THREE PEAKS - TWO BROTHERS!

My brother and I hiked for the first time together in August 2012. We were camping in Saranac Lake with our family so David and I decided to make the short drive to the high peaks to climb a few of them. Both of us were excited because the weather was sunny, low 80's, and a slight chance of rain at the summit. We got up early in the morning and ate a high protein breakfast. With a history of quad cramps during past hiking trips, I made sure to get plenty of Mountain Blast Gatorade.

When we arrived at the ADK LOJ parking lot, we were the first hikers setting out. It was mid 60's and made for a nice start to the hike. The first 2.5 miles went by fast because the walk was far from challenging. The exciting incline started at the base of Wright Mountain. After 0.7 miles of a moderate incline we came to the trail split, 0.4 miles to the left was Wright, and 0.5 miles straight ahead to Algonquin. We meet a forest ranger at the intersection and after a short conversation we decided to stick to our plan of doing Algonquin, Iroquois and then Wright.

We were only hiking with a day pack but the rest of the trail to Algonquin was unforgiving and very steep. It's all open and bare rock, and some spots were slick from a previous rain shower. After a painful hike we made it to the summit. As soon as we got there we saw a dark rain cloud heading our way from the north. I also realized that I didn't bring any rain gear with me. David on the other hand had a poncho which we threw over our shoulders and then crouched under a large boulder downwind of the summit. A good downpour lasted for 15 minutes, which was 15 minutes too long when crouching under a rock. The cold and crouching was a good set up for quad cramps.

After the summit photos, this being my second time on Algonquin and David's first, it was a good start.  The next summit was 1.1 miles away. It was an interesting traverse on the ridge between the two peaks. There are two boundary peaks which aren't steep but difficult because the trail is very narrow with short brush and surrounded by bog-like areas. So the short distance took more time than anticipated. Finally at Algonquin David and I took a longer break because the weather was finally nice and the rocks were dry enough to sit on. The views on Algonquin and Iroquois are very nice because they stand at almost 5,000 ft, however they are the few northern summits further from the other peaks to the south and southwest.

I really don't like back tracking and the hike back to Algonquin wasn't too much fun since it was also slowed by another downpour. Once past Algonquin again, we quickly descended to the right turn that would bring us to the Wright summit. Although a short distance of 0.4 miles was anticipated, the incline of the trail wasn't. It was like scaling the side of a mountain and very brutal on the knees. However the view was very rewarding when we reached the top. There was a very nice view of the entire Algonquin mountain, with Iroquois hiding in the back.

Wright is also know for having plane wreckage on one side of the summit. It was a devastating B-47  plane crash that took place in 1962 during a military training exercise. Four military personel died in the crash and their names are presented on a memorial. There was landing gear scattered on one side of the mountain.

After our short historical endeavor we began the descent. At this point, both of us were hurting, especially our quads and soles. the 3.5 mile return trip took us about 2 hrs. Overall it was a very satisfying trip.

Weather: sunny, mid 70's
Round Trip Distance: 10.2 miles (from ADK Loj)

SADDLEBACK & BASIN PEAKS-THE WET HIKE!

 My friends and I were far over due for a hike together so we decided to take a two-day trip in May 2009. The hikers were: Andrey M., Andrey T., and Andy L. It was the beginning of May to be more accurate and there was plenty of spring rain in the forecast. However, the forecast for the weekend was fairly good with only a 30% chance of rain in the high peaks. We drove into the town of Keene Valley at around 8 am. After a good breakfast of some homemade scrambled eggs, hash browns, and muffin, washed down with a couple cups of coffee, we were ready to hike. In retrospect, it was a pretty heavy meal to have before a hike.

We stopped by the Keene Valley Outpost to rent some bear canisters for store our food. It's mandatory in the high peaks region to store all food in canisters to prevent the bears from breaking into the hikers food bags that were suspended in trees.

We parked in the Garden Parking Lot off John Brooks Lane. Our destination was the Ore Bed Brook lean-to, a little over 4 miles from the parking lot. The recent rains, made the trail muddy and slippery  and the hike in was at a slower pace then anticipated. The gradient had plenty of small hills and it began to take a toll on my knees and quads. About 2 hrs into the hike I began to cramp up and short breaks were necessary to relieve the pain. After a 3 hr hike, we made it to the lean-to.

Since the start of the hike, we were rain-free but the sky was heavily overcast. After a quick lunch at the lean-to we decided to continue hiking to Saddleback Mountain. The trail winded along for 1.8 miles with a moderate gradient to the col between Gothics and Saddleback. From the col, there was a steep gradient of 0.5 miles to the summit of Saddleback. Sometime during this portion of the hike, the weather became unfavorable with a gently drizzle. At the summit we had no visibility due to heavy cloud cover. We attempted a few summit pictures but it was fairly windy with a pretty constant rain drizzle. Even with the summit photos, it would be difficult to prove that it was the Saddleback Summit.

