Saturday October 26th, 2024: We woke up early at Moose Brook State Campground and saw the sunrise light the sky up between the trees. The red sky 'sailor's warning' was true on this day as gale force winds were forecasted later on. We chose to hop over the State line to Maine and hike Old Speck Mountain, my last in Maine.

We drove over from Gorham and started hiking after 8AM, but we weren't the first on the trails that morning. We chose to take the Appalachian trail up as it was already raining and the forecasted winds were urging us to get up and down as quickly as possible. We climbed well manicured trail winding through the forest (with less leaves than yesterday), and followed a nice brook up the trail. Rain drizzled down on us and we donned our gore-tex rain coats. The temperatures were cold enough that we didn't mind wearing the gore-tex layer.  We finally got up to a ridge and could feel the full force of the wind from the windward side and added gloves and rain pants to our outfit. We were in a cloud and there were no views in any direction.  We continued over a series of bumps and false summit areas until we found the fire tower and got to the summit proper. At this point were were still in a cloud, it was hailing, and the gale force winds had begun. There was no views and the wind gusts made going up the fire tower downright scary. I went up about 1/3 of the way and came back down. We didn't linger long so after a few photos and videos we returned down the same way. We had passed a few solo and duo hikers along the way but on the way back down, we passed a few larger parties - one group of 6 women and 2 parties of what look like ill prepared college kids. We didn't stop for lunch until we were back on the leeward side, about halfway back down to the car. I had my first thermos of tea on this hike which is a sure sign winter is coming. On the descent we got a couple views as sun peaked through the clouds and we could see some wind vanes in the distance. We also got a couple of views of the peak we just climbed. We got down to the parking lot around 2PM, happy to have checked off my last Maine 4000 footer. 

Hike stats:
Distance: 11.87km
Elevation: 946m or 3200ft
Time: 5hrs 13mins

Maine: 14/14
NE 111 (115): #99

Friday October 25th, 2024: The plan to get down to New Hampshire came together very quickly. I applied for my one paid day off per year and got approved so I quickly booked some campsites and got my plan in place. We drove 4 hours to Magog, Quebec for the night and stayed at Parc D'Estrie, a trailer park that was thankfully still open on October 24th. We spent the night camped on a grassy lawn and woke up to frost covering the tents and car. We threw our gear in the back of the car, grabbed a coffee just after 6AM and drove until 9AM to the Rocky Branch trailhead for Isolation. The Glen Boulder would have been my preferred way but the parking lot is under construction.

We left just after 9AM and it didn't take long to encounter our first challenge. Leaves! The trees were bare of leaves and were over ankle deep. This created treacherous trail conditions as you couldn't see what was below your feet as you stepped. I had just sprained my ankle 4 weeks before, and so I took most steps cautiously. In addition to the 2km of deep leaves, the trail ascends steadily. After an hour or 3km of hiking, we had ascended 1600ft from the parking lot. The trail levels off  and even goes down slightly but the terrain changes to boulder hopping all the way down to the river. Luckily today the mud and water were easily avoidable. The first of 5 river crossings happens around the 6km mark and the trail weaves its way on each side of the river with more boulder hopping on each side. The river was low, and so crossings were easy. The trail hand rails the river and is a gradual ramp. After the 5th crossing the trail moves away from the river and turns into a curve towards the summit. Staying in the forest, you pass by campsite, and two junctions before the summit trail begins. 

The summit is wide open, with excellent views of the Presidential range. We had a clear day and shared the summit with a few others. We took a lunch break here, enjoyed the sun, no wind, and took many photos. The summit is 11.5km in and 3200ft of ascent. The return trip took the route in reverse hopping back and forth on thousands of boulders barely any faster than we came up. We had dry feet when we returned, something that people complain about with this route up. A great day to be out in the mountains, especially on a bald summit. Glad to have this one checked off!

Hike Stats:
Distance: 22.7km
Time: 7 hours 50 mins
Elevation: 3800ft

​NE 111 (115): #98

With over an inch of rain in the forecast starting early afternoon, we set our alarms for 6AM and got on the road early. Hiking by 8AM, we started up route #6 on the Sugarbush Ski Resort Hiking map. We deviated from the route once to short cut the route up Organ Grinder, but then got back on #6 to the top of Lincoln Peak. The route up was a steady 2300ft climb. There was some construction going on up there but we found our way to the observation deck and the Long Trail easily. The wind chill temperatures at this elevation were near freezing so we didn't linger long and started off on the Long Trail towards Abraham's bald summit. We passed by some blowdown, a few muddy sections and over one downed tree. We passed by Little Abe at 3900 feet before reaching Mount Abraham proper. When we arrived, there were 4 others there already - all of us being blasted by the wind. The views were spectacular in all directions and there was a rock ring constructed on the summit to protect from the wind. We donned some more clothing and gloves and took a few photos before quickly retreating back to the same trail we came in on. Back in the trees we added more layers as the ridge was still frigid and we weren't generating enough heat now that we were travelling on the ridge. We got back to the Lincoln chair and passed  quickly through an open area back onto the Long Trail ridge. The trail here becomes easier as it moves towards the CastleRock chair and we were able to pick up the pace a bit. Still exposed to the wind we didn't stop until we got to the top of the chair. 

