the_swede
New member
Here's a brief trip report from my Great Range traverse.
Thursday: Jeff and I left Jersey at around 9 AM and arrived in the Adirondacks by 2 PM. We parked at the Garden and hiked out to Bushnell Falls where we spent the night. While setting up my hammock, a bear walked by me just 30 or so feet away.
Just to let the bear know I was there, I started clapping and making noise. The bear didn't really mind and just bumbled along.
Friday: Jeff and I woke up to gray skies. We packed up our belongings and hiked out to the range. By 8 AM we arrived at the Marcy-Haystack junction. Just before reaching treeline, we heard rumbles of thunder as storm clouds approached. We both figured it would be best to drop back down. By the time we reached the junction again, the sky began to clear, though a low cloud ceiling persisted. Marcy had defeated us so we moved onto Haystack. We ascended Haystack in swirling clouds. Next up was Basin. At the summit of Basin, we spoke with a man who was studying alpine flora. We ate lunch at the summit before heading to Saddleback. We didn't stay long on Saddleback and continued on to Gothics. The cable route wasn't as steep as I imagined it would be, so I didn't even use them. At the sub-summit, storm clouds rolled in and a brief shower drenched us. By the time we reached the true summit, the sun partially came out. We met two nice ladies on the summit (we actually saw them first on Basin), one of whom was in the Adirondacks for the first time. She was impressed with its completely wild character compared to the mountains in her home state, New Hampshire. Armstrong was easy going from Gothics.
Saturday: It rained during the night and by morning, everything was damp. By 9 AM we summited Upper Wolfjaw under cloudy skies. Lower Wolfjaw was a much longer ascent. The drop down the other side of LWJ was steep in some parts and slippery due to the previous night's rain. By 1:30 we arrived at the Roostercomb/Hedgehog PA. While Jeff and I marched back to the Garden, a kind man offered us a ride in his pickup truck. He drove us most of the way, with only about 10 minutes of walking back to the Garden. Jeff and I were ever so grateful. We arrived back at the Garden just after 2 PM when we decided we still had plenty of daylight. Big Slide was our next victim. :twisted: The rock slabs on the climb up Big Slide presented some awfully nice views. The first twenty minutes or so of hiking was in the rain but soon after, the clouds rolled out and the sun was shining. At 4 PM, we arrived at the summit with wonderful views of the High Peaks area. We met a family of aspiring 46ers at the summit, one of whom couldn't have been older than ten years. Jeff and I snacked at the summit and shared our experiences with the family before heading down. By 6:45, we arrived back at the Garden before heading off to the Noonmark Diner for a rewarding dinner. The drive back to Jersey was fast and uneventful, and it took two cups of coffee to get through it. It felt great to conquer 8 46ers in three days and it felt even better to pass out on my comfy bed at home.
Pics: http://flickr.com/photos/t3h_sw3d3/sets/72157606277798660/detail/
Thursday: Jeff and I left Jersey at around 9 AM and arrived in the Adirondacks by 2 PM. We parked at the Garden and hiked out to Bushnell Falls where we spent the night. While setting up my hammock, a bear walked by me just 30 or so feet away.
Just to let the bear know I was there, I started clapping and making noise. The bear didn't really mind and just bumbled along. Friday: Jeff and I woke up to gray skies. We packed up our belongings and hiked out to the range. By 8 AM we arrived at the Marcy-Haystack junction. Just before reaching treeline, we heard rumbles of thunder as storm clouds approached. We both figured it would be best to drop back down. By the time we reached the junction again, the sky began to clear, though a low cloud ceiling persisted. Marcy had defeated us so we moved onto Haystack. We ascended Haystack in swirling clouds. Next up was Basin. At the summit of Basin, we spoke with a man who was studying alpine flora. We ate lunch at the summit before heading to Saddleback. We didn't stay long on Saddleback and continued on to Gothics. The cable route wasn't as steep as I imagined it would be, so I didn't even use them. At the sub-summit, storm clouds rolled in and a brief shower drenched us. By the time we reached the true summit, the sun partially came out. We met two nice ladies on the summit (we actually saw them first on Basin), one of whom was in the Adirondacks for the first time. She was impressed with its completely wild character compared to the mountains in her home state, New Hampshire. Armstrong was easy going from Gothics.
Saturday: It rained during the night and by morning, everything was damp. By 9 AM we summited Upper Wolfjaw under cloudy skies. Lower Wolfjaw was a much longer ascent. The drop down the other side of LWJ was steep in some parts and slippery due to the previous night's rain. By 1:30 we arrived at the Roostercomb/Hedgehog PA. While Jeff and I marched back to the Garden, a kind man offered us a ride in his pickup truck. He drove us most of the way, with only about 10 minutes of walking back to the Garden. Jeff and I were ever so grateful. We arrived back at the Garden just after 2 PM when we decided we still had plenty of daylight. Big Slide was our next victim. :twisted: The rock slabs on the climb up Big Slide presented some awfully nice views. The first twenty minutes or so of hiking was in the rain but soon after, the clouds rolled out and the sun was shining. At 4 PM, we arrived at the summit with wonderful views of the High Peaks area. We met a family of aspiring 46ers at the summit, one of whom couldn't have been older than ten years. Jeff and I snacked at the summit and shared our experiences with the family before heading down. By 6:45, we arrived back at the Garden before heading off to the Noonmark Diner for a rewarding dinner. The drive back to Jersey was fast and uneventful, and it took two cups of coffee to get through it. It felt great to conquer 8 46ers in three days and it felt even better to pass out on my comfy bed at home.
Pics: http://flickr.com/photos/t3h_sw3d3/sets/72157606277798660/detail/
