If you are asking what is the ADK 12X46, it is the list for climbing each of the 46 High Peaks in each of the 12 months of the year. Some call it “the grid” or the ADK 552. Only a few people have done it (fewer than ten), and now there is one more.
December is a difficult hiking month, because of the variety of weather conditions and lack of people on the trails, before the 21st. The most recent two 12X46 finishers both completed their quests in December. With this year’s “good” weather I thought I would get an early start with my 8 needed peaks and I climbed Donaldson, Emmons, and Seward on Dec. 1. A few days later I took care of icy Seymour, all of these driving in on a nice, dry Corey’s Road. The good weather was continuing so I climbed Santanoni, Couchsachraga, and Panther on Dec. 6. Up to this point, snow and ice were moderate and easily handled with Microspikes.
Everything changed regarding hopes for an easy climb of Dix after last week’s snowfall of close to a foot down low and two feet or more higher up. Instead of a party group and summit celebration, etc., I decided that the finish would be a unassisted solo climb, hopefully breaking trail all the way—one-on-one, man against mountain. What better way to complete the 12X46? As Pinpin Jr (my mentor) once asked Alain, “are you a mouse or are you a man”? Considering the snow conditions and limited hours of daylight, I soon decided that this would need to be a two day undertaking. So on day one (Saturday Dec. 12), I broke trail for five hours, only about 5.6 miles, to a point above the Boquet lean-to but below the base of the slide and start of the ascent of Dix. Snow depth was a good two feet on the trail above the lean-to with considerable sinking-down with every step. Exhausted, I decided I needed a day off before the final assault of Dix.
On day two, Dec. 14, I started out with warmer temperatures and about 1” of new snow overnight. “My” trail was in great shape and I reached the end of the broken section in just three hours. In another 20 minutes I was at the base of the slide. The next 1.0 mile, climbing steeply up the side of Dix to the summit, took me 2 hours and 20 minutes—just 0.43 miles/hour—and I thought I was making great progress in the deep snow. I didn’t care how long it would take, I just wanted to reach my goal at the summit. I hoped the trail might improve above the Hunters Pass junction due to wind-packed snow, but it just got worse with the wind blowing even more loose snow into the trail. Snowshoe depressions of 8-12” were common all the way up. Of course, the same wind had blown the snow almost completely off the summit to bare rock. It was great to touch the little copper bolt placed there by Verplanck Colvin in 1873. My quest of the 12X46 was done.
Usually I don’t hang around winter summits (oops, winter is still a week away!). But this time, instead of shivering, I realized that I was warm and comfortable. I stayed on the summit for 20 minutes (maybe a record for winter weather), ate lunch, and watched various high mountains--my friends--peek in and out as the clouds scudded by. I also thought about my other friends--the many people I’ve hiked with and who made the experience more enjoyable. If you think people do things like this for "the list", they don’t. They do it for the personal challenge. I got mine.
December is a difficult hiking month, because of the variety of weather conditions and lack of people on the trails, before the 21st. The most recent two 12X46 finishers both completed their quests in December. With this year’s “good” weather I thought I would get an early start with my 8 needed peaks and I climbed Donaldson, Emmons, and Seward on Dec. 1. A few days later I took care of icy Seymour, all of these driving in on a nice, dry Corey’s Road. The good weather was continuing so I climbed Santanoni, Couchsachraga, and Panther on Dec. 6. Up to this point, snow and ice were moderate and easily handled with Microspikes.
Everything changed regarding hopes for an easy climb of Dix after last week’s snowfall of close to a foot down low and two feet or more higher up. Instead of a party group and summit celebration, etc., I decided that the finish would be a unassisted solo climb, hopefully breaking trail all the way—one-on-one, man against mountain. What better way to complete the 12X46? As Pinpin Jr (my mentor) once asked Alain, “are you a mouse or are you a man”? Considering the snow conditions and limited hours of daylight, I soon decided that this would need to be a two day undertaking. So on day one (Saturday Dec. 12), I broke trail for five hours, only about 5.6 miles, to a point above the Boquet lean-to but below the base of the slide and start of the ascent of Dix. Snow depth was a good two feet on the trail above the lean-to with considerable sinking-down with every step. Exhausted, I decided I needed a day off before the final assault of Dix.
On day two, Dec. 14, I started out with warmer temperatures and about 1” of new snow overnight. “My” trail was in great shape and I reached the end of the broken section in just three hours. In another 20 minutes I was at the base of the slide. The next 1.0 mile, climbing steeply up the side of Dix to the summit, took me 2 hours and 20 minutes—just 0.43 miles/hour—and I thought I was making great progress in the deep snow. I didn’t care how long it would take, I just wanted to reach my goal at the summit. I hoped the trail might improve above the Hunters Pass junction due to wind-packed snow, but it just got worse with the wind blowing even more loose snow into the trail. Snowshoe depressions of 8-12” were common all the way up. Of course, the same wind had blown the snow almost completely off the summit to bare rock. It was great to touch the little copper bolt placed there by Verplanck Colvin in 1873. My quest of the 12X46 was done.
Usually I don’t hang around winter summits (oops, winter is still a week away!). But this time, instead of shivering, I realized that I was warm and comfortable. I stayed on the summit for 20 minutes (maybe a record for winter weather), ate lunch, and watched various high mountains--my friends--peek in and out as the clouds scudded by. I also thought about my other friends--the many people I’ve hiked with and who made the experience more enjoyable. If you think people do things like this for "the list", they don’t. They do it for the personal challenge. I got mine.
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