Tabletop in Winter

[percious]

How hard is it to find the herd path for tabletop in the winter? I am thinking of climbing it this saturday. Anyone else heading up there? What do I look for at the trail head?

-percious

 

[Guinness]

The herd path is not to difficult to find. Start on the trail from the Loj to Marcy. You will pass the turn off for Phelps and after that a sign that references a ski trail on the left, continue on the trail. There is a sharp, right turn at the start of the herd path. Right will continue towards Marcy, left to the start of the Tabletop herdpath. Almost immediately, there will be a split on the herd path. The split to the right is the older path and it should have branches on it. Take the left herd path which gets more defined after you cross a fallen tree at the start. Then it you should have no problem following it.

 

[mavs00]

Just as described above, it should look somthing like this;

(except with snow )

It's about 3 minutes before reaching Indian Fallson the VanHo trail to Marcy.

 

[Rik]

The directions are good but I'll bet it looks a little more white than Mavs photo!

 

[Tom Rankin]

Just as described above, it should look somthing like this;

(except with snow )

It's about 3 minutes before reaching Indian Fallson the VanHo trail to Marcy.

Last Winter, there was a cairn there, and the trail started off with Red Trail markers. They quickly disappeared, but the path was obvious.

 

[Guinness]

Here is my last trip up there, March 14, 2004! I do not think there will be snow like this, but who knows....

http://community.webshots.com/photo/174249151/174249880dDUIKC

 

[percious]

so i take a left at the "marcy <->" sign? I have never been up this trail before... Thanks for all the help guys. *praying for good weather*

-percious

 

[Guinness]

Left is your route. Be careful and look for the herd path split, take the one on the left.

Good Luck,

 

[Rick]

I think you'll find it is a pretty nice little walk, nothing to bad (Well... wear your old Goretex)
But Mavs is right on, if you get to Indian Falls, (which makes a great lunch or break spot, before you head up,) just backtrack for a couple of minutes and it will be right there, on the right.

 

[Peakbagr]

Tabletop should be a snap. Used to be, before it lost true trailless status, you went up to Indian Falls and went from there. In the summer, it was a maze of herd paths that all joined up part way up. In the winter, it was a pure bushwack, and there was a notorious band of sprucetraps that made it very challenging. I have a picture somewhere of a sprucetrap "hottub" with 4 or 5 of us floundering it in all at once.

 

[Willie]

???

Perhaps my memory is fading, or maybe I was hypothermic when I was there on 12/25/03, but I remember the intersection being a 4-way intersection. Hard right to Marcy (as described above), straight to Tabletop, and Left to go down a ski trail.

I hope I'm not confusing the matter ....

 

[mavs00]

Ooops

Sorry, I probably should have been more clear. As your strolling up the VanHo trail to Marcy (that's the one that leads out of Marcy Dam and goes up past the trail to Phelps trail). About 2 miles (or so) past Marcy Dam, you'll reach the spot in the picture above (I think willie is right, there are 4 ways to go).

In order to reach Indian Falls (and Marcy beyond) the sign directs you hard right. If you look closely at the photo, you'll see a cairn on the ground straight ahead. This marks the Tabletop herd path. It's more like a straight ahead then a left at this sign. There is a left turn at that point, but it's a ski trail (you pass the entrance earlier).

 

[sierra]

picture

Mavsoo,
I have not done 1 adk 4k, but had to sat that picture of Whiteface next to your name is fantastic

 

[Raymond]

The "hard right" to Marcy takes you up a staircase, although it's probably covered now by the snow. As you come up to the stairs in the summer, the cairn is eye level, dead ahead.

If you reach Indian Falls, a big open area to the right (the falls are out of sight, dropping away from you, toward a nice view of the MacIntyre Range), you've gone too far.

 

[Skyclimber]

Should wait to climb Tabletop, on a sunny, winter's day, with three foot of snow pack. The views are totally awesome of Marcy, Haystack, etc. Worth the wait.

 

[Rik]

I love the view from just past the summit of Tabletop any time of year!

 

[Skyclimber]

In Winter though you don't have to go past the summit to get a view. It's there, almost 360 degrees worth of it.

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

"Here is my last trip up there, March 14, 2004!"

Actually Ed, you also hiked up Tabletop on May 9th. It was a cloudy day with a very special ray of sunshine that appeared on the summit...

 

[Guinness]

Bob,

How dare I forget, I was with you! Thanks for the reminder, sometimes all the trips just blend together.

Ed

 

[Rik]

In Winter though you don't have to go past the summit to get a view. It's there, almost 360 degrees worth of it.

Oh yeah, I think I remember that view. That is until I ended up over my head in a spruce trap. Ok the view was still 360 but not very impressive!