4days in Adirondacks, 17-4K's?

[beaner]

Planning to hike the Adirondacks for the first time over NewYears. Am practically clueless as to paths of choice to Bag as many 4k's around Marcy as possible. I'm thinking 17 are doable but may be considering paths that receive liitle to know use in winter. Wondering if more experienced Adirondack hikers have any suggestions.

I may hike up the Brothers, trail 15, to Big Slide, then go over to Yard on trail 14, but the way down looks steep. Is it worse than Owls Head slide? I would then go onto Little Marcy. I might skip Little Marcy and go on trail 61 to bag Table Top and Phelps, then head over to Wright, Algonquin, and Iroquois. I would try to bag Mount Colden, and then head to Marcy via 73 and 121. Bag Skylight, Marcy, and if missed little Marcy. Then head out to Haystack, Basin, Saddleback, Gothics, Armstrong, Upper Wolf, Lower Wolf, then out 32,19,and 18

 

[mavs00]

Try being more specific then. It'll help knowing the 17 you want to try for.

 

[beaner]

Thanks, Mav. I edited the initial query with a proposed route. Please let me know what you think.

 

[Raymond]

No problem.

 

[percious]

Honestly, I think you are biting off quite a bit for winter conditions. Unlike the Whites (which is where I am guessing you hike mostly) the dax trails tend to be less broken out, especially the ones you have chosen.

Also, I must admit I am a touch confused by your trip description. Why don't you list the places you plan to overnight so it can be made more clear. Are these all dayhikes you have listed? Seems like there is a lot of backtracking there.

To give you an idea of the difficulty of terrain, for the average experienced winter hiker, Marcy itself is a long long day. Last year I did it in mid-january, on a bluebird day, and it took more than 12 hours, and we camped at Marcy dam to save two miles of hiking on the way out. (we wanted to sleep-over anyway) The next day we did phelps, and got the heck out of there. The following day we grabbed cascade and porter, after staying a night at a hostel. I was very happy to get 4 peaks in 3 days. If this is your first trip to the dax, I would tone it down a bit, and plan smaller trips with the possibility of add-ons. Check my website for pictures of the dax in the winter.

-percious

 

[Rik]

Not sure what your goals are but Yard and Little Marcy are not on most lists of 4ks. Do you plan to carry a full pack the whole time?

 

[mavs00]

Ummmmm, Sure. Sounds very Pin Pin like.

Delete Little Marcy off the list, it's a bushwhack and killer thick in there and does't count on any list. As for the rest. Depends on when you go and how much recent snow activity there's been, on if trails are broken out. Some may be, some may not be.

Percious brings up a good point. Unlike the whites, the treeline extends most of the way up on all summits, there is not alot of "sustained" travel above trees. It wouldn't be like popping above on the Presidentials and spending the rest of the day on Hopefully wind-scowered slopes that tend to blow a good portion of the snow that lands there into VT or ME. In the ADK's the below treeline stuff collects that snow and holds it there pretty good.

Take the Great Range for instance, if you start at Haystack, it'll be like "above the trees, below the trees, above the trees, below the trees, above the trees, below the trees" all day long. Everytime you get below the trees, you may find yourself swimming in 3-6 feet of snow if the trail happens not to be broken out. Unless your name it Pin Pin, that's likey gonna wear you out with a full pack on.

 

[Neil]

Take it from the mighty JimB. I quote,"It is much easier to plan a trip at home than it is to execute it the field".

I love that line and I learned it the hard way of course.
But, you never know, you may hit the conditions just right and fly over everything. As long as you have bailout plans be as ambitious as you dare. One thing I have noticed is that winter camping and peakbagging are difficult bedfellows. Not that they can't be done together, it's just that the camping tends to eat up a lot of the peakbagging time. Get up really, really early and go to bed really, really early. (not much else to do once the sun goes down anyway) And don't worry if you end up scaleing way back on your goals.
I can't wait to read your report. (Ever notice how people who caution you against being overly ambitious look forward to your TR? ) )

 

[Tom Rankin]

Not sure if you are going alone or not, but going in a group makes Winter travel easier and safer...

