Sawteeth->Gothics->Armstrong->UWL->LWJ

[HuiYeng]

Hi, I'm totally new to ADK, wonder if anyone can give me info about this range.

1. May I know what is the most common way to do this range?
2. How many miles in total?
3. How much elevation gained in total?

Thanks in advance.

 

[onestep]

Last month mhrsebago & I did this loop. It was my first trip to the ADK's... wow!
It's about 16 miles with 5000' elevation gain. We did it in a counterclockwise loop. Pic's here.

Onestep

 

[Tom Rankin]

Last month mhrsebago & I did this loop. It was my first trip to the ADK's... wow!
It's about 16 miles with 5000' elevation gain. We did it in a counterclockwise loop. Pic's here.

Onestep

I'd recommend starting at the Wolf Jaws as well. This way, you can at least get the easier peaks out of the way, with out a long walk to Sawteeth, where you may or may not find the trails to Sawteeth and Gothics broken out. I would study the maps so that you know where the bailout routes are. Gothics has a brief section above treeline, and has been known to build up a snow cornice. Approach with caution. The scenic trail gets very little traffic in Winter, so I'd avoid it.

The road walk will speed your way out!

 

[Neil]

2 things I liked about the counterclockwise loop is that:

* climbing UWJ and Armstrong in that direction seemed much easier in icy conditions than decsending them would have been.

* Gothics (and Pyramid) is the climax of the loop and that drives you onwards and upwards. The view of yet-to-be-climbed Gothics from Armstrong is inspiring.

IIRC it took us 10½ hours to do the entire loop.

 

[BlackSpruce]

We visited the Lower Range last Saturday, if you intend to climb those peaks this month it's extremely icy at the moment, you will need either snowshoes with agressive claws or crampons to negociate some sections particularly between UWJ and Armstrong, furthermore Armstrong ridge is short of marker between its summit and the Gothics col, often gets a lot of snow with wind continually eraing previous tracks so make sure you study and bring a map. As Tom mentionned the cornice on the way up is magnificent but can be intimidating.

If no one in your group has ever climbed any of those peaks and you haven't in your possession an adk guidebook and map, you should start from Sawteeth and look into the various bail-out routes just in case.

Sawteeth trail is being traveled today and by tomorrow around noon herdpath section between Skylight Brook and Allen summit should be broken.

Have a great weekend.

 

[hikingfish]

I'd recommend starting at the Wolf Jaws as well. This way, you can at least get the easier peaks out of the way, with out a long walk to Sawteeth, where you may or may not find the trails to Sawteeth and Gothics broken out. I would study the maps so that you know where the bailout routes are. Gothics has a brief section above treeline, and has been known to build up a snow cornice. Approach with caution. The scenic trail gets very little traffic in Winter, so I'd avoid it.

The road walk will speed your way out!

I haven't done the entire loop you're talking about in winter, but I did do Gothics and we encountered the cornice Tom spoke of. We had to turn around not even 100m from the summit. Broke my heart , but the mountains will be there to climb another day! The ladder close to the waterfall, right off the road Tom spoke of (I think) was frozen solid. We had to axe out some steps with the ice axe.

Fish

 

[Tom Rankin]

The ladder close to the waterfall, right off the road Tom spoke of (I think) was frozen solid. We had to axe out some steps with the ice axe.

That reminds me, there is another ladder that ices over in Winter as you approach Armstrong. There is a bushwhack route to the left around it.

The first time I was there in summer, the ladder was rotten away. A guy came down to the spot from the summit, took one look at the situation, grabbed a small tree next to the ladder, and just slid down!

 

[HuiYeng]

Thanks for all your helpful info.
More questions...

The ladder close to the waterfall, right off the road Tom spoke of (I think) was frozen solid. We had to axe out some steps with the ice axe.
Fish

May I know where is this ladder?

That reminds me, there is another ladder that ices over in Winter as you approach Armstrong. There is a bushwhack route to the left around it.

Is this ladder between UWJ-Armstrong or Armstrong-Gothics?

Thanks again!

 

[Tom Rankin]

Is this ladder between UWJ-Armstrong or Armstrong-Gothics?

UWJ-Armstrong.

 

[Neil]

Ladder, what ladder? I don't think I remember even seeing the ladder when we did it last March. Either my memory was/is impaired or the ladder was completely encased in ice. JoeCedar might remember. He's a youngster.

 

[rup]

Inn

What Inn is that among your pix???

 

[Skyclimber]

The first time I was there in summer, the ladder was rotten away. A guy came down to the spot from the summit, took one look at the situation, grabbed a small tree next to the ladder, and just slid down!

It has since been replaced. There is now a very, sturdy ladder descending this route. Years ago, there used to be a small ladder and a cable in this section. Now that is when it was scarey! Not to say, "it still isn't."

 

[Skyclimber]

May I know where is this ladder?

This ladder that hikingfish is referring to is at Beaver Meadow Falls. You will not even go by this if you are doing the peaks you mentioned. The only way you would is if you bailed out after Sawteeth and Gothics making a circuit.

 

[Jay H]

I led this hike that 7Summits and ajtiv was on... Despite the popular opinion, I needed Sawteeth and we did this loop clockwise starting with the weld trail to the col between Sawteeth and Gothics.

We traversed the cornice, it was windy but not seriously cold nor as seriously windy Algonquin was a few weeks ago when Al and I were up there. I never donned goggles and never donned my balaclava. There was a well defined lip where the wind was blowing over and we simply stayed on the windward side, knowing or rather more precisely not knowing how deep the snow on the leeward side was. It was certainly cool and now wish I got a shot of it.

We managed to tackle the Armstrong ladder by basically butt sliding into soft snow at the bottom. I cramponed to the top of the ladder and was picking steps with the adze of my ice axe til I decided this would take forever and decided just to slide down feet first (back to slope) and slid into the snow. No trees were harmed in this manuever

7Summits proceeded to butt slide too and Al just kind of carefully downclimbed the ladder after I climbed up most of the way kicking out steps with my crampons. 7Summits got a video of it!

I'll have a full report in a separate thread...

Jay

 

[una_dogger]

Wow, Hikingfish! That's an amazing photo of the cornice, a testament to the windy conditions we've been experiencing.

That was a good call to not destablize it, I'm constantly learning new things from the Trip Reports of others.