hikethe115
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- Jun 10, 2004
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Around the end of 2003, I put together a plan. I wanted my husband Tom and I to finish the 46ers together. Tom needed 24 more and I needed 16. We also wanted to finish the 115 together with our friends Bonnie and Phil in 2004. Tom needed 39 and I needed 21 for the 115. So, we had a lot of hiking to do. I felt the only way we could do this was to put together a plan. The project manager in me went to work. Tom couldn’t believe I had worked it out for us to finish together. However, we still had to work the plan. We even had make up dates available for us. We sent the plan to our friends. They all thought we were quite aggressive and optimistic, but they also rooted us on and joined us when possible. What a year it has been! We have been so lucky with very few bugs, very little rain, and wonderful friends to help us along. It has been such a joy to look forward to all year. Our week in the Adirondacks in July was spectacular. The week in NH in August was also spectacular. We have met many new people along the way. It seems there is an abundance of wonderful people out there hiking.
Ah yes, I was suppose to tell you about the final hike on Whiteface. While Tom and I were in the Adirondacks in July, we scoped out the trail heads and information for hiking Whiteface. We checked the Wilmington Trail from the Reservoir, the trail from the Atmospheric Center, the ski slopes, and taking a boat to Whiteface Landing. Tom was leaning toward the ski slopes since they seemed the shortest. I liked the idea of a through hike (I always like to find a different way to come out than the way I go in). When we looked over coming in from Whiteface Landing, we both thought it would be a cool way to start, and it was a relatively short trail to the top. The icing on the cake for me is that my son did Whiteface this way several years ago when he was at Camp Woodsmoke. Since I wanted a through hike, Tom agreed to spotting cars at the Atmospheric Center. This would also mean not having to rely on being picked up by boat. We sent this information out to friends to see who was interested in joining us. We were fortunate to have 10 sign up for our hike which made for a nice even dozen hikers. Those joining us were Bonnie Prushnok, Phil Seward, Patti Schwankert, Barb Blum, Fred Bloom, Ted Ripley-Dugan, Harryk, Janice Pritchett, Miss Margaret and another Tom. We were also joined at the summit by my sister, my mother and her boyfriend, and Tom’s parents!
We had told the boat company we would be at the marina at 7:30. I got a little nervous when they didn’t show up until about 7:45. However, we still had people arriving so it worked out very well. There was some fog and mist on the lake and it was a delightful boat ride across the lake. Some of the hikers had not met each other so it was a chance for everyone to get acquainted. We got to the landing and started on our journey around 8:30 AM. As with any group of 12 on a hike, we had people going at different speeds. Nobody was in any hurry though so we all enjoyed the hike up. It was quite cloudy when we started but the sun came out off and on through our climb. The first part of the trail is quite gentle with several stream crossings. Then the climb began. It was exciting to know we were on our way to our final 46er. We were in and out of clouds, but we were able to get a glimpse of the valley as we reached the open rock. Tom wanted to make sure I reached the summit first since I was the instigator in all this. So I led the way, and when we approached the rock with the summit sign, I took Tom’s hand and we went up together. Our family was there to join in the celebration. We knew we still had to descend before it really counted, but the summit is a special moment too. We had special gifts from many of those who joined us. Some were carried to the summit, and some were carried from the summit. We had champagne, a handmade basket, stuff sacks for each of us containing backpacking silverware and socks for Tom and a shirt with “Woman With Attitude” for me, specialty chocolate, a box of spicy cheese nips (a tradition for hiking trips in our group), beer carried to the top with ice (by harryk of course), special clear mugs containing rocks hauled down from Whiteface, and Krause’s chocolate sent along from a friend who wasn’t able to join us. We were overwhelmed. Harryk said we needed a sign and Ted is great at calligraphy so we had a sign at the top for lots of pictures. Overall we spent about on hour on top taking pictures and toasting the event. We packed up and said good-bye to our families with the plan to have everyone meet for dinner later. We headed down the stairs and took advantage of the rest rooms. Wow, flush toilets on a peak! Five of our group decided they wanted to get Esther so they went on ahead. We figured that could help taking turns with showers when we got back! I felt like I was on cloud 9 on the way down. What a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. And how wonderful to be able to share it with my husband.
We had heard from Spongebob that he was planning on finishing his 46 on top of Iroquois the same day so we asked him to join us for dinner and celebration. It was great to have him join the party even though we had never met. He is from Portland, Maine so it is quite a drive for him to achieve this goal. Not all of our friends and family could join us for dinner, but we still had a group of 13 at the Lake Placid Pub & Brewery, where they make 46er IPA. We just felt it appropriate for the occasion.
