U
Unregistered
Guest
Great hike today! Entered via VH trail head. At 7:30 am there were only a few that had started the hike earllier Yesterday (Sunday) was a busier trail day according to the registries with the forcasted sunshine and great visibility. I opted for the not-so-favorable weather day but fewer people. Temps were in the 60s with high humidity early on. A half hour into the hike I was just AMAZED, STUNNED and positively JOYFUL at the lack of bugs. The bug conditions were my biggest concern and almost didn't do the hike because of it. I didn't swat a SINGLE black fly, mosquito or deer fly the ENTIRE 6.5 hour journey - it was Heaven on Earth!! And my dogs were not bothered either and usually are SEVERELY.
In terms of trail conditions, Sunday (and I think Sat.) were fairly dry so the hike up was real nice - only *mildly* muddy at the beginning. As I neared 1 mile from the summit however it started to rain pretty good so the decent was quite sloppy. It doesn't take much rain to wreak havok on the trails. In the meantime, the view from the top revealed peaks zippo, zilch and natta as there was absolutely ZERO visibilty before noon. Of course the showers ended while decending late morning and the clouded air cleared nicely. I thought about heading back up just to catch that awesome view but NAW - another time for that reward. A lot of slipping and slidding back to the ADK Loj trailhead. Another couple days of dry weather though and should be ok.
Bottom line, if like you, like me usually avoid the late June hike timeframe because bugs are typically treacherous - don't delay! The weather factors were just right to produce probably the most bug-less journey I've had in the ADK for years. What else was awesome? The aromomas of conifers...nothing beats the fragrance of fresh balsam and other firs. Maybe it the fresh spring buds. Idunno but it was glorious. Enjoy.
In terms of trail conditions, Sunday (and I think Sat.) were fairly dry so the hike up was real nice - only *mildly* muddy at the beginning. As I neared 1 mile from the summit however it started to rain pretty good so the decent was quite sloppy. It doesn't take much rain to wreak havok on the trails. In the meantime, the view from the top revealed peaks zippo, zilch and natta as there was absolutely ZERO visibilty before noon. Of course the showers ended while decending late morning and the clouded air cleared nicely. I thought about heading back up just to catch that awesome view but NAW - another time for that reward. A lot of slipping and slidding back to the ADK Loj trailhead. Another couple days of dry weather though and should be ok.
Bottom line, if like you, like me usually avoid the late June hike timeframe because bugs are typically treacherous - don't delay! The weather factors were just right to produce probably the most bug-less journey I've had in the ADK for years. What else was awesome? The aromomas of conifers...nothing beats the fragrance of fresh balsam and other firs. Maybe it the fresh spring buds. Idunno but it was glorious. Enjoy.
