The original plan for our family camping trip was for my son, Quinn, and me to stay at camp Thursday night together, but it turned out that would have meant he'd have been missing out on a fun event at school on Friday. Because of this, we decided that I'd just go up with Sunny and get everything set up for the next day. Well, then, if I'm doing that, I figured, why not get in the next hike?
I was glad to have picked up a few things on my buy list a few days before. I got a fanny pack for my phone and bug spray, a much lighter shovel for burying Sunny's poop, and a new pair of Salomon boots. These were by far the most expensive footwear I have ever purchased. I was hoping they'd live up to the hype and the cost.
Next on the mostly arbitrary list was Cascade and Porter. After listening to the 46 in 46 podcast, I figured this might be a good opportunity to try to do a dawn hike because Cascade sounded like an extremely well-trodden hike that would be difficult to get lost on. I must admit that I had a little trouble sleeping that night because I was having a little anxiety about wild animals, mainly skunks and porcupines. I'm not sure if I have messed up priorities, but I'm just telling the truth. Sunny had zero trouble sleeping.
We woke up at 2:55, brewed a cup of coffee, and zoomed off up north. We were at the Cascade/Porter trailhead by 4:05 and we were the first ones there. We got underway around 4:15 or so after I ensured my phone and watch were set to airplane mode this time.
The atmosphere at the base of the mountain was close and muggy. It was actually harder to hike the approach than the climb later because it was difficult to breathe in the thick fug of summer humidity. A lot of the trail up Cascade is a well-worn rock and boulder staircase and it was extremely clear which way I had to go. I felt very confident I could continue without getting off-trail, so we continued up.
My headlamp did a great job of helping me keep my footing along the damp terrain, but soon the sky began to fill with early morning light and I had to rely on it less and less. I'd brought an extra lamp and batteries just in case, but the headlamp with 3 AAA did just fine in the hour or so of total darkness. Still, better safe than sorry. I should also note that wearing my new boots was a real boon on these sections. I felt extremely confident rock-hopping with the additional ankle support.
Sunny did very well hopping up big steps and scrambling boulders with his claws and pads. I must say that Sunny has terrible discipline in regards to trail erosion, so I had to guide him away from what he'd deemed the easiest path up the mountain several times.
The trail is very muddy in the vicinity of junction where the elevation levels out a bit. Even with the mud, it was failry easy to traverse and follow.
Sunny was clearly very excited as we neared the summit of Cascade. He did a great job on the rocks, but I did have to actively discourage him from disturbing the protected areas.
He was so excited that he did, in fact, hug the mountain when we finally made it to the top.
We did miss the actual sunrise by about five minutes. I could have probably taken fewer photos and looked at my map a bit less, but I'm not going to beat myself up about it. It was a gorgeous morning and the East was pretty obscured anyways. My only real regret was that I put my jacket in the car for the sole purpose of using it at the summit and then proceeded to leave it behind in the car. I really wanted it because I'm pretty sure it it was in the 40s up there.
It was breathtaking to watch as the wind pulled whisps of evaporate out of the trees, up the mountain, and over the ridge.
In short order, the sun began to influence the weather in the valley. Almost like a physical force, it stabilized the atmosphere and lit up the world. Little did I know at the time, but at the center of this picture is the other side of Big Slide and Yard which I'd done a little over a week ago. Then off to the right is Phelps which I'd done first of all.
Congrats to Sunny Days for High Peak #3!
Also congrats to Adirondack Kommando on High Peak #3!
We descended Cascade as the next person was ascending. Sunny gave him an uncharacteristic barking. I think Sunny had decided that Cascade belonged to him and nobody else was allowed to summit. At any rate, we hiked on back down to the junction and started heading over to Porter. The going was a little slippery down the burbling stream bed to the crotch between the two mountains.
Beyond that, the pines were gnarly and the path was muddy. There was one really huge mudpit before the Porter summit which everyone had simply decided was no longer the trail and a new one had been cut. There is one huge, lonely boulder between the two mountains which offers some good views, but you have a little ways to go before the summit. You need to follow the trail around the right side of the boulder down a bit, then up again in order to continue on.
With the sun properly up, the views from Porter were clear and colorful.
We had a great view of Cascade from Porter.
Congrats to Sunny on High Peak #4!
And also to Adirondack Kommando, of course...
The traverse back was largely uneventful for me, but Sunny thought it was the best part of the trip because loads of new friends were hiking up the mountain as we were descending it. Sunny got lots of pets on the way down and that was super exciting! There was a huge line of cars parked behind ours and lots of people on the register after us.
By the time we got back to camp, we were beat! After finishing up our chores setting up, we took a shower and enjoyed some well-earned rest.
I was really glad to start our vacation doing this hike. I can see why lots of people enjoy climbing Cascade. It has amazing views with pretty much zero approach from the parking area. It's not an easy climb, but it's also really not that hard either. I think I have the most trouble getting back to the car after the descent, so much so that I've been considering putting tennis shoes in my pack for the hike back from the descent.
Having said that, I must say that my feet have never felt so good after a hike. I had almost no pain in my feet and back and my knees were fine after a short few hours. I think the new boots are a real win for me. I've never felt more confident on my feet. Moreover, I've never had a shoe that actually distributed all the descent impact across the entire foot; in the past my toes would take a lot of the stress. These boots actually prevent my feet from sliding forward, so my toes rarely take the impact.
Here's our map for Cascade & Porter. With airplane mode engaged, I actually managed to capture the entire hike. For the next one, I think we should make the trip back to the Loj to buy our pins for the past few peaks as well as the AMC map book, and then hike Tabletop for #5.
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