Although we were getting cold we were still dry, so we decided to continue hiking to Basin. It was only one mile between the two summits, but little did we know what awaited us. The col between the peaks is very steep. At certain points it was a nervous decent because it was steep and slippery. The ascent wasn't any better. At one point we had to use a rope to help each other get up the steep trail. At this point we were getting wet because there was more climbing on the wet rock then actually hiking. After a painfully slow ascent we made it to the summit.

After a couple summit photos we began the descent back to our lean-to via the Slant Rock Trail. The distance was 5.5 miles. The drizzle had turned into a steady rain and there was not sign of it getting better. After a short while it turned into a heavy downpour. It was a very long, wet, and cold trek back to the lean-to. We tested all of our waterproof outwear and shoes and everything miserably failed. Andrey T. and Andy L. were leading the hike with Andrey M. and myself trailing behind. After 3 hours of walking in the rain both of us began to feel colder and colder. In retrospect we probably had some early signs of hypothermia. At this point we were very exhausted and experienced what it means to be so tired that your feet are dragging and you literally don't care where you step as long as you put one foot in front of the other.

We made it back to the lean-to after hiking roughly 4.5 hrs in the rain. It was pitch black in the heart of the ADK high peaks and all we cared for was dry clothing and warm food. We kept our Bunsen burner portable hiking stoves burning all night to dry our hiking boots. It was also inevitable that we should head home the next day due to the unfavorable weather. We also didn't have enough clothing to stay dry should we get wet again the following day.

It wasn't the greatest feeling getting kicked by the weather, but that was reality. We cut our trip short and hiked back to the car the next morning.

MT PHELPS--THE NEWLYWED HIKE

Before our wedding day, in May 2007, I dreamed of taking Lesya on her first hike in the ADKs. My friends recommended Phelps as an an easy and scenic hike and so in my head I began to plan that first hike. Three months after getting married we decided to do a family camping trip for a couple days at Limekiln State Campground on Labor Day weekend 2007. At the end of the camping trip we decided that instead of heading home we will drive up to the high peaks region and spend the night at Marcy Dam. So we drove into the South Meadows Parking Area couple hours later than planned and  hiked into Marcy Dam at dusk.

At Marcy Dam we located an open lean-to and since it was getting dark we decided to quickly eat at the lean-to and go to bed. We didn't realize that we broke a major rule at Marcy Dam--DO NOT EAT IN THE LEAN-TO! The next rule we broke was we washed our dishes and eating utensils near our lean-to. Although we did rent a bear canister to hold all of our remaining food and we placed it some distance away, however the damage has been done. We had 4 furry visitors the following night. It's a story in itself and will be talked about in a later post.

The next morning we set out on our new hiking adventure to the summit of Phelps. Being the adventurous guy I am I decided to cut across Marcy Dam since it was no longer a dam. My wife had no choice but to follow her crazy new husband. The bank of the former dam was very steep and the soil was mixed with loose gravel therefore the descent to the dam was more adventurous than anticipated. At one point Lesya came sliding down the bank and I had to grab her so that she would not continue flying down into the water and mud below. So I learned my lesson there.

Lean-to

Finally on the trail we realized that we had two different hiking paces. If I was leading Lesya would fall behind and then I had to wait every now and then. I had the enlightment to let my wife try leading and see how that would work out. As soon as she started to lead we new the problem was solved. She increased her pace to the pace at which I was comfortable and we both enjoyed the hike a bit more.

Dried up Marcy Dam

We hiked down the Van Hoevenberg Trail from Marcy Dam for one mile of fairly flat gradient. From the trailhead to the summit the distance is 1.2 miles. Its starts out with a gradual increase in gradient for about 0.7 mile. At this point the views of the higher peaks to the south and southwest become more visible. The gradient also become steeper with large boulders to get across. The remaining 0.5 mile has more open rocks and beautiful views. The summit provides the best views of the MacIntyre Range, Marcy Range, and the Great Range. Although the summit is covered in trees, there is enough bare rock to sit and enjoy the views.

After a few summit photos, Lesya and I took a little snooze in the warm sun, with our day packs as pillows. We needed to reenergize after an eventful night of frequent bear visits.

Marcy (left) Colden (right)

The return trip was a nice hike back to Marcy Dam. After a short rest at Marcy Dam we hiked back to our vehicle at the South Meadow Rd.

Cooling feet at Marcy Dam

Weather: sunny and 70's
Distance: 4.4 miles round trip from Marcy Dam

The Great Range (south)

MacIntyre Range (right) Mt Colden (left)