 

[beaner]

I hope to overnight 3 or 4 nights and hike 4 or 5 days. I am not posting this as a group trip figuring nobody is crazy enough to go with me. My pack will be 42lbs. at the start. Burning up food and fuel will lighten the load gradually. I will go as far as I reasonably can and bivac where ever that turns out to be.

I have bushwhacked through 6feet of snow before. It is nasty to say the least. I think it took me 5 hours to go 3 miles over the height of land between Lafayette and Owls Head, alone, and follow tributaries and Lincoln Brook to the base of Owls Head slide. Unpacked trails are precisely what I hope to avoid. It's a lot more fun and easier to moisture manage if I can travel over packed trails. A foot of fresh snow is no problem, even two feet or thigh deep on occassion. It's those 6 foot sink holes around the small spruces invisibly hidden under the snow that are time and energy killers. If it takes four miles to go around on a packed trail rather then one mile of 6 foot sink holes, I would probably take the 4 mile route.

I am guessing trail 15 and 13 are likely to be packed as they are the only way in to Big Slide one coming from Keene Valley and the other from John's Brook Lodge, and these may be considered reasonable starting points(Thanks Rik for the tip about Yard Mtn.) On the other hand people may just use 15 to day hike up and down Big Slide and I'll be lucky if I can find Slide Mtn brook or one of it's tributaries after losing 13 in the first hundred yards of descent from Big Slide.

I am guessing trails 1 and/or 2 will be well used and perhaps the preferred routes to Marcy. I will have a tough choice between 1 or 2 as my ascent to Marcy. On trail 1 I can see if trails 11 or 10 have been used to hike Haystack. Taking trail 2 I would pass and assess trail 61 North branching from trail 2 toward Table Top and Phelps which may not be well used. It may not be used at all. The preferred way to Phelps and Table Top must be from Heart Lake and the Adirondack Lodge going south on 61. I will probably take trail 1 all the way to Marcy figuring 61North from 2 is a pipedream.

I will look at 121 going toward Skylight from Marcy. If 121 is packed from Marcy I will head toward Skylight. Otherwise I will head back toward Haystack if 11 or 10 looked used. If Skylight and Haystack are not approachable from 1 I will reverse and head down 2 to look at 61 North just on a whim and head back to Keene Valley if 61 North proved a no go.

Let's say I head down 121 and bag Skylight. That would mean hikers came in on 118 or 121. I would prefer 121 so I could head over to the MacIntyre Mtns and I think 121 would be preferred over 118 as a winter approach to Skylight...

I will be monitoring trail reports as the New Year approaches to better assess my options. And yes if any able bodied fools want to join in, that's fine. I'll even let you take the lead.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

I am guessing trail 15 and 13 .....

I am guessing trails 1 and/or 2 will.....

I will look at 121 going ....
.

Just a note. Trails in the Adirondacks are not numbered. Some authors have numbered trails on their maps so that it can correspond with a description in their guidebook, but they each use different schemes! In my book, trail 121 is the blue trail that connects the range trail to the Phelps trail.

By doing itn the way you are, you're leaving a bunch of people scratching their heads. wondering what you're talking about. And these may be people who could answer your questions.

 

[percious]

I think he is using the National geographic map...

That map makes the elevation changes look deceptively easy. I love the dax.

-percious

 

[CrazyDave]

ADK's

Beaner,
I'll be looking forward to your Trip Report. The ADK's have Log Books at many Trail Heads. Make sure to use them just incase something goes wrong.

Also, one of the reasons many people get into trouble in the Outdoors; Climbing/Hiking and such. Is because they get this Summit or Die attitude when their out there. If conditions get to bad, the Mountains will always be there for another day!

The Adirondack Mountain Club has a book out; "ADIRONDACK TRAIL - High Peaks Region". I'd highly recommend having this book along on your trip. It's small, not to heavy, and has very detailed descriptions of all the Trails. My job has me on-call for Emergencies the weekend of your trip, if it wasn't for that; I'd consider joining you.

 

[beaner]

Pete, did I see you on Waumbek last Mar. 20. I think I woke you up at 7:00 am when I pulled into the 19 Mile Brook trail head the morning before. I thought you said hiking in the Adirondacks was easy now a days with all the peak bagging going on. And where did all the ice and snow get on your face. Sorry if I have you confused with some one else. The guy I'm thinking of had a picture of himself ominously carrying an axe.

I will see if I can describe the trails so all can understand who may be able to advise and console.

I have the Adirondacks Trails High Peaks Region, 13th edition. The map with all the numbers came with the book. I will read the route descriptions to see what lore I'm missing which hopefully includes more traditional trail names.

By the way is the Johns Brook Lodge and or Adirondack lodge open for business in winter?

 

[beaner]

trail 1: the Phelps Trail, Johns Brook Trail, or Northside Trail. The upper sections may be known as Slant RockTrail.

trail 2: the Hopkins trail.

trail 9: this is the trail I thought was trail 10 in my previous description of Phelps/Slant Rock trail route to Marcy. I am thinking of the State Range Trail where it turns left from the Slant Rock Trail at the top of the pass between Mt Marcy and Haystack.

trail 11: Shorey Short Cut

trail 13: the Slide Mtn. Brook trail

trail 15: the Big Slide Trail or the Brothers trail? It leaves the phelps trail bearing sharp right at the end of the Garden.

trail 61: the Van Hoevenberg Trail

trail 118: the Elk Lake trail

trail 121: the Calamity Brook trail

 

[Tom Rankin]

By the way is the Johns Brook Lodge and or Adirondack lodge open for business in winter?

Look here...

http://adk.org/johns_brook/index.aspx

http://adk.org/ad_loj/index.aspx

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Pete, did I see you on Waumbek last Mar. 20. I think I woke you up at 7:00 am when I pulled into the 19 Mile Brook trail head the morning before.

And I asked you if you were someone else?

I thought you said hiking in the Adirondacks was easy now a days with all the peak bagging going on.

EasiER. Much greater chance of finding trails broken than there was 10-15 years ago. Much grteater chance, at least with the day-hiking trails.

Sorry if I have you confused with some one else. The guy I'm thinking of had a picture of himself ominously carrying an axe.

Me with an axe? Naaahhh. You must have me confused with someone else.

see what lore I'm missing which hopefully includes more traditional trail names.

It is a bit of a problem, since most trails don't have names, and some that do, are not often called by their name. EG while most people know the Ridge trail to Giant, less know it by its real name.

Best is just to describe where it starts and ends.

 

[RiseAboveHiker]

Take heed not to miss up your chance to summit Gray. It's the trailless peak right below Marcy and opposite Skylight. It's on the "lists" and would be a shame to pass over if you're all the way out there.

 

[prino]

Me with an axe? Naaahhh. You must have me confused with someone else.

No! That's his brother......Axeman

 

[PINPIN JUNIOR]

Junior's reflections

Hi beaner,

Junior thinks may be You need to define your priority:

If your first goal is to bag the most hight peaks, may be the best choix will be the day hike by the day hike:

First day from Ausable Club: Sawteeth-Gothics-Armstrong-UWJ-LWJ. = 5

Second day from same place: Dial-Nippletop-Colvin-Blake = 4

Third day from Adk parking: Phelps-Tabletop-Marcy-Gray-Skylight = 5

Day four from the same place: Nye-Street-Wright-Algonquin-Iroquois = 5

Day five: Dix-Hough-Carson(S-Dix)-Macomb-Carson-Grace(E-Dix) = 5

If one of this day is too short for You for a couple of hours more Cascade-Porter or for Three hours Big-Slide!!!

If your plan is to hike with a big pack for your goal: may be You need to consider not a perfect lope but ask for a ride to return at your car!!!

May be Junior will second You for a part of this project....

Pinpin Junior.