Sunny 46

We crossed the Hudson River for the third time that day (this time walking) and passed the old ranger's cabin at around 7am.

The trail between the old gravel pile near the Mt. Adams junction and the Lake Sally junction follows a firm logging road with encroaching vegetation. The smells are lovely here as the flowers take over. I think some of them are invasive thanks to the gravel that was brought in long ago, but it's pretty.

The trail along Lake Sally itself alternates between pine needles and mud pits. Pressure treated boards are piled up here and there for future trail maintenance use.

Nearly every mud path has a foot path through higher ground to avoid the mess. I must admit that, although we stayed on trail the way in, we made use of the herd paths on the way back. Herd paths were marked with purple blazes and places where drainage needed digging out were marked with blue blazes. I believe that these paths will be more or less official soon.

Lake Sally is quite pretty in the morning sun. The air was crisp and dry, measuring 55 Fahrenheit by my thermometer. The hooting of a loon called out as we passed.

The trail, then, dries up as it climbs up from Lake Sally. There's a barrier and a pile of boards marking the end of the this section. Here, you hang a left as the trail picks up on the logging road again.

The hike between Lake Sally and the Opalescent crossing is a very fast 1.4 miles. The road was very well-constructed and has withstood the weather and the feet of thousands of hikers very well. We were absolutely cruising as this section isn't just flattish... it's flat!

This part of the trail passes through some marshy areas, providing a view of our destination. Allen can be seen here through the trees to the left. To the right is Cheney Cobble. It was pleasant to hike at speed and enjoy nature around us.

We arrived at the junction for the Opalescent crossing at 8am, about an hour and a half after we started. We found the pair of hikers who had arrived with us had just crossed and were drying their feet off.

We found the river to be in perfectly crossable condition. I think it could have been possible to rock-hop the last 10 feet of the crossing, but I would certainly have risked slipping and (at best) drenching my boots or (at worst) injuring myself. Fortunately, I'd brought my Merrell "crocs" for this job. I avoided the boulders entirely and just waked across where I'd only be calf-deep in the crystal clear water. 

I took a moment to get us a snack while my feet dried off before putting on dry socks and setting off again.

The next 1.2 miles are a fairly easy wander through the woods with some more exposed, muddy sections and some woodsy sections. The trail crosses a small brook before coming to the East River/Allen junction. Be careful here as it is easy to keep following the East River trail. However if you come to a second little stream crossing, you'll know you messed up.

The trail follows Opalescent Rd. only for like a hundred yards to another old gravel staging location. This seems to be the most popular location for camping while backpacking. It's about 6 miles into the hike, about where the elevation gains actually begin. I know some folks have pitched tents right in the meadowy, overgrown gravel or strung up hammocks a bit into the woods. When we passed this day, we saw that some backpackers had set up down the road a bit past the turnoff.

I personally see no problem with backpackers camping on this old gravel staging point or down the road. They are hardened surfaces in the case of the former and not technically on or even near a trail in the case of the latter (despite its former status as an active logging road).  Also of note, fires are allowed in this part of the park as long as you follow good leave no trace practices. 

By the time the trail leaves the gravel meadow, it is a proper hiking trail. The next mile to the Lower Twin Brook crossing is another lovely walk in the woods. Despite it being largely uphill the whole way, we were cruising. It was warming up a bit (about 60F now). Sunny was panting and I was sweating, but the air was still dry and we were feeling great. I probably could have let Sunny off-leash, but I was concerned about the wildlife this deep in the back country; I didn't want him to face the wrong end of a skunk or a porcupine, or upset a bear.

There are some  muddy sections close to the beginning, but as it gains elevation, the mud diminishes greatly. I was a bit surprised to note how tight the trail gets in some spots. I'm not sure I'd be keen on hiking the trail past Opalescent Rd. in the dark; I feel like it'd be difficult to follow.

We took a break at the Lower Twin Brook crossing 7 miles into the hike at 9:15am, just 2 hours and 40 minutes after we'd started. I was shocked when I looked at my watch; I don't think we've ever hiked that fast in our lives. On a whim, I checked service on my phone and saw we had 4G LTE, so I sent Wendy a message while we had a snack and I put a bandage on my heel which was getting red.

The trail still intersects with the terminus of a few other trails and roads along the way. Without GPS or intimate knowledge of the map, it might be easy to accidentally get on one of these roads.  I have heard that these alternate routes have been made largely impassible by the DEC to dissuade hikers and other citizens from using them in order to return the forest here to its natural state.

