Got up this morning to a good dusting (dumping?) of snow. The weatherman had warned us well in advance so Ihad my gear ready and waiting. Sadly I couldn't convince my work collegues to rescheulde a 9:30 meeting (cause surely the traffic was bound to be bad guys!?). Instead I was forced to have my car loaded and hit the road to the park at 6am to get my first ski in. The roads weren't actually too bad until I got to the bottom of the short hill up to P10 - where I found no plow or vehicle had passed since the snow started. I decided not to chance getting stuck and instead headed back to P8 where I found signs that the groomer had been out.... no way? Way! With that good news I grabbed some good skis out of the car(I'd brought a couple of pairs just in case), strapped in and headed off for my first ski. It was actually quite good. I met the groomer coming back along the parkway having only groomed the P8-P9 stretch but whose complaining. As I drove up I expected a slow slog through wet heavy snow, break your own trail, ski a bit (to say I skied in October) and then head home. Instead I had a couple of laps of the Doldrums on pretty reasonable tracks. It was sometimes spongy and occasionally wet but it was tracked. The sun was starting to rise as I got back to the car and my first fellow skier was just getting going. Until then all I had seen was a few deer and heard the distant quacking of some confused (and possibly angry) ducks. Left a couple of smiley faces (as seen here) for the skiers that followed and then headed home to get to that early meeting. Snow might even be there tonight so I may go back for one more ski before it melts away, but a nice start to the season never the less.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
This feels more like Fall
This past weekend was exactly what one expects from fall – cool nights that gently warm up during the day – just a reminder that winter is on the way but still time to get your fall tasks done. Unfortunately the weekend for me was bottled up with some race organization duties. First Saturday had the TransCanada 10k championships and then Sunday was the Jim Howe cross country. Both races had about 300 runners entered so not a big deal logistically but the feel of the two days was completely different. Saturdays National Championships was a formal road race while Sundays cross country was much more of a local community event – both fun, just different. With Sunday’s race over (and all the gear packed away) by noon I loaded up the car and headed south to Lake Placid to get in some great fall hiking. By 4:30 I was parked at South Meadow and hiking up the trail to Mount Van Hovenburg to catch the sunset from the upper ledges. Just a short walk and mostly flat with just a little climbing at the end. In short order I was enjoying the evening sunset over the high peaks with the alpenglow that lingers once the sun dips below the western ridges. Made it back to the car by headlamp and decided to scope out a spot to camp…. And found I had my choice! There was no one there on a Sunday night late in the season so I took one of the prime spots and curled up in my sleeping bag with this month’s Powder magazine (I read it for the pictures) and soon enough had drifted off to sleep. 
In the morning I awoke to -5C weather but the sun was shining. Unfortunately to the west I could see a heavy band of clouds coming my way. With that in mind I drove over to the Owl’s Head trail just off the Cascade pass and sprinted up the trail to its upper reaches ( a short distance) to get a few nice sunny photos before the gray clouds rolled over. That out of the way I continued on down the Keene valley to the AMR lot and booted up to hike Noonmark and Round. These are two peaks that have been on my “to do” list for some time – time to check them off. The peaks are 3500 and 3000ft respectively and there is some steep climbing to the summits but the trail is short and soon enough the views open up. By the time I crested Noonmark the clouds had rolled over my head and the sky was a steel gray colour. Not much of a breeze though so I sat and snacked at the summit while drinking in the views of the Ausable and Keene valleys and the Dix wilderness.
This is definitely a hike I will do again (and again and again…). Too soon I started to cool off so I headed down the north side of the peak and then up neighbouring Round Mountain. On the summit I met the first and only hikers I saw all day – a family just packing up on the summit. Round is an equally nice peak with a much broader summit ridge and lots of open rock. I took some time here as well but the skies were getting darker so I decided to head down and sure enough, just after I made the tree line, it began to lightly rain – a cold rain – a “precursor to snow” type of rain… Signs of things to come.
