How to? for the last five 115ers

[audrey]

Next August Pat and I plan to complete our 115 list in a week, doing some backpacking and a couple of in-between motel days. Here's a rough plan that I know can be improved on:

Seward/Donaldson/Emmons, 2 nights at Blueberry Lean-To;
Motel night
Hough, 2 nights at Boquet River Lean-To;
Motel night
Marshall, day trip from Henderson Lake, via Herbert Brook.

Only the S/D/E day looks long and difficult, and by saving the easiest (14 miles is easy?!?) for last, we hope some of you folks can join us.

I'd appeciate any suggestions for improving on the itinerary.

 

[Puma concolor]

Go Audrey! I know you've been working on the 115 for awhile (from these BBS of course). Your itinerary looks good although I'm sure you and Pat will be knackered by the end of the week. Like I always say though ... it's a good tired.

If I get my 111er newsletter idea off the ground, it would be real cool if you could do a story. Good luck.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Next August Pat and I plan to complete our 115 list in a week, doing some backpacking and a couple of in-between motel days. Here's a rough plan that I know can be improved on:

Seward/Donaldson/Emmons, 2 nights at Blueberry Lean-To;
Motel night
Hough, 2 nights at Boquet River Lean-To;
Motel night
Marshall, day trip from Henderson Lake, via Herbert Brook.

Only the S/D/E day looks long and difficult, and by saving the easiest (14 miles is easy?!?) for last, we hope some of you folks can join us.

I'd appeciate any suggestions for improving on the itinerary.

I'm not a backpacker, but my wife and I (HikeThe115) did S/E/D in about 12 hours. She is not a real fast hiker, but we made it, slow and steady. If you take the Caulkins Brook trail, it will be easier. The herd paths were pretty well established this past summer.

Marshall was a shorter hike than S/E/D and the herd path was very easy to follow. We came in from Upper Works. It took a little less than 9 hours.

Hope this helps.

 

[Raymond]

I agree with Tom. All those hikes are day hikes, unless you're trying to go out of your way to stretch them out as long as possible. As you don't need to climb Seymour, there's really no reason to go to Blueberry lean-to when the Calkins Brook herd path is so much more inviting (and shorter).

It is a long hike; it took my ladyfriend, Susan, and me 11-and-a-half hours just to hit Donaldson and Seward back in September, but we'd already climbed Donaldson and Emmons in 2003, so we weren't particularly hustling. When Harry K and I did all three in 2001, our time was 10 hours 44 minutes, on a very sultry day. He and I went up Calkins Brook to Donaldson, out to Emmons, back to Donaldson, on to Seward; then took the traditional route down Seward to the Blueberry truck road and out. Looking at the map this year, Susan and I followed our steps from Seward back to Calkins Brook; it just looks so much shorter.

When I first climbed Dix, we went in past the Boquet River lean-to, but I felt lousy most of the day so I have bad memories of that route. Plus, it's only 4.2 miles to the lean-to from Route 73, and fairly level, so why bother lugging two days' worth of gear for a ninety-minute (or whatever) hike? I've done the entire Dix Range twice, both times from Elk Lake; climbing Dix from Hunters Pass them dropping over to Hough etc. That seems easier to me than having to climb all the way back up Dix from Hough. From Hough, just head toward South Dix/Carson Peak, then over Macomb, and back to Elk Lake, bypassing East Dix/Grace Peak altogether.

Marshall is certainly the easiest of the bunch, but there's not a whole lot of open space at the summit for a crowd. Still, the route up Herbert Brook remains one of Susan's favorites. That's one High Peak she has said she wouldn't minding climbing again.

Actually, we'll probably be there in August, too, because my son, Cameron, hasn't climbed it yet.

 

[LittleBear]

Audrey:

I can't comment on your itinerary since I only have hiked 5 of the 4K's in the ADK's. But count me in on this trip. I'll even plan the menu for and cook the suppers! Let's see...... we could have porcini stuffed tortellini in alfredo sauce, Mexican corn pie, Greek spinach pilaf, cashew ginger chicken with rice....... hmmm.... it's 8:40 am and I'm getting hungrey

Let me know as soon as you pin down some dates for this adventure!

 

[SherpaKroto]

Count me in for the Sewards! I now have the best excuse for putting them off until August! I will also head over to Seymour at some point over that time (and this time I will hydrate, won't fall into stream, etc.)

 

[daxs]

I did a similar week this past summer - Haystack one day, Seward Donaldson and Emmons another and then Allen on another. I admit, I took "motel" days in between to recover. I also treated myself to a massage at the Mirror Lake Inn after it was all done.

I would recommend doing the Sewards via Caulkins Brook. The hike up thje brook has some blowdown at the top but is not an overly challenging hike. The steep and scramble up Cualkins Brook side of Seward is supposed to be much easier than the other side. I did the trip with ADK46r4487 and Bubba. We hiked in late one afternoon and camped out. The next day we did the three peaks and then hiked out but you could always stay a second night. Dick and Ed actually drove back to the Rochester area after the hike while I snoozed out in a motel.

I may join you for the Marshall Hike. It was cold and rainy the day I did this. It was a beautiful hike though and I would like to try again with, hopefully, better weather. I finished on Hough last summer so that peak is special for me!

 

[NE111er453]

Audrey:

I strongly recommend the Caulkins Brook route.

In July of 2002 I attempted the three peaks from Ward Brook. It was far and away the most miserable climb of my 115! The hearpath up Seward was overgrown and seemed to go on forever. I still have scars on my legs from the brush and rocks! We made it up Seward and over to Donaldson but passed on Emmons. Getting back up Seward from the col was a bear.

I climbed Doanldson and Emmons via Caulkins Brook the following June with a group from the Glens Falls / Saratoga chapter of the ADK. By contrast, it was a nice climb up following the brook through some easily negotiated blowdown. With an early start, even with Seward, it's a standard, long Adirondack day hike.

All the best!

 

[audrey]

Great suggestions and wonderful offers of company, including our own personal chef! I'll certainly be poring over my books and maps.

I take it that Calkins Brook has some good campsites along the way? I'm planning these short backpacks on purpose: we don't sleep out often enough, and we're happy to do marathon dayhikes only occasionally.
SherpaK, if you come with us, we'll make Seymour happen for you too! It's a good one to do on the exit day.

Raymond, I have a fondness for the Boquet River approach to Hough. We did Dix that way on a dayhike many years ago. It was rainy, the first refreshing day after a steamy week, and even the mud felt good.

 

[ajtiv]

Audrey and Pat I would love to join in also
Definitely post the trip plans so I can join in on S/D/E and maybe Mashall
Al

 

[hikethe115]

I'll do any of them again. Marshall is a nice one to finish on. I love hiking along Herbert Brook. I love the Sewards too.