Santanoni Wrap up - 2/24-26/6

[Tom Rankin]

(Others may post here or start their own thread)

Summary: 0 peaks obtained!

Longer version: We started out at 6:20 AM with a cast of thousands at the Santanoni trailhead. Well, maybe more like 20. (We stayed in several different groups). We made excellent time up to Times Square. A light snow was falling, and it was around 0 F. But we felt great, and the trail had been beaten down to hard packed snow the whole way. Almost no ice. Santanoni and Panther were visible in the distance. A 3 peak day seemed to loom large in our minds! Perfect so far!

We were probably somewhere in the middle of the cavalcade when we headed down for Couch. Again, there was a well broken herd path with fresh tracks. We followed eagerly, too eagerly! After about 45 minutes we caught up with the front runners. They were all wandering around looking for the way. It seemed we were on the wrong side of the ridge. Some said go left, some right. The wind was whipping and it was snowing hard now. It was still 0 F! After some discussion, most turned around and decided to attempt Santanoni proper. My pack was shredded and I had left a few things on the trail that others found for me. Several well placed branches had found my skin and left cuts, scrapes and bruises. I recalled doing Couch in the summer and having absolutely no problems!

When we got back to Times Square, some people came back from attempting Santanoni with a report very similar to Couch. We decided to essentially give up at this point and go do Panther. We started with a group of 8. Again, we soon were floundering in deep snow, bushwhacking thru spruce. Laurie was freezing and I didn't feel much better, standing around waiting for others to route find. So we turned around and almost ran back down to the marked trail. (It took us less than an hour). We started to warm up a little. The wind abated. The snow slackened. It was back to a bearable day. But Santanoni had beaten us. We trudged out in slience.

I've never failed to at least get one peak on a hike, in over 200 attempts, with 70+ in the Winter. I felt a lot of emotions during the walk out and back at the B&B : Anger at not getting even 1 peak. Humility at being beaten. Discouragement at ever completing the W46. Satisfaction that we at least had a good morning and got a lot of exercise. And eventually, a sense that we had probably done the right thing to turn around in the face of nature's wrath.

Other people began trickling back to the trailhead. A few people had at least gone to Panther. No one got any other peaks that day. Nature had put a whup-ass on us! The blowing snow and chilling temperatures had done nearly all of us in. And I counted several very strong hikers among us.

Back at the B&B, we nursed our wounds, both physical and emotional. What had we done wrong? Maps were pulled out. It appears that we were probably on the shoulder of Panther, having taken a wrong turn in the Couch herd path maze. But the near white-out conditions made it hard to decide where to go next.

On a more positive note, Timmus, Cantdog, and Pete_Hickey successfully got to the summit (that's Timmus backwards ) of Cliff and Redfield. I was told that Timmus was chiefly responsible for this feat, way to go!

Also on the plus side, Aunt Polly's B&B is an ideal place to basecamp for a trip to Allen, Cliff/Redfield or the Santas. The owners are very hiker friendly. They gave us a whole house for $165/night (that sleeps 8-12) which was fully stocked with washer/dryer, complete kitchen setup, towels, etc., etc. It also comes stocked with hundreds of Lady Bugs! They are benign, but they were everywhere upstairs! Interestingly, they were not to be seen at all in the kitchen.

Finally, the company I spent the weekend with was excellent! Thanks to Slamdog, Splitrock, Timmus, Pete, Cantdog, Jean/Nat (the conquerors!), Rejean, Eric, Rik, and especially Laurie for making the stay at the B&B a pleasant experience! Everyone pitched in and we all got along really well. And there was more beer and food then we knew what to do with! Well, actually, I took a lot of it home, in spite of copious consumption over the weekend!

Thanks to all involved for a great weekend, even if we didn't get to any summits!

 

[--M.]

Condolences & Congratulations

Sounds like a tough go.

Now, however, for the selfishness:

Can you please comment on the skiable conditions at base-level? I'll be out there in two weeks to do some bc touring and would appreciate the info.

Better luck next time,

Thanks,

--M.

 

[Skyclimber]

I would like to say that there is nothing shameful nor humiliating about not successfully conquering a peak in Winter. The weather, conditions just didn't cooperate. It very much so happens that sometimes we must abort a climb, for our own safety and well-being. When you finally do get the Santanoni's they will be more of a feat for you, as you definitely will feel like you have earned them.