The hike down Round is “knee explodingly” steep. It drops 1800ft in a couple of miles, the first part all down steep rocky slabs. By the time I was back at the car the fluid in my knees was bubbling away so I was glad I didn’t have a long hike out after the descent. Certainly glad to get these two peaks in while there was still some fall colour and equally pleased to principally have them both to myself. On the way home I checked out a few other trailheads I want to explore in the future. Lots of options down there, just need to find the time to get them all in. On the way home I picked up a sandwich at my favourite deli in Saranac Lake and then drove up to Osgood pond to have a late lunch. Thought maybe I could get in to see White Pine Camp but turns out they only run tours on weekends and even then (the tours) have closed for the season so I had to make do with enjoying my lunch at the local boat launch (still a nice spot). Snow fell that night on the high peaks and again the next day. Time for traction control when hiking? Or will the fall suns melt the snow again? Who knows. Either way it was a nice day to get out.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Back Again So Soon?
Fresh from my climb of Dix Mountain for my 46, I got a text from Bryan looking for a hike on Tuesday to Big Slide. If there were any other way I would have stayed down in the peaks on Monday but alas I had meetings to go to so I had to race home to work – lots of extra driving but it would prove enjoyable. The plan had been for 4 of us to head down Tuesday for the hike but Mike’s sinus cold was getting worse not better so he chose to bail out. Equally, Bryan’s friend from TO decided it was a bit of a long haul to come down mid week for a hike so it was just Bryan and I who jumped in the truck at 5am on Tuesday morning – bad luck for the other two as it was shaping up to be a stellar day. The drive down wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be – I guess the truck knows the way by now - and soon enough we were treated to a stunning sunrise over Tupper Lake which was a must stop for photos. A little further on we again pulled over to shoot some pictures of the morning sun on the MacIntyres from the Loj road. That, coupled with a morning break for some food meant we started from the Garden at the reasonable hour of 9am – how very civilized.
Climbing Big Slide across the Brothers Mountains starts out very steeply, very quickly. This is a rarity in the high peaks that usually have a few miles of relatively flat walking before you start to climb but going up fast means a shorter time to the views. Sure enough we were soon on the ledges of the First Brother and looking up the John’s Brook valley in all her finest fall glory. Didn’t seem to matter which way we looked, burning colours abound in all directions. Many more photos were taken along the first two Brothers, as there are many opportunities to take in the views. Sadly I had loaded my camera with the “small” memory card and would have to ration myself to no more than 200 pictures… time for some more memory cards I think ;-) .
After loading up our cameras with shots of the fall splendour we made our way up over the 3rd Brother and on to Big Slide itself. As you ascend the final summit there is an excellent ledge to sit by the Slide and take in the views. It’s a precarious spot and not one for those without a head for heights as the drop off is dramatic but it’s a nice spot to rest before the final push to the summit. Once up top we found the summit unoccupied! We took it in stride though and expected big crowds to arrive at any minute – especially after our experience on Phelps – but no one came for some time. The sun had gained strength and we sat and baked for a bit while enjoying lunch and taking some pics. Bryan kept asking if we were falling behind schedule… but I have no more schedules (I’m done!) so I was quite content to sit in the sun.
Eventually two guys came up to the summit block. A curious pair they asked if this trail went to Marcy? And if so was the waterfall nearby? Clearly they had taken the wrong route and I found it amusing that they would climb without a map and no real sense of where they were. I took some time to show them the error of their hike and that they had climbed the wrong mountain. I also gave them some direction on the best way back to their car… for they clearly were not equipped or ready to hike another 10 miles to Marcy AND get back before nightfall. After that we left them on the summit and headed along the ridge to Yard Mountain (just shy of a 4000 footer). The walk was quite pleasant but the views were not quite as spectacular so we headed down into the Klondike Notch and along the trail to the Johns’ Brook Lodge. After a break on the deck of the Lodge we took the Phelps trail down the valley to the car to end a great day in the high peaks. As we were packing up, our friends from the summit of Big Slide stumbled out of the woods. They had taken the wrong trail again taking a longer more arduous route out... but at least they were now out of the woods.
