dom15931
New member
Sawteeth: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/577968294spXnQJ
One of my favorite hikes to date and my first in the Adirondack Preserve area. My cousin Chad was moving from SC to NM for a new teaching job and wanted to bag a few ADK's beforehand as it had been a while.
Bug's were not too bad. We parked at the designated hiker parking lot 0.7 miles from the gaurdshack after a surprisingly easy drive considering the lack of sleep from my place in Pennsylvania. Left the car at 10:45am or so. The weather was mostly cloudy, but the temperatures were nice. The walk to the Preserve road gate was a nice warm up providing views of Giant and the golf course. Arriving at the gate we spoke with the staff member there, told him of our plans, and he insisted we check out Rainbow Falls. He also strongly advised going up the Scenic Trail and coming down the other side of the loop. This was great advise and I'd recommend this loop to anyone looking for a bit of a challenge with a wide variety of views and sights. It's the logical way to do the loop, but as we would observe and were warned decending the Scenic Trail would not be very fun as it is not heavily traveled, very steep, and muddy in places.
The walk back the private road is scenic forest and the walk in takes only about an hour's time. Crossing a long wooden bridge over the river you are met with the trail junction. Initially the Scenic Trail fallows the lower Ausable Lake through a series of brief ups and downs nears it's near absent shoreline. Once it starts upward it is steep and slippery providing only brief more level stretches and frequent outlooks from it's upward onslaught. It is a very rewarding trail with an outstanding wilderness feel to it.
Route finding is slightly tricky in places. The herdpath up Street and Nye seems like a frequent use trail compared to this trail. One thing I noticed is that the several ladders on this trail are getting quite rotten and do need repairs. I wouldn't have been surprised if a rung had broken when we went up them. Luckily this did not happen. There are some fun brief boulder scrambles here and there which require the use of hands, but for the most part this trail is not overly rocky considering how steep it is.
The side trek to Marble Point is worth the short walk. The views here are nice and the cliff drop is shear. The lakes look incredible from here as well as all of the surrounding mountains. From one of the overlooks I recall looking up and seeing a good view of the top of the Nippletop Slide, something that has been on my mind for a while.
After continuing and the regular trail I recall a brief up and down and then ascending a lower sawtooth summit. We passed a lone hiker heading to descend the Scenic trail here. After that it was a relativily easy hike to the Sawteeth summit. I really enjoyed the views of the Great Range here. What an amphitheater feeling! The views of the Gothics, including its Pyramid Peak summit, were particularly impressive in my opinion. As we sat and ate lunch I took numerous photos trying to capture the rays of sun that broke through the clouds. Marcy looks almost like a looming distant version of a cascade volcano here. It had a Mt Baker like presence in the background, albeit without snow and the lofty elevation of that mountain. We spent the better part of an hour just enjoying the views and reflecting on what a rewarding hike this had been thus far.
Heading down the other side we made good time wondering what this waterfall would look like. I recall walking on the trail near the growing stream and all of a sudden it was just gone. This fall was going to be huge... There was a viewing platform that gave a preview. Hiking lower on the trail we encountered a side trail that followed a water line for a tenth or two back to the falls. They were stunning. Now my favorite waterfall in the East. The recent rains have probably made it a perfect time to view them.
After this we headed back for a long and uneventful trek back to the car. Arriving back at the Ausable Club there were excellent views of Giant and Sawteeth with the sky now mostly clear. We arrived back at around 7:30. Later that evening we enjoyed some fine food and brews at the Lake Placid Brewing Co. Can't go wrong there
All in all this was a great day.
Algonquin and Iroquois 6-12-2010 http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/577971499HgPEkt
With all the stuff going on in Lake Placid and what was a 30% chance of rain showers now slated to be a washout we decided to try to find a motel and were surprised to at the far end of town. Friday night there seemed to be several places with vacancy. Saturday did not appear to be that way. I know the Econolodge had been booked a week prior to our arrival as I had called. We got a room at the Alpine Air and a good nights sleep. I am glad we did not camp as planned. I awoke at 6 am to the sound of heavy rain. The weather radar was frightening. We went and had a great breakfast at a downtown diner and bough a few gear items at EMS. With the 20% student discount the prices were not to bad.
