Since we were staying at the Buck Pond campground only 20 minutes away I thought it would be nice to take a family hike. I did some research, but I have to admit that it wasn't nearly as much as I normally do. For the most part I referenced the Adirondack Explorer Outing Guide from 2015 which I brought along with me to the camp. A short paragraph in the guide stated that one of the weekends there were kids hiking of all ages. So with that in mind, we decided to do it. On a small tangent, the older two had hiked a 4-miler just a few weeks prior to this hike without any difficulties except for the usual complaining and "are we there yet." The question of the day was, could we do 6.6 miles together?
We found a large parking lot off Keese Mills Rd with a sign that read St. Regis Canoe Area. After some quick gearing up we set out on a trip I had envisioned to be 2-3 hours at the most. The trailhead is about 100 yards down a seasonal gravel road from the parking lot. An sign with an arrow pointing "right" marks the way.
And so this marked the spot to the start of 6.6 glorious miles of trail that ran through the woods. The thick tree provided for some great cover from the sun overhead but it didn't help much with the muggy air.
For the first 2 miles we had a few changes in elevation but nothing drastic and the kids really enjoyed spotting some really cool things along the way like a snake, toads, mushrooms, different tree types and massive rocks. Ariana my almost-two-year-old walked some parts on her own. We came across a few returning hikers who genuinely thought they knew how much more time we had to hike and surprisingly we kept hearing 30 minutes.
We did come to another sign with an arrow pointing "left" because it does appear as though the trail could be going straight. We took a few short breaks along the way to drink and sit down and everyone was still in good spirits.
Most of the hiking forums and write-ups state that the last bit before the top is steep and graded as moderate intensity. I would like to clarify this part because it is NOT moderate intensity for people of any age category but closer to high intensity. I have hiked 28 high peaks at this point and could easily say its like a section right off one of the high peaks. My best recommendation for appropriate hiking age would be 12/13 years old or a very mature 10/11 year old. We saw a couple of elderly ladies that were very challenged in this section as well. Definitely a great place for a cardiac stress test!
This would definitely mark the spot when more intense complaining came into play and I seriously contemplated about turning around and never making it to the top for the sake of my children's little legs. But how does someone test the limit of their abilities and will power, other then by completing the task and reflecting on the experience? And so we trekked on!
After a lot of encouragement and persistence we made it to the top in 2.5 hours. The views were very rewarding at the top with the Saranac Lakes to the south and high peaks to the east and southeast. Another lesson learned: never forget the snacks because it would have made a big difference if we had some type of refueling before the journey back down.
At top there was also a fire tower that is currently maintained and climbing to the top provided even better views. At this point only 3 out of 5 made it to the top of the tower. Alexis took a nap on the warm rocks while Lesya took advantage of the available phone service.
After a long 30 minutes at the top we started to make our way down. Thankfully Ariana enjoyed the ride in the carrier for most of the ascent and descent. She was so comfortable she napped both ways. I did my best to not bounce her around to much as we slowly make our way down.
On our way down there were tears, maybe a lot of tears, frustrated conversations and definitely all of us felt some aches and pains. But I am proud to say that my 3 little munchkins hiked 6.6 miles (5 hours) to the top of St. Regis and back because they had strong will power to get to the top and they mustered even more to get down. I am also super blessed to have an amazing wife that stuck by my side even after I made some crazy decisions.
I very glad I didn't need to call for a helicopter evacuation.
On the way down I may have carried my 5 year old son and 2 year old daughter at the same time for longer then my spine wanted to but it was all worth it at the end. There may also have been some bribing in the form of snacks that we later bought at the local grocery store on the way back to camp but at the end of the day it was more of a reward then a bribe.
I very glad I didn't need to call for a helicopter evacuation.
On the way down I may have carried my 5 year old son and 2 year old daughter at the same time for longer then my spine wanted to but it was all worth it at the end. There may also have been some bribing in the form of snacks that we later bought at the local grocery store on the way back to camp but at the end of the day it was more of a reward then a bribe.
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