Dix times 5

Another fabulous day in the Adirondacks and a pretty ambitious one too. Today's target is the Dix range. Once you are on the ridge, well, why not do all of them. More efficient that way, although it does make for a tiring day. We got one of the few spots left at the Elk Lake trail head. Crazy it was almost full and only 6:30 in the morning.
 

One of my favorite parts of this hike is climbing the Macomb slide. However, we were totally shocked by the scene. The Macomb slide had been typically comprised of some rock rubble interspersed with rock slabs. As soon as we started climbing the slide we noticed something was different. There were three huge gullies at least 15  feet deep down the slide. It would have been impossible to actually cross the slide towards the bottom. Instead, the route was marked to follow the edge by the trees until after the washouts. I have a before and after photo of the slide. Huge boulders that existed before are gone. The consistency of the slide is totally different - more dirt and rubble than before. Nature is constantly changing the complexion and character of the Adirondacks. Sometimes in subtle ways, sometimes in earth moving, spectacular ways. See the before and after photos below.

Before

 

 

 

 

 

After

 

 

The rest of the slide hike was fun (okay, maybe a big calf burner). We met a pleasant group of hikers on top of Macomb and crossed their paths a few more times during the day. After a rest and some food we headed off to South Dix and East Dix. South Dix is a great little scramble of the rocks. I love the ridge walk between S. Dix and E. Dix. Smooth path, fragrant smell of balsam in the air. Right before we started the climb up S. Dix, we ran into Claudia leading a hike for the Albany Chapter of ADK. I heard her before I saw her. She had spotted my hiking partner, and bellowed out a joyous "Hey Tim!" The group had come up the East Dix slide and were on there way to South Dix and Macomb. We chatted for a few minutes and then bid our farewells and sashayed up to East Dix.

Climbing South Dix

 

 

Ridge walk from S Dix to E Dix

East Dix summit

Dix summit from Hough

A lingering stop and then time to move on. We still had a few more peaks left for today! Almost back to the top of South Dix, and then we cut off and aimed for Pough and Hough. (I really think they should have been called Huff and Puff, because that's what you do when climbing.) This time I readily recognized the summit of Hough (unlike last time...). We picked up a hiker on Hough who wanted to continue on to Dix after she heard that's where we were headed. So the three of us sweated, huffed, and puffed our way over to Dix. After 4 peaks, the legs are getting tired, and the ridge line up to Dix looks long and imposing.

View from Dix

But the effort is so worth it! Dix has impressive

Elk Lake from Dix

views in all directions. The mountain sandwort was in full bloom carpeting areas of the summit with it's pretty white flowers. We lingered on the summit, basking in the sunshine and drinking in the vistas. This is what hiking is all about for me!

Carpet of flowers

Largest shelf fungus I've ever seen!

One of the few flat spots going down Dix

But reality always seems to encroach on summit fantasies. Time to leave. Down we went, then up and over the Beckhorn, and dropped quickly down the mountain. My legs were hurting and my pace slowed down, but in due time we were back at the parking lot. A very tired, but very happy hiker. Great day!






Next: Wading our way to Allen

Gothic Cathedrals, Pyramids, and Teeth

July 10, 2011 -- St. Huberts, NY -- Fantastic day for hiking! Today it was all about one of my most favorite mountains - Gothics. Add in a trip over Pyramid and Sawteeth, and it really doesn't get much better than this! It's a rugged loop, but worth the effort.

Beaver Meadow Falls

I had to work on Saturday, and as it turned out, Sunday was the better weather day anyway. The air was crisp as we sauntered up the Lake Road.  My hiking partner, looking tan and trim from his Switzerland adventure, led the way up the road. Something tells me I'll be lucky if I can even keep him in sight! We turned off the road and made way for Beaver Meadow Falls. The bridge at the base was wiped out by the spring runoff. I tried to picture the falls the day the bridge got knocked out. Must have been an impressive site! Today the falls gently cascaded down the rocks. We climbed up the ladder and began our ascent up the mountain.

