suggestions/tips for 1-week hike?

[insight]

As I mentioned in my first post here, a friend and I are planning a 1-week trip to the Mt Marcy area for the second week of June. We'll probably start along the Indian Pass trail from the parking area of the Loj, heading SW to the Henderson Lake area, but we're not sure where to go from there..

Anyone familiar enough with this area to recommend any routes? I figured we'd follow the trail along Calamity Brook from there, check out the area between Flowed Lands and Avalanche lake, before heading further east, closer (and possibly up, if the ice isn't too bad) the Marcy area. Maybe shoot for Algonquin/Iroquios? I'd like to avoid the crowds if possible (who doesn't?), which is part of the reason we'll be taking Indian Pass, but I know people are unavoidable in these parts, sooooo..

We'll have equipment that should keep us safe from some of the uglier early summer conditions.. Water filters, mix of light/dried food and heavier/yummier MREs, adequate rain gear, good maps, and his military navigational skills (he just returned from the war in Iraq, actually), so we're really hoping we won't be too limited in options once we're out there. My longest previous hike was 2.5 days, so I'm REALLY looking forward to getting out there and seeing how well I can handle longer trips like this.

And speaking of that.... anyone have any advice for someone who's former hiking experience was mostly weekend trips averaging 2 days/2 nights in length? I'd love to learn from others' experience before I'm forced to learn from my own the harder/stupider way.

Thanks!

 

[Charlie]

So many choices

Insight, from the Flowed Lands area, there are many choices. As far as the crowds go, I don't hike in Jine because of the flies so I can't attest to that.

You could head up the opulescent and base camp at Feldspar lean-to (day 1, pack in 8 miles). From there you could bag Marcy, Grey and Skylight as a loop or you could backpack to the four corners from Feldspar, drop your packs and do Marcy and/or Skylight and then continue on to Panther gorge for the night. From there you could do a loop and get Haystack and as much of the great range as you can handle or hike over Haystack with packs and along the Great Range and drop down off of Gothics into the Ore Bed (not for the faint of heart). From there you could loop and get the Wolfjaws. This leaves you with the choice to back track or head North and then West, and complete the loop back toward Upper Works, maybe getting Colden on the way.

This was off the top of my head, I probably should have looked at the map first. Let me point you to 2 great resources in addition to everyone on this board. -
Adirondack Journey - There are great trail description as well as maps. Also check out Chomps Adventures - He did a 5 day trip in the Dacks in 2001, great trip report.

Good Luck

 

[insight]

Wow, excellent resources! Actually, I've been browsing the first like you gave for the last hour (and now I've been distracted by the model train set at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute!), so I can't yet comment about the next..

Anyway... I'm sure to have more questions when I'm done reading as much as I can on the Adirondack Journey page, but the one thing that's got my immediate attention (which I'm having trouble finding additional information about) is the abandoned McIntyre Iron Company plant.. Is that anywhere near this area? Is it less than an hour's drive away, if not? Is it still accessible to explore, and would anyone advice against it if so? I'm willing to sacrafice a day of hiking if it means I can spend a day exploring that place!

http://railroad.union.rpi.edu/images/tahawus/Flotation-2003-Gill-smaller.jpg

http://railroad.union.rpi.edu/images/tahawus/Tahawus-pan-1980.jpg

*drool*

 

[insight]

Nevermind, I finally found some info on it.. Between the three different names that seemed to be used interchangably for the complex, I wasn't sure exactly what to search for.

Found this, which mentions where it is: http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/ny/tahawusoradirondak.html

And this map, where I located highway 25
We'll be driving up from NYC along 87, so it's pretty much along the way, though it'll be a good 20+ mile drive away from the thruway just to reach it. VERY much worth it, from the looks of it. Now I'm even more excited about this trip..

 

[JimB]

Insight, the ghostown "Tahawus" is located at the trailhead called Upper Works. It is at the other end of Indian Pass that you had mentioned in your post. Lake Henderson is only minutes away from the trailhead. If you wish to explore that area I would highly recommend you base your trip from there. The Calamity Brook trail starts there with access to Flowed Lands, as do trails to Allen and close by the trails to the Santanoni Range. All of the peaks you mentioned can be reached from there and your desire to not see a lot of people is more likely to be met hiking from the south side of the HP's. In case you can't tell Tahawus is one of my favorite places. The blast furnace is right next to the road and can't be missed. With a little nosing around you can uncover a lot of history. Have fun, JimB.

 

[insight]

Thanks JimB!

Yep, I did a lot more reading about the history of the area, and being a native of NYC, there was a LOT of interesting things about the area I knew nothing about. I covered most of the basics - how the Tahawus town and mining facility originally came to be, where Indian Pass and Henderson Lake and the McIntyre Range got it's name....how and why Flowed Lands was created, and how an owner was killed and a memorial was erected in his name by Calamity....why the whole operation failed, and how it was resurrected with WWII.. etc etc..

In all honesty, I'm looking forward to exploring the history of the area more than the nature and hiking now hahaha.. And I only discovered through all this that we were only 4 miles away from the Tahawus mining complex when we last hiked along that trail! We wound up staying overnight just south of Wallface, in one of the few clearings in the area, which was a bit of a bog, but had level ground, plenty of room for camp, and a brook running through just 100m away. If I'd known about the place then, I would have pushed further to explore.

This time around, we'll be starting at the Loj and taking Indian Head down to Tahawus for sure. From that area, we'll take the Calamity Brook trail as you suggest, and check out the lakes (and Avalance Pass) to the east before going further into the peaks around Marcy.. we'll have a whole week (assuming we last that long!), so I think there will be a LOT to see and experience.. ahhh I can't wait!

 

[KenG]

I agree with JimB, if you want to see less people, hike out of the Upper Works. Head into the western high peaks if you really want privacy, like Duck Hole and down the Cold River to Long Lake. If it was secluded enough for Noah Rondeau, it should work for you! I believe you can still have a camp fire in the western high peaks as well. Adk Lodge is a zoo, and the parking at the Upper Works is free! Whatever you do, enjoy!

 

[Charlie]

Upper Works

Insight, you'll be interested to know that the State recently purchased some of the land around the Upper Works trailhead and I believe it includes the old Iron mine buildings. There was a thread on this forum about it I think.

Also, the Calamity brook got it's name from the "accidental "shooting death of David Henderson while searching for new water sources in 1845. There is a monument near the location of his death along the Calamity Brook Trail. I have a picture of it on my website, it's on my Mt Marcy page.

I too enjoy hiking out of the Upper Works, I really love the Opulescent River too.