Here Glenn decided his foot (which is slated for foot surgery) had enough of the uneven terrain and decided he we would descent the ski hill while I continued on the Long Trail over to Mount Ellen. I skidaddled onto the Long Trail ascending over a few bumps to Cutt's Peak where I double checked my position on my GPS watch and then continued on to Ellen. The trail has a couple of muddy spots to skirt but for the most part is an easy walk. Ellen's summit is treed and close to the top of another part of Sugarbush ski hill. I thought about descending that Sugarbush North ski hill rather than turning back the way I came and get Glenn to come pick me up. I couldn't find any information about hiking on that portion of the ski hill online and saw that everyone who was out hiking on the day returning the way we came so I followed suit. The trail out to Ellen was not difficult, so it only took about 40 minutes to re-trace my steps before I was back at the top of the Castle Rock chair texting Glenn at the bottom. I descended the Troll Road run to the base with the top third being a bit loose an steep and then bottom 2/3rds being a beautiful fall walk with colours in all directions. An hour later I met up with Glenn and the bottom who was listening to a live band at the base and a crowd at the village enjoying a crisp fall day. 

Luckily I had beaten the rain and was able to get back to the car and start the 5 hour drive home north before it hit. We decided to forego camping for another night due to the rain but there is something so magical about Vermont's scenery, vibe and hiking I wish we could have stayed longer. Vermont is done!

Hike Stats:
Distance: 17.82km
Time: 5 hours 27 mins
Elevation gain: 1158m or 3808ft

Vermont: 5/5
Northeast 115er count: #96 and #97 out of 115
​October 13th, 2024

​I rolled my ankle on a hike in September and had been still feeling the effects a couple weeks later. Glenn has a foot slated for surgery so when I was thinking about what 115ers I had left to do, I selected two hikes with ski hill approaches to reduce the amount of time hiking on uneven terrain. 

We drove the 6 hours Saturday morning via the southern Adirondacks to Killiington Ski resort in Vermont. The drive down was spectacular as the fall colours were on display despite being slightly past peak. The resort was busy, complete with hikers, mountain bikers, and leaf peeping gondola riders. We set off around 2pm, and followed the "E" trail up. This route up winds it's way up using forested trails, ski hill runs, and ski hill roads. The very well marked trail mixes steep climbs with traverses to catch your breath. Closer to the top, you pass under the gondola and head up the staired walkway which brings you to the top of the gondola and summit hut. When we arrived, we couldn't believe the hoards of people. The crowds were out in full force leaf peeping in all directions. The sunny day made the conditions pleasant - we hiked the last short trail to the summit, only to find about 50 others there at the same time. We took a few summit photos - well actually we got a random stranger to take some photos and enjoyed the views of the Adirondack in the distance.

We scampered down the summit trail back to the gondola and walked back down the stairs and decided to take a the "C" route back down. This route was a great descent as it followed all ski hill roads and was only steep for one short distance. The mountain bike trails that merge with hiking trails are well marked and I give kudos to Killington for their well managed property. Before we knew it we were back at the base and finished the hike. We headed driving north to Chittenden State Park campground for the night, arriving with just enough light to spare to set up our tent.

Hike Stats:
Distance: 7.83km
Time: 2 hours, 27 mins
Ascent: 541m or 1773ft

Hiked October 12th, 2024. Peak #95/115

Day 1: Sunday August 4th, 2024 Paint Pots to Helmet Falls

We woke up happy to be camping at Marble Canyon Campground in Kootenay National Park. There had been so much uncertainty with the wildfire situation in summer of 2024 that we weren't sure if we would have to cancel the trip entirely. After arriving by plane to Calgary August 3rd, we drove out to Kootenay to car camp before our planned Rockwall reservation began. With the time change we were up early, and was able to start on the trail a full hour earlier than we had scheduled at 8AM. We crossed the bridge over the Vermillion River and passed by the iron rich paint pots before leaving what most tourists visit on this trail. We headed up through forested trail and through an old avalanche path full of fireweed. We began shouting "Day-O" and "Yee Yee You" to ward off any grizzlies that might be in the area. 

