After a bumpy drive up the last 1.2 miles from Sled Harbor to the trailhead parking lot, it was an easy walk on the Cedar Lake trail, past the Pillsbury Lake turn-off, to Stony Brook. The bridge is out but the water was low and crossing was easy. That was the beginning of the bushwhack, heading about 40 degrees magnetic east, over the five bumps to the summit. The woods were surprisingly open most of the way. I rarely had to push through more than a few steps of dense spruce and balsam before finding another clear route up and forward, and even the conifers at the top were reasonably easy going, though a lot thicker than below. But the best part was that by stepping down some 50-100' toward the sheer cliffs which line the northeast summit, I enjoyed the most amazing view, with Cellar, Lewey, Buell and Panther in the foreground, dominated by the striking profile of Snowy, and Cedar River Flow to the left. In the near distance beyond CRF, the rocky face of Blue Mountain was easy to recognize. And in the far distance was the familiar and unmistakable profile of Marcy, Colden, and Algonquin, flanked on the right by the Dixes and N'top, and to the left by the Santanonis and Sewards. The rock wall amphitheater of east Gothics was just visible behind Sky'. All together I could make out at least 15 of the high peaks. I lingered longer than I normally do on one of these trailless 'whacks, but this one was more linger-worthy than most. The way back was obvious. Looking to the west, the bumps offer some views of Pillsbury with its tower, which makes a good landmark.
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