adktyler
Active member
This past Saturday, February 28th, I had the privilege of being part of a movement, a mass emigration of sorts to the Santanoni Range in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State. My father and I arrived at the trailhead parking lot at 5:30am, and were surprised to find several cars already present. This, it turns out, was only the beginning. By 6:30am, the parking lot was bursting with people, cars, traffic jams, and laughter; with some folks even having to park on the road. It ended up being the largest ADKHP Forum reunion I have ever witnessed! It was so exciting for me, as I was able to meet so many people I have corresponded with via the net. Some of these include Jim C, Highonlife, billandjudy, ashfordite, the Adirondack Ladies, and some others who are more “lurkers” on here.
Anyway, back to the trail. My group of three (my father, myself, and Ashfordite), hit the variable thoroughfare at 6:30am. By 6:31am, I realized I had forgotten my water bottle and camera, so I ran back to grab them. This put me surprisingly far behind just about every group, and I struggled to catch up. A 50lb pack + a VERY hard packed super highway + racing to catch up = very sore shins. I managed to arrive at the intersection of the Santanoni Road and Trailhead just as the large group was finishing up a little break and hitting the trail again. From there to Bradley Pond was a leap frog game between myself and about 10 other people. When we arrived at the pond, my dad, Ashfordite, and I were VERY pleased to discard our overnight packs and switch to our comparatively smaller day packs.
Then the real fun began. Two more of our group, who began just a few minutes after us, caught up: DLhiker and 46erDan. Now it was the 5 of us hiking together for the remainder of the day. The trail, as you might guess, was VERY well packed down by this point. I suppose that’s what happens when 30 or so people hike on ahead of you. The weather was absolutely gorgeous! The sun shone brightly overhead, and penetrated the crystallized trees with its warmth. The temperature hovered around the high teens all day, which is absolutely PERFECT for hiking, in my opinion. Also, there was very little wind present, which did my heart well. By 10:30am all 5 of us had made it to Times Square, after being awed by the views almost the entire way up the Bradley Pond trail. One of the unique things I noticed was the trees. At their base they were a rich green, just like they would be in the summer. Yet as you moved up the trunk they progressively became icier, eventually morphing into a completely white peak.
We took a little break at TS, and soaked in the sun’s rays. Then, we began our “descent” to Couchsachraga, through the “dismal wilderness” of trees that couldn’t WAIT to smack you as hard as they possibly could directly in your face. At the beginning of the trail we wandered here and there, trying to find the best path. It’s amazing that even in spite of so many people ahead of us there were still at least 4 or 5 small, short side trails that threw us off. I want to throw a HUGE thanks out there to srombach, who was out on the trail by 5:15am with his buddy, and broke the whole trail for the rest of us. You guys are the best, and it was very nice to meet you! As we hiked, I thought about how different a peak can be with more people and a nice day. It can seem like you are on an entirely different mountain when you have good company, sunny skies, and a broken trail. Even Dan (a 46er correspondent), and Ron (a 46er and then some) commented on how different the mountain felt for them this time.
After a small traffic jam below the summit, several “hey, I know you from the forums!” and a lot of smiles, we made it to the top of Couchy! Up there we met with a group of hikers who used to lead for the AMC and ADK, and a couple from Albany (hey there, littleg
. We were actually rewarded with views, which I hear are not at all possible in the summer. I must say, however, that looking back UP to Times Square was a little demoralizing, but what the heck, I had nothing better to do! After some pictures, food, and jokes, we began our ascent back to the intersection. I must say, it was harder climbing “down” off of Couch than it was climbing “up” it. Yet, by about 1:30pm we were back to Times Square, just in time to meet the whole crew coming back from Panther. My dad, Ashfordite, and myself we camping at Bradley Pond that night, so we were saving Panther for our return hike. After taking a little break with everyone, and snapping some pictures, we all (11 of us) headed for the big one, Santanoni.
The trail was well broken for this mountain, and we made pretty good time. Once we rose above the treeline, the views were staggering, the best I had seen all day. Santanoni is a beautiful mountain, with just the right amount of steepness to accompany near 360 degree views. I forget what times we summated, but who really cares? We made it to the apex of our 39th winter High Peak, but more importantly, loved every minute of the process. I stood in a calm and excited pleasure, thankful for the wonderful weather, and the good company. Saying it yet again is probably beating a dead horse at this point, but it really made my day to have these two things line up. We celebrated, were goofy, gazed at the Macintyre and Great Ranges, and took some videos and pictures. The 5 of all are now in the high 30’s and low 40’s of our W46 completion, an exciting place to be.
