WalksWithBlackflies
New member
My hiking partner, MudRat, and I will be attempting a thru-hike of all 46 Adk High Peaks. Totals… 9 days, 65,000’-70,000’ ascent/descent, and approx 180-200 miles of trails, bushwhacks and slides using only our legs. We'll take time for sleep, but will use no vehicle or trail support at any point. We've been training hard, and now is the time for packing and re-packing. This isn't being done to break any records, just one of those things that started with a "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if we..."
Anywho, for those interested, here is our itinerary:
Day 1 (7/14) – Kevin’s wife drops us at ARC, trail to base of Lookout, leave packs, herdpath to Esther, return to packs, trail to Whiteface, bushwhack Lake Placid Slide to Connery Pond trail, trail to Connery Pond, walk Riverside Dr., bushwhack to Round Lake and Cascade Lakes isthmus, bushwhack Cascade via The Cascade, trail to Porter, bushwhack to Little Meadows/RR Notch; option to hike to Big Slide and Klondike LT (granted, that is a very long day)
Day 2 (7/15) - Little Meadows/RR Notch camp, bushwhack Big Slide, trail to Yard, trail and short bushwhack to Klondike LT, bushwhack east flank of Phelps to summit, descend to at Van Hovenburg trail, leave packs, trail to Indian Falls, herdpath to Tabletop, return to packs, trail to Marcy Dam, trail to Loj (food cache), herdpath to Street/Nye col, leave packs, herdpaths to Street and Nye summits, get packs, bushwhack drainage to NPT, trail to Moose Pond LT; option to hike to Duck Hole
Day 3 (7/16) – Moose Pond LT, trail to Duck Hole, truck trail to base of Seymour, leave packs, herdpath to Seymour, return to packs, herdpath to Seward, herdpath to Donaldson, herdpath to Emmons, bushwhack Emmons Slide to Ouluska LT on Cold River; option to enter Ouluska Pass
Day 4 (7/17) – Ouluska LT, bushwhack Couchsacraga, leave packs at Times Square, herdpath to Panther, return to packs, herdpath to Santanoni, bushwhack Twin Slide to old Santanoni herdpath, herdpath to Bradley Pond trail, trail to Upper Works (food cache), trail to Allen herdpath, herdpath to base of Allen, set up camp, herdpath to Allen summit, return to camp
Day 5 (7/18) – Allen Camp, herdpath to Twin Brook, trail to Flowed Lands via Hanging Spear Falls, Herbert Brook herdpath to Marshall, herdpath to Cold Brook Pass, bushwhack to Shepherd’s Tooth, bushwhack to Iroquois, herdpath to Boundary, trail to Algonquin, trail to Wright, bushwhack Wright Slide to Avalanche LT (food cache), trail to Avalanche Lake, bushwhack Trap Dike to Colden summit, bushwhack 1990(SE) Slide to Uphill LT; bad weather option to leave packs at Lake Arnold, summit Colden, return to packs, and descend to Uphill LT
Day 6 (7/19) – Leave packs at Uphill LT, herdpath to Cliff, bushwhack Cliff Slide to Twin Brook drainage, bushwhack Redfield drainage to Redfield summit, herdpath to Uphill LT, get packs, trail to base of Gray, leave packs, herdpath to Gray, return to packs, trail to Four Corners, leave packs, summit Skylight, return to packs, trail to Panther Gorge and over Bartlett Ridge to Carry Trail, trail up Shanty Brook, drop packs at camp once off private land, trail to Sawteeth, return to camp; option of leaving/getting packs at Bartlett Ridge while ascending/descending Haystack
Day 7 (7/20) - Sawteeth Camp, trail to Carry Trail, trail to Colvin/Blake col, leave packs, trail to Colvin, return to packs, trail to Blake, descend Blake Slide, bushwhack to Nippletop Slide to summit, trail to Dial, bushwhack Dial “slide” to base of Dix North Slide, ascend slide and bushwhack to Dix summit, trail to Beckhorn col, herdpath to Hough, herdpath to Pough/Carson camp; option of Gravestone Brook to Bouquet LT
Day 8 (7/21) – Pough/Carson camp, herdpath to Carson, leave packs, herdpath to Macomb, return to packs, herdpath to Grace, descend Great Slide, herdpath along Bouquet S Fork, herdpath along Bouquet N Fork, bushwhack drainage to Twin Pond, bushwhack to Round Pond (food cache), trail to Rte 73, walk Rte 73 to Zander Scott Trail, trail to Nubble Trail intersection, leave packs, bushwhack to Dipper, bushwhack to RPR/Giant col, trail to RPR, trail to RPR/Giant col, trail to Giant, trail to return to packs, trail to Nubble, camp at Roaring Brook Falls; option to ascend near summit of Giant, Giant/RPR col, RPR, RPR col, Giant, camp
Day 9 (7/22) – Roaring Brook Falls camp, trail to Rte 73, hike Ausable Club Road, East River Trail to Wedge Brook Trail to Wolfjaws col, Great Range trails beginning with Lower Wolfjaw and ending on Marcy, trail to Loj, Kevin’s wife to pick us up at Loj
Packing: My bag is being repaired as we speak (zipper), so I don't have a final total. However, for training, I've been hiking with gear that will be typical for this hike, and my bag weighed in at 40 lbs, including 2 days of food and 3L of water. MudRat's bag weighs a whopping 57 lbs... he's gotta get that down!!!