After cleaning up a bit (and quaffing the post hike beer) we rolled down to Keene Valley and got a table at the Ausable Inn for a bite of food and a chance to relax a bit before the long drive home. Inside the restaurant the innkeeper was just starting a fire in the fireplace and the evenings guests were starting to arrive. We got our order in and then had a chance to chat to Robert Selkowitz who sat down beside us. He's a New York artist who had been capturing the fall colours with his pastels up on Whiteface. While living in the Catskills, it turns out he summers in Cape Breton – just up the road from Elizabeth May no less – so we caught him up on the fall election campaign and how Elizabeth had done in the debates. We also compared artistic notes (although we use a different media) before our respective food orders were delivered. To be honest, after dinner was consumed it was pretty tempting to order up a room at the Inn and hit the sack but with work once again calling we fired up the truck and made the drive home. Another great opportunity to hike in the peaks… and when the colours bloom there is no putting it off until tomorrow.
John's Brook Valley and the Great Range
Fresh from my climb of Dix Mountain for my 46, I got a text from Bryan looking for a hike on Tuesday to Big Slide. If there were any other way I would have stayed down in the peaks on Monday but alas I had meetings to go to so I had to race home to work – lots of extra driving but it would prove enjoyable. The plan had been for 4 of us to head down Tuesday for the hike but Mike’s sinus cold was getting worse not better so he chose to bail out. Equally, Bryan’s friend from TO decided it was a bit of a long haul to come down mid week for a hike so it was just Bryan and I who jumped in the truck at 5am on Tuesday morning – bad luck for the other two as it was shaping up to be a stellar day. The drive down wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be – I guess the truck knows the way by now - and soon enough we were treated to a stunning sunrise over Tupper Lake which was a must stop for photos. A little further on we again pulled over to shoot some pictures of the morning sun on the MacIntyres from the Loj road. That, coupled with a morning break for some food meant we started from the Garden at the reasonable hour of 9am – how very civilized.
Climbing Big Slide across the Brothers Mountains starts out very steeply, very quickly. This is a rarity in the high peaks that usually have a few miles of relatively flat walking before you start to climb but going up fast means a shorter time to the views. Sure enough we were soon on the ledges of the First Brother and looking up the John’s Brook valley in all her finest fall glory. Didn’t seem to matter which way we looked, burning colours abound in all directions. Many more photos were taken along the first two Brothers, as there are many opportunities to take in the views. Sadly I had loaded my camera with the “small” memory card and would have to ration myself to no more than 200 pictures… time for some more memory cards I think ;-) .
After loading up our cameras with shots of the fall splendour we made our way up over the 3rd Brother and on to Big Slide itself. As you ascend the final summit there is an excellent ledge to sit by the Slide and take in the views. It’s a precarious spot and not one for those without a head for heights as the drop off is dramatic but it’s a nice spot to rest before the final push to the summit. Once up top we found the summit unoccupied! We took it in stride though and expected big crowds to arrive at any minute – especially after our experience on Phelps – but no one came for some time. The sun had gained strength and we sat and baked for a bit while enjoying lunch and taking some pics. Bryan kept asking if we were falling behind schedule… but I have no more schedules (I’m done!) so I was quite content to sit in the sun. 