The photo above depicts a road that isn't even on any of the maps. It is situated at the crest of a small incline in the trail and I believe this might also make a good camping spot if anyone wanted to be on slightly higher ground deeper into the woods.

The trail, then, descends into a low, but dry section of the woods. The ground here is bare and devoid of mud. There are drainages nearby, but it seems like they all empty into marshy areas a bit farther down the hill. I didn't see any designated camping signs but I would honestly be shocked if this hadn't, at one time, been a designated campsite.

There is even a thunderbox situated nearby on a little incline. I was actually wondering if the "road" I saw earlier was actually an old trail that dipped below this high ground and re-entered the current path of the trail later, while the current trail is the former site of a nice campsite. Why the DEC would remove this site is beyond me. In a remote location like this it might be nice to have a place of solace. I wouldn't be surprised if hunters wisely used this location as a base of operations.

It's interesting because I know a lot of this land used to be on lease to private firms. However, an old map I have shows a bit more investment in recreation by the state. For example, the East River trail used to have two shelters along its length and now, as far as I know, it has none.

After some more lovely woods-walking, we came to the Skylight Brook where an early-riser hiker had just finished his descent. Sunny and I sat and chatted with him while we had a snack and girded ourselves for the hike up Allen Mountain.

The trail climbs moderately along the bank of the Skylight Brook, then the Allen Brook for about half a mile. The terrain here is fun and interesting as the feet of a mountain usually are.

Here, the trail climbs up a drainage, then veers left. This photo really illustrates the difference between how a drainage  looks before it's turned into a trail (top) and after (bottom). Sometimes I wonder if it would be beneficial to relocate trails to the banks of drainages instead of right up the center of them.

There's an obscured waterfall at the base of Allen's slide and this is where the real elevation gain begins. A cairn marks the location where you should begin your ascent. We didn't waste any time. It was 10:30am and it was time to tackle the beast.

We came to our first big slab at 11:00am. It was half dry and I was able to ascend it with boots without much issue. Interestingly, when I came down this with my spikes on later, I slid down it like someone on rollerskates. I think much is made of the "red slime" on Allen, but I think it's more than that. Look at this rock, how smooth it is. You don't see rock like this in many other places in the  High Peaks. Honestly, I don't remember seeing anything like this at all.

Google image search does seem to think this is still some kind of igneous bedrock and the USGS map at work seems to indicate it absolutely should be, but it has some interesting qualities. It's very hard like most of the rest of the rocks in the High Peaks, but very smooth and does appear to have some kind of cleavage. I'd love to hear from a geologist to determine what kind of rock this could be.  

Google seems to think that Feldspar might be a candidate and some of it even does have that reddish tinge of the rocks on Allen. I certainly also saw a lot of the Anthrosite along-side it (almost marble-like rock with chunks of black rock that look almost like burnt wood trapped inside it).

Either way, flat, hard rocks covered in slime are gonna be super slippery. Fortunately, not all of the exposed slab on Allen is like this. If you are careful, and examine  the rocks you're crossing,  you can find more reliable, pitted granite and other similar surfaces to trust in as you pick your way up and across the slabs.

We passed another hiker as he was coming down and had a nice chat. I said I was thinking about putting on my spikes and he agreed.  I felt like the time put into strapping them on would be more than made up for with a more confident (and safe) approach. As such, I put on my claws at 3400'. Sunny already had his on. 

Most of the slide features side-paths that hikers have cut over the years. With my spikes on, I tried to keep to the bare rock where I could.

It was fairly easy to switchback across most of the slides. Sunny did a great job as usual. Some folks seem to think this is difficult for dogs. In my experience, unless a surface is totally vertical with no ledges to cross, Sunny has fared better on these slides than I have. Allen was no exception.

Once more unto the breach! There were definitely side-treks on all of these stages of the slide, but we just crossed these diagonally where it made sense. Spikes and claws crushed it today. 

I remember being tired but not exhausted. It was just a beautiful day and we were in a beautiful place. I kept the fact that we were 10 miles from the car out of my mind as best I could and I think that helped my mood.

There were a few jumpy ledges above the slide. One of them, I had to use the "throw a stick" trick to get Sunny to stop second guessing himself and just send it.

After a bit of a flattish walk, the trail comes to a Western lookout.  I think that's the Santanonis behind us.