We passed by a junction and then continued on the forested trail until it opened up to a silty blue mountain creek where there was a bridge crossing. Upon further investigation, a campsite called Helmet-Ochre with a few tent pads and an outhouse are also found here. Looking at our GPS units and watches, we had almost travelled half the anticipated 15km distance to our campsite for the night at Helmet Falls. When we took a snack break at the campsite, Glenn realized that his bear spray was missing. He had slung it through the chest strap of his backpack and on a previous water break it has slid off the strap. He and our group member Marc walked back 10 minutes onto the trail to find it and then returned empty handed. As they were gone, I realized my sunglasses were missing off my head on top of my hat. Uncharacteristically, we had both lost important items in the first 6.6km. When Glenn returned empty handed, we decided to walk quickly back onto the trail and walk 30 mins tops back to see if we could retrieve both lost items. My sunglasses were worth $300, and I wear them everyday for work and they are essential to me for preventing migraines. At a blistering pace, we walked back and met up with a couple about 13 minutes into our walk back who had the bear spray in their hands and returned it to us. They had also picked up my sunglasses and put them on a stump another 15 minutes back. Off Glenn and I went practically running down the trail looking at every stump  compared to the other shielding the glasses on our walk by. We asked two other groups if they had seen them but they hadn't. We turned around defeated, and on our way back found them on the stump and realized why we had missed them in the first place. All in all we had delayed the group's progress by 2 hours, something unanticipated but on this day we had lots of wiggle room to fit it in having started an hour early, having stable weather, and anticipating an early afternoon campsite arrival. If I had a firm deadline on that day (ie to meet a shuttle bus, etc)  I might have had to leave the items behind. In the backcountry mistakes can be deadly, and it isn't something I make a habit of doing. All in all we paid the price for our mistakes by adding an extra 8km to our original 15km hike distance.

Continuing on from Helmet-Ochre, the trail ascends through the forest and follows a creek to a wobbly suspension bridge. It's best to cross one at a time here, Not long after the crossing the trail passes through more forest and a junction to Goodsir Pass. We passed some fresh bear scat on the trail and arrived at the Helmet Creek Warden cabin which is the sign that you have made it to the Helmet Falls campground. We could barely see the falls in the distance due to the smokey skies here. We arrived at 3PM to find that we were the second group to arrive. There must have been close to 20 campsites here to chose from. We set up camp and finally had our lunch and figured out where the dining area was located complete with bear-proof food lockers. We ate our freeze dried meals around 6PM and turned in early to bed. Our bodies were subconsciously still on Ontario time. Overnight showers came with some lightning in the distance. Although it made everything wet, the smoke in the skies disappeared!

​Day 2: Monday August 5th Helmet Falls to Tumbling Creek

Wake up time was around 6:20AM. We weren't the first hikers up and gone but we were one of the first. The tent flies were wet along with the ground and vegetation. Conversation with other campers at breakfast surrounded the overnight distant storm and if we had seen the lightning or heard the light rain. Conversations ceased when we realized the smokey haze was gone and we had a clear view of the 1100 foot Helmet falls in the distance. Wow what a view! We oooed and awed over the falls.  After packing up, we were the first group to head out onto the trail that morning headed towards Tumbling Creek. The first 500m of trail is in bushy alder which completely soaked Glenn's feet. We took the side trail to the base of Helmet Falls (now that we could see it) and bumped into a family of marmots whistling in a rock pile at the base of the falls. After taking a few photos, we returned on the same trail we had come in on adding 1km to our total for the day (a worthwhile detour). On the way out the group met a territorial ptarmigan who launched an attack at us as we scuttled by her. She was a legit 'angry bird'.

Back on the main trail, we followed the switchbacking dirt path up to a couple of more viewpoints of Helmet falls until we climbed out of that drainage and into another one along Rockwall Peak. The trail was bordered by an abundance of wildflowers and once headed downhill, the trail was easy to pound out another mile. We hit a silty lake and took a lunch break at the bridge here. Almost immediately after the lake you cross another rickety bridge over a creek and enter another forested uphill section cresting another hill into a wide open alpine valley. To our right almost the entire day were tall rock faces that invited me to wonder if anyone had climbed or traversed their ridges. As we entered the valley, trees became very sparse and alpine flowers bloomed. We ran into a single woman and her dog on the trail and found out she was a national park bear biologist. We had a good chat with her and identified the names of the the wildflowers we were curious about. She told us what the bears were eating and asked us to take her photo and vice versa. We continued further and passed a ranger cabin in the distance and passed another junction before entering into a section of forest that looked like an avalanche had ripped through it before descending down to Tumbling Creek campground. 

What we didn't know about this campground is that there are an A and B section to this site. Both areas are side by side with tent platforms and their separate kitchen areas and storage lockers. We set up camp in the sun and were able to dry out our tent from the night before despite being surrounded by several biting flies (sand flies?) and horse flies. A quick change of clothes to our long pants and long sleeve hooded shirts solved the problem. The Tumbling creek is silty, so we found a side creek that was clear to filter water from. We took a walk through the B campsite and down to a bridge across the creek where there was a tight canyon and thundering rapid to check out. We wandered back to our site and set up camp and had a little rest. We met at 5:30PM for dinner, and minutes after our last bite that the dark clouds rolled in and we had to retreat to our tents for a 90 minute long intense thunderstorm. The entire time we were on the Rockwall there were several groups of trail runners out trying to run this trail in a day. We met one female solo runner fairly late in the day at Tumbling and I wonder where she was when that intense storm hit as she wasn't moving quickly when we saw her. The trail runners all run in the same direction from Floe to Paint Pots as it it less elevation but has less views. It was 14.5km to Helmet Campground, and I was doubtful she had made it that far.

Day 3: Tuesday August 6th Tumbling Creek to Floe Lake

Day 3 was to be our biggest challenge physically: a 19km hike with 4000 feet of ascent over two passes and 3500' of descent. We were on the trail again early and crossed to the other side of the creek passing a lingering snow patch left over from winter. We climbed the winding trail up to the tall glaciated spires above. The trail climbs to some excellent viewpoints of the glaciers and peaks before crossing a pass and descending a steep loose gravel trail in the drainage towards the Numa campsite. After the steep descent you cross a creek and enter into an alder tunnel. In the morning the tunnel was shaded and wet but in the afternoon I assume it would be very hot. It is also excellent bear habit so we were constantly yelling out to make any furry creatures aware of our presence. After the tunnel section, you pass through a huge blueberry section of trail before finally reaching a dead end. Turn right and within a minute you are in Numa campsite. We chose to stop at the tables and benches for lunch here, 8km into our day. 

To be honest, Numa was my least favourite looking campsite and I was glad we were moving on from it. The campsite were surrounded by tall bushes and the views were minimal. We crossed the bridge kept going straight through onto a gradual ramp through forest sometimes sandwiched between two creeks. We kept walking up the ramps catching glimpses of some falls in the distance. We passed by two more falls (one up close and one from a distance) that were bursting at the seems from the rain over the past 2 nights. The vegetation and ground was quite moist - a good sign after the dry season the west was having. The trail climbs up towards Numa Pass through the forest in shade switching back and forth for quite some time. It finally starts to level off as the trees thin out and we took a long break after a long ascent. Once above the treeline, a stunning view of peaks appear at your back and as you climb the scree slope, Numa peak towers over you on the left. Once in the scree saddle a minute after you have drank in the view of the valley behind you see what is ahead of you...Floe! 

Descending down into to Floe Lake is pure joy with a long bench of trail to follow that is flagged but more alpine flowers, view points of Floe Lake and a lovely dirt ramp of trail through forest down to the campsite. "The" campsite at Floe next to the lake was taken, so we had to settle for one away from the lake. We set up camp and aired our wet tent and walked back to the lake to spend our time there. One of our group members went swimming but others including myself dipped our feet in which felt great after a long 7.5 hour day in boots. After eating by the lake, the sun set behind the high walls of the peaks and so we made our way up to the tents to rest our tired bodies. A nasty long thunderstorm rolled in the middle of the night and lasted for 2 hours. The thunder cracked across the sky and it sounded like it hit and echoed off the walls across the lake. I counted the number of seconds between lightning strikes and thunder and it varied between 4 and 11 seconds. Trying to sleep at this highest elevation camp at 6600', was almost impossible. The storm ended with a large amount of heavy rain until it sounded different on the fly of the tent. I turned on my headlamp to find pea-sized hail showering the tent. Luckily the Durston Xmid 2 was up for the challenge but the rain that followed created a river under our tent caused by a less-than-deal designed tent pad that caused slight moisture to creep up through the tent floor.

Day 4: Wednesday August 7th Floe Lake Campsite to Floe Trailhead

Breakfast in the morning of Day 4 was a surprise treat. The calm waters of Floe Lake created perfect reflections of the surrounding forest and mountains and was quite picturesque. We ate breakfast on the shores of the lake where we had eaten dinner the night before and took several photos of the stunning views in front of us. We tore down the wet tent one last time and packed up to hike the 10.5km downhill out to the highway. The trail drops quite quickly steeply and enters an old burn zone where there are charred logs to crawl over and under and lot of fireweed growing all around. As we descended the temperature rose from the cool morning we woke up to at Floe. Several parties we crossed paths with were going up to Floe - some for the day and some overnight. The consensus through the conversations is that we were lucky to have scored a campsite at Floe and had a reservation to do a preferred itinerary of the entire Rockwall trail. Thanks to Deb for getting us a reservation. I felt grateful for being able to complete this spectacular trail and even more grateful that the weather and wildfire situation cooperated to allow us to experience this. Highly recommended!

Hike Grand Totals:
Distance: ~60km
Elevation gain:~8500 ft

Deb and I got dropped off at the Livermore Road Trailhead and headed down the trail around 7:30AM. For the first 5.7km or so, the trail is a double track road that connects the local xc ski trail network but in the summertime is used by hikers, mountain bikers and trail running events like the Jigger Johnson 100 mile Ultra.  The Livermore road hike is easy making some gradual ascent in shaded forest bliss. The temperature was still cool so we kept our pace high on this section. Finally getting to the trail, we followed a forested path for a short distance before started to ascend the slide slab and rock drainage up North Tripyramid. This slide is well known, and I was excited to tackle it as scrambles are up my alley. It didn't take long to catch up to another group of 4 climbing the slide on this sunny day. We passed them at the crux of the route, on a section that required some foot jamming and looking around for hand holds. It was apparent that Deb and I were more comfortable with these rock moves than the party we passed. Instead of rushing them, we overtook them - something I was happy about as I didn't want loose rock pummelling down towards me on this slide if they were above us. I wasn't wearing a helmet or any other rock gear so we were happy to be higher up. The slide is a mix of slab and at the upper section very loose rock including the ball bearing scree that can cause you to slip quite easily. We took our time and paid attention to our foot placements. The vistas of the ski hill and Osceolas were outstanding on this day and we soaked them up anytime we could. I realized I had forgot my phone in the car so we only had one camera to capture our hike memories.

