Lyon Mt (NW Pk)

[Peakbagr]

With drizzle before we arrived in the area, bushwhacker and I first scouted Lyon's other sub-peak. We were looking for one of the club members to grant permission to access the woods road. Given the conditions, neither of us was in the mood to go looking for members and instead drove over to the Averill Mt trailhead. The drizzle turned to steady rain with the temps hovering in the 30's. While we we not soaked, the rain was giving our clothes a pretty good wetting.
Climbing higher we smiled as the rain turned into snow, both feeling we'd rather get snowed on than rained on. The precip was still mixed with rain but as we gained some height it let off a little before we jumped into the woods from the ATV track.
The woods were nice and open and as we neared the summit it looked like the weather gods were going to smile on us. One of the reasons we drove north was because the cold front was coming in from Canada and felt it would clear more quickly up there.
We had to do a double take as we neared the summit. Coming out of the open woods, the top had waist high grass with a few small trees and bushes. More like one of the grassy Cat100 hundred instead of an ADK3k peak.
We were treated to the wind tearing the mist off of nearby Averill and Lyon Mtns and the sky was blue with large cumulus clouds and long distance views to the SW. The small trees blocks views in some directions and we were already discussing getting back up here on a winter day.

Its not that you might not have better views from one of this small mountain's higher neighbors, but unusual summit really caught us by surprise.

The drive back to Lake Placid wasn't too shabby. The storm had dumped snow on the higher elevations and Whiteface was attracting photographers and gawkers. The striking snowcovered summit hovering above the lower elevation trees was stunning from any angle.
I'll get some pictures up later.

 

[Peakbagr]

Some photos from the trip:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=avk6ugum.9eb2ic36&x=0&y=-3vv7si&localeid=en_US

 

[albee]

Is this the NW Lyon summit or the NW Averill summit? I did NW Averill on the first day of spring this year and it looked strikingly similar - almost completely open with basically 360 degree views. Your description sounds just like what I encountered with the open woods and the ATV trail.

I don't have a copy of the ADK 3K list, so I don't know what each peak is called or even if they both "count". The one I did was the 3,000'+ bump, not the 3,013' bump on the northeast side of the Separator Brook valley. Either way, nice pictures - especially of the foliage and the rime on Whiteface.

 

[Peakbagr]

The 770 list calls it Lyon NW Pk, even though its much closer to Averill.
The only other NY3K peak in there is the 3,365' peak SW of Averill but called Lyon Mt S pk.

The 3,013' peak located on Lyon's NW ridge doesn't appear to have enough
'col' to be on the list but the entire ridge looks like a NW ridge northeast of Separator Brook looks like a to-do, maybe this winter.

Thanks for the picture comments. The white on the peaks was snow, quite a bit of it up high but unfortunately it will be gone soon.

 

[Jay H]

Beautiful shots Peakbagr, one of the few sites that isn't blocked here! woohoo!

Jay

 

[albee]

Ah, yes - you're right. Upon further inspection, the 3,013' peak doesn't have nearly enough of a col.

Personally, I think it is kind of lame (and quite misleading) that this peak is called NW Lyon, given its position relative to Averill. That would be like calling Gray Peak "Northwest Skylight" even though it is a sub-peak of Marcy.

If anyone is interested, here is the map:
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=44.70627,-73.89640&z=15&t=T

Anyway, cool - we bushwhacked the same mountain! What a nice spot!!

 

[Peakbagr]

"Personally, I think it is kind of lame (and quite misleading) that this peak is called NW Lyon, given its position relative to Averill"

I found it a lit confusing to locate these given the proximity to Averill, but my betters, the guys who did all the heaving lifting to come up the list probably named it due to the superimposed 'Lyon Mts' across the map.
Gene Daniell, Dennis Crispo and John Swanson did an unbelieveable amount of work on the 770 project. That certainly wasn't lame and I have nothing but gratitude for the task. A bit of uncertainty on my part is a small price to pay for the research they've done. At the same time its compelled me to spend a lot of time checking elevations, doing metric converstions. Gene did the initial work if I understand it and then John and Dennis refined, checked and double checked all of Gene's initial work.

I've been spending time the last few months extracting the 321NY peaks of 3k and greater from the NE770 list of mountains. And at the same time identifying them on a TOPO map. Probably 'cause I have too my spare time on my hands and also because it makes it easier to plan a trip to easily locate where things are. The side benefit is that its familiarizing myself with parts of the ADKs that are largely unknown to me at least.

 

[prino]

Beautiful shots Peakbagr, one of the few sites that isn't blocked here! woohoo!

Jay

Blocked for me I'm afraid!

 

[albee]

That's interesting. I never knew that Gene Daniell compiled the original Adirondack 3K list. Cool.

We can call mountains like NW Lyon whatever we want, since technically they are unnamed with the USGS. Just because one version of an unofficial list has it named one way doesn't mean we all have to continue using an outdated and misleading name.

Anyway, hey - do whatever you want over there in NY. You can call it Faraway Mountain as far as I'm concerned! I'm not planning to work on that list so it isn't my business to take issue.

 

[ColdRiverRun]

I believe the name is use as reference to the higher of the two peaks (Lyon, Averill). Those two bumps are both NW but one is more W and one more N and along a ridge line to the one without enough col. Just like Gray is named but clearly is just a part of Marcy, the major mountain here is Lyon and the lover peak Averill. So when naming the location the direction from the superior peak was used. Clearly seen with the Lyon (S) peak they gave it a name as in reference to the more major peak. I see and hear quite often Lyon (S) referred to as Averill (S). Can't find a fault with a false peak being in there, all though it definitely looks confusing added by the fact that most maps give a elevation of the more NWestern one drawing your attention to it.

 

[Peakbagr]

Albee, I understand that Gene was the derivator of the entire 770 list that was further refined by Denis Crispo and John Swanson to the one most people have now. The NY list is simply the all the peaks that remain after taking away the New England peaks. You can refer to them any way that you want or come up with names you prefer. While I was just looking to answer your question, in the meantime I'll continue to refer to the names that the lists' researchers tagged them with.

 

[Dennis C.]

I was surprised to catch an open view from NW Lyon when we visited back in the mid 1990s. Great way to finish off a four peak day!