"A Saranac will do just fine"

McKenzie Mountain
Elevation: 3861 ft (1177 m)
Peak: N44 05.655 W73 50.072
Parking lot: N44 18.766 W74 00.437
Distance: 12.9 km

Friday morning I received a phone call at the office. It was Mike saying that he and Ken were heading down to the ADK tomorrow and there was a spot in the car if I was interested. "Hell yeah!", I shouted. This would be my first Adirondack hike of 2009 and I was well overdue.

Now being a mere passenger on this trip, I was pretty much left out of the decision making process on which hike we would be tackling. Seriously though, what did I care? I was just happy to be back in the ADK, and besides, I trust the expertise of my two Sherpas.

Somewhere along the highway to Saranac Lake Mike and Ken tossed out the idea of hiking Whiteface and decided on McKenzie Mountain with the option to include Moose Mountain. Perfect - I'd already sat on the summit of Whiteface and I was up for something new. I'd read about these two peaks earlier and I knew that we were in for a loop with lots of potential views of Lake Placid and Whiteface. Besides it's not often that I get to hike with these two in the ADK on a trail that neither of them had previously explored.


After one last pit stop, we hit the trail head around 9 am and geared up for the day's adventure. It didn't take long before the well groomed path angled near vertical and we were all sucking wind (some more than others). Eventually we landed on a large boulder that popped us above the trees and gave us our first real view. It also officially confirmed that the leaves were in full color. Although admittedly not peak, they were still a nice break from the summer's sea of green.



After some more steep climbing we stepped out on to another ledge where we could see Saranac Lake to the left and our morning's destination to the right, McKenzie peak.



Goal in sight we made good time to McKenzie's summit. Here we were greeted by what could be described as two doors. Each door opened to a ledge and a spectacular view. To the left, Saranac Lake and Catamount. To the right, Lake Placid and Whiteface. Combined they provide you with a 360 degree view. Sweet.




On the way down we stood by the McKenzie-Moose junction and debated the pros and cons of bagging Moose Mountain. Mike wanted another view of Whiteface while Ken seemed to be counting the miles and weighing them against daylight hours and the side benefit of an early finish with time for supper and a pint. My preference was... well like I said it didn't really matter what I had to say, I don't speak Sherpa.


In the end, it was decided that we would hike out at a leisurely pace and make a stop for some food and a pint. Honestly it's hard to argue with a plan as solid as that one.




At the end of the day we raced out to beat the closing bell of the Lakeview Deli in Saranac Lake. This place is very similar to that of DiRienzo's in Ottawa on Beech St. You go in, scan the specials and standards, and then blurt out your order when he shouts "Who's next?". The main difference between Lakeview and DiRienzo's is that DiRienzo's feels a lot more like the soup Nazi from Seinfeld. Regardless both are equally delicious, and for the record, $6.25 landed me chicken with lettuce, tomato, spicy mayo, and mustard on a toasted bun AND a side salad and classic deli pickle. Talk about bang for your buck.

One last view... sweet.


"A Saranac will do just fine" - moe.

Colvin and Indian Head

Colvin
Elevation: 4057 ft (1237 m)
Peak: N44 05.655 W73 50.072
Parking lot: N44 10.945 W73 57.769
Distance: 22.7 km

Not long ago I thought my last hike of the '08 season in the ADK was Big Slide. Boy was I wrong.

Mike and I left Ottawa before sunrise at about 5:15 am. After several photo ops along the way we arrived at the parking lot a little late but luckily we found a spot and wouldn't have to contemplate parking roadside.


The day was a little chilly but beautiful which of course slowed us down as we stopped here and there for a photo or two. After the golf course and manditory hiker sign-in the road follows the east branch of the Ausable River. It was here that I spotted a crane fishing in the small river (more like a creek really).



We finally hopped off the road and on to the Bypass Trail that would soon meet up with the Gill Brook Trail. From here we followed the signs until we stepped out on our first lookout. Nice. Moments later we were officially standing on Indian Head and looking at Ausable Lake surrounded by numerous high peaks.



Here are a few shots of Indian Head from Fish Hawk Cliffs.



Next stop, Colvin.

From Fish Hawk Cliffs we headed down towards Colvin and Blake. The trail was about 3 km from here with some ups and downs and even a scramble or two. The extra effort was well worth it though as the views from Colvin are sweet.

Haystack, Basin, Saddleback, Gothics



Giant, Rocky Peak (with Noonmark, Round in front)
And that should be it for peak baggin' in '08. No (viewless) Blake for us today. We left Colvin around 15:40 which meant that it was well dark by the time we finished the death march and arrived back at the parking lot. A quick stop for some fast food and coffee and we were ready to make the trip back to Ottawa.

Big Slide for-a-6er

Big Slide
Elevation: 4240 ft (1292 m)
Peak: N44 10.933 W73 52.260
Parking lot: N44 11.340 W73 48.965
Distance: 19.3 km

'Tis the season for hiking. Fall is upon us and finally we're starting to get some sunshine. In the Adirondacks, the leaves have reached their peak and that means it's time to drop everything and bask in nature's light show.


Sunrise over the Raquette River
Only two days after having nailed his last 46er peak, Ken was ready for another fall hike. Unfortunately Mike was suffering from "it's the end of my vacation blues" so he decided not to join us on this one. However sticking to Mike's original fall plan, we chose Big Slide. At 4,240 feet, it is number 27 on the 46er list.




