HIKING THE BROTHERS AND BIG SLIDE MOUNTAINS

The following day we got up at an early hour, 6 am and were out of the hotel by 7:30 am. Ausable Inn is located on the corner of John Brooks Lane and route 73 and so the plan was to quickly go up the road to the Garden parking lot and start hiking. But as we got closer several signs along the road announced that the parking lot was full. But we drove to the lot anyways thinking maybe we will get lucky and find one spot. Sure enough it was full, more full than I have ever seen it. So we chased the shuttle down the road and over to Marcy Field where there is a much larger parking area.

This was my first time utilizing the shuttle service. Shortly after getting on the bus we realized that there was a fee for riding: $5 for a one way or round trip per person. It travels about every 20 minutes between the Garden lot and Marcy Field. It was a surprisingly small bus but can hold 16 people comfortably and 20 with people standing. It runs from 6 am to 6 pm. It was definitely a better option compared to walking an additional 5 miles from the field.

Blue marker trail

First intersection

Glimpse of the Great Range covered in morning clouds

Beautiful leaf covered trail

So after a 30 minute delay due to parking issues we finally started hiking at 8 am. It was 37 degrees when we started out and so the gloves and hat were a good idea. Surprisingly about an hour into the hike we all warmed up quickly so we go rid of a layer of clothing. The trail started out in a hardwood forest with plenty of foliage all around. At certain points of hiking, it was difficult to tell where the trail was because of thick layer of leaves on the ground. It was a beautiful start. It was a gentle rise in elevation up to the summit of Brother One.

Brother One views down the valley with Great Range to the left

Down the trail with Brother Three in background

Climbing up Brother One

Oleg and Luba in the morning sun

Lesya set a good hiking pace and we made good progress to a very nice lookout on Brother One. Open rock with marked yellow dashes was the start of many more rocky areas and great views. The summit of the first brother was difficult to tell but when we got to Brother Two it was easy to look back and establish the rocky and bald summit.

Brother One from Brother Two

From Brother One we could easily see the summits of Brother Two and Three and therefore nice to get a sense of the trails direction and elevation. This hike was very unique because the trail was across open faced rock and many great views. In many ways it spoiled the hiker, yet kept him in suspense of the views the summit provided.

Brother Two from Brother One

Along the way we met several hikers and therefore I wondered how many people would actually be at the summit. But nevertheless, we engaged in some good conversations along the way. It was also nice hiking with Oleg and Luba. There were times when we simply walked in silence and enjoyed the  autumn hike.

Leading up to Brother Two there were a couple of steep sections where scrabbling on all fours was necessary.

Nice house in the woods as seen from Brother Two

Brother Two

Trail along a steep drop off 

The hike to Brother Three was a bit more gradual and wooded with pines, hardwoods and couple sections of birch trees.

Views from Brother Three

Brother Three

From the summit of Brother Three there was a short descent and a crossing of brook at the col before the trail began to increase in elevation. Right before the brook crossing we had a nice Jerky and trail mix snack  and rest on fallen logs before the final ascent.

From the col we hiked to the second intersection on the trail.

I did some reading before the trip and knew that the final lag of the hike was probably the steepest section of the hike and therefore I was curious to see how steep. The mental picture of steepness that I had was when hiking the half a mile of Algonquin right after the Wright intersection. It was actually challenging because prior to this section the hike was considerably easy. A couple sections of steep ladders and tall rocks made the hike more exciting.

Luba mastering the steep ladder

Shortly after some physical challenges we were rewarded with great views of the surrounding peaks. After sitting down for a few minutes and soaking in the splendor that God's creation had to offer, I came to the conclusion that this had to be my favorite summit for views. Its location allowed me to appreciate many peaks in the ADK not seen from other places. It was truly amazing!

Mt Giant

Mt Marcy with snow (center)

The Great Range

Upper and Lower Wolf jaws 

Gothics (right) Armstrong (left)

Mt Colden (left background) Mt Iroqious, Algonquin, Wright (right background)

There were at least twenty people at the summit and after sitting for a few minutes more and more people were coming and not that many people were actually leaving. There wasn't much exposed rock and at times it was very crowded. But nevertheless we enjoyed a 40 minute break at the top, took some summit photos and headed back down the mountain.

Big Slide Summit photo

Official 2nd hiked peak

Trace amount of snow at the summit

View from just below the summit

Heading down the mountain is our least favorite thing to do, especially if we have to head back down the same trail. The other unpleasant feeling is the brutal beating the knee joints receive. I took a nice hit to my right knee against a taller than expected rock and so it was a nice reminder to process my steps more carefully.

We made it back to the Garden parking lot without anymore incidents. We just missed the shuttle and therefore had to wait about 20 minutes.

Trip Details:
Garden Parking Lot: 8:00 am
Brother One Summit: 8:50 am
Brother Two Summit: 9:45 am
Brother Three Summit: 10:37 am
Big Slide Summit: 12:00 pm
Left Big Slide: 12:47 pm
Returned to Garden Parking Lot: 3:51 pm