BlackSpruce
New member
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2003
- Messages
- 664
- Reaction score
- 158
This past Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013, I accompany two friends as they completed this new list. If one goes by the website of the organizers http://saranaclake6er.com/ it’s a success participation wise as of September 7, 2013 already 340 climbers had become members! Not sure it’s creating that much new business downtown Saranac Lake since most of the climbers just drive through without stopping while going from one peak to the next. Many climb at least two mountains a day if not more. If a thorough survey is needed to assess the benefit to the Town of Saranac Lake the effect is way more apparent on the trails and herdpath.
We parked our car at the JackRabbit Ski Trail trailhead located on Whiteface Road 31. After two miles of easy walking along an old road that even in extended dry weather is muddy we were at the main four-ways intersection. Directions to the left are well indicated, with distances toward Haystack and Route 86, to the right there is a large arrow on a tree and a small and barely noticeable carving /McKenzie Mt/ below on the same trunk. That is it! Trails looked well travelled in every direction and sure enough later in the day we found out two climbers from Pennsylvania had gone straight and likely ended up on Route 33 at the edge of Saranac Lake. Having known of the herdpath from the summit of Haystack we kept going straight and sure enough a mere .35-mile further we reached more level grounds and there it was quite obvious the herdpath even sporting a large cairn! Another 15 minutes and we were enjoying the views from Haystack open summit. The descent back to the col did not take much longer. Once there we opted for another .3-mile bushwhack to rejoin the McKenzie Trail. The paths of least resistance lead us to the 2750’ elevation. The trail to McKenzie is either flat or extremely steep, that much we already knew. One climbs 900’ in .4-mile! Over the years that particular section and the one steep but short stretch into the very last col before the summit have deteriorated to the point that the three of us were talking of the Sewards herdpaths! Maybe the 6er organisation will do as the Forty-Sixer and organize volunteer trail work days to remediate when possible to the consequences of the significant increase traffic on “their” trails. One has to hope the snow cover will be significant comes December 21st as they are already promoting winter rounds! Summit of McKenzie offers a number of great lookouts making it a great destination, trail proceeding towards Moose Mt. looked in good shape but we were not even tempted to continue. The return was not as bad as anticipated; after all it was mostly if not all down and allowed us to congratulate ourselves in having avoided earlier in the day the rocky and wet .25-mile from the intersection. Thankfully my two friends were not even tempted to drive to Saranac Lake to ring THE bell but they will send in their forms to officially and proudly become Saranac Lake’s 6er.
Congratulations to Joe and Tony!
,
We parked our car at the JackRabbit Ski Trail trailhead located on Whiteface Road 31. After two miles of easy walking along an old road that even in extended dry weather is muddy we were at the main four-ways intersection. Directions to the left are well indicated, with distances toward Haystack and Route 86, to the right there is a large arrow on a tree and a small and barely noticeable carving /McKenzie Mt/ below on the same trunk. That is it! Trails looked well travelled in every direction and sure enough later in the day we found out two climbers from Pennsylvania had gone straight and likely ended up on Route 33 at the edge of Saranac Lake. Having known of the herdpath from the summit of Haystack we kept going straight and sure enough a mere .35-mile further we reached more level grounds and there it was quite obvious the herdpath even sporting a large cairn! Another 15 minutes and we were enjoying the views from Haystack open summit. The descent back to the col did not take much longer. Once there we opted for another .3-mile bushwhack to rejoin the McKenzie Trail. The paths of least resistance lead us to the 2750’ elevation. The trail to McKenzie is either flat or extremely steep, that much we already knew. One climbs 900’ in .4-mile! Over the years that particular section and the one steep but short stretch into the very last col before the summit have deteriorated to the point that the three of us were talking of the Sewards herdpaths! Maybe the 6er organisation will do as the Forty-Sixer and organize volunteer trail work days to remediate when possible to the consequences of the significant increase traffic on “their” trails. One has to hope the snow cover will be significant comes December 21st as they are already promoting winter rounds! Summit of McKenzie offers a number of great lookouts making it a great destination, trail proceeding towards Moose Mt. looked in good shape but we were not even tempted to continue. The return was not as bad as anticipated; after all it was mostly if not all down and allowed us to congratulate ourselves in having avoided earlier in the day the rocky and wet .25-mile from the intersection. Thankfully my two friends were not even tempted to drive to Saranac Lake to ring THE bell but they will send in their forms to officially and proudly become Saranac Lake’s 6er.
Congratulations to Joe and Tony!
,
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