Big Slide starts its climb immediately out of the parking lot. However an early gain in elevation only means that the views are going to come that much sooner. Just as we were starting to work up a sweat we found ourselves stepping out on the First Brother and staring down at some eye-popping colour carpeting the valley below. Marcy's snow capped peak was looming in the distance. It was going to be a stellar day.


As we hiked our way over The Brothers the wind was blowing cold and hard but the contrast of a cloudless sky and warm sunshine provided the perfect offset.

Later as we finally hit the summit of Big Slide, the wind stopped entirely and the sun began to heated up the rock making it the picture perfect place for a break and some lunch. Oh, and did I mention that we had the entire summit to ourselves? Sweet.




Some time during lunch we opted for the slightly longer loop back to the Garden parking lot. From Big Slide we'd head over Yard Mountain (nearly a 46er at 3,990 feet), down to Johns Brook Lodge (JBL), and then along the north shore of the brook back to Garden. While Yard didn't give us with the view of Big Slide that we were hoping for it did provide us with a much more gradual slope down to JBL.



We stopped briefly at that lodge for a snack and a rest in the Adirondack chairs. There was one person relaxing inside with a warm fire but he didn't seem overly friendly so we left him alone to stare at was must have been the park's one and only elk now mounted over the fireplace.

After an hour and a half "death march" we reached the Garden parking lot where we signed out and immediately cracked a celebratory Saranac Ale. After a quick clean up (thank you Wet Ones) and a change of clothes I was again feeling like a million dollars. From here we drove straight to the nearest diner for some supper.


As it turns out the nearest spot to eat was just down the road at the Ausable Inn and Diner and it most certainly deserves mentioning. The atmosphere was great, the large stone fireplace was roaring, and waitress Lulu was bouncing from table to table making sure everybody was satisfied with their service. We even met a painter named Robert Selkowitz who lives in the Catskills, vacations on the shores of Nova Scotia (with Elizabeth May and family no less), and paints landscapes everywhere in between.


Winter is coming...

Foggy Phelps and a Misty Mount Jo

Early morning reflections on Heart Lake
Phelps
Elevation: 4161 ft (1268 m)
Peak: N44 09.420 W73 55.260
Parking lot: N44 10.945 W73 57.769
Distance: 16.2 km

The original plan was tossed. The weather called for 60% rain both Saturday and Sunday and we were no longer going to join Ken in mounting Dix and conquering his 46th peak. Time for plan B. Pack up and go camping at the Loj anyway.

The problem was not everybody bought into Plan B. Rick understandably didn't want to drive all the way down from T.O. to hike in the rain and Mike opted to stay home in his cozy bed. That left just Ken and I willing to throw caution to the wind and go for it. And we're glad we did. The weekend proved to be perfect hiking weather although admittedly the skies didn't clear up completely to allow us the awesome views we've become accustomed to. But it did stay dry.

Ken and I drove down via Ogdensburg making excellent time to Lake Placid where we stopped to pick up some snacks and a survival pack of Long Trail. We then checked in, set up camp, and headed back to the Lake Placid Pub and Brewery for supper (I highly recommend the Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich). Hunger at bay, we headed back to camp for a fire and some pints.


Clouds on Colden
The next morning we woke to find a very gray sky but not a drop of rain. Sweet. A quick bite and a hot cup of joe and we were off to conquer Phelps, peak #32 on the 46er list. We both knew before hand that it was going to be very unlikely that we'd get a great view but hey, what else were we going to do but hike in the ADK? Besides I wanted to knock off another peak.




After a fairly flat hike from camp to the Marcy Dam we started our ascent. Some time later we arrived at the top of Phelps to find an empty slab of rock and, as we well expected, the view was less than spectacular. However from time to time the breeze would blow the cloud and fog away and we would be treated to a splash of fall colours. It was actually quite amazing how as the fog would come and go in a matter of seconds giving us a glimpse of the nearby peaks and the yellows and reds in the valley below. Mother Nature's magic show.

Soon the silence was broken as other hikers came rolling in. In a matter of minutes we were surrounded by about 25-30 people milling about eating lunch and chatting. One group was even cooking up some soup in an Irish kettle. Time to go.



With another peaked bagged we hiked back to camp, showered up and drove into town for some supper. This time we hit the Railway Station Pub and again I was impressed by the food. Then back to the store for a few more snacks and a case of Long Trail Ale and we were ready again to relax around the campfire.


Mt Jo
Elevation: 2887 ft
Peak: N44 11.370 W73 58.010
Distance: 4.5 km

Another morning of rainless gray skies. This time we opted to stroll around Heart Lake with a side jaunt up Mount Jo. Again no view to speak of as we stood on top and imagined what the skyline would look like on a sunny day. At one point a thick mist rolled in and surrounded us with a surreal feeling like we were inside a cloud. In fact, I think technically we were.




Coming down off Mount Jo, Ken led the way down a side trail that led back to Heart Lake where we veered to the right in order to complete the loop back to camp.

All said and done, we had a great (dry) weekend of camping and hiking. A perfectly executed Plan B. And like the sign says, we'll be back again... soon.