As the rain stopped around 10:30 or so we began to make plans. We decided to take on the two highest peaks in the Mac's. I had previusly been on Algonquin on two separate occasions, one winter and one just over a year earlier, and expected, unfortunately, the same view less summit. I'd be right. Chad had been on Wright, but never Algonquin and neither of us had ever set foot on Iroqoius so it seemed like a good choice for a late start. We had originally wanted to tackle the range via a whack over the Tooth' from Cold Brook Pass, but the weather made the standard approach the only sane option.
We hit the trail at about 1:00 pm. The trail to Algonquin was muddy and particularly wet, more like walking in a small stream. The slide section above the Wright junction and below the timberline was slippery. We were told of high winds and a pelting mist at the summit. There had been no "rain" yet. (and thankfully only a mist afterward) We had our rain gear so we were prepared. It was a bit breezy at the summit, but the temps were not real bad and the winds would soon subside after a brief fog storm with heavy mist. Going down Algonquin towards the path to Iroquois I really was saddened by the lack of views because you can tell they'd have to be amongst the best in the ADK's. It seemed the timberline was a bit lower on this side.
The heardpath over Boundary and to Iroquois is narrow and muddy. The trees are thick. It was slow going. We would see no one else on the path. After summiting we carefully down hiked a bit and got a view of the Shepard's Tooth. With the late hour and lack of any views it would have been a silly and slippery trek probably resulting in torn up rain gear. Someday. When it's not cloudy when I am in the Mac's... lol.
We had spent lots of time on the summits hoping for a miracle, in this case a view, to no anvil. This made for a late return trek.
One interesting thing did occur on the way back. When we re summited Algonquin you could clearly hear the parade in Lake Placid. By this time the density of the fog had reduced. There were a few brief sparing glimpses of small sections Wright but alas no real views. The fog sunk off Wrights summit on the way down but hung tough in the valley. We had to lamp out from the "waterfall" about a half mile below the Wright Junction. It was very very slow going with the fog. We arrived back at 11pm. Those last two miles lamping in the fog and all of our breaks really stretched out the time on this one.
Pics are here:
Sawteeth:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/577968294spXnQJ
Mac's:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/577971499HgPEkt
One of my favorite hikes to date and my first in the Adirondack Preserve area. My cousin Chad was moving from SC to NM for a new teaching job and wanted to bag a few ADK's beforehand as it had been a while.
Bug's were not too bad. We parked at the designated hiker parking lot 0.7 miles from the gaurdshack after a surprisingly easy drive considering the lack of sleep from my place in Pennsylvania. Left the car at 10:45am or so. The weather was mostly cloudy, but the temperatures were nice. The walk to the Preserve road gate was a nice warm up providing views of Giant and the golf course. Arriving at the gate we spoke with the staff member there, told him of our plans, and he insisted we check out Rainbow Falls. He also strongly advised going up the Scenic Trail and coming down the other side of the loop. This was great advise and I'd recommend this loop to anyone looking for a bit of a challenge with a wide variety of views and sights. It's the logical way to do the loop, but as we would observe and were warned decending the Scenic Trail would not be very fun as it is not heavily traveled, very steep, and muddy in places.
The walk back the private road is scenic forest and the walk in takes only about an hour's time. Crossing a long wooden bridge over the river you are met with the trail junction. Initially the Scenic Trail fallows the lower Ausable Lake through a series of brief ups and downs nears it's near absent shoreline. Once it starts upward it is steep and slippery providing only brief more level stretches and frequent outlooks from it's upward onslaught. It is a very rewarding trail with an outstanding wilderness feel to it.
Route finding is slightly tricky in places. The herdpath up Street and Nye seems like a frequent use trail compared to this trail. One thing I noticed is that the several ladders on this trail are getting quite rotten and do need repairs. I wouldn't have been surprised if a rung had broken when we went up them. Luckily this did not happen. There are some fun brief boulder scrambles here and there which require the use of hands, but for the most part this trail is not overly rocky considering how steep it is.
The side trek to Marble Point is worth the short walk. The views here are nice and the cliff drop is shear. The lakes look incredible from here as well as all of the surrounding mountains. From one of the overlooks I recall looking up and seeing a good view of the top of the Nippletop Slide, something that has been on my mind for a while.