Eventually two guys came up to the summit block. A curious pair they asked if this trail went to Marcy? And if so was the waterfall nearby? Clearly they had taken the wrong route and I found it amusing that they would climb without a map and no real sense of where they were. I took some time to show them the error of their hike and that they had climbed the wrong mountain. I also gave them some direction on the best way back to their car… for they clearly were not equipped or ready to hike another 10 miles to Marcy AND get back before nightfall. After that we left them on the summit and headed along the ridge to Yard Mountain (just shy of a 4000 footer). The walk was quite pleasant but the views were not quite as spectacular so we headed down into the Klondike Notch and along the trail to the Johns’ Brook Lodge. After a break on the deck of the Lodge we took the Phelps trail down the valley to the car to end a great day in the high peaks. As we were packing up, our friends from the summit of Big Slide stumbled out of the woods. They had taken the wrong trail again taking a longer more arduous route out... but at least they were now out of the woods.
After cleaning up a bit (and quaffing the post hike beer) we rolled down to Keene Valley and got a table at the Ausable Inn for a bite of food and a chance to relax a bit before the long drive home. Inside the restaurant the innkeeper was just starting a fire in the fireplace and the evenings guests were starting to arrive. We got our order in and then had a chance to chat to Robert Selkowitz who sat down beside us. He's a New York artist who had been capturing the fall colours with his pastels up on Whiteface. While living in the Catskills, it turns out he summers in Cape Breton – just up the road from Elizabeth May no less – so we caught him up on the fall election campaign and how Elizabeth had done in the debates. We also compared artistic notes (although we use a different media) before our respective food orders were delivered. To be honest, after dinner was consumed it was pretty tempting to order up a room at the Inn and hit the sack but with work once again calling we fired up the truck and made the drive home. Another great opportunity to hike in the peaks… and when the colours bloom there is no putting it off until tomorrow.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Finishing the 46
Well the time had finally come. Time to climb Dix mountain and complete the list of 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks. Last weekend was a bit of a washout with low cloud cover and potential for a lot of rain so I bumped it up to this weekend. This meant that some of the guys I had invited along couldn’t make it but some others were now available so I was glad to have some company along for this “last” of hikes. The weekend started off badly as I got the word that a lot of snow had fallen on the high peaks – would that end my chances for the season? Nothing for it but to press on and see what the day would bring. Pete and I decided to head down Saturday afternoon and camp at Wilmington notch. Second strike? I forgot the tent poles that were in my workshop drying out after last weekend. No matter, we conjured up a nice leanto with our hiking sticks and the tent fly and soon had a workable sleeping structure…. But what would be next to go wrong? Over night the temperatures dipped below zero but Pete and I slept soundly in our sleeping bags and woke just before sunrise to prepare for the hike ahead. Indeed, as we drove down to the trailhead, Marcy and Algonquin were well coated with snow but Dix looked to have fared better with just a dusting of snow. Things were looking up.
Mike joined us at the trailhead after spending a comfy night in a motel in Saranac Lake (He’s not a camper… yet) but he was suffering from a bit of a sinus cold and was unsure if he would join us. I convinced him to come along for the start and see how it goes, if things didn’t improve then he could turn back. As it turns out he did the whole hike so I was happy he was able to come along. I’ve done the most peaks in the Adirondacks with him so it was fitting that he would be here for the last one.
We signed in at the trailhead to discover that a crew of 46ers was doing maintenance on the very trail we would be hiking so I took that as a good omen. Sure enough as we got to Round Pond (the first stop along the trail) we started to come across several members clearing waterbars and cutting blowdown (many thanks) and they wished us well on our journey. The first part of the trail is pretty mellow with only a few little climbs along the Bouquet river – very Gatineau Park-like with mixed hardwoods and beautiful colours. The temperatures were cool (5C) which made for pleasant walking and we made good time to the leanto that marks the start of the real climbing. After a quick rest and a snack, we started to climb and shortly made it to the base of a massive slide off of Dix. Scenic vistas were now opened up looking back down the valley to Noomark and Giant and the fall colours playing out before us – another good reason to stop for a bit.
