Nye and Street 32'nd and 33'rd High Peak Ascent

Nye and Street

The 45'th, and 31'st highest peaks in New York State with elevations of 3,895 and 4,166 ft.

Climbed Saturday 8-16-14 with friend Evan, son Josh, and daughter in law Abbey. We left Speculator later than usual around 7:30. We arrived at the Loj and found the parking lot full and closed.

We were instructed to park a mile down the road and walk back to the trail which was off the right of the security shack and the same trailhead to Mount Jo. Josh left the three of us and his pack and drove back to the designated overflow area figuring he would be able to hitch a ride back. Well it was a good plan but no one would pick him up so he had to jog all the way back to us. 

These two mountains are not marked and considered trail less peaks so I asked the shack attendant for directions. She was very helpful so we then started out at about 9:30 AM.  The first mile or so was flat and easy as we walked around Heart Lake. It got a little tricky shortly after that, as we had to cross the swollen river without a bridge. Right before us there was group of four women who had basically just took off their shoes and waded through the river. No surprise Evan was the first one to venture out and vowed to do it without removing his shoes. By golly he did it and the other three of us basically followed his successful route to cross.

Shortly thereafter there was another river crossing but this time there was a large tree that had fallen across so we could cross by walking on it.

Unfortunately for me as I stepped off on the other side on what I thought was solid ground sunk up to my knee in mud. Not too much to report about this hike other than, although not marked it was very clear where to go and very muddy.

There were several trees downed across the trail that slowed us down having to decide if better to go over or under.

Eventually we got to the split in the trail marked with a cairn and a carved tree with the names and arrows directing hikers how to go. Street was off to the Left and Nye to the right.

We decided to climb Nye first. It was a very short trip to the Nye summit and not much of a view so we didn’t spend much time there.

We backtracked the trail back to the cairn and then up to Street. I figured that Street would be about the same distance from the cairn but I was wrong. It took considerable more time to get to the Street summit and the views weren’t any better.

On the summit we met a father and daughter who were hiking alone. We were very impressed when we found out that he was 72 years old, had had a stroke last year and was still going strong. The daughter was a little nervous about the trip back and wanted to get to the river crossing before it rained or got dark.

It was overcast but I it didn’t rain on us until we got back to the car at