After continuing and the regular trail I recall a brief up and down and then ascending a lower sawtooth summit. We passed a lone hiker heading to descend the Scenic trail here. After that it was a relativily easy hike to the Sawteeth summit. I really enjoyed the views of the Great Range here. What an amphitheater feeling! The views of the Gothics, including its Pyramid Peak summit, were particularly impressive in my opinion. As we sat and ate lunch I took numerous photos trying to capture the rays of sun that broke through the clouds. Marcy looks almost like a looming distant version of a cascade volcano here. It had a Mt Baker like presence in the background, albeit without snow and the lofty elevation of that mountain. We spent the better part of an hour just enjoying the views and reflecting on what a rewarding hike this had been thus far.
Heading down the other side we made good time wondering what this waterfall would look like. I recall walking on the trail near the growing stream and all of a sudden it was just gone. This fall was going to be huge... There was a viewing platform that gave a preview. Hiking lower on the trail we encountered a side trail that followed a water line for a tenth or two back to the falls. They were stunning. Now my favorite waterfall in the East. The recent rains have probably made it a perfect time to view them.
After this we headed back for a long and uneventful trek back to the car. Arriving back at the Ausable Club there were excellent views of Giant and Sawteeth with the sky now mostly clear. We arrived back at around 7:30. Later that evening we enjoyed some fine food and brews at the Lake Placid Brewing Co. Can't go wrong there
All in all this was a great day.Algonquin and Iroquois 6-12-2010 http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/577971499HgPEkt
With all the stuff going on in Lake Placid and what was a 30% chance of rain showers now slated to be a washout we decided to try to find a motel and were surprised to at the far end of town. Friday night there seemed to be several places with vacancy. Saturday did not appear to be that way. I know the Econolodge had been booked a week prior to our arrival as I had called. We got a room at the Alpine Air and a good nights sleep. I am glad we did not camp as planned. I awoke at 6 am to the sound of heavy rain. The weather radar was frightening. We went and had a great breakfast at a downtown diner and bough a few gear items at EMS. With the 20% student discount the prices were not to bad.
As the rain stopped around 10:30 or so we began to make plans. We decided to take on the two highest peaks in the Mac's. I had previusly been on Algonquin on two separate occasions, one winter and one just over a year earlier, and expected, unfortunately, the same view less summit. I'd be right. Chad had been on Wright, but never Algonquin and neither of us had ever set foot on Iroqoius so it seemed like a good choice for a late start. We had originally wanted to tackle the range via a whack over the Tooth' from Cold Brook Pass, but the weather made the standard approach the only sane option.
We hit the trail at about 1:00 pm. The trail to Algonquin was muddy and particularly wet, more like walking in a small stream. The slide section above the Wright junction and below the timberline was slippery. We were told of high winds and a pelting mist at the summit. There had been no "rain" yet. (and thankfully only a mist afterward) We had our rain gear so we were prepared. It was a bit breezy at the summit, but the temps were not real bad and the winds would soon subside after a brief fog storm with heavy mist. Going down Algonquin towards the path to Iroquois I really was saddened by the lack of views because you can tell they'd have to be amongst the best in the ADK's. It seemed the timberline was a bit lower on this side.
The heardpath over Boundary and to Iroquois is narrow and muddy. The trees are thick. It was slow going. We would see no one else on the path. After summiting we carefully down hiked a bit and got a view of the Shepard's Tooth. With the late hour and lack of any views it would have been a silly and slippery trek probably resulting in torn up rain gear. Someday. When it's not cloudy when I am in the Mac's... lol.
We had spent lots of time on the summits hoping for a miracle, in this case a view, to no anvil. This made for a late return trek.
One interesting thing did occur on the way back. When we re summited Algonquin you could clearly hear the parade in Lake Placid. By this time the density of the fog had reduced. There were a few brief sparing glimpses of small sections Wright but alas no real views. The fog sunk off Wrights summit on the way down but hung tough in the valley. We had to lamp out from the "waterfall" about a half mile below the Wright Junction. It was very very slow going with the fog. We arrived back at 11pm. Those last two miles lamping in the fog and all of our breaks really stretched out the time on this one.
Pics are here:
Sawteeth:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/577968294spXnQJ
Mac's:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/577971499HgPEkt
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