 

[Tom Rankin]

I would like to say that there is nothing shameful nor humiliating about not successfully conquering a peak in Winter. The weather, conditions just didn't cooperate. It very much so happens that sometimes we must abort a climb, for our own safety and well-being. When you finally do get the Santanoni's they will be more of a feat for you, as you definitely will feel like you have earned them.

Thanks. That's very encouraging.

I just read a very interesting writeup about the Santa's here:

http://adirondackjourney.com/Santanoni_Range.htm

 

[MattC]

Tom, you still got much further than my trip to the ADKs last week. I didn't even make it to a trailhead! Anyhow, you all got out, got some exercise, and as long as everyone returns w/ all their fingers and toes, sounds like a success to me! There was a biting wind all weekend down here in the Hudson Valley, so I figured it must be really ripping up in the High Peaks.

Matt

 

[AntlerPeak]

Tom you have to look at the bright side beyond the obvious that all got out unscathed. Now that your 200+ win streak has been broken all the pressure is off Seriously, it sounded like a brutal hike. I recall a brutal attempt to do Cliff-Redfield on a Saturday day hike with two friends. We used the old Twin Brook Trail and successfully made it to the herd path near Uphill. By then the deep unbroken snow had wiped up out and really heavy winds and snow forced us to abort. We made it back to the car feeling like three whipped puppies. But the next day undaunted the same three fools drove the same route for ninety minutes back to the Upper works and tried again. Our broken trail from the day before had completely filled in with no sign to show for our efforts the day before. Again breaking trail all the way we got part way up Redfield before the winds and snow turned into freezing rain. Two of us had to force the third guy to give it up almost having to drag his soaked cold body out of the woods. Geeze two days almost forty miles and nothing to show for it except a hard lesson learned. The following weekend we made it but that is another story.

 

[Pete Hogan]

Santanoni Shutout!

(Others may post here or start their own thread)

Team Tom..............

You’re traveling through another dimension, a dimension of not only sight and sound but of mind…a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That’s the signpost up ahead, your next stop…………The Santanonis!

Seems that February 25 just doesn't bode well for people venturing into the Santanoni Range! I understand what you are going through because it happened much the same to us on the exact same day............last year!

Here is an excerpt from my trip report for February 25, 2005.

After a determined (11hours and 28 minutes), but devastatingly disappointing attempt at Santanoni and Panther Mountains, I have a few postscripts about the conditions on the wild and remote Santanoni Ridge. The outcome remains the same…Santanoni and Panther 2, us 0.

As we topped out on the Santanoni ridge, the main path we had been following "dead-ended" and restarted in several directions which we explored only to discover successive dead-ends. By chance, we discovered one path that ended up at the large ridge boulder where you can easily see Santanoni, Panther and Couchsachraga. We spent nearly an hour searching for Times Square or any established herd path to Panther. We were not successful. The ridge had about 2-3 feet of fresh powder over a base of 3 to 4 feet. I briefly started to bushwhack on a sight bearing directly to Panther, but soon found myself in hip-deep powder wondering which spruce trap had my name on it. We were past our designated turn-around time and very disappointingly started to descend via the main herd path that we ascended.

I am now pouring over my notes and maps trying to figure out where we went wrong. To have Panther within sight (.5 mile and 200 feet of ascent) after almost 2800 feet of vertical and over 5 miles of snowshoe hiking was a tough pill to swallow. 1 for 2 would have been at least a psychological victory. More planned time might have allowed us an increased time margin to try for Santanoni, but I am still puzzled over the disappearance of any track in the direction of Panther after such a highly defined route to the ridge. The great mystery is that I don't know what I missed…. and maybe I never will.

As upsetting and exhausting as this day was, it was made infinitely better by a long-time friend and trusted hiking partner, Barb Blum. “Failing forward” is not a complete loss because today we did our best, accomplished a lot, were not afraid to fail and made positive progress toward our next try.

Time will heal all wounds and the elusive Santanonis will fall...............
someday....just not on February 25!

 

[Tom Rankin]

Time will heal all wounds and the elusive Santanonis will fall...............someday....just not on February 25!

MUST... NOT... HIKE... 2/25... MUST... NOT...HIKE.... !! (Unless we're doing Colden! )

On this, my 1000th post, I salute the team and family spirit of VFTT!!!

 

[Tom Rankin]

Can you please comment on the skiable conditions at base-level? I'll be out there in two weeks to do some bc touring and would appreciate the info.

Skiing the first 1.8 miles on the dirt road would be easy. The snowmobilers have made a very flat track.