At the top of the slide, the trail exits on the left into the forest again where in a matter of a minutes you hit the summit proper - a rocky outcropping. We drank some water here (drinking on the slide was almost impossible) and met up with a female hiker who had come up from another trail and wanted to hike down to the slide to see the view. There are no real views or lookouts off the actual summit. We took off on the ridge trail towards Middle Tripyramid and descended a few hundred feet before climbing back up. Just before the Middle Summit, we met up with a local male hiker who was on his way down. On the summit proper, we spoke to a hiker from Boston who also called us crazy for ascending the slide! 

We took a quick summit shot and headed over to South Tripyramid. Here we sat down on the summit to have lunch and to send a Garmin inReach message to my husband to coordinate a pick up time after forgetting my phone in the car. Sidebar: I got a U.S. cell phone plan and love it! Not too far of the South Tripyramind summit a rocky slide with lots of loose rock descends steeply for 1000ft. We intently paid attention to every footstep. Today I was using my husband's hiking poles which I needed for balance and jumping down off big rocks. On the slide, we got hammered by UV rays from the sun. Finally at the bottom, we entered the shaded forest and marched out the lovely dirt ramp all the way back to the Livermore Road. As we walked out, we were passed by several mountain biking parties. Deb and I were chatting and not paying attention to our footing on this easy terrain where she tripped and fell forward scraped a few body parts but wasn't injured seriously. We met up with Glenn who walked in to meet us. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this hike - the slides were so much fun! I wouldn't want to to it on a icy day but today (Friday July 19th, 2024) was perfect!

Hike Stats:
Distance: 17.75km
Elevation: 930m
Time: 6hrs, 13mins
NE115er list: Peak #93 and #94

Deb, Glenn and I drove down to the White Mountains on Wednesday July 17th for a quick 2 day trip before returning to Canada on the 20th. Unfortunately Glenn had a foot injury destined for surgery and was not able to hike so instead he brought his fly fishing rod to fish the mountain rivers instead. After a chilly but peaceful night camping along the Mad River in at the State Campground in Waterville, we drove the hour or so around to the Ferncroft trailhead to begin our hike.

Our route today was to ascend the Blueberry Ledges trail and then continue up over Whiteface Mountain via the Rollin's trail and then tee up with the Dicey Mills trail to ascend and descend Passaconway. This would create a loop to bring us back to the car. The parking lot at Ferncroft is a bit unusual in that you walk back out on the road out of the parking lot to access the trailhead. We found the Blueberry Ledges trail and quickly followed a nice gradual forest path. Not far in you meet a slab section of trail and ascend on rock. Luckily after the rain the night before the rock was dry! The cut-off trail meets the Blueberry Ledge trail in the slab section. At this point I could see why the trail got it's Blueberry name. Almost the entire length of the trail was bordered with blueberry bushes which were not quite ripe at this point in  July unfortunately. After the slab section, the next chunk of trail was a steep ascent on rock stairs. Here we could already feel the July hot air and sweat began to pour out of us. We took a few breaks to catch our breath and before we knew it we hit the ledges. The ledges were a series of short cliff scrambles followed by a fantastic lookout. I enjoyed this section of trail as it required full attention. Some of the rock had become slippery due to wear and grip was somewhat sketchy. We didn't waste any time with some of these moves. We had a sunny dry day to tackle the ledges and glad we picked that route up. The lookouts were fabulous! I used my Peak Finder App to identify a mountain I didn't know in the distance: Mount Chocura! One of the big lookouts had  a bunch of trail signs and I thought for sure it was the summit but it is not. You need to continue on the ridge to a treed summit with a cairn.  A huge let down after the beautiful vistas we saw on top of the ledges.

Continuing on the Rollins trail we met two ladies who were hiking up to Whiteface and had lots of questions about the ledges. They were avoiding the ledges on purpose and thought we were crazy for ascending that way. Once we explained our rock climbing background, they understood why. The Rollins trail required some foot placement focus, but we enjoyed being up high in the breeze and shade. A few big steps up and down required the use of poles and I found out my new Black Diamond Carbon Cork Poles needed to be tightened with an Allen key I didn't have to prevent it from collapsing. Almost over to the Dicey Mills trail, we hadn't seen any other hikers in over an hour. We heard a stick snap in the distance so I assumed it was people ahead. Then it sounded like people doing trail work - the noise sounded destructive. As the noise got louder, I could identify it as a stump being ripped apart which could only mean one thing: a bear! Only 20m away, a black bear was intensely ripping apart a stump to feast on insects. The bear was so distracted it didn't hear us or smell us despite being upwind. We pulled out our cameras but couldn't get a good shot. It ended up taking off after it caught our scent so we made noise and blew whistles to shoo it off. How exciting!

