Conditions: Very good. Some mud, here and there, some wet rocks, mostly avoidable. No bugs on summit of Basin (a bit windy), plenty on top of Haystack (no wind).
These are good peaks to do in one outing, as they're close together, but it is a big day. If doing it in this direction, be aware that the descent from Saddleback to Basin is sketchy in spots, quite exposed and possibly more difficult for shorter people. If in doubt, do it counter-clockwise. Certainly not to be done if the rock is wet.
One problem is if you can't get parking at the Garden. We parked at Marcy Field and took the shuttle (the driver told us that he started at 6:45 this morning), which is fine, but we found ourselves at the top of Haystack at 3 p.m., with 9 miles left to do within 4 hours. We made it by 6:40, but it was not a relaxing pace, to say the least.
I found the summit of Basin to be an outstanding, Saddleback less so. Haystack is great, but unfortunately we didn't have time to dally there.
K
These are good peaks to do in one outing, as they're close together, but it is a big day. If doing it in this direction, be aware that the descent from Saddleback to Basin is sketchy in spots, quite exposed and possibly more difficult for shorter people. If in doubt, do it counter-clockwise. Certainly not to be done if the rock is wet.
One problem is if you can't get parking at the Garden. We parked at Marcy Field and took the shuttle (the driver told us that he started at 6:45 this morning), which is fine, but we found ourselves at the top of Haystack at 3 p.m., with 9 miles left to do within 4 hours. We made it by 6:40, but it was not a relaxing pace, to say the least.
I found the summit of Basin to be an outstanding, Saddleback less so. Haystack is great, but unfortunately we didn't have time to dally there.
K