On the trail I heard the welcoming call of the white throated sparrow – “Po-or Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody". However, it was not always so welcoming. For a number of years I had no idea what bird this was, and all I heard was the mocking cry of “You don’t know my name, you don’t know my name!”  Honestly, I’m not paranoid, but I'm sure it was taunting me. Finally on a hike (funny, it was actually a hike to Gothics), a person in our group identified the bird. It took a few years, but on a hike to Pitchoff, I finally spotted one. Now I look forward to its warm hello.

A cool green carpet up high

The trails were much drier than the previous week, making for better footing and allowing more opportunities for viewing my surroundings. I was on the hunt for new wildflowers, but only saw blue bead lilies and bunchberries on the climb. Rounding the shoulder of Armstrong, the impressive slides on Gothics came into view. Reaching the junction with the Range Trail, I spied a lush green meadow to our right. Maybe an alpine bog? The brilliant color contrasted starkly with the dead, gray tree branches.

Views from Gothics

Shortly after, we topped out on Gothics. No matter how many times I’ve hiked this peak, I will never tire of the views. They are all encompassing. I believe the ADK guidebook notes that 30 high peaks are discernible from the top. One can also see Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains of Vermont. Only a few wildflowers still in bloom, but the mountain sandwort was sprinkled liberally around the summit. I’ve seen Labrador tea here before, but it appears it was past its prime today.

Mountain sandwort

On the way to Pyramid

After a nice rest (I could have stayed there for hours soaking in the sun), we headed over to Pyramid, which has spectacular views of the slides on Gothics and Basin. We spotted 2 climbers on the slides on Gothics. I love scrambling up rocks and I've done a few slides and the Trap Dike, but I'm not sure I could do this (let's rephrase this - NO WAY!). I want to try rock climbing, but just for a weekend and on a very, very short rock wall.

2 very tiny climbers on the slides

View from Pyramid

On Pyramid, we chatted with some friendly young hikers. It's always a pleasure to see younger people enjoying the mountains, especially since they are our next stewards of the wilderness.

Next up was Sawteeth. The trail down to the Pyramid/Sawteeth col has seen some much needed maintenance, but it still needs help (more on that shortly). The summit of Sawteeth was empty when we arrived. It's a cool view looking back over to Gothics, Saddleback, Basin, and Haystack, with Marcy peeking out (or is that peaking out, haha) in the distance. I didn't want to leave this mountain either. But another couple arrived, and not wanting to be summit hogs, we packed up and let them enjoy the views in our place.

Yikes!

Improved section of trail

A note about trails: There are many wonderful volunteers and trail crews (both paid and unpaid) dedicated to improving the trails in the Adirondacks, Catskills, and other areas around the state. But if you hike, you know there is always lots more to do. On the way down Pyramid, I took photos of two very different looking sections of the trail. One section was in need of help, the other had been improved, with steps added to ease travel and prevent erosion. There are so many ways to help out: You can volunteer through one of the many trail projects run out of ADK's Heart Lake Program Center, ADK chapters also perform trail maintenance, or you can adopt a trail. Other organizations such as the Catskill Club and the Adirondack Forty-Sixers also do trails work. Check out ADK's Web site for more information regarding its trails programs at http://www.adk.org/trails/Field_Programs_Idx.aspx. ADK is also in the middle of its annual trails appeal right now. Even $5 can make a difference. Go to http://www.adk.org/donate/trails2011.aspx to help out. Thank you!

Next hike: Back to the Dixes, but this time in the sunshine!

Hitting the High Spots in the MacIntyre's

So where in the woods is Laurie today?

Some call me crazy, but I decided to brave the crowds over 4th of July weekend and head for the mountains. After all, Saturday's weather called for a nearly perfect day. After last week's rains, I was ready for some sunshine. And what better way to celebrate the return of the warm yellow ball than with an above tree line hike?