Skiing the next 1.5 miles to the leanto area is about 800' of climbing on essentially a frozen stream bed. Some rocks to hop over, 2 bridges and a steep staircase will present themselves to you.

But if you do it now, there is an excellent base, and good snow on top.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Tom,

A big thanks for everything. I had a great time. One maybe Lost & found item. I think there were a pair of shoes left there. As Timmus & I were leaving, I took one last look, and saw a pari of shoes (sneakers?) and a pair of boots. I went out and asked Timmus if they were hers, she said the boots were, and went in to get them. That probably means that the other pair were left.

Timmus & I had a dielightful (but coold) walk to the Great santanoni Camp on Sunday.

 

[Rick]

Tom, Tom, Tom, Tom, Tom, (it actually has a very nice ring to it it ),

Never, ever be discouraged by not being able to pick up a peak or that your efforts were in vain or your hopes dashed... Always given the choice of (in the words of my VFTT AT Thruhiker lurker friend, the Great Reverend Yukon Jack) "Where would you rather be other than right here right now??" I choose lost, bewildered, confused, dazed and amazed and left to my own devices on some far flung route to some misplaced peak, rather than almost anything else.

Think of all the memories you will have of the Santanoni's and how you will always be left in wonderment - It sounds like a much more fun adventure than just hiking up to the peaks and back (though I hope your damaged body parts heal well...)

 

[--M.]

Skiing the next 1.5 miles to the leanto area is about 800' of climbing on essentially a frozen stream bed. Some rocks to hop over, 2 bridges and a steep staircase will present themselves to you.

Hey, thanks a ton!

I read the other reports from this weekend out there; sounds like it was intense! I especially liked the one you referenced (http://adirondackjourney.com/Santanoni_Range.htm) for its description of how many tries it might take to get this one.

Thanks again,

--M.

 

[Neil]

School: Lessons first, exams second.
Life: Exams first, lessons second.

Thanks Tom for sharing. Your TR is one of the most important I've read in a long while because it's full of lessons that hopefully I can take away and learn from.

I wasn't going to post this because of the risk at being interpreted as a condescending pissant but what the hell, what's the point of having a forum if we don't post our thoughts? Before I start let me point out that I got a "failing grade" on Allen and Emmons the first time I attempted them last year. Imagine skiing out on that road to Coreys in the dark gnashing your teeth and thinking, "failure" with every stride. (JK of course, the true objective was the car, not the peak )

This is all from a peakbagging perspective. Peakbagging is different from hiking. Peakbagging is all about getting the peak.

I have my 7 habits for successful peakbagging posted on my gear closet and 3 things stick out.

In no particular order:

Know your route. The Santas have a rep for being pretty tough. Until last weekend I had only done each one once and being no Pin-Pin I had loaded my gps up with the route info and had read the map and some TR's over and over again. I was with a guy who has done the Santas many, many times and he lost the trail over to Santa and we started wandering off to the east. The gps which I had been following closely all the time brought us back to the herd trail within 20 minutes. It sounds like you guys went enthusiastically after a set of tracks that went nowhere as opposed to checking and rechecking your data.
I know all the gps arguments pro and con and for multi peak days, either bushwhacking or on herd trails in winter, the gps greatly increases one's chance of obtaining a "passsing grade". It's not cheating because every peakbagger get to play the game by his or her own personal set of rules.

Choose your partners wisely. My 46er finish notwithstanding, I've never been a fan of large groups, preferring to handpick a small number of people I know well. While a large group can be a lot of fun the chance of success is inversely proportional to the group's size. There's always that large group inertia that slows things down and the tendency for individual critical thinking to yield to the group's powerful gravity field.

Never underestimate the mountain. No comment.

Finally, if you had planned this with 2 or 3 hiking partners maybe you would have looked at the weather and said, "screw it, lets go next weekend". However, you were very committed to a specific date rather than a specific set of conditions.

I post this in all humility, no smug attitude, no pretences that I am somehow a better peakbagger than anyone else. I have no idea how I would have made out on the route that day. The phrase, "But for the grace of God..." applys to me 100% here.

 

[shin murnane]

Santanoni's or Bust

Tom

What a great day. As some others have already eluded to how sweet the Santanoni's will be when we all finally get them in the winter. Oh the stories that will be told. Thank you for putting the trip together. My son & I were lucky enough to summit Panther w/ the small group of six. It was as cold as any summit that I can remember being on. So cold I couldn't get my hands to work good enough to take a picture. Panther was my 43rd winter peak so you know how disappointed I was at not getting the others. But after many hours of discussing the trip, my son & I realized just how successful the day was. Again borrowing a quote "Where would you rather be other than right here right now". Did anyone else get any of the other summits?

