Pitchoff & Big Crow

 

Due to unseasonably warm weather and a strong need to get out in nature with Sunny, I  took Friday off for hiking. Conditions on the peaks promised to be very good and it had been quite dry, so just about any hike on un-hunted land would be great. A buddy needed Pitchoff and Big Crow for his Lake Placid 9er, so we decided to do them together.

Pitchoff

We got to the Cascade & Pitchoff trailhead on 73 at a leisurely 9:15am and easily found a spot at the first lot. Despite the good weather, it seemed as if the late season and  the fact that it was a weekday kept the hiker density low, especially destination hikes like the high peaks. Some of the little hikes had a decent number of cars parked at them. With lots of the lodging closed and the fact that the temperature on November 4 isn't usually 70 Farenheit, I suspected that many of these hikers were local folks looking for a nice day in the woods.

The trail immediately climbed the valley ridge where a Maple Syrup operation was set up. It's so cool to see how these work and you can see them here and there throughout the Adirondacks.

The leaves were on the ground for the most part and the trail was a little tough to follow. I was glad to have AllTrails today. I know it gets a bad rap for location services, but I just do not have any bad experiences in that regard. The only issue I've seen is that the distances it reports are generous by about 15 to 20 percent. But the important thing, location and tracking, works really well. I'm sure there are more accurate and more expensive options, but this app has never failed me.

Despite the late season, the day was beautiful. We quickly shed our jackets, hats, and gloves and continued in good spirits. We made great time, though we didn't rush; days and hikes like this are all about the stroll. 

As usual, Sunny was glad to be out in the woods.  The trail on the valley ridge followed the road, then switched back around the base of the mountain.

There were a few fun formations to clamber up, but none of them were "fall and maybe die" climbs. I suspect some would be vexing were the conditions wet or icy. A few did require some thought and planning to scramble up safely, but these shouldn't deter anyone from trying this hike. 

The hike along the valley ridge ends with a bit of a knob with its own little peak. Here, you skirt around the knob where the trail is near a sheer drop, but not dangerously so. It offers some really pretty views of Cascade Mountain and points East. 

A look up at the mountain from the valley ridge.

The final ascent up Pitchoff is rugged but sturdy with very little loose material to slip you up. Many of the streambeds had parts where hikers have bypassed difficult scrambles or deadfalls. We tried using the real trail where we could.

Don't forget to keep turning around!

The trail was well-maintained with the minor exception that many trail markers were rusted and there were some spots where an additional marker would have been nice. There were several parts of the trail where the bed of the trail seemed recently reengineered and this was quite welcome in those areas.

"Come on, you guys!"

We came to Balanced Rocks within about an hour and a half.  The geology at the summit is really cool to look at and the view is incredible. We figured the hike would be worth it for this section alone. It's no wonder that people sometimes start the hike at the Northeast side of the range and make this their ultimate payoff destination.

Chris got an awesome shot of Sunny and me.

The hike to the summit was a little down then up again along the ridge. We met a few friendly people doing the whole range and Sunny got some good pets.  

The views from the summit overlooking the valley were very pretty. 

The trip back was largely uneventful. Pitchoff is a pretty cool hike for folks who want to know what elevation gains in the Adiorondacks look like, but on a smaller scale. It's been dry lately, so the few spots we noticed where mud should have been  were mostly dried up. Still, this was a very dry hike and none of the stream were flowing at all.

Several hikers we met along the way were doing the whole ridge. One group had two cars and were hiking through the ridge then driving back and one gentleman was hiking from the Cascade trailhead to the end of the ridge and back. While I love a good ridge walk, Chris and I had another mountain to do today!

Big Crow

The trailhead for Big Crow is a meandering drive down a single-lane gravel road a short distance from Keene proper. There were a surprisingly large number of cars at the lot. Again, I suspect a lot of more local people were out and about doing fun hikes in the unseasonably warm weather. It was a very short hike from the trailhead to the base of the mountain. There was a single stream trickling along the path.

The hike up the side of the mountain is actually rather steep with several scrambles. As with Pitchoff, the scrambles didn't feel dangerous at all, but they did require a bit of planning. One or two little slides required a bit of switchbacking. There were some visible scrapes  on the exposed rock from folks doing this one as a winter hike.

We had some beautiful views at the top of Big Crow. When you first reach the summit, there are decent exposed views looking Southeast, then you can walk along the top of the mountain to the other side and look Southwest.

Big Crow is a good one to add to a short day like we did or if you're in town and want a quick run or hike before or after work. Looking at the map, it seems like there are several ways you can do this one, either with a loop along "Soda Range Trail" or by extending your out-and-back to include Little Crow.

When we came down from the mountain, there weren't many cars left in the lot. Sunny got some pets from folks as they drove off. As we were about to take off ourselves, a couple of hikers approached us and asked us how far they were from Hurricane Mountain. Suffice to say, we drove them to their car at the correct trailhead and called it a day.

Another Great Day in the Adirondacks

Sunny and I had an awesome day with Chris and we're looking forward to doing more Lake Placid 9ers next year.

Both of these hikes could be done with longer routes and higher difficulties and I think that's one of the cool things about the Adirondacks. You are welcome to choose your own adventure whether you're doing a little hike or a big hike. Just try to pay attention to the trail as you go and keep your map and compass handy so that you don't end up making it harder on accident!

Pitchoff:

Big Crow:

Quinn and I have also been doing some walking in the woods...

...and will likely do some more soon, but the next entry here will likely feature snow and ice. The weather this weekend was unreal, but nature is definitely trying to trick us into a false sense of security. Winter will come soon enough.