Of course, this does not end my hiking in the Adirondacks. I intend to continue going back. Whether it’s to get that view I missed, help someone else on their quest, or fulfill the need to be out there in the mountains, I will be there!
Now I need to change my avatar...instead of having Whiteface in the background waiting for me, I'll post a picture with Whiteface under my feet!
Ah yes, I was suppose to tell you about the final hike on Whiteface. While Tom and I were in the Adirondacks in July, we scoped out the trail heads and information for hiking Whiteface. We checked the Wilmington Trail from the Reservoir, the trail from the Atmospheric Center, the ski slopes, and taking a boat to Whiteface Landing. Tom was leaning toward the ski slopes since they seemed the shortest. I liked the idea of a through hike (I always like to find a different way to come out than the way I go in). When we looked over coming in from Whiteface Landing, we both thought it would be a cool way to start, and it was a relatively short trail to the top. The icing on the cake for me is that my son did Whiteface this way several years ago when he was at Camp Woodsmoke. Since I wanted a through hike, Tom agreed to spotting cars at the Atmospheric Center. This would also mean not having to rely on being picked up by boat. We sent this information out to friends to see who was interested in joining us. We were fortunate to have 10 sign up for our hike which made for a nice even dozen hikers. Those joining us were Bonnie Prushnok, Phil Seward, Patti Schwankert, Barb Blum, Fred Bloom, Ted Ripley-Dugan, Harryk, Janice Pritchett, Miss Margaret and another Tom. We were also joined at the summit by my sister, my mother and her boyfriend, and Tom’s parents!
We had told the boat company we would be at the marina at 7:30. I got a little nervous when they didn’t show up until about 7:45. However, we still had people arriving so it worked out very well. There was some fog and mist on the lake and it was a delightful boat ride across the lake. Some of the hikers had not met each other so it was a chance for everyone to get acquainted. We got to the landing and started on our journey around 8:30 AM. As with any group of 12 on a hike, we had people going at different speeds. Nobody was in any hurry though so we all enjoyed the hike up. It was quite cloudy when we started but the sun came out off and on through our climb. The first part of the trail is quite gentle with several stream crossings. Then the climb began. It was exciting to know we were on our way to our final 46er. We were in and out of clouds, but we were able to get a glimpse of the valley as we reached the open rock. Tom wanted to make sure I reached the summit first since I was the instigator in all this. So I led the way, and when we approached the rock with the summit sign, I took Tom’s hand and we went up together. Our family was there to join in the celebration. We knew we still had to descend before it really counted, but the summit is a special moment too. We had special gifts from many of those who joined us. Some were carried to the summit, and some were carried from the summit. We had champagne, a handmade basket, stuff sacks for each of us containing backpacking silverware and socks for Tom and a shirt with “Woman With Attitude” for me, specialty chocolate, a box of spicy cheese nips (a tradition for hiking trips in our group), beer carried to the top with ice (by harryk of course), special clear mugs containing rocks hauled down from Whiteface, and Krause’s chocolate sent along from a friend who wasn’t able to join us. We were overwhelmed. Harryk said we needed a sign and Ted is great at calligraphy so we had a sign at the top for lots of pictures. Overall we spent about on hour on top taking pictures and toasting the event. We packed up and said good-bye to our families with the plan to have everyone meet for dinner later. We headed down the stairs and took advantage of the rest rooms. Wow, flush toilets on a peak! Five of our group decided they wanted to get Esther so they went on ahead. We figured that could help taking turns with showers when we got back! I felt like I was on cloud 9 on the way down. What a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. And how wonderful to be able to share it with my husband.
We had heard from Spongebob that he was planning on finishing his 46 on top of Iroquois the same day so we asked him to join us for dinner and celebration. It was great to have him join the party even though we had never met. He is from Portland, Maine so it is quite a drive for him to achieve this goal. Not all of our friends and family could join us for dinner, but we still had a group of 13 at the Lake Placid Pub & Brewery, where they make 46er IPA. We just felt it appropriate for the occasion.
Of course, this does not end my hiking in the Adirondacks. I intend to continue going back. Whether it’s to get that view I missed, help someone else on their quest, or fulfill the need to be out there in the mountains, I will be there!
Now I need to change my avatar...instead of having Whiteface in the background waiting for me, I'll post a picture with Whiteface under my feet!
I certainly have missed being 'out there'. Thanks for reminding me about the good life!
