Sunny 46

The rain had stopped by the time we signed in at 6:45 and we were on our way.  I noticed there was actually a privy only a few feet down the trail. Oops.

There was quite a bit of standing water on the trail which was not surprising. We just went through it. I'd brought a dry pair of socks in a ziploc for the hike down after all.

The trail comes to the place  where there was once a huge bridge crossing Lake Jimmy, then bends North to go around.  There are a couple of much smaller bridges replacing the old bridge. This seems  like a very reasonable change.

Lake Jimmy was forboding in the gloom. We looked for Moose on the way in and the way back, but didn't see any. The hike around the lake is fairly dry and well-maintained.

Immediately after the Mt. Adams junction, the trail becomes rockier and starts to ascend gradually. The entire trail is fairly well-maintained, but there are still a couple of blowdowns  that need tending to.

Oddly, there are a couple of switchbacks as you begin the true ascent of the mountain. It was also at this point that the waist strap on our lead finally gave up the ghost. I had slammed it in the car door a few days ago, cracking it. One good pull from Sunny chasing after a chipmunk finished the job. Fortunately, Wendy was able to submit a claim to Ruffwear who gave us a gift card for replacement. For now, Sunny would finish this ascent free from bonds.

The first half of the main ascent of the mountain takes place in a rocky drainage full of old blowdown and roots. Today, the drainage was gushing water. We were ascending a waterfall. 

Honestly, this kind of terrain doesn't bother me too much; in fact it's a bit nostalgic. My cousin and I used to climb up and down waterfalls in Troy as kids.

The slab climb was tiring but largely routine. The rocks were much like we've come to expect from mountains in the High Peaks. I did wonder if the mountain would have the same red slime as on Allen, but I don't think it did. There was some red mud, I believe due to the dessicated remains of cedar or some other tree with reddish wood and bark.

It was a tough, wet climb up the mountain and my boots were finally squishing. It was a relief to finally come to flat ground. The trail meanders a bit across up and across before coming to the fire tower at 8:45am, 2.5 hours after we'd started off. Interestingly, this hike only took us 15 minutes less than when we'd recently hiked Algonquin, New York's 2nd highest peak. The rain and terrain had really taken a toll on our progress.

The summit features a sweet bench for relaxing near the tower. This is a great idea as it helps keep the stairs clear while people are trying to climb the stairs. I didn't make use of it, though.  The mosquitoes and flies were swarming us and I couldn't wait to escape them. I took off my pack and pouch, as well as my shirt and buff. 

The summit was totally socked in, but the light breeze was refreshing and dried off my skin. Throughout our stay on the summit, the sun made brief appearances which tricked me into rushing to the top of the tower to see if I could catch a view of the mountains. It wasn't meant to be. 

The tower is in really good shape except for one janky step and the map table is quite loose. There is some equipment attached to the tower including an antenna and solar panels. According to the Fire Tower book by the ADK, this is DEC communications equipment.

Sunny and I relaxed on the first landing of the fire tower for over an hour, eating our sammich, drinking a beer, and chatting with family. After several false alarms for good views, we were ready to go. I wanted to be able to get a shower before picking Quinn up from Summer camp.

After putting on some dry socks, I packed our stuff up and we left the summit at 10:20.  I did not bother with a shirt the rest of the hike. The shoulder straps didn't bother my skin, fortunately.

Sunny was slowing down but still in good spirits, perking up after meeting that couple and then meeting a young man running towards the Opalescent. I found out later from the ADK Trail Conditions Facebook Page that he actually braved the high waters using a makeshift stave.  Wild!

We got back to the trailhead at 12:07, less than 2 hours after we left the summit. Sunny was waterlogged and muddy. At the trailhead, we struck up a conversation with a fella who had just hiked the Santanonis yesterday and had plans for Allen tomorrow. I hope the water levels on the Opalescent recede for him and he's able to make it out to the mountain.

We had to stop at Wendy's parents' camp in Chestertown on our way home, so I made a second pit stop at one of the canoe access sites along the Schroon River to throw the stick and clean off the mud.

We are a bit concerned about the weather this weekend. We've been batting ideas around for plans if there's a bunch of rain before our hike. Ideas have ranged from tackling the mountain from Upper Works to hiking different mountains. Keep your eyes peeled to this space to see where we finally land.