albee
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On Sunday, July 15th, I had the good fortune of finishing my ADK 46 and Northeast 115 lists on a spectacular day with 2 good friends on Big Slide Mountain in New York. This was the culmination of 4 days of intense peakbagging in order to knock the remaining 7 peaks off my list. Each day had a forecast of at least a 30% chance of rain and thunderstorms, and I was so happy that it didn't rain a single drop on me while I was hiking... it poured while I slept in a lean-to one night, and it was raining hard when I woke up on Sunday, but the skies magically cleared and I was blessed with partly cloudy skies and impressive cloud formations for the finish of my first round of 46.
I don't live very close to the Adirondacks - the closest trailhead is 5 hours of driving from my house. Because of this, I have made it a point to knock these peaks off in as few trips as possible. This past weekend was my 6th trip to the 'Daks, and I was able to climb them all in 14 dayhikes or overnights. Unfortunately, I have grown to vastly appreciate the dramatic landscapes and wild nature of the mountains up there, and I am afraid I will be making the long drive quite a few more times in the years to come. Mount Colden is seriously giving Bondcliff a run for its money on my list of favorite peaks.
There really wasn't much to report about this hike. I was joined by my friend Cory, whom I had only met recently and was joining me for our 3rd hike. My friend Rich also came along, whom I have known for 7 years and has joined me for such adventures as a Great Range traverse, a Presidential Traverse, and other random peaks such as Half Dome and Mount Guadalupe... needless to say we've been through a lot together and it was really great that he was able to join me.
We took our time on the hike, stopping frequently to take pictures, eat snacks, drink water, and just soak in the views. It felt great to just soak up the sun and enjoy the company of my friends rather than my typical hiking style, which can best be described as a peakbagging assault. I ususally catch most of the views, but sitting down on a summit for 15 minutes is a luxury that I don't usually take. This time, I let my friends hit the top first, and they both gave me high-fives as I got there with a big smile on my face. We didn't do anything special, just sat there enjoying another summit by ourselves and snapped a few more pictures than normal. Finishing a list feels gratifying, but in the grand scheme of things it is just yet another hike in the journey of a lifetime that I am living.
We continued on after awhile, and went over to Yard Mountain next. I would like to finish my "true" list of 4,000'ers in the northeast, and Yard and Middle Tabletop Mountains are the only peaks that aren't on the 115 list that qualify under the generally accepted 200' col rule. (MacNaughton is another questionable peak, since it has been listed as exactly 4,000' in some surveys, but the most recent metric maps show it to be just under 4,000'.) I plan to hit these peaks on my next trip, but this time it is for my own personal satisfaction and not due to a peakbagging list that you can get recognition for.
We found some neat rock formations and a cool spring-fed waterfall on the trip down Yard. Cory and I both drank straight from the waterfall, as it looked so refreshing and pure. It tasted great! This trail gets much less traffic than the route up Big Slide, and we enjoyed the trip and even spotted a deer just hanging out on the trail before we got to Johns Brook Lodge. This was my first trip past JBL, and also my first time hiking from "The Garden". We stopped in at JBL and checked the place out. It reminded me of the AMC huts in the White Mountains - very cozy and I'm sure it gets a ton of use. The trip back to The Garden was uneventful, and we were back at the car in no time.
We all decided that a final trip to the Noon Mark Diner would be in order, and we feasted on lunch and then ice cream. My lunch experience was very memorable and amusing. I had a hankering for a steak and cheese sub, and since "Subs" were listed on the menu, I asked if they could make me one. The nice waitress confirmed that they could, but when she brought it out it was just literally 2 little steaks on a sub roll with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and cheese on top, and chips and a pickle on the side. I needed a fork and knife to cut the steak in one hand, while munching on the bread, cheese, and fixings with my other hand. The ice cream was delicious as always - this was my third time eating there in 3 days, and they hadn't let me down yet! But the amusing part was when I got the bill. The waitress had charged me $6.50 for my sub, and then tacked on $9.25 for a steak dinner! I asked her about this, and she refused to budge - her reply was "Well, steak is expensive..." I just found it terribly funny that she charged me $15.75 for a steak and cheese sub with a straight face, so I gave in and paid her. They treated me well while I was there... I just left her with a smaller tip than usual. I highly recommend eating there, just be careful what you order!!
Cheers, everyone - hope you enjoyed my story! Pictures here
...Al
I don't live very close to the Adirondacks - the closest trailhead is 5 hours of driving from my house. Because of this, I have made it a point to knock these peaks off in as few trips as possible. This past weekend was my 6th trip to the 'Daks, and I was able to climb them all in 14 dayhikes or overnights. Unfortunately, I have grown to vastly appreciate the dramatic landscapes and wild nature of the mountains up there, and I am afraid I will be making the long drive quite a few more times in the years to come. Mount Colden is seriously giving Bondcliff a run for its money on my list of favorite peaks.
There really wasn't much to report about this hike. I was joined by my friend Cory, whom I had only met recently and was joining me for our 3rd hike. My friend Rich also came along, whom I have known for 7 years and has joined me for such adventures as a Great Range traverse, a Presidential Traverse, and other random peaks such as Half Dome and Mount Guadalupe... needless to say we've been through a lot together and it was really great that he was able to join me.
We took our time on the hike, stopping frequently to take pictures, eat snacks, drink water, and just soak in the views. It felt great to just soak up the sun and enjoy the company of my friends rather than my typical hiking style, which can best be described as a peakbagging assault. I ususally catch most of the views, but sitting down on a summit for 15 minutes is a luxury that I don't usually take. This time, I let my friends hit the top first, and they both gave me high-fives as I got there with a big smile on my face. We didn't do anything special, just sat there enjoying another summit by ourselves and snapped a few more pictures than normal. Finishing a list feels gratifying, but in the grand scheme of things it is just yet another hike in the journey of a lifetime that I am living.
We continued on after awhile, and went over to Yard Mountain next. I would like to finish my "true" list of 4,000'ers in the northeast, and Yard and Middle Tabletop Mountains are the only peaks that aren't on the 115 list that qualify under the generally accepted 200' col rule. (MacNaughton is another questionable peak, since it has been listed as exactly 4,000' in some surveys, but the most recent metric maps show it to be just under 4,000'.) I plan to hit these peaks on my next trip, but this time it is for my own personal satisfaction and not due to a peakbagging list that you can get recognition for.
We found some neat rock formations and a cool spring-fed waterfall on the trip down Yard. Cory and I both drank straight from the waterfall, as it looked so refreshing and pure. It tasted great! This trail gets much less traffic than the route up Big Slide, and we enjoyed the trip and even spotted a deer just hanging out on the trail before we got to Johns Brook Lodge. This was my first trip past JBL, and also my first time hiking from "The Garden". We stopped in at JBL and checked the place out. It reminded me of the AMC huts in the White Mountains - very cozy and I'm sure it gets a ton of use. The trip back to The Garden was uneventful, and we were back at the car in no time.
We all decided that a final trip to the Noon Mark Diner would be in order, and we feasted on lunch and then ice cream. My lunch experience was very memorable and amusing. I had a hankering for a steak and cheese sub, and since "Subs" were listed on the menu, I asked if they could make me one. The nice waitress confirmed that they could, but when she brought it out it was just literally 2 little steaks on a sub roll with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and cheese on top, and chips and a pickle on the side. I needed a fork and knife to cut the steak in one hand, while munching on the bread, cheese, and fixings with my other hand. The ice cream was delicious as always - this was my third time eating there in 3 days, and they hadn't let me down yet! But the amusing part was when I got the bill. The waitress had charged me $6.50 for my sub, and then tacked on $9.25 for a steak dinner! I asked her about this, and she refused to budge - her reply was "Well, steak is expensive..." I just found it terribly funny that she charged me $15.75 for a steak and cheese sub with a straight face, so I gave in and paid her. They treated me well while I was there... I just left her with a smaller tip than usual. I highly recommend eating there, just be careful what you order!!
Cheers, everyone - hope you enjoyed my story! Pictures here
...Al
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