Neil
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2004
- Messages
- 3,434
- Reaction score
- 487
“Are you sure you don't want two fried eggs on your blueberry pancakes sir? Is the coffee hot enough for you” I poured maple syrup over my egg-topped pancakes, munched on some perfectly cooked bacon and watched the cream swirl around in my coffee. I also watched the sunrise climb up Pinnacle Ridge, which was lighting up in brilliant shades of reds and yellows across the glass-calm lake.
Too bad every hike doesn't start this way.
Now however, I was backtracking steeply downwards through thick scrub and blowdown looking for my GD gps, which seemed like an exercise doomed to failure. But, I was able to follow our tracks so I figured it was worthwhile to spend at least 10 minutes looking for it. My partner, who is a priest, prayed to St Jude and sure enough I spied it lying face down and called up to Charlie that he could quit praying. As I was climbing back up he called out, “if you see my glasses ($3 non-prescription bushwhackers) pick them up please". I found them too and we continued slowly upwards through very thick scrub with loads of fresh blowdown mixed in. It was actually a beautiful hike if you were in the right headspace. The chaos of the Adirondack woods at elevation never ceases to amaze me.
Earlier on we discovered that the “footbridge” via Clear Pond across The Branch (which drains Elk Lake) was long gone and we lost time farting around before finding a spot only ankle deep and running very quickly across, which looked pretty funny actually.
Anyway, we found the true summit, which had some fresh looking flagging on it. We left the flagging alone just in case someone was doing a research project and were very happy to discover much more open woods all along the ridgeline over to Boreas. We were on that fine mountain at 2pm and had shrouded views through lowering clouds down to Clear Pond and Elk Lake. It began to rain but the woods were wet and we were completely soaked anyway. Charlie, now at 95 peaks for the ADK hundred, went down the trail and I, now a 98-er continued north along the ridge to Boreas North , which is on my personal 125 list. It was 2 kilometers away as the crow flies but the woods were so open and free from blowdown that it only took 90 minutes to get there. It became very dark and gloomy in the woods and mist was wafting through. There was sky on either side of me and no movement of air, which was a very special moment, well worth the $165 price of admission I paid to hike these peaks.
The summit of Boreas North was guarded by very serious blowdown but I was able to wend my way easily enough through it. After finding the highest point I did a Goto to “trail” and dialed the bearing of 104 mag into my compass, which I detached from its string so I could hold it in my hot little hand and walk a straight line. The woods were so open and the footing so good that it only took an hour twenty to cover the 3 kilometers down to the blue trail.
(No pictures.)
Too bad every hike doesn't start this way.
Now however, I was backtracking steeply downwards through thick scrub and blowdown looking for my GD gps, which seemed like an exercise doomed to failure. But, I was able to follow our tracks so I figured it was worthwhile to spend at least 10 minutes looking for it. My partner, who is a priest, prayed to St Jude and sure enough I spied it lying face down and called up to Charlie that he could quit praying. As I was climbing back up he called out, “if you see my glasses ($3 non-prescription bushwhackers) pick them up please". I found them too and we continued slowly upwards through very thick scrub with loads of fresh blowdown mixed in. It was actually a beautiful hike if you were in the right headspace. The chaos of the Adirondack woods at elevation never ceases to amaze me.
Earlier on we discovered that the “footbridge” via Clear Pond across The Branch (which drains Elk Lake) was long gone and we lost time farting around before finding a spot only ankle deep and running very quickly across, which looked pretty funny actually.
Anyway, we found the true summit, which had some fresh looking flagging on it. We left the flagging alone just in case someone was doing a research project and were very happy to discover much more open woods all along the ridgeline over to Boreas. We were on that fine mountain at 2pm and had shrouded views through lowering clouds down to Clear Pond and Elk Lake. It began to rain but the woods were wet and we were completely soaked anyway. Charlie, now at 95 peaks for the ADK hundred, went down the trail and I, now a 98-er continued north along the ridge to Boreas North , which is on my personal 125 list. It was 2 kilometers away as the crow flies but the woods were so open and free from blowdown that it only took 90 minutes to get there. It became very dark and gloomy in the woods and mist was wafting through. There was sky on either side of me and no movement of air, which was a very special moment, well worth the $165 price of admission I paid to hike these peaks.
The summit of Boreas North was guarded by very serious blowdown but I was able to wend my way easily enough through it. After finding the highest point I did a Goto to “trail” and dialed the bearing of 104 mag into my compass, which I detached from its string so I could hold it in my hot little hand and walk a straight line. The woods were so open and the footing so good that it only took an hour twenty to cover the 3 kilometers down to the blue trail.
(No pictures.)
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