Sunny 46

We were lucky enough to be joined by Jay, Korra, and Zuko this morning. I got to be passenger princess to the Adirondacks which is always amazing.

GPS took us up to Exit 34 and back down Route 9. Soon, the cliffs of Poke-O-Moonshine rose in the distance. Jay said that this is one of the first real mountains travellers from Canada see as they cross into the Adirondack Park. As we drew closer, the cliffs loomed high above us.

The old camping area is closed which is a bummer, but there are still plenty of spots to have a picnic if folks want. These sites are over by the rock climbing trailhead. I'm not surprised Poke-O-Moonshine is a popular place for rock climbing because the Eastern side of the mountain is a sheer cliff.  Between the climbing and hiking trailheads there is a regular privy and a wheelchair-accessible privy which is nice. The parking lot is spacious.

We were ready to go at 9:45am. The trail register offered a helpful pamphlet with points of interest marked along the trail. The Friends of Poke-O-Moonshine are a really great group of folks.

The trails were dry and fast. The water sources were also bone dry and I immediately wished I'd brought my 3L bladder instead of the 1.5L.

There are loads of huge boulders along the trail. I'm sure some of them are true glacial erratics, but the pamphlet said the majority of the scree (both large and small) had cleaved from the monstrous cliffs above.

Sunny was excited to be on the trail and tolerated Quinn leading the way. He's looking a little shaggy, but we're not getting a haircut until our 46er finish.

The Poke-O-Moonshine Ranger's Trail is uniquely well-maintained. There are miles of stone stairs on the steep parts and all the muddy sections have been well-hardened. There are a few lovely wooden stairs as well as some well-built bridges. We were extremely impressed. I think it would cost approximately a hojillion dollars to rebuild all the Adirondack trails like this. Still, doing so would reduce some of the ADK's rugged charm. At the very least, work like this would be great in the muddier and more eroded sections of the more popular trails. This would dissuade hikers from further eroding the trails (and help keep our feet dry).

Despite the awesome stairs, the first part of the hike is a very steep ascent. Quinn complained about his knees aching a few times and we took periodic rests. He's been recovering from being sick but Jay said it might also be growing pains. Quinn was a real trooper though.

The second stage of the hike features a series of switchbacks. Still, where the switch occurs, there are often still stone stairs to make the elevation. Quinn was moving very quickly on the switchbacks, though he did ask for a status from time to time. 

After the switchbacks and stairs, the trail climbs gently up a spur and across a flat section. The flat does get close to the Southwestern ledge of the mountain where you can get some obscured views. There are also some spots where we saw dried-up mud puddles, but nothing significant.

There's a really nice lean-to at the Ranger Trail/Observer's Trail junction. It is in really great condition and fires are allowed here. However, there's no water. The pamphlet says there should be a spring box somewhere nearby but we couldn't find it. If you want to camp here, I suggest you bring a couple extra liters per person.

We checked out the foundation of the old observer's cabin. We looked around the area and saw there was a bit of stodgy mud nearby which might indicate where the spring should be, but we weren't sure. There was, however, clear sign of where the old trail used to come up from the drainage.

As I got Sunny tethered in the shade and unpacked our snacks and chair, Quinn made a bee-line for the fire tower. He found the cabin locked at first, but shortly after we arrived, a steward from the Friends of Poke-O-Moonshine arrived to unlock the cabin and chat with people. She had some good information, but wasn't sure about the spring box.

There are views all around, including nearby Lake Champlain. However, the star of the show is obviously the Jay Range and High Peaks beyond. Today, however, was quite hazy and we only got the hint of big mountains in the distance.

Quinn asked, "Can we stay on the summit as long as we want?" and was excited when I said yes. I think he still felt burned from last year when we had to leave the top of Buck Mt. only a few minutes after summiting.

Time to relax! I had to promise Quinn his own chair, but I hope he's prepared to carry it up on his own.

We made excellent time coming down from the mountain. Leading the way, Quinn only took 2 hours and 15 minutes to get from the bottom to the top; about 2 miles and 1200' of elevation gain. Hiking down we took just over an hour.

I knew that this was the last hike for his 11.5 size boots and during the initial descent from the summit, he started complaining about his feet hurting. I asked him if it was his toes hurting and he said yes. Fortunately, I'd brought his newer pair of althletic sneakers just in case and that made all the difference for him. It is absolutely time for new boots.

What an awesome trail this was. We will definitely be back here in the future. This is an excellent trail to indoctrinate new hikers to the Adirondacks. It is a steep trail, but exquisitely maintained, and offers incredible payoff for your effort. This is definitely a Northern gateway to the High Peaks. 

Thanks so much to Jay and the cousin pups for joining us on this adventure. Quinn said he really loved this mountain and I'm not surprised. I think we'll continue to work on fire towers, chipping away a little at a time. Quinn has five under his belt and he'll need to hike a few to catch up to Sunny and me, but that's fine; I'll be happy to revisit just about all of the mountains he's missed.