Off I went to hike Wright, Algonquin, and Iroquois. My usual hiking partner was in Switzerland completing a difficult, yet spectacular traverse of the Haute Route (shameless plug: with ADK's Adventure Travel), so I was hiking solo again.

Arrived at the Adirondak Loj early for a less crowded start. The trails had dried out slightly from last week, but were still a bit muddy. As I made my way along, I spotted my first wildflower and stopped to snap a photo. (One nice thing about hiking alone, I can stop whenever I want.) Went to turn on my camera, and the dreaded "change battery" message appeared. I had just charged up the darn thing. Apparently electronics and rain don't mix. Camera was DOA for the day.  Grrrrr.......(I'll have to use some previous photos.) Oh well, at least I brought along my trusty Adirondack Alpine Summits guide by Nancy Stack & Allison Bell. Great field guide. I like to record the dates I see flowers and compare when they bloom from year to year. I'm embarrassed to say I actually check off the flowers I see in the book. Hey, we all have our guilty pleasures!

Onwards and upwards I bounced along the trail towards my first peak of the day - Wright. Turning left at the trail junction brings you to tree line quickly. Spotted some Labrador tea about the same time the black flies spotted me. The swarm circled slowly, then with lightening speed raced in for the kill. It's July, you are all supposed to be gone!!!!!! Ripped off the backpack, threw on the bug shirt, a hat, and a head net. I call it my impenetrable fortress of defense. So much for catching some rays! But I was here for the flowers and the views.

Labrador tea on Gothics

Alpine azaleas in June

On the top of Wright, I chatted with Devon, one of ADK's summit stewards. The summit steward program  is a partnership of the Adirondack Mountain Club, the Adirondack Nature Conservancy, and NYS DEC. The summit stewards protect and educate people about New York’s fragile alpine plant communities. Many hikers (as well as other folks) don't realize alpine plants grow on the highest summits in NY. The alpine wildflowers are so delicate yet so breathtaking. My favorite alpine flower has to be the alpine azaleas. Here's a picture I took of some this past June on Skylight. Today on Wright I also saw mountain sandwort and three-toothed cinquefoil.

Atop Wright Peak in the fall
(banner photo above is also taken from Wright)

It was time to say good-bye to my black fly friends and head over to Algonquin. Back at tree line I  let the bug fortress down. Hopefully it won't be needed again! After a quick descent, it was back up again, really steep this time. Just when you think you are making good progress climbing, there goes some shirtless guy sprinting up the slabs. I sometimes wish I had started hiking back in my 20's and not waited until I almost turned 40. Maybe that would have been me at his age (just not shirtless). Anyway, I did make it to the summit, just not as quick as shirtless guy. Enjoyed some lively conversation at the top before making a wildflower sweep. 

How's this for justice - as I was paging through my book to check the flowers I saw on Algonquin, there, gently crushed in the fold, was a dead black fly. Let that be a warning to the rest of your kind! Oh, I saw the same flowers on Algonquin and Iroquois that I saw on Wright.

View of Wallface from Iroquois summit

I didn't linger too long on Algonquin. I figured I could do that later after I came back from Iroquois. I was slightly dreading the low spots between Algonquin and Iroquois. They are notorious for being bottomless mucky pits . And today was no exception. I carefully picked my way through and then my foot slipped off a rock. Splatt! Not content with just the bottoms of my pants dirty, I now went for the total body immersion. I managed to keep myself from a full face plant, but was still treated to a lovely facial of mud spray. Invigorating! Fortunately the rest of the climb was uneventful. The top of Iroquois was quiet and I enjoyed a nice lunch, soaking in the scenery. 

After an appropriately lazy spell, I descended, gingerly working through the mud patches again. The climb back up Algonquin is always a thigh and calf burner (probably not for shirtless guy though). I soon topped out and joined the growing crowd at the summit. Found myself a quiet rock, finished my lunch, and then had my favorite hiking treat: a Toll House cookie bar. Only to be consumed on the final summit of the day. And if you ever hike with me, I've been known to bring extras. (My culinary efforts pale next to my hiking friend Kathy's baking skills. Her legendary cookies and brownies are well known in these parts - and she's always carting large containers of the delectable delights in her pack!)

From Algonquin's scenic summit

After about an hour of playing summit lounge lizard (and being nibbled on by my fly friends again), I decided it was time to head down. I stopped a few times at some of the refreshing brooks along the way to wash off a layer or two of mud. After a pleasant stroll through the woods I found myself back at the Loj. A quick change of clothes and a frozen fruit bar, and I was on my way home. 

Next time: Toothy Gothic spires

Where in the Woods is Laurie?

Welcome, welcome to my first attempt at blogging. My boss thought it would be fun to follow my escapades hiking in the mountains - mostly Adirondacks right now, but you never know where I'll turn up! I'll also share some of my past (and future) stories of adventures around the globe.

But first, some background on me: A couple of years ago I left my marketing job in the corporate world to become membership director for the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK). I had been a member of ADK for 10-some odd years and started volunteering at one of the chapters. From there I was offered a position at ADK. I love working for an organization whose mission I believe in and where I get to talk to people about protecting wild lands and waters in New York State. It's great to wake up in the morning and feel like you are making a difference.

What are these flowers?

Lake Elk Lake Trail?

So off to my adventures....A few weeks ago on a Sunday, I decided to brave the iffy forecast and hike Hough in the Adirondack Mountains. 20% chance of showers was apparently code for wind driven rain at summit. I'm a bit of a weather geek and nowhere in the weather discussions was there mention of wind driven rain. But such is the Adirondacks! I parked at the Elk Lake trailhead and proceeded to wade my way through the trail. Not as bad as I have seen the trail, but still there was running water everywhere. I'm also a wildflower dork, so I enjoy taking pictures of wildflowers. Here's a picture of one I haven't been able to identify yet.

A very wet bunch berry

I'm loving the day!

Since I was just hiking Hough, I took the Lillian Brook herd path. The last time up the herd path was a pleasant stroll in the woods (and some great raspberry picking). This time it is was wet with boot-sucking bog/mud at the start. The woods were wet too and I was pretty soaked before I had gone a 1/4 mile. But then it started to improve. Lillian Brook is a very pretty stream to follow. On a warmer day there are many places to take off your shoes and dip your feet in the cool water. But not today. Today it's a day for my little toad friend I came across on the trail.

I made it to the campsite area (too high to actually legally camp here) and started off towards Hough. Now I've been on Hough 7 times before. I know it's steep up, on a short ridge, and then steep down. I bushwacked around one rock bump (Ok, bad idea. Would have gotten less wet had I stayed in the rain instead of pushing through dripping wet branches.) and then made for the high spot to see if I could get some kind of visual. (Does anyone see where I'm going with this?). (Also decided maybe I should put on my rain jacket too...) Went over the high spot and starting descending fast. Nope, too far. Thought maybe the summit was the first bump I went around. Back over the high spot to the first bump. No, that was definitely lower. Decided to walk for another 10 minutes back towards Dix and then turn around. Went to the high spot again to look for anything higher. Finally looked up at the lone tree on the rock - oh, look! The summit disk for Hough. Duh! Note to self, high spot = summit. The view of the clouds was lovely today.

On my way down Hough, I ran into the first people of the day. They were excited to realize they weren't the only crazy ones out there! It was a relatively uneventful descent until I hit the muck again. Yuck! But I knew the trail was close by. As I made my way back to the trailhead the sun  poked out of the clouds. I finally started to dry off. Back at the parking lot I ran into a group of young folks backpacking for the week. They had made their way over from the Ausable Club. It's always great to see young, fresh faces enjoying the outdoors! And with a few giggles, they were off on their own adventures.

Next up...Hitting some high spots in the MacIntyre's.