Tom Rankin
Well-known member
This seemed like an easy hike. Six miles gets you 2 peaks. Piece of cake? Read on....
I had been planning to do this hike for quite some time, and when it finally came time to do it, no one else was willing or able to go. But someone knew where I was, and I was confident that I could do these 2 peaks. So, I set out at about 10:30 AM from Rt. 73, in a driving rain, with the temperature in the 40's. The first part of the hike was pretty easy. The grade was not too steep, and the trail was well packed down. I wore snowshoes all the same, to keep from post-holing in the soft snow. Every so often, the wind would whip up into a loud, roaring gale, that would race thru the trees. At one point, half a tree cracked off and fell to the ground about 100 feet from the trail.
When I got to the junction, I had made pretty good time. I was a little damp, but not too cold. I decided to do Cascade first. When I got to the open top of the mountain, I could see the wind was raging across the summit from right to left. I dropped my pack and started up the rocky slope. The wind was incredibly strong. Water was flowing *up* the slope! For that matter, *I* was being carried up the slope! I was knocked down twice before I managed to get to the summit, sometimes crouching, sometimes crawling, sometimes flitting from boulder to boulder during calmer periods. At the very top, the wind was so strong, I had to lay down and hang on to the rocks, to avoid being blown off the summit. I realized with some alarm that my snowshoes had turned into sails! I was being pummeled by blasts of wind, and rain stung at my face. I didn't want to move for fear of being tossed around on the rocks, but at the same time, I knew I had to get off the summit as soon as possible! After a while, the wind abated slightly, and I was able to make my way back down to the cover of the trees. I had been humbled by the raw power of nature on lowly Cascade!
I rested briefly and started over to Porter. The trail was less trodden but not difficult. I passed the giant boulder and stopped to prepare myself for the summit of Porter. As it turned out, Porter was much kinder to me. Only the last few feet are exposed, and I laughed aloud at how easy it was in comparison. But, I could see Cascade across the way, and I was reminded again of the beating it had just given me. I called my contact and let them know that I had summited both peaks, and was heading back down. Just before coming back to the boulder, I came across a very large tree that had fallen across the trail! I had missed it by only a few minutes.
Just past the junction, there is a rocky outcropping that afforded me quite a good view, in spite of the rain and wind. I could see from here that I was just below the cloud tops, and Lake Placid and many other familiar features were visible from this point.
The walk down was very wet. The path had become very soft and slippery, and at the bottom, it had turned into a stream. At one point, I crossed my snowshoes and tumbled down hard onto the rocks. Ouch! OK, go a little slower!
I reached the car at about 2:00 PM. I was soaked from head to toe. It was great to be able to change into warm, dry clothes, and even better to enjoy a 46'er IPA at LPPB a little while later!
Yup, I'm a peak bagger! I was the only idiot climbing those 2 peaks that day. But in a strange sort of way, it was a good day!
I had been planning to do this hike for quite some time, and when it finally came time to do it, no one else was willing or able to go. But someone knew where I was, and I was confident that I could do these 2 peaks. So, I set out at about 10:30 AM from Rt. 73, in a driving rain, with the temperature in the 40's. The first part of the hike was pretty easy. The grade was not too steep, and the trail was well packed down. I wore snowshoes all the same, to keep from post-holing in the soft snow. Every so often, the wind would whip up into a loud, roaring gale, that would race thru the trees. At one point, half a tree cracked off and fell to the ground about 100 feet from the trail.
When I got to the junction, I had made pretty good time. I was a little damp, but not too cold. I decided to do Cascade first. When I got to the open top of the mountain, I could see the wind was raging across the summit from right to left. I dropped my pack and started up the rocky slope. The wind was incredibly strong. Water was flowing *up* the slope! For that matter, *I* was being carried up the slope! I was knocked down twice before I managed to get to the summit, sometimes crouching, sometimes crawling, sometimes flitting from boulder to boulder during calmer periods. At the very top, the wind was so strong, I had to lay down and hang on to the rocks, to avoid being blown off the summit. I realized with some alarm that my snowshoes had turned into sails! I was being pummeled by blasts of wind, and rain stung at my face. I didn't want to move for fear of being tossed around on the rocks, but at the same time, I knew I had to get off the summit as soon as possible! After a while, the wind abated slightly, and I was able to make my way back down to the cover of the trees. I had been humbled by the raw power of nature on lowly Cascade!
I rested briefly and started over to Porter. The trail was less trodden but not difficult. I passed the giant boulder and stopped to prepare myself for the summit of Porter. As it turned out, Porter was much kinder to me. Only the last few feet are exposed, and I laughed aloud at how easy it was in comparison. But, I could see Cascade across the way, and I was reminded again of the beating it had just given me. I called my contact and let them know that I had summited both peaks, and was heading back down. Just before coming back to the boulder, I came across a very large tree that had fallen across the trail! I had missed it by only a few minutes.
Just past the junction, there is a rocky outcropping that afforded me quite a good view, in spite of the rain and wind. I could see from here that I was just below the cloud tops, and Lake Placid and many other familiar features were visible from this point.
The walk down was very wet. The path had become very soft and slippery, and at the bottom, it had turned into a stream. At one point, I crossed my snowshoes and tumbled down hard onto the rocks. Ouch! OK, go a little slower!
I reached the car at about 2:00 PM. I was soaked from head to toe. It was great to be able to change into warm, dry clothes, and even better to enjoy a 46'er IPA at LPPB a little while later!
Yup, I'm a peak bagger! I was the only idiot climbing those 2 peaks that day. But in a strange sort of way, it was a good day!
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