19 & 20: Dial & Nippletop via Gravestone Brook Bushwhack

  

Spring has officially sprung in the Adirondacks and after a few little hikes, it was time to start climbing some High Peaks. I was very interested in getting the bushwhack up to Dial and Nippletop before the foliage got too thick and while the temps were reasonable. 

I was worried that the traffic and parking would be difficult to deal with on the holiday weekend, but I had no issues whatsoever. Sunny and I woke up at 3am and made it to the Round Pond trailhead early enough for a 6am start.

Rant

There are a few High Peaks that are especially difficult with dogs. Some are hard because of the steep approach, others due to the location of a conservation easement called the Adirondack Mountain Reserve where dogs are not allowed. I won't profess to know everything that entails. I do believe that the surrounding area should be accessible to everyone and I think this rule is overly onerous.

Private takeover champions have exalted the trails adjacent to AMR as "prestine" and attributed this to AMR stewardship. This is not something I have personally experienced, especially after this hike. The marked trails are no different than elsewhere in the ADK. Private takeover champions also seem to believe the land belongs to the AMR. It does not, in the traditional sense. Private takeover champions also seem to believe the AMR is technically no different from other people with easements across the ADK. These sorts of people have a strong tendency to ignore details and nuance on a large number of topics, so this is no surprise to me. The AMR  is a giant  tract of land smack in the middle of the High Peaks region with the best access to many of the park's mountains. That's very different from a family farm on the outskirts of the park... whether you choose to believe it or not.

Dix Trail

I'd hiked the Dix trail once before when my buddy finished his 46 on Dix. I remember it was a fairly even and easy to follow trail. I remembered correctly. 

This leg of the hike is largely unremarkable due to that fact. However, I should note that it's a lovely hike with plenty of clean, moving water. This trail, particularly Round Pond seems to be popular for spending time in the woods, even if you're not hiking mountains. 

I hiked a little bit towards one of the designated campsites to get a shot of the range.

The pond was quiet when we hiked in. Sunny immediately took advantage of the cool water.

I'll spare you all the photos I took on this section of the trail. They're all just pictures of Sunny's butt moving quickly along the clear and well-marked trail. We made it to Gravestone Brook, a little over 4 miles into the trail, in 2 hours. That's pretty good for me, especially taking photos and all.

Gravestone Brook

We paused at Gravestone Brook to refill our water and have a snack.The brook is well-named. It is a stony, girthsome water source with some good movement. I reviewed the map again and we set off upstream. All the notes say as long as you stick to the brook and keep heading uphill, you're likely to have success. As such, I decided to only check the map now and again to ensure I was going in the correct general direction or to navigate around obstructions.

The first half or so of the bushwhack has actually been marked with orange ribbon. I think this is what folks refer to as the herd path. I saw a social media post a while back that these were actually put there by a ranger or ADK, not a regular hiker. I'd love to hear from folks about this because it implies the existence of "official bushwhacks" which I'm pretty sure is a thing. It's possible the top section is also marked, but I didn't see anything after the stream disappeared.

There was more than enough water throughout the climb. Even as the brook narrowed, it was moving switfly and Sunny's nose determined it was clean enough for him to drink.

On the lower portions of the bushwhack, along the South (right, as you climb up) the way forward is almost as clear as a regular trail. The path is very easy to follow at first.

There is clear sign of human use throughout this part of the hike.

I failed to get any photos of some lovely falls and flumes that exist along the route, especially towards the end of the clear section. After a while, about a quarter of the way in, the best path kind of crisscrosses the stream a few times, at least in my opinion. There are markers along the South bank, but I lost track of them as we climbed.  I started to rely more on my instincts than those or the map. I think if I'd stayed to the right, I'd have picked up the blazes again eventually. 

Sunny and I went left, seeing a clear path that way. However, we quickly came to a thick growth of trees that I believe is what hikers and hunters call a spruce trap. I checked the map and it did, indeed direct us around this feature and back to the stream.