Food: After my first attempt at packing food, I've averaged 3800 cal/day. I'd like to save a little weight and get it down to about 3000-3500 cal/day... relying more on my patented "spare tire storage system". Plus, I don't think I can actually eat 3800 cal while hiking. MudRat is planning on consuming 4700 cal/day. An ultralight hiker, he is not!
Wish us luck... and good weather!!!
Anywho, for those interested, here is our itinerary:
Day 1 (7/14) – Kevin’s wife drops us at ARC, trail to base of Lookout, leave packs, herdpath to Esther, return to packs, trail to Whiteface, bushwhack Lake Placid Slide to Connery Pond trail, trail to Connery Pond, walk Riverside Dr., bushwhack to Round Lake and Cascade Lakes isthmus, bushwhack Cascade via The Cascade, trail to Porter, bushwhack to Little Meadows/RR Notch; option to hike to Big Slide and Klondike LT (granted, that is a very long day)
Day 2 (7/15) - Little Meadows/RR Notch camp, bushwhack Big Slide, trail to Yard, trail and short bushwhack to Klondike LT, bushwhack east flank of Phelps to summit, descend to at Van Hovenburg trail, leave packs, trail to Indian Falls, herdpath to Tabletop, return to packs, trail to Marcy Dam, trail to Loj (food cache), herdpath to Street/Nye col, leave packs, herdpaths to Street and Nye summits, get packs, bushwhack drainage to NPT, trail to Moose Pond LT; option to hike to Duck Hole
Day 3 (7/16) – Moose Pond LT, trail to Duck Hole, truck trail to base of Seymour, leave packs, herdpath to Seymour, return to packs, herdpath to Seward, herdpath to Donaldson, herdpath to Emmons, bushwhack Emmons Slide to Ouluska LT on Cold River; option to enter Ouluska Pass
Day 4 (7/17) – Ouluska LT, bushwhack Couchsacraga, leave packs at Times Square, herdpath to Panther, return to packs, herdpath to Santanoni, bushwhack Twin Slide to old Santanoni herdpath, herdpath to Bradley Pond trail, trail to Upper Works (food cache), trail to Allen herdpath, herdpath to base of Allen, set up camp, herdpath to Allen summit, return to camp
Day 5 (7/18) – Allen Camp, herdpath to Twin Brook, trail to Flowed Lands via Hanging Spear Falls, Herbert Brook herdpath to Marshall, herdpath to Cold Brook Pass, bushwhack to Shepherd’s Tooth, bushwhack to Iroquois, herdpath to Boundary, trail to Algonquin, trail to Wright, bushwhack Wright Slide to Avalanche LT (food cache), trail to Avalanche Lake, bushwhack Trap Dike to Colden summit, bushwhack 1990(SE) Slide to Uphill LT; bad weather option to leave packs at Lake Arnold, summit Colden, return to packs, and descend to Uphill LT
Day 6 (7/19) – Leave packs at Uphill LT, herdpath to Cliff, bushwhack Cliff Slide to Twin Brook drainage, bushwhack Redfield drainage to Redfield summit, herdpath to Uphill LT, get packs, trail to base of Gray, leave packs, herdpath to Gray, return to packs, trail to Four Corners, leave packs, summit Skylight, return to packs, trail to Panther Gorge and over Bartlett Ridge to Carry Trail, trail up Shanty Brook, drop packs at camp once off private land, trail to Sawteeth, return to camp; option of leaving/getting packs at Bartlett Ridge while ascending/descending Haystack
Day 7 (7/20) - Sawteeth Camp, trail to Carry Trail, trail to Colvin/Blake col, leave packs, trail to Colvin, return to packs, trail to Blake, descend Blake Slide, bushwhack to Nippletop Slide to summit, trail to Dial, bushwhack Dial “slide” to base of Dix North Slide, ascend slide and bushwhack to Dix summit, trail to Beckhorn col, herdpath to Hough, herdpath to Pough/Carson camp; option of Gravestone Brook to Bouquet LT
Day 8 (7/21) – Pough/Carson camp, herdpath to Carson, leave packs, herdpath to Macomb, return to packs, herdpath to Grace, descend Great Slide, herdpath along Bouquet S Fork, herdpath along Bouquet N Fork, bushwhack drainage to Twin Pond, bushwhack to Round Pond (food cache), trail to Rte 73, walk Rte 73 to Zander Scott Trail, trail to Nubble Trail intersection, leave packs, bushwhack to Dipper, bushwhack to RPR/Giant col, trail to RPR, trail to RPR/Giant col, trail to Giant, trail to return to packs, trail to Nubble, camp at Roaring Brook Falls; option to ascend near summit of Giant, Giant/RPR col, RPR, RPR col, Giant, camp
Day 9 (7/22) – Roaring Brook Falls camp, trail to Rte 73, hike Ausable Club Road, East River Trail to Wedge Brook Trail to Wolfjaws col, Great Range trails beginning with Lower Wolfjaw and ending on Marcy, trail to Loj, Kevin’s wife to pick us up at Loj
Packing: My bag is being repaired as we speak (zipper), so I don't have a final total. However, for training, I've been hiking with gear that will be typical for this hike, and my bag weighed in at 40 lbs, including 2 days of food and 3L of water. MudRat's bag weighs a whopping 57 lbs... he's gotta get that down!!!
Food: After my first attempt at packing food, I've averaged 3800 cal/day. I'd like to save a little weight and get it down to about 3000-3500 cal/day... relying more on my patented "spare tire storage system". Plus, I don't think I can actually eat 3800 cal while hiking. MudRat is planning on consuming 4700 cal/day. An ultralight hiker, he is not!
Wish us luck... and good weather!!!
