I've been feeling very out of shape after this winter, so I thought it best that we get an early start on training for the High Peaks. When beautiful weather was forecast for this week, I requested today off for a hike, then got Sunny Days in for a grooming. Mason's Place did a great job trimming off all the excess hair and snarls. He's such a handsome boy!
Over the next few weeks, we'll be running in the morning and doing hikes to ramp up to the first High Peak which will be about 10 miles. So, for this hike, I decided to go up the back side of Buck Mt. from Shelving Rock Rd. The trail was about 5 miles and 1000' of elevation change. The other main trail up Buck is a 7 mile hike and climbs 2000' from the shore of Lake George. I will save that for another day.
As usual, Sunny was ready to go. Here he is, telling me to get my ass in gear:
Autumn at the Trailhead
The temperature was already in the 60s by the time we got to the Buck Mt. trailhead. As we tromped through the woods, it felt very much like a nice fall day. We were only missing the distinct smell of freshly shed leaves. Instead, the air was fresh, but peaty.
Let's go, Dad!
Many of the streams were moving and some were quite swollen. Fortunatley, none of the streams along this hike were too dangerous to cross.
Some of the crossings were deep, but we were always able to jog upstream a bit to find a boulder crossing.
Trail conditions as we wound through the lower elevations were about as I'd expected them. There was mud, of course. The rut in the center of the trail was still icy in some places, but I didn't need spikes yet. There were a couple of big trees down across the path, but they did seem to be recent damage. The early morning was very quiet and picturesque as we hiked along. The terrain reminded me of Moreau which isn't surprising.
Sunny was in great spirits the entire time and as photogenic as ever.
As we approached the main ascent, boulders and snow started to feature in the terrain.
Winter on the Ascent
Not quite winter because it was really starting to get warm out. The temperature variations as we ascended the back side of the mountain were striking. In some places it felt hot as if the sun had been baking the area, then hid behind a tree or something, then in another spot there would be a pocket of refreshing cold.
Sunny Days was not complaining about the snow.
There was still a few feet of snow in some places with deep post-holes throughout. For the most part, the snow was well compressed, though I did end up going clean through myself a few times. The trail had followed alongside a stream much of the way, but as we added elevation, the stream became the trail, as it so often does in the Adirondacks. More than once, my boot punched through the snow straight into the stream.
The day got more and more beautiful as we ascended, but the trail quickly became very icy.
I don't think I was in any danger of serious injury, but it was slow going trying to pick my way up the ice. Another option would have been to go off-trail and bushwack through the brush, but a) that's a giant pain in the ass and b) that's how you get trail erosion. I decided to put on my spikes. Once I did that, we were cruising.
Sunny was cruising anyways, of course. We chewed up the last three or four hundred feet of elevation without incident and without tiring.
Summer at the Summit
By the time we reached the summit, the temps were pushing the 80s farenheit. The only thing betraying the true season was a scant few patches of snow and the brown-colored scenery.
Sunny, gazing into the horizon and contemplating how many squirrels there must be out there to chase. Would he ever chase them all? Only time will tell. You have to believe, Sunny.
Obligatory landscape (North)
Obligatory landscape (West)
Get a room!
Rei made her second ascent. She's just chillin.
Sunny made a new friend.
A gorgeous day. The blues in the sky and the lake make up for the lack of green.
Spring Descent
On the way back, everything was melting fast. I was glad for my spikes. The ice sheets were obnoxious and even with spikes, they could be treacherous. A few times, my spikes gripped on the ice and pulled it away from the rock it was clinging to. So that meant that I was riding the broken ice like a snowboard down the hill. I was able to recover quickly, though, by anchoring with my pole and my other foot.
'
I doubt there was much snow left by the end of the day today. The woods were not quiet today. We were surrounded by the sounds of rushing water at all times, and woodpeckers banging on trees. Once, I heard a widowmaker crash to the ground somewhere in the forest.
"Best day ever!"
Melting!
Melted!
Sunny made some friends on his way back to the trailhead. By the time we signed out at the register, I was sweating profusely and had shed my layers.
Other Seasons?
What about the other Adirondack seasons?
- Mosquito season: Although the mosquitoes have been thick near my home in Mechanicville, we didn't encounter any today.
- Black fly season: It was a bit early for these guys, too. Get out there before it's too late!
- Mud season: Hahahaha, that's adorable. Every season is mud season in the Adirondacks.
Let's Gooooo...
This was a great warm-up hike to start the season. I feel like we got started on a great note and I'm going to let that feeling carry us forward. My plans for this year include:
- Hurricane Mt. (Adirondacks)
- Lower Wolfjaw via Rooster Comb
- Street & Nye
- Algonquin, Iroquois, and Wright
- Saddleback via the Garden
- Sawteeth via the Garden and Pyramid Peak
I know Sawteeth is going to be very difficult and this is the ultimate goal for the year. I know it's a bit crazy to try for 15 miles in a day hike, so I'm still mulling over whether to camp or not. I'd also like to add two more high peaks to this list, though I'm not sure which ones.
I have Dial and Nippletop via Gravestone Brook slated for 2024 but I'm not sure whether I want to do that as a day hike or if I want to camp and hit Colvin and Blake in the same hike. At any rate, I'd really like to hike a total of ten high peaks this year as I did last year. This should put us on track to finish while we are still ambulatory.
I have read up on Macomb and I do not believe the main ascent is safe for Sunny. I have designed a route in AllTrails that might be a bit safer using Lillian Brook Trail. I'd be interested in hearing from folks who have done it if this is the case. Getting Macomb, Hough, South Dix, and Grace in 14 miles safely seems like a good compromise to 12+ miles going straight up the treacherous Macomb slide.
Still, these hikes don't concern me half as much as Allen which is a lot of walking. I'm also concerned about Haystack and Basin which will be a lot of walking and a lot of difficult terrain. It would be neat to sleep over at Sno-bird but I have no idea if you're still allowed to camp there. If I did decide to do that, I might hold off on Saddleback and do something else this year, then leave Saddleback, Basin, and Haystack for 2024.
The map from today's hike:
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