Anyone up for Santa & Couch this coming weekend. If I can bag these 2, Phelps on St. Patrick's day will be my 46th winter peak.

Great day in the mountains.

Shin

 

[BlackSpruce]

Ill advised advice

Well Neil,

I personnaly think that you missed a great chanee to keep all that good advice for yourself! Breaking trail and founding one's way to Couch is always extremely difficult even on a clear day as there are no distant views once dep in the woods, then once in the swampy col there are still a few bumps to traverse and that always take for ever. Furthermore on Saturday, by noon it was snowing heavely and the wind was fierce, even if the group had made it to Couch it would had probably meant breaking trail back up to TS, not really a fun option for the return. Being able to make the decision to turn back and work as a team shows true Winter 46-R spirit and tha't what the W is all about not just the summit. From where I was this past weekend we could see by Friday afternoon even though it was clear at lower elevation that the Santanoni Ridge was stormy. Having work hard and an adventure in the Santanonis will make you all that much more proud of your soon to come W than just following PP's tracks.

Christine

 

[Splitrock821]

Thanks Tom!

Tom-

Thanks for setting up our trip this past weekend- it was certainly appreciated. I count myself among the same 'Group of Six' who were able to summit Panther, and I echo Shin's comment- the wind was as strong as any I've ever seen up there.

It was certainly a tough go of it, but I'm happy to have been given the opportunity to be outside in the first place. You set that opportunity up for our group, and I appreciate it.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

... founding one's way to Couch is always extremely difficult even on a clear day as there are no distant views

Sometimes you can get lucky, though. Several years ago, when I did couche, the snow was so deep, that it was just about an open ridge walk the entire time. Oh yeah. It was a beautiful day too. That makes a BIG difference.

BTW, did anyone take any pictures at Aunt Polly's? Looking at my camera, there is nothing but pictures of Julies and snow.

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

First of all, I want to say congratulations to Timmus, Cantdog, and Pete Hickey for summiting anything at all on that difficult day.

I had my GPS receiver with me, but could barely see it. I think that the bitterly cold wind would have turned me back even without the accumulating snow to deal with. Everything was fine until we reached Times Square, then it all seemed so familiar: It took me 4 attempts to finally reach the summits of all 3 Santanonis my first time around. This makes one attempt now in my quest to reach the top of Santanoni in winter, which will be all I need to be finished with that range, although climbing Couchsachraga from Cold River sounds like an adventure. But maybe not on February 25th...

 

[Neil]

Well Neil,

I personnaly think that you missed a great chanee to keep all that good advice for yourself! Breaking trail and founding one's way to Couch is always extremely difficult even on a clear day as there are no distant views once dep in the woods, then once in the swampy col there are still a few bumps to traverse and that always take for ever. Furthermore on Saturday, by noon it was snowing heavely and the wind was fierce, even if the group had made it to Couch it would had probably meant breaking trail back up to TS, not really a fun option for the return. Being able to make the decision to turn back and work as a team shows true Winter 46-R spirit and tha't what the W is all about not just the summit. From where I was this past weekend we could see by Friday afternoon even though it was clear at lower elevation that the Santanoni Ridge was stormy. Having work hard and an adventure in the Santanonis will make you all that much more proud of your soon to come W than just following PP's tracks.

Christine

Sigh, I guess I was naive. Someone was bound to come down on me for my post.

Anyway, it's not advice....it's analysis. Tom's post is a golden opportunity for all of us all to learn from. If I chose to post publicly it's because this is a forum.

Just to make sure my intentions are clear, I clearly pointed out that I had no idea how I myself would have made out because I wasn't there. I know how hard that range can be - no judgements being thrown around by me here. In fact, that was part of my point-the difficulty of the range.

Furthermore, I made no comments on the group's decision to turn back.

Going for a peak list is about successful peakbagging and the wonderful process that leads to that success.

So far I havn't followed P-P's tracks anywhere and nor do I plan on doing so (now, what was THAT all about?).

Neil

I stand by my post.

 

[BlackSpruce]

Sigh...

Sigh, I guess I was naive. Someone was bound to come down on me for my post...


No, you are not naive.