Soon after the Rollin's trail intersects with the Dicey Mills trail where we had to take two left turns to stay on it and head up to the summit of Passaconway. We enjoyed the switchbacks on this trail as it was an easy ascent until the last couple hundred feet of steep rocky trail. We got to a lookout but continued past it to hit the summit proper. I find it weird in the White Mountains that most of the mountain summits don't have a sign or marker. Lots of times you have to guess! We took our obligatory summit photo and then descend down the beautiful dirt ramp that is the Dicey Mills trail. It was a great descent expecially for one of my heels that had an old blister that had been irritated on this hike. Before we knew it we were back at the trailhead where Glenn had drove in to pick us up. Another great day in the mountains!

Hike Stats:
Distance: 18.72km
Elevation Gain: 4039ft
Time: 7hrs, 16 minutes
​NE115er list: Peaks #91 and #92 for me!

Hunter and Slide in a day!

After a 7 hour drive down to the Catskills from home, Deb and I arrived at the Devil's Tombstone State Campground and set up camp for the night. Typical of July, we found ourselves in hot humid weather conditions both during the day as well as at night. The nighttime temperatures barely felt any cooler than the daytime temps, and I tossed and turned all night kicking off my sleeping bag and willing any kind of breeze to blow over me.

Needless to say we were up early around 5:30AM on July 8th, 2024 and after a quick breakfast hopped in the car to drive over to the Slide Mountain trailhead. The drive was made even more interesting as a wheel bearing in my front right wheel had started to buzz on the way down the day before. The hilly and twisty mountain roads made the drive even more daring not knowing if the wheel was going to fall off at any moment. With no garages on the way over, we arrived at the trailhead and started off at 7:55AM. The first 15 minutes of walking on this trail ascends uphill eventually leading to a junction you need to turn right onto a flatter and wider footpath​. Continuing on this flatter terrain, you reach a second junction where you need to turn left. The trail marker colour changes from yellow to red here and you begin to ascend again towards the summit. Nearing the summit, the trail flattens out to a beautiful gravel path and the sense of being close to the summit increases. The smell of Balsam Firs and and small views through the trees gives you the feeling that you have almost climbed the 1700+ feet to the summit. Passing by another junction, you soon come across a beautiful lookout as seen above in the photo. Another minute down the trail you come to a concrete block amongst some trees which is the true summit. After some photo ops, we re-traced our steps down to the parking lot in less than 3 hours. We both thoroughly enjoyed this trail and were happy to have completed it before the heat of the day. Peak #1 complete for the day.  Continue below for Hunter Mountain. 

Distance: 8.63km
Time: 2 hours 49 mins
Ascent: 525m or 1722ft
Temp: 23C plus humidity
Peak count: #89 of the NE 115 list

After a drive back to Hunter, NY, we stopped a garage to get my wheel bearing checked. Yes, it was making noise, but didn't seem to be dangerous to drive...yet. We still had a 7 hour drive to get home! Being re-assured there was no risk of the wheel falling off in the immediate future, we drove the two minutes from the village to the Becker-Hollow trailhead for Hunter. Now after noon, the temperature had risen to high heat and humidity levels. The Becker-Hollow trail is the shortest way up to the summit, but is also steep gaining 2000 feet in 2 miles. The start of the trail is rather flat with all sorts of stone ruins of old foundations or other relics. it wasn't too far down the trail that it starts to ascend. At first the ascent is manageable and gradual, and then becomes steeper and with looser rock. We stopped to take 3 short breaks on the way up to lower our heart rates and drink some water. Sweat was rolling off our chins and I could see sweat rivers flowing down my legs. It was definitely gross hot. About 0.3 miles before the summit there was a junction that we chose to hike the direct route to the summit. Arriving at the top, we took a summit photo that I now see how soaked in sweat my t-shirt was! We then went over to check out an uninspiring tree covered lookout. We walked on a flat path over to the fire tower and met up with another couple who were also about to walk up the tower. We dropped our packs on the picnic tables adjacent the ranger cabin and welcomed the breeze as we walked up the stairs to the top of the tower. We couldn't access the actual top of the tower as it was locked, but we could get up high enough to enjoy the view. We enjoyed the much welcomed breeze and drank in the view of the Catskills. Being the first time in the Catskills, it is a beautiful area with great hiking. We descended down the same blue marked trail we had come up and upon return. We found 2 low flowing streams that crossed the trail nearing the end with just enough depth to scoop some water from to wash our faces and wet the hair on our heads. We finished the day soaked in sweat and stream water but satisfied with our two peak day.

Distance: 8.33km
Time: 3 hours, 23minutes
Ascent: 684m or 2244ft
Temp: 32C plus humidity

*This brings my total up to 90 of the NE115 list! We did get home with the wheel bearing buzzing!

As hikers become more experienced, we plan better for certain outcomes. As a Adirondack 46er aspiring to be a winter 46er my efforts into planning have become more detailed. A trip down to the Adirondacks in March usually means longer daylight hours, warmer temperatures, and and hard packed snow spines making for easy travel. Planning for these conditions is easy - pick the longest and most challenging hikes to do at this time of year and leave the shorter ones for darker days where you might have to break trail with new snow.