After enjoying the lookout for a bit, we hiked over to the last elevation gain of the hike which is quite eroded. It might do to have a fixed path blocked out by stones or logs.

 The summit of Allen may be remote and covered in a full head of trees, but it has some lovely views of its neighbors.

The summit has an obscured Eastern lookout on a little ledge. It features views of the Boreas Mt. area South of Elk Lake and an additional window to distant views of the Colvin and Dix ranges. Giant can even be spotted looming over Sawteeth to the left.

Unsurprisingly, the Northern ledge features the most impressive views. Through one window between trees, nearby Skylight and Marcy can be viewed. Through another window, a view of Haystack and Gothics can be enjoyed.

We sat and enjoyed the company of all the other hikers for a while. Sunny finally got half my summit sandwich and I changed the bandage on my heel and put on dry socks.

I was determined to savor our victory on the summit. However I was also determined to not be the last one into the parking lot at the end of the day. Also, since  I'd arrived at the summit far quicker than I could have guessed, I started to have the feeling I could be home in time to put Quinn to bed. As such, I packed up and we headed off at 12:40pm.

A father and daughter pair who I played leapfrog with the entire hike out to the trailhead suggested that the waterfall was an excellent place for a shower and I decided that sounded really awesome. It was awesome.

We moved quickly through the forest, but certainly not as quickly as we had on the way in despite being mostly downhill. My feet were pretty tired at this point and Sunny was losing steam as well.

We reached the Lower Twin Brook at around 3pm and I decided we should have an extended break. I fed Sunny his dinner helping of the Honest Kitchen dehydrated food which he gobbled down eagerly.  I'm really happy with the new food bowl I bought from Ruffwear. It's very lightweight and easy to clean. While I munched on my 2nd PBJ, I contacted Wendy on the 4G signal that was still fairly strong there to let her know we had about 3 hours remaining. We were off at 3:15pm.

We sat and enjoyed the solitude (and some peanut butter crackers) for another 15 minute break. We were packing up and heading off when one of the groups behind us showed up and started strapping on their crocs.

Sunny had his second wind by the time we hit the trail on the opposite bank, however my aching feet were keeping me a bit slow. I pushed through it and we arrived back at the trailhead just after 6:30pm, a few minutes shy of 12 hours total time. 

As is often the case, our time to the top of the mountain (5 hrs 30 mins) was shorter than our time back to the trailhead (5 hrs and 40 mins). Certainly some of this can be ascribed to longer stops on the way back, but it's still amusing.

Sunny did an amazing job on this hike. I am always impressed with his abilities. I sometimes get comments on social media and on the trail that many of these mountains are a lot for a Golden and Allen was no exception. I certainly agree with this in general terms. It's a lot for anyone. However, ADK hikers aren't just "anyone" and Sunny isn't just "anydog".

I have put a great deal of effort in keeping Sunny healthy and trained for mountain hiking. Sunny is not a couch dog. I've had two Goldens previously and they were incredible animals with great personalities, but I'd have never even attempted anything like this with them. Sunny has been doing this practically his entire life. It's a part of him.

Note that I'd never say that ADK hiking isn't for everyone. I'm saying that once you decide to make it a part of your life, it changes you. It changes your mindset. It teaches you that you can push through the existential threats in your life.

At any rate, Sunny has bounced back from this hike with striking speed. Wendy noticed it right away. I think that the constant activity on the trail has helped, but I also believe the food I've been feeding him on hiking days is a huge part of his recovery time. Previously, I've had spotty success feeding him kibble on the trail. This high-energy rehydrated food is a different story: he gobbles it down with gusto. I highly recommend folks look at a similar option for their trail  dogs. I'm sure there lots of brands and options. I definitely think the TV commercials that try to guilt you into feeding them this food all the time are extremely manipulative and cruel. However, I think it's absolutely worth it for hiking days.

Sunny and I are officially at 41/46 High Peaks and we only have two fun hikes remaining. We have plans to backpack out of Upper Works with Jay and Zuko in order to climb Gray, Marcy, and Skylight. I'm  looking forward to that trip and I kind of consider that my "Back Country Finisher" -- Skylight was originally going to be my 46th High Peak. After that, we have plans to actually finish on Esther and Whiteface with a larger group and family at the summit. 

I'd also like to do a victory lap on Gothics and Phelps later in the fall, but we'll see what we do as a family in October.