Kilburn Mtn, Sentinel Range

[RoySwkr]

I am hoping to climb Kilburn Mtn in the Sentinel Range but I hear there are areas of very bad deadfalls. Would someone like to suggest an easy route to this peak alone, other nearby peaks not important? Will probably be alone so slide sounds too intimidating?

 

[Peakbagr]

The Slide on Kilburn is not terrible, but the bushwack from the top of the slide to the summit might be....daunting.

If you like to suffer, than a jaunt on Stewart is just what's needed. Stewart is usually a very challenging hike in spite of it looking easy on the map.

Depending on the route you take, Slide has the most open woods and most pleasant 'whack in the Sentinels.

And I'd rate Sentinel to have the nicest views and the 2nd least difficult.

Alan

 

[Neil]

Kilburn is not a bad whack at all. (At least not the way I went). The slide is best hiked up and down and anyway it is on an outlier of Kilburn.

 

[RoySwkr]

Kilburn is not a bad whack at all. (At least not the way I went).

So which way did you go???

 

[Neil]

So which way did you go???

From the car to the summit, through the woods.

We went from Monument Falls. We followed the old road/trail for about 15 minutes and then headed up. We hit a few rough patches that we managed to avoid on the way down. Details available upon request.

 

[mavs00]

I traversed over from Slide. You just got to lose elevation and shoot right up from the East side. The East side of the Sentinels is pretty friendly (for the most part).

Stay off the ridges.

 

[RoySwkr]

From there on stay on the ridge itself but always going left when the forest become tighter and then heading back when possible. Up and along the ridge blowdown will often be visible to your right but the forest was mostly open all the way.

The East side of the Sentinels is pretty friendly (for the most part). Stay off the ridges.

Well, now I have two directly opposite opinions, would Neil like to cast the deciding vote

Guess I won't know till I try

 

[Peakbagr]

Listen to Black Spruce...

 

[Neil]

From the PA at Monument Falls cross the highway and enter the woods by climbing a 4 foot embankment. The herd trail begins immediately and the entry point is 40 feet to the left (east) of a spot DIRECTLY across from the monument rocks. If you are not on an obvious herd trail right away turn around and start over.

Follow the herd trail that is in reality an old woods road. You will come to a drainage within 10 minutes. Turn right (upslope) and, using a combination of map, compass, gray matter and muscle work your way to the highest point.

 

[mavs00]

Well Mav and I, are both right as we aren't talking about the same ridges, he is talking about the ridges between the summits and I wouldn't walk along those either and I am talking about a ridge that starts lower in the valley and travels to the summit in a mostly west-east direction even though it does curve at some point. Look at a detailed countour map while reading all of our comments and it will become very clear. Like you said nothing like walking about and finding out what's is like as we often say 50 feet to the right or to the left may make a huge difference.

Actually if it wasn't for the live trees standing up and the dead ones resting on the forest floor and ..... most peaks could be reach any which way you like...

Yes, I was talking about the ridges that run between Slide, Slide (N pk), Kilburn and Stewart. They are terrible. I should have been more clear. We actually went down to Monument Falls on the ridge BS is talking about. She is right, It was not bad at all. We called it Moose Ridge, cause when looking at it from summit, the ridge falls on a direct line of sight with Moose Mt. (across Lake Placid). before turning slightly left.

It's nothing like the eastern slopes of that range though. I'm not -KIDDING - (that at about 3050', .5 miles below KB's summit). It's why I took the picture, I knew no-one would believe me. See exhibit #1 below.

Listen to Black Spruce...

Actually, you'll never go wrong following BS's directions, unless it's 100 degrees outside

 

[peak_bgr]

Black Spruce uses the rout I use. It's very nice route, very little obstruction. Easy RT, be on the summit in no time flat. Down is super fast. Views are killer.

 

[RoySwkr]

Got up this one Saturday using route similar to Black Spruce, unfortunately didn't get better for me above 900m and was quite tedious. About 5 hours up, then half an hour sunbathing at viewpoint and following herd path to other end of summit bump. Went down variation of Neil's route, gravity helped but I was tireder and it took 3 hours.

Thanks everybody.

-rs

 

[RoySwkr]

It was on the hot side for a bushwhack on Saturday and the 100 without a trail are a lot easier when the leaves are all on the ground. Plus it's very dry right now, so it must be difficult to found water.

Yes I might have gone faster on a cooler day and with fewer leaves, although the top part where I was slowest doesn't have many of the kind of leaves that fall

And I used a down route into the valley bottom instead of staying on the ridge so was back to plenty of water in an hour, of course not being able to count on same I still had a full canteen that I had toted to the top & back

Do you want to climb Calamity, the 25th.. .that one is REALLY easy, on the slide and ledges till .15-mile from the summit...!

Thanks, but no more Adk hikes this month for me