For this trip my goal was to do one long day and one short day. The long day was going to be either the Dix Range or Haystack, Basin, and Saddleback (HaBaSa for short). The early spring conditions in 2024 were going to be tricky to negotiate after a short snowstorm had covered the peaks between unseasonal balmy temperatures flanking it. Breaking trail in heavy wet snow is no fun, so Deb and I scoured the internet for recent trip reports to see what was broken giving us the best chance for success. Upon arriving in Keene Valley the day before the hike, we visited the Garden parking lot, Roaring Brook and Round Pond to look at the trail registers for recent activity. It looked like the mountain with the most activity was Saddleback Mountain, so we made a decision to go for it the next day.

Leaving the Garden at 7AM, we bare booted to the DEC Outpost over slush, ice and mud. It was apparent the spring had hit the area early here as well. After crossing John's Brook at the bridge, we stopped to put on our snowshoes. I pulled out my trusty old Tubbs Flex VRTs and went to put the left shoe on first. I went to manipulate the BOA dial mechanism, and realized it was broken. It dawned on me that I had brought but hadn't worn the snowshoes for my two ADK hikes in January as there wasn't enough snow and had been carrying them around on my training hikes at home in February and March. We were in a dilemma: find something to McGyver fix the left snowshoe in the field or turn around and call it a day. I wish I had a Voile ski strap with me (I now do and will carry one from now on) but Deb started pulling off some small pieces of cord and bungee bits from her gear cache and I was easily able to rig up a simple solution that would work perfectly for the rest of the day. Note: the binding on the Tubbs Flex VRTs have great attachment holes in the plastic harness that you can easily rig a strap or cord to. Off we went.

Snow covered the slope along the Orbed trail but most streams and creeks were open requiring some hopping and snowshoeing on rock. Snow depth increased as we ascended away from John's Brook and past the Orebed lean-to. It was evident that there had been people on this trail yesterday as the trail was broken but not well packed down. The above-freezing temperatures made the snow feel like lumpy mashed pototoes with many steps resulting in snow compression of 4-6inches and the feeling of sliding backwards and not forwards. I had never ascended this trail before and found the gradual ascent very pleasant. We got to the slide and had our first peek of our peak. The wood stairs were no where to be found but a track up the exposed icy snow covered slide looked steep! The last hiker down the day before had slid on his butt and created a smooth track. We stepped our snowshoe crampons in hard and clawed our way up the slide step by step. The sun was out and the sky was perfectly blue. I was down to my base layer. Time to take out the sunglasses!

At the top of the slide, the trail weaves back into the forest before joining the Range Trail in a col between Gothics Mountain and Saddleback Mountain. This forested section was tough going as the snow depth was at its deepest and softest. I felt like I was taking lots of breaks and moving very slowly in these soupy conditions. Reaching the Range Trail, it was apparent that no one had broken trail towards Gothics (not surprising as there are better ways to ascend this mountain in the winter). We turned right and continued up Saddleback taking in the views of Gothics, Whiteface and Big Slide in the distance. A couple of tricky icy sections that were luckily soft with the sun pounded on them and we were at the top. For this summit, we continued over the top and to the far side where there is a rocky outcropping and views of Basin Mountain, Marcy, Phelps, etc. We played 'name that mountain' in the distance as well. The views were spectacular on this bluebird day. We did something we don't normally do: we lingered on the summit! We checked out two rocky viewpoints. We took loads of photos and videos, ate and drank, and analyzed what to do next.

Looking at the path over to Basin, it didn't look inviting. We had read a trip report of one single hiker that had broke this trail the day before, but had difficulty going solo in the conditions. We decided the best decision was to turn around, and leave Basin (and Haystack) for another day. The conditions did not present an opportunity to do 2 or 3 of the triple crown HaBaSa today. The soft snow was much faster to travel on during the descent and we almost didn't want drop off the summit too quickly. The views on all angles were stunning. For every one bluebird low wind day up high there are nine others that are cloudy, foggy, freezing, or raining in the ADKs. We lucked out this time.

It didn't take long to get to the bottom of the slide before re-entering the forest. I kept feeling parched and stopped to drink water more than usual. Little did we know the valley temperature was up to 15C! No wonder I was thirsty. The creeks and streams were running a bit higher on the way back but nothing to slow down your pace on. The trail conditions were definitely deteriorating quickly and the snow melt that normally occurs mid April was happening now in mid-March. Before we knew it were were back at the bridge and hadn't seen a single soul all day. We walked over to the Outpost cabin and sat in the sun on the porch and had another long break. It took me a minute to get my snowshoes off with all the ropes attached to it but it did the job well - I didn't notice any loss of function. We bare booted our way back to the parking lot and found the trail to be more slushy and muddy than in the morning. We saw one woman and her dog a minute before the parking lot but that was it for the day. 

Hike totals:
Distance: 23km
Time: 8hr 45mins (1 hour of stopped time)
Elevation Gain: 1093m

Up to 31/46 for the winter round

BOA update: BOA products are guaranteed for life. After taking a photo of my dial, BOA has sent me a replacement in the mail!

The forecast for Thursday January 4th, 2024 was only marginally better than the day before. It included snow, clouds and winds in the morning moving to partially sunny in the afternoon. We arrived at the Loj parking at the same time as the previous day but this time with more hiker activity and a gate attendant. 

Deb and I signed in at the register just before 8AM while Glenn decided to do a short hike around Heart Lake to get some movement in. Due to his foot re-injury, he needed to stay on flatter ground and hike at a slower pace to make sure his foot placements were solid so off we went in opposite directions. Unlike yesterday the trail was now covered in about an inch of snow which was just enough to provide us with traction to get up to the waterfall part way up to the Wright Mtn junction. There was one male party of 3 in front of us whom we caught up with part way up the trail. We yo-yoed with them and another couple with their dog on the ascent. We put on our traction devices and continue up watching our foot placements between rocks, on slushy ice puddles and snow covered ground. My traction devices got balled up with snow and ice once and I had to knock them off. We noticed that all the other parties seemed to be moving faster than us as they weren't carrying the extra 4lbs of snowshoes we were. We decided at the Wright Junction to leave the snowshoes behind and hid them behind a tree root.  We appreciated the lighter pack weight and did not need them for this entire hike either. From this point on, we were the first group up the last steep ascent to Algonquin's summit. When we arrived at the tree line huffing and puffing after hours of uphill travel where we donned some warmer clothing and followed the cairns to the summit. The wind was fierce - between that and the new snow there was no footprints left in any exposed areas. The wind guts were over 40mph and frostbite was imminent. My sweaty body from the ascent was now dry thanks to quick drying clothing (like my OR Refuge air jacket) but the wind was cold and I could start to feel it hit my body. Debbie reminded me the summit was up on my right hand side at the top and I recognized two boulders that are in many Algonquin summit photos. The exposed summit rock was covered in rime ice, snow drifts and rock cairns. Just as we were about to take a summit selfie, one of the male hikers in the group we were yo-yoing with appeared out of no where. Deb risked frostbite and took a summit photo of him and he took one of us (above). It wasn't a place to linger so we told him he should quickly re-trace his vanishing footprints back down (it was his first ever summit and he left his buddies behind as they didn't make it). We turned quickly and headed down the back side of Algonquin. The cairns were visible but the wind was blasting so hard we could barely stay on our feet. The above zero temps in the morning had quickly dropped to -10C. Added to that the wind chill made it feel below -20C easily. On the decent, I felt the wind pummel my right cheek which was concerning for me with frostbite. I had have 2 previous incidents of bad frostbite on my right cheekbone and was worried I was in for a third. My hood wasn't  covering the exposed skin well so I had to turn my head or cover the cheek with my mitt. When I got down into the alpine scrub between Algonquin and Boundary, I threw on my shell and a neck warmer that would cover the area from now on. There was no point stopping earlier to put on my shell jacket as opening the backpack would have meant that all the contents would have blow off the mountain.

We moved through the scrub forest and over another exposed bump called Boundary Mountain. We needed to keep moving to stay warm and lucky for both of us we had battery heated mitts on to keep our fingers from freezing. We descended the far side of Boundary and went through another scrub trail section where on two occasions I fell into shallow post holes that had been covered by recent snow. Luckily I only fell in about 10 inches and did not hurt myself. A fractured ankle up on that ridge in those conditions was not something I would have wanted. Survival would have been extreme. Luckily I had packed down clothing, a bivy bag and a Rab Silbothy and Deb had a sleeping bag but still, it would have been an awful place to wait for rescue.

We followed the cairns up to the summit of Iroquois deciphering where the trail might be in the drifted snow and rime ice. We got to the summit cairn and I quickly took out my phone and took 2 selfies before stuffing it back in my chest pocket. We didn't waste anytime being in a whiteout and returned back to the protection of the scrub forest for a quick water break. Being after 11:45 AM, my stomach was growling and was able to grab a pepperette to munch on as my usual lunchtime at work is 11AM. We passed two parties headed to Iroquois on the way back to Algonquin and Deb kept remarking that only the hard core hikers need apply on a day like this.

We returned to the backside of Algonquin to see blue sky peeking out every so often mixed with clouds. I really wished I could have had a video clip of the winds on this section. There was no way you could record this safely - Debbie was almost blown off her feet by the winds. If you could see clearly (the winds made your eyes water) you could get a 2 second view of the surrounding mountains only to be clouded in again a second later. The system was clearing out! Heading back up the mountain was just a brutal as the way down wishing I had brought ski goggles. I stayed along the cairn line and tried to say on the windblown rime ice as the traction was much better than the soupy snow drifts. When we got back to the summit of Algonquin, it was crowded! There were over a dozen hikers there lingering and waiting to pull out there cameras for the second or two there was a view. As it was the second time up Algonquin that day, we took a couple of snaps of the "view" and then bolted down to the tree line. We were chilled to the bone from the wind and the temperature was dropping that evening to -17C. 

We returned to the Wright junction and ate our lunch at 1PM. We had time to go tag the summit of Wright Mountain but I decided to leave it for later as it's been a long term goal to ski it. We kept our layers on on the decent and our traction devices all the way to the parking lot. Another great adventure day on the Adirondacks.

Winter peaks #29 and #30 of 46

Hike stats:
Distance: 17.08km
Elevation: 1351m or 4432ft
Time: 7 hours, 5 minutes