DreamFarmer
Active member
Seward 8/7
Well, I finally got Seward on my 4th journey into the Sewards. It was my 44th peak and on this day I shared the summit with a fellow who had just summited to become a 46 er. He was not a member of any forums so we can’t congratulate him. My day began South of Buffalo at 3 AM when the alarm went off and I packed and hit the road by 3:45. Between driving and a few stops for supplies, I reached the Summer Trailhead on Coreys road started hiking at 10:30. I was later than I wanted to be so I moved fast and by 11:30 hit the cairn marking the trail away from the fire road and heading up Calkins Brook.
I felt I was OK, timewise, after that and proceeded at the usual pace. The trail up Donaldson was easy to follow and things went smoothly. I was looking forward to the cut-off over to Seward and being able to see some new trail. It was a great day and I had decided to descend on the North Side of Seward so I could experience the full loop.
Once I had turned off the herd path to Donaldson and was heading for Seward I could see why Prino , JayH,and ADKJack had trouble finding the path last winter. It was very dense and tight in many places and if there was a bunch of new or drifted snow, forget it ! This is a rugged little path up to the summit and also heading down for the first mile on the North side. On the summit, in addition to the new 46er, was a father and son who were waiting for some other hikers who were coming back from doing Donaldson and Emmons. They were camping at Blueberry L/T, which was filled when I exited, along with 2 tents setup.
On the descent, the trail takes you to the right of the famous “big facewall” (when you hit this going up, you go to the left). When you drop over the little manageable cliff, go left! I mad the mistake of going to the right which eventually fades out so I had to turn around.
The descent on the North side of Seward is not easy and the trail fragments many times. It’s steep, there’s lots of “hand work” and watch for cairns to help you find your way.
It was a beautiful afternoon and I finished at 6:30 and headed for the ADK BBQ at Magic Pines.
Dial 8/8- Mtlady, Little Rickie and myself had a leisurely start to this “easy” day of hiking and started our hike at 9AM. We parked at the Roaring Brook Trailhead, since St Huberts was full. It was a glorious morning with cool temperatures. We gabbed away the time along the Lake Road and before we knew it were heading up the trail to Dial. The hardest part of this hike is the 1st section that gets you to the shoulder of Noonmark . The initial mile or mile and ½ is rigorous climbing on a nice dirt path. There are great open slabs with good views of the great range and you can see Bear Den and Dial in the distance. We hung out for a while but it was a little hot in the sun and it was good to continue our climb back in the shade of the woods. It’s really a nice dirt trail most of the way to the summit. Very enjoyable and easy on the feet. There is a little clearing on Bear Den and a sign indicating 2.1 miles to the summit of Dial. You work pretty hard the last 1/3 mile. It is a spectacular summit and the views or the Great Range are as good as any.
We hung out for a little while and headed down trying to keep our 3PM pickup time with Little Rickie who changed his plans shortly into the hike. We finished at 4 and had a couple iced beers in the parking lot before heading back to the ADK BBQ and all the beautiful people ! What a slice of Heaven . I stand at #45 with Big Slide waiting to teach me a lesson of some sort. They all do!
Well, I finally got Seward on my 4th journey into the Sewards. It was my 44th peak and on this day I shared the summit with a fellow who had just summited to become a 46 er. He was not a member of any forums so we can’t congratulate him. My day began South of Buffalo at 3 AM when the alarm went off and I packed and hit the road by 3:45. Between driving and a few stops for supplies, I reached the Summer Trailhead on Coreys road started hiking at 10:30. I was later than I wanted to be so I moved fast and by 11:30 hit the cairn marking the trail away from the fire road and heading up Calkins Brook.
I felt I was OK, timewise, after that and proceeded at the usual pace. The trail up Donaldson was easy to follow and things went smoothly. I was looking forward to the cut-off over to Seward and being able to see some new trail. It was a great day and I had decided to descend on the North Side of Seward so I could experience the full loop.
Once I had turned off the herd path to Donaldson and was heading for Seward I could see why Prino , JayH,and ADKJack had trouble finding the path last winter. It was very dense and tight in many places and if there was a bunch of new or drifted snow, forget it ! This is a rugged little path up to the summit and also heading down for the first mile on the North side. On the summit, in addition to the new 46er, was a father and son who were waiting for some other hikers who were coming back from doing Donaldson and Emmons. They were camping at Blueberry L/T, which was filled when I exited, along with 2 tents setup.
On the descent, the trail takes you to the right of the famous “big facewall” (when you hit this going up, you go to the left). When you drop over the little manageable cliff, go left! I mad the mistake of going to the right which eventually fades out so I had to turn around.
The descent on the North side of Seward is not easy and the trail fragments many times. It’s steep, there’s lots of “hand work” and watch for cairns to help you find your way.
It was a beautiful afternoon and I finished at 6:30 and headed for the ADK BBQ at Magic Pines.
Dial 8/8- Mtlady, Little Rickie and myself had a leisurely start to this “easy” day of hiking and started our hike at 9AM. We parked at the Roaring Brook Trailhead, since St Huberts was full. It was a glorious morning with cool temperatures. We gabbed away the time along the Lake Road and before we knew it were heading up the trail to Dial. The hardest part of this hike is the 1st section that gets you to the shoulder of Noonmark . The initial mile or mile and ½ is rigorous climbing on a nice dirt path. There are great open slabs with good views of the great range and you can see Bear Den and Dial in the distance. We hung out for a while but it was a little hot in the sun and it was good to continue our climb back in the shade of the woods. It’s really a nice dirt trail most of the way to the summit. Very enjoyable and easy on the feet. There is a little clearing on Bear Den and a sign indicating 2.1 miles to the summit of Dial. You work pretty hard the last 1/3 mile. It is a spectacular summit and the views or the Great Range are as good as any.
We hung out for a little while and headed down trying to keep our 3PM pickup time with Little Rickie who changed his plans shortly into the hike. We finished at 4 and had a couple iced beers in the parking lot before heading back to the ADK BBQ and all the beautiful people ! What a slice of Heaven . I stand at #45 with Big Slide waiting to teach me a lesson of some sort. They all do!