Dan and Ron were heading back down the New Old Trail (Santanoni Express), so we wished them well, and after saying our last goodbyes to littleg and her friend (are you on here, buddy?) too, we began our descent back to TS. Soon, we yet again crossed paths with Jim, Nancy, Bill, and Judy. We said our goodbyes and well wishes, and continued our descent. We also ran into the Adirondack Ladies a few minutes later, the last group heading up that day, and said our goodbyes to them as well. Back at Times Square we took another small break as Len went back to look for his lost camera (I’m so sorry! I hope it’s found). After returning unsuccessful, we started up Panther. This, like was said many times, was a gimmie, and after 10 minutes or so we were standing on the summit! My father and I had broken the 40 mark! Oh, the exultation that flowed forth, it was a beautiful thing. I lived up to my job description of the day as the designated spruce trap finder by falling into my umpteenth big pit. I lost track at 10, but am guess this was my 30th or so. I merely wandered off the trail by about 5 feet for a better view! I mean, what the heck? Do they wait for me, and then just open up with an evil smile of glee? I’m telling you, those trees hate us. It’s punishment for hundreds of years of logging, I suppose.
Anyway, the three of us campers we soon back at Herald Square, preparing for our final plunge back to the lean-to. Out came the sleds! Len hiked ahead as my dad and I geared up. It ended up being one of our best sled runs of the season, as we descended 800 vertical feet of elevation, non-stop, in 15 minutes. What a hoot! As we slid down, I noticed the dull orange of the sunset, reflecting off NY’s highest peaks off in the distance. It cast both a peaceful and melancholy feeling over the entire landscape. After a mere pittance of time, we were below Panther Brook and on the way back to Bradley Pond. When we reached our overnight packs, it was beginning to get cold. We hiked the little ways onto the lean-to, found it occupied, and decided to set up at the campsite directly below. It was a clear, cold night. The sliver of the moon shown brightly, and we could see a million and one stars (I know, because I counted). The night went by fairly quickly, as we were more than happy to crawl into warm sleeping bags and settle down for the night.
By morning, it was somewhere between -10 and +5 as we arouse from our cocoons and broke down camp for the hike out. We left the campsite at 7, and were back to the car by 9, after passing Tmax and others hiking in. As keeping with tradition, as soon as I could see the parking lot, I ran the rest of the way back. I want to say one last time that it was an absolute pleasure meeting so many excellent people; that was pretty much the highlight of the entire trip for me. Additionally, hiking with our group of 5 was a pleasure as well, and boy, the weather and trail conditions, phenomenal. No place I’d rather be!
The ADKforum photo host wouldn't upload my pictures, so I'll just post some in a reply to this thread. In the meantime, here are some videos for you:
Summit of Couch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZydb7BqbF4
A little bushwhack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_OFGcelBNM
Hiking up Santa: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPdRnu5wwwc
Summit of Santanoni: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urpI1218jxM
Summit of Panther: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJYRIWhXE1s
Sledding down 800 vertical feet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kkkw3Iz8iU
There are more, but I don't want to bore you. Feel free to check them out if you so desire.
Anyway, back to the trail. My group of three (my father, myself, and Ashfordite), hit the variable thoroughfare at 6:30am. By 6:31am, I realized I had forgotten my water bottle and camera, so I ran back to grab them. This put me surprisingly far behind just about every group, and I struggled to catch up. A 50lb pack + a VERY hard packed super highway + racing to catch up = very sore shins. I managed to arrive at the intersection of the Santanoni Road and Trailhead just as the large group was finishing up a little break and hitting the trail again. From there to Bradley Pond was a leap frog game between myself and about 10 other people. When we arrived at the pond, my dad, Ashfordite, and I were VERY pleased to discard our overnight packs and switch to our comparatively smaller day packs.
Then the real fun began. Two more of our group, who began just a few minutes after us, caught up: DLhiker and 46erDan. Now it was the 5 of us hiking together for the remainder of the day. The trail, as you might guess, was VERY well packed down by this point. I suppose that’s what happens when 30 or so people hike on ahead of you. The weather was absolutely gorgeous! The sun shone brightly overhead, and penetrated the crystallized trees with its warmth. The temperature hovered around the high teens all day, which is absolutely PERFECT for hiking, in my opinion. Also, there was very little wind present, which did my heart well. By 10:30am all 5 of us had made it to Times Square, after being awed by the views almost the entire way up the Bradley Pond trail. One of the unique things I noticed was the trees. At their base they were a rich green, just like they would be in the summer. Yet as you moved up the trunk they progressively became icier, eventually morphing into a completely white peak.
We took a little break at TS, and soaked in the sun’s rays. Then, we began our “descent” to Couchsachraga, through the “dismal wilderness” of trees that couldn’t WAIT to smack you as hard as they possibly could directly in your face. At the beginning of the trail we wandered here and there, trying to find the best path. It’s amazing that even in spite of so many people ahead of us there were still at least 4 or 5 small, short side trails that threw us off. I want to throw a HUGE thanks out there to srombach, who was out on the trail by 5:15am with his buddy, and broke the whole trail for the rest of us. You guys are the best, and it was very nice to meet you! As we hiked, I thought about how different a peak can be with more people and a nice day. It can seem like you are on an entirely different mountain when you have good company, sunny skies, and a broken trail. Even Dan (a 46er correspondent), and Ron (a 46er and then some) commented on how different the mountain felt for them this time.
After a small traffic jam below the summit, several “hey, I know you from the forums!” and a lot of smiles, we made it to the top of Couchy! Up there we met with a group of hikers who used to lead for the AMC and ADK, and a couple from Albany (hey there, littleg
. We were actually rewarded with views, which I hear are not at all possible in the summer. I must say, however, that looking back UP to Times Square was a little demoralizing, but what the heck, I had nothing better to do! After some pictures, food, and jokes, we began our ascent back to the intersection. I must say, it was harder climbing “down” off of Couch than it was climbing “up” it. Yet, by about 1:30pm we were back to Times Square, just in time to meet the whole crew coming back from Panther. My dad, Ashfordite, and myself we camping at Bradley Pond that night, so we were saving Panther for our return hike. After taking a little break with everyone, and snapping some pictures, we all (11 of us) headed for the big one, Santanoni. The trail was well broken for this mountain, and we made pretty good time. Once we rose above the treeline, the views were staggering, the best I had seen all day. Santanoni is a beautiful mountain, with just the right amount of steepness to accompany near 360 degree views. I forget what times we summated, but who really cares? We made it to the apex of our 39th winter High Peak, but more importantly, loved every minute of the process. I stood in a calm and excited pleasure, thankful for the wonderful weather, and the good company. Saying it yet again is probably beating a dead horse at this point, but it really made my day to have these two things line up. We celebrated, were goofy, gazed at the Macintyre and Great Ranges, and took some videos and pictures. The 5 of all are now in the high 30’s and low 40’s of our W46 completion, an exciting place to be.
Dan and Ron were heading back down the New Old Trail (Santanoni Express), so we wished them well, and after saying our last goodbyes to littleg and her friend (are you on here, buddy?) too, we began our descent back to TS. Soon, we yet again crossed paths with Jim, Nancy, Bill, and Judy. We said our goodbyes and well wishes, and continued our descent. We also ran into the Adirondack Ladies a few minutes later, the last group heading up that day, and said our goodbyes to them as well. Back at Times Square we took another small break as Len went back to look for his lost camera (I’m so sorry! I hope it’s found). After returning unsuccessful, we started up Panther. This, like was said many times, was a gimmie, and after 10 minutes or so we were standing on the summit! My father and I had broken the 40 mark! Oh, the exultation that flowed forth, it was a beautiful thing. I lived up to my job description of the day as the designated spruce trap finder by falling into my umpteenth big pit. I lost track at 10, but am guess this was my 30th or so. I merely wandered off the trail by about 5 feet for a better view! I mean, what the heck? Do they wait for me, and then just open up with an evil smile of glee? I’m telling you, those trees hate us. It’s punishment for hundreds of years of logging, I suppose.
Anyway, the three of us campers we soon back at Herald Square, preparing for our final plunge back to the lean-to. Out came the sleds! Len hiked ahead as my dad and I geared up. It ended up being one of our best sled runs of the season, as we descended 800 vertical feet of elevation, non-stop, in 15 minutes. What a hoot! As we slid down, I noticed the dull orange of the sunset, reflecting off NY’s highest peaks off in the distance. It cast both a peaceful and melancholy feeling over the entire landscape. After a mere pittance of time, we were below Panther Brook and on the way back to Bradley Pond. When we reached our overnight packs, it was beginning to get cold. We hiked the little ways onto the lean-to, found it occupied, and decided to set up at the campsite directly below. It was a clear, cold night. The sliver of the moon shown brightly, and we could see a million and one stars (I know, because I counted). The night went by fairly quickly, as we were more than happy to crawl into warm sleeping bags and settle down for the night.
By morning, it was somewhere between -10 and +5 as we arouse from our cocoons and broke down camp for the hike out. We left the campsite at 7, and were back to the car by 9, after passing Tmax and others hiking in. As keeping with tradition, as soon as I could see the parking lot, I ran the rest of the way back. I want to say one last time that it was an absolute pleasure meeting so many excellent people; that was pretty much the highlight of the entire trip for me. Additionally, hiking with our group of 5 was a pleasure as well, and boy, the weather and trail conditions, phenomenal. No place I’d rather be!
The ADKforum photo host wouldn't upload my pictures, so I'll just post some in a reply to this thread. In the meantime, here are some videos for you:
Summit of Couch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZydb7BqbF4
A little bushwhack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_OFGcelBNM
Hiking up Santa: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPdRnu5wwwc
Summit of Santanoni: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urpI1218jxM
Summit of Panther: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJYRIWhXE1s
Sledding down 800 vertical feet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kkkw3Iz8iU
There are more, but I don't want to bore you. Feel free to check them out if you so desire.
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