. The first 2 kinda sucked.

A couple in the FB range too. Just not Fishing Brook #2 (that place is hell on earth).

 

[Motabobo]

I'll have to say McDonnel, honest !

 

[bigmoose]

A weekend in the wilds of the Buell Brook Valley whacking Buell, Panther and Brown Pond Peak after starting from Wakely Dam. Beautiful woods in there, a feeling like you were hundreds of miles from anywhere (until I hit the "posted" signs marking the private property line along the Buell-Panther ridge... that sucked).
Nice views of the "back" side of Snowy and Indian Lake from a vantage point on Buell.

 

[John H Swanson]

I'll have to say McDonnel, honest !

Honest? Was it the N or S summit that was your favorite? Of maybe the route to the peak? Or the company?

I don't know how you went but it must have been better than the route I chose. The route wasn't bad until the S peak itself.

 

[Rik]

Not exactly a POP on this thread.

(POP = plethora of posts)

Could that indicate that the ADK wilderness will go unbroken for future generations of whackers and whackettes?

It's just taking me a while to insert tracklogs and waypoints into my response. If you haven't heard, I've been in the bathroom.

 

[Neil]

So you're the one who's responsible for the herd path between Calamity and Adams. You and your electronic flagging.

 

[Rik]

So you're the one who's responsible for the herd path between Calamity and Adams. You and your electronic flagging.

That and the real flagging I put up while I'm out there. And hiking forums, of course.

 

[Neil]

That and the real flagging I put up while I'm out there. And hiking forums, of course.

Is that the flagging that has, "courtesy of Mavs00 and ADKHighpeaks.com"? printed on it?

 

[buddy]

Wyman

For remote feeling easily accessible pristine wilderness, Wyman Mt. in the Dix wilderness area has to be my pick. Buddy

 

[Motabobo]

Honest? Was it the N or S summit that was your favorite? Of maybe the route to the peak? Or the company?

I don't know how you went but it must have been better than the route I chose. The route wasn't bad until the S peak itself.

N was my favorite even though we had views pretty much on the entire ridge.

The route was awesome, because we were expecting a nightmare and it was open all the way. We did it roundtrip from Allen this very winter. I was in good company too of course

 

[John H Swanson]

The reason I ask is that I did it in summer. The route down from Alllen was pleasantly nice. Then it was really bad blowdown climbing the suouth side of the south peak. My the time we got to the south peak it was hot and the black flies were swarming fiercely. I'm guessing you were above it on the snow pack.