The base of the Dix slide
Beyond the slide the trial turned steeply uphill. Mike made sure to remind us that the guidebook referred to this section of trail as “murderously steep” but he was unsure if that meant the trail would murder you or the climbing party would murder the guy who decided to chose this trail for his 46th…. I stepped a little ahead just to be sure ;-) Somewhere through here we met up with two young guys from Montreal who were also climbing this peak. Interestingly one of them had no pack while the other was carrying a large load. We asked how they decided who carried the pack. Seems they camped at the leanto the previous night. The one without the pack had decided to climb a tree over the brook, gotten too high and fell out of the tree and into the brook injuring his back and hip. Unable to carry his pack and walking with a bit of a limp, he still wanted to do the climb and his buddy agreed to carrying the load…. Ahh to be 20 again. While unspoken, they latched on to our group for the final climb to the summit. Better to hike with some others in case things went even further wrong.
After some while of climbing the “murderously steep trail, the grade finally eased and we pushed out onto the final summit ridge. From here to the top the views opened up and the whole high peaks began to unfold before us. Much picture taking, ohhs and ahhs, ensued and the last stretch went slowly (not because we were tired or anything ;-) but finally we made it to the last few steps. Strangely there is a US Geodetic plate at one point and 100m further along is the Colvin 1880 survey bolt… but which is the top? Makes no matter, I stepped up to both points and Mike graciously offered me a refreshing 46er Ale to celebrate – no small feat considering he hauled the bottle up here. He also mentioned that Bryan had planned to bring one of those cakes where the girl jumps out of it to help me celebrate my finish – sadly Bryan couldn’t make this hike as I would have liked to have seen that.
The summit crew
With the formal celebrations over, much picture taking and a little lunch ensued. The clouds rolled by offering changing views and occasional patches of sunshine. Off in the distance Marcy played her role as the “cloudsplitter” and shone with a new coat of snow and below us Elk lake gleamed with occasional patched of sun. Finally, before we all froze, I built a small snowman and placed him on the summit rocks to reign over his high peak empire. As always though, far too soon, it was time to head down and return to the car. As we left the summit a light snow began to fall and this was somehow fitting – time for fall to end and move on to winter… well perhaps too soon for some but I’ve got my skis waxed and ready to go!
The Dix Overlord and his realm
Once hiking again we all warmed up and apart from one scary moment in which Mike looked to descend several hundred feet in a pinwheeling airborne motion (but thankfully regained control) we made it down the murderously steep section to the base of the slide and the long walk back along the valley. Things moved smoothly along the valley, the colours surrounded us and the day had warmed so although we were running low on energy the walk out was pleasant. Soon enough we were back at Round Pond with the sun setting behind the Dix range and shortly after that I signed out – a newly minted 46er(pending all the necessary paperwork of course). A celebratory pint of beer and we were off on the drive home. A great day hiking and I’m pleased to have got it in before the heavy snows of winter start to fall.
Tawhaus - "the cloudsplitter"
Well the time had finally come. Time to climb Dix mountain and complete the list of 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks. Last weekend was a bit of a washout with low cloud cover and potential for a lot of rain so I bumped it up to this weekend. This meant that some of the guys I had invited along couldn’t make it but some others were now available so I was glad to have some company along for this “last” of hikes. The weekend started off badly as I got the word that a lot of snow had fallen on the high peaks – would that end my chances for the season? Nothing for it but to press on and see what the day would bring. Pete and I decided to head down Saturday afternoon and camp at Wilmington notch. Second strike? I forgot the tent poles that were in my workshop drying out after last weekend. No matter, we conjured up a nice leanto with our hiking sticks and the tent fly and soon had a workable sleeping structure…. But what would be next to go wrong? Over night the temperatures dipped below zero but Pete and I slept soundly in our sleeping bags and woke just before sunrise to prepare for the hike ahead. Indeed, as we drove down to the trailhead, Marcy and Algonquin were well coated with snow but Dix looked to have fared better with just a dusting of snow. Things were looking up.
Mike joined us at the trailhead after spending a comfy night in a motel in Saranac Lake (He’s not a camper… yet) but he was suffering from a bit of a sinus cold and was unsure if he would join us. I convinced him to come along for the start and see how it goes, if things didn’t improve then he could turn back. As it turns out he did the whole hike so I was happy he was able to come along. I’ve done the most peaks in the Adirondacks with him so it was fitting that he would be here for the last one. 
We signed in at the trailhead to discover that a crew of 46ers was doing maintenance on the very trail we would be hiking so I took that as a good omen. Sure enough as we got to Round Pond (the first stop along the trail) we started to come across several members clearing waterbars and cutting blowdown (many thanks) and they wished us well on our journey. The first part of the trail is pretty mellow with only a few little climbs along the Bouquet river – very Gatineau Park-like with mixed hardwoods and beautiful colours. The temperatures were cool (5C) which made for pleasant walking and we made good time to the leanto that marks the start of the real climbing. After a quick rest and a snack, we started to climb and shortly made it to the base of a massive slide off of Dix. Scenic vistas were now opened up looking back down the valley to Noomark and Giant and the fall colours playing out before us – another good reason to stop for a bit.
Beyond the slide the trial turned steeply uphill. Mike made sure to remind us that the guidebook referred to this section of trail as “murderously steep” but he was unsure if that meant the trail would murder you or the climbing party would murder the guy who decided to chose this trail for his 46th…. I stepped a little ahead just to be sure ;-) Somewhere through here we met up with two young guys from Montreal who were also climbing this peak. Interestingly one of them had no pack while the other was carrying a large load. We asked how they decided who carried the pack. Seems they camped at the leanto the previous night. The one without the pack had decided to climb a tree over the brook, gotten too high and fell out of the tree and into the brook injuring his back and hip. Unable to carry his pack and walking with a bit of a limp, he still wanted to do the climb and his buddy agreed to carrying the load…. Ahh to be 20 again. While unspoken, they latched on to our group for the final climb to the summit. Better to hike with some others in case things went even further wrong. 
After some while of climbing the “murderously steep trail, the grade finally eased and we pushed out onto the final summit ridge. From here to the top the views opened up and the whole high peaks began to unfold before us. Much picture taking, ohhs and ahhs, ensued and the last stretch went slowly (not because we were tired or anything ;-) but finally we made it to the last few steps. Strangely there is a US Geodetic plate at one point and 100m further along is the Colvin 1880 survey bolt… but which is the top? Makes no matter, I stepped up to both points and Mike graciously offered me a refreshing 46er Ale to celebrate – no small feat considering he hauled the bottle up here. He also mentioned that Bryan had planned to bring one of those cakes where the girl jumps out of it to help me celebrate my finish – sadly Bryan couldn’t make this hike as I would have liked to have seen that. 
With the formal celebrations over, much picture taking and a little lunch ensued. The clouds rolled by offering changing views and occasional patches of sunshine. Off in the distance Marcy played her role as the “cloudsplitter” and shone with a new coat of snow and below us Elk lake gleamed with occasional patched of sun. Finally, before we all froze, I built a small snowman and placed him on the summit rocks to reign over his high peak empire. As always though, far too soon, it was time to head down and return to the car. As we left the summit a light snow began to fall and this was somehow fitting – time for fall to end and move on to winter… well perhaps too soon for some but I’ve got my skis waxed and ready to go!
Once hiking again we all warmed up and apart from one scary moment in which Mike looked to descend several hundred feet in a pinwheeling airborne motion (but thankfully regained control) we made it down the murderously steep section to the base of the slide and the long walk back along the valley. Things moved smoothly along the valley, the colours surrounded us and the day had warmed so although we were running low on energy the walk out was pleasant. Soon enough we were back at Round Pond with the sun setting behind the Dix range and shortly after that I signed out – a newly minted 46er(pending all the necessary paperwork of course). A celebratory pint of beer and we were off on the drive home. A great day hiking and I’m pleased to have got it in before the heavy snows of winter start to fall.
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