I think that's good general advice for this hike. You should follow the stream as best you can on the right for most of it. When you come to a thick area, feel free to try and just go around it on land, then back to the stream bank. Yes, some spots on the stream itself are nice to walk on, but you can find yourself at a part of the stream where you can't walk up anymore and the land to either side is difficult to re-enter.

That honestly didn't stop me from plowing through the spruce trap on the way back, however. I'm a big dummy. I recommend scratch-resistant coating for your glasses and I recommend eye protection if you don't normally wear glasses.

Sunny was having a great time sniffing around in the woods and leaving his mark everywhere. I must admit that I was so focused on not dying in the woods that I didn't take a lot of time to stop and enjoy the solitude on the back half of the bushwhack.

Navigating around another thick stand.

The terrain gets a bit more steep and a lot more rugged past the spruce traps. The streams feeding the brook are thin and not really worth following anymore. There's a lot of blowdown here. It is managable, but it's good to keep looking up and  planning the way forward based on what you're seeing ahead.

Sunny and I followed our instincts for a bit and we suddenly came to a very steep section with lots of blowdown. I checked the map and it did seem we'd veered North quite a bit. We followed the base of the cliffs until we got to a point where we could navigate around. I was a little concerned in this area because I'm sure some of these formations would be appealing to some of the ADK's less friendly wildlife. Fortunately, we came across none.

All along this elevation there is a lot of blowdown. You can try going around it, but honestly, you'll probably find yourself climbing over some of it. I suspect a lot of these fallen trees come from above because after this, the terrain gets very steep. 

Beyond the deadfalls, it's steep but easy going. The last leg of the bushwhack is much clearer and softer. It was actually nice to hike on the spongy ground and easily see a way up.

After an hour and a half of bushwhacking up the mountain, we made it to the H.G. Leach Trail. My phone measured our distance as 2 miles and I believe it, we did a lot of zigzagging.  By contrast, on the return trip, it only measured 1.7 miles.

I hope you find this map helpful.

Dial

The elevation is fairly steep up on the North side of Dial, but it was so nice to hike on trail! Sunny picked up the scents and quickly led the way.

We met a father and son team on the way up. I asked them if they liked dogs and they responded in the negative. All good! Sunny and I backed away into the woods a bit as they passed. We exchanged a few kind words and went on our way.

I waved to the country club while we rested and had a snack. It was at this point that I noticed that my water filter was missing. After filling it at the bottom of the bushwhack, I'd put it in my side pocket for easy access. I'd only fallen once during the climb and  I believe that's when I'd lost it. I realized I'd have to ration by sipping little sips like Roland in his trek across the desert. I kept Sunny's water separate for him.

Adirondack Kommando sez "Good job, boss!"

Looking across the range, you can see the many lumps along the ridge before you get to Nippletop on the far left. To the lower right you can just see Elk Pass with Colvin & Blake beyond. It was at this point that I realized my dreams of doing the whole range in a day were laughable to say the least.

The descent  down the South side of Dial is managably steep. There is one very steep section (more than 45% grade) that I failed to get a photo of. I suspect that's very nasty in the winter.

The Ups & Downs of Nippletop

By my count, there were four separate humps on the ridge walk between Dial & Nippletop.  Although the flies were fairly thick at each summit, the bug spray kept them from biting. It was a fairly enjoyable trek. The elevation  changes kept my blood pumping and the terrain was beautiful. The more time I spend at elevation, the happier I am. 

I really like these kinds of hikes more than just summiting a solo mountain. Don't get me wrong, it's very taxing physically and can be a bit emotionally crushing to find yet another false summit.  Still, it was a perfect day for traversing a ridge; not too hot, no rain, and partly cloudy.

I was starting to slow down due to due to the water rationing. I had about a liter and a half left, but I'm a thirsty hiker, so I was being careful.  Sunny was moving quickly now and often stopping to come back for me. He's fairly good at staying on mission. After 19 High Peaks, I feel like he instinctively knows the drill.

We found mud in the cols, of course.

As we ascended the fourth lump, I looked back across the range. I love the ornery, tough trees at these elevations. 

The ultimate ascent was ahead of us and I couldn't have been more excited.

We made the summit of Nippletop by 12:15. I prefer to reach the midpoint of a hike for lunchtime, so I was happy with this. We met some friends who gave Sunny pets and took a photo for us. 

I enjoyed the view and chatted with a fella from Maine who was knocking out lots of High Peaks this week. I felt good that I was able to help give him some information. I was surprised to see so few people on this hike considering the holiday weekend. I wondered if folks had spent a bunch of their vacation time on the eclipse.

Sunny took a cat nap.

I looked across the remaining Colvin Range and thought about how I'd rather do literally any other hike instead (well, maybe not Couch). I'd pay good money for the both of us to be able to hike the rest of this from St.Hubert's.

Adirondack Kommando doesn't know who or what "nipple" is, but this is a great mountain!

The Return Trip

Hiking across the ridge was tough going after having done it already. I kept Sunny on leash and he led the way back to the bushwhack. During the trip down the bushwhack, I cut him loose and he stayed at my heels. The hike down was much easier than the hike up, both because we knew what to expect and, obviously, because it was downhill. I slightly retraced some of our steps in the hopes of finding my water filter, but I wasn't so lucky.

I was very jealous of Sunny slurping down fresh water while I rationed sips. I will be adding purificatoin tablets to my first aid kit before the next hike, that's for sure.

Dirty dog!

Round Pond was far more lively on the return trip. Loons were calling and a Beaver was hard at work. The Beaver slapped its tail at us a few times, warning us off. Across the pond, a family of humans was enjoying the water, screeching and laughing. By this time, I had about hit my wall. I was totally gassed. 

With only .6 mile left to the hike, a man, three young'ns, and a Bull Terrier crossed our path. Our dogs greeted each other and we chatted. They were on their way to the Boquet River Lean-To with designs on hiking Dix the next day. During our chat, Dad was kind enough to splash a few swallows of water into my bladder and we parted ways. That gave me the energy to power through.

Later, we came across some young folks lugging gear and beer in for an evening of jocularity by the pond. Sunny got lots of pets and that made his day. I think it made their day, too. As usual 99% of the people on the trail are awesome.

We finished at about 6:40 for a total time of 12 hours and 40 minutes in real time and a little over 10 hours of moving time. My phone clocked over 17 miles.

Unfortunately,  The Mountaineer in Keene Valley was closed, so we couldn't get Sunny's pins. In fact, everything was closed in Keene Valley. After a quick stop at the rest area on 87, we drove to the grandparents' camp near Chestertown where Quinn was staying. I had a beer and a shower which was the greatest thing ever. Although I had previously put 20 miles on the new boots, I had to steal a couple of bandages from the medicine cabinet for my heels.

There were absolutely highs and lows to this hike. Losing my filter was a real bummer and  put a damper on things. However, the ridge walk was fun and the views this day were gorgeous. More importantly, I feel like I learned a hell of a lot doing this bushwhack. I have a lot more confidence now. I am not necessarily looking forward to the bushwhack up Cliff, but I'm feeling good about it. The only real problem is that I haven't totally shaken all the Winter weight yet and I really need to get on that.

Sunny is as healthy and spry as ever. He's passed out now, of course.

I have adjusted some of my plans. I really don't feel like going for Blake and Colvin this year. I've replaced that hike with Cliff and Redfield. I am also considering extending my Haystack and Basin hike and adding a day to hike Marcy and Gray. I'll camp at Slant Rock for that hike. I'm going to switch both Saddleback and Seymour as day hikes. Note: I'm saving Skylight for my 46 finisher.