PA Ridgerunner
Active member
Fran and I arrived at Random Scoots Friday afternoon for a week in the mountains. What a fantastic place to stay!! Randomscooter is a terrific host, as well as a marvelous source of knowledge and information about the high peaks...and just a fun guy to hang out with. Thanks, Tom.
First on our list was Nippletop and Dial. We arrived at the AMR parking lot shortly after 6am Saturday and headed up the road with just enough moonlight to save us from having to wear our headlamps. I had said to Fran when we were packing up in the morning that there was a pretty bright moon that might help us, but it was waning. She said, "Waining, I thought it was supposed to be sunny all day!"
It was cool (upper 30's) when we started, but by the time we were a couple miles up the road we were already removing layers and gloves. We decided to hike counterclockwise, so we left the road at the Bypass Trail which connects to the Gill Brook trail. As advertised this was a lovely trail, scenic and easy on the feet. Generally moderate climbing took us past the trails to Indian Head and Fish Hawk Cliffs, and eventually to the junction where the trail right goes to Colvin, and left to Elk Pass, and eventually Nippletop. The hike into Elk Pass was very pleasant, passing some cliffs and two beautiful ponds in the morning sun. At the second pond we met three youngsters from Quebec who had hiked down to the pass in the dark to arrive at their campsite at 8:30 p.m. Looks like they all made it down with their limbs and teeth in tact.
We then began the steep ascent to the ridge trail. Contrary to what we were expecting, this was a fun, and not all that difficult ascent. It could be that the frequent views opening up behind us distracted us from our labours.
Reaching the ridge trail sooner than expected, it was just a short walk to the summit of Nippletop. Views of Dix, the Colvin Range, the Pinnacles, and the Great Range were outstanding! We took some photos and were soon joined by four others, making this small summit ledge somewhat crowded, so off we went toward Dial. The ridge trail heading north was delightful -- easy walking on soft surfaces, frequent views, a real pleasure.
Dial's summit was crowded to say the least. I guess this wasn't surprising, being the last Saturday of summer, and a picture perfect day! We did manage to grab a slab of rock to sit and have a sammich, took some pictures, then vacated our spot for some patient fellow hikers.
We descended Dial, went up and over Bear Den, then down into the col between Bear Den and Noonmark. Had some nice views of Noonmark's summit along the way. The short climb onto Noonmark's shoulder was hot! But, we were again rewarded with wonderful views from the bare rock ledges. The steep descent to the road was made easier by the lack of rock on the trail. Had a pleasant walk of about 1.5 miles back to the car to complete our 16th & 17th peaks. Another great day in the Adirondacks!
Pics: http://outdoors.webshots.com/slideshow/567304346xnoagQ
Here's a link to Fran's report of our fabulous hike of Pyramid, Gothics, Armstrong, and Upper Wolfjaw. http://forums.adkhighpeaks.com/showthread.php?t=6757 I'll soon post a report of Wednesday's hike of Algonquin and Iroquois. Thursday we had a day-off hike of Van Hoevenberg that afforded us absolutely stunning views, with near peak fall colors. What an amazing week we had!
First on our list was Nippletop and Dial. We arrived at the AMR parking lot shortly after 6am Saturday and headed up the road with just enough moonlight to save us from having to wear our headlamps. I had said to Fran when we were packing up in the morning that there was a pretty bright moon that might help us, but it was waning. She said, "Waining, I thought it was supposed to be sunny all day!"
It was cool (upper 30's) when we started, but by the time we were a couple miles up the road we were already removing layers and gloves. We decided to hike counterclockwise, so we left the road at the Bypass Trail which connects to the Gill Brook trail. As advertised this was a lovely trail, scenic and easy on the feet. Generally moderate climbing took us past the trails to Indian Head and Fish Hawk Cliffs, and eventually to the junction where the trail right goes to Colvin, and left to Elk Pass, and eventually Nippletop. The hike into Elk Pass was very pleasant, passing some cliffs and two beautiful ponds in the morning sun. At the second pond we met three youngsters from Quebec who had hiked down to the pass in the dark to arrive at their campsite at 8:30 p.m. Looks like they all made it down with their limbs and teeth in tact.
We then began the steep ascent to the ridge trail. Contrary to what we were expecting, this was a fun, and not all that difficult ascent. It could be that the frequent views opening up behind us distracted us from our labours.
Reaching the ridge trail sooner than expected, it was just a short walk to the summit of Nippletop. Views of Dix, the Colvin Range, the Pinnacles, and the Great Range were outstanding! We took some photos and were soon joined by four others, making this small summit ledge somewhat crowded, so off we went toward Dial. The ridge trail heading north was delightful -- easy walking on soft surfaces, frequent views, a real pleasure.
Dial's summit was crowded to say the least. I guess this wasn't surprising, being the last Saturday of summer, and a picture perfect day! We did manage to grab a slab of rock to sit and have a sammich, took some pictures, then vacated our spot for some patient fellow hikers.
We descended Dial, went up and over Bear Den, then down into the col between Bear Den and Noonmark. Had some nice views of Noonmark's summit along the way. The short climb onto Noonmark's shoulder was hot! But, we were again rewarded with wonderful views from the bare rock ledges. The steep descent to the road was made easier by the lack of rock on the trail. Had a pleasant walk of about 1.5 miles back to the car to complete our 16th & 17th peaks. Another great day in the Adirondacks!
Pics: http://outdoors.webshots.com/slideshow/567304346xnoagQ
Here's a link to Fran's report of our fabulous hike of Pyramid, Gothics, Armstrong, and Upper Wolfjaw. http://forums.adkhighpeaks.com/showthread.php?t=6757 I'll soon post a report of Wednesday's hike of Algonquin and Iroquois. Thursday we had a day-off hike of Van Hoevenberg that afforded us absolutely stunning views, with near peak fall colors. What an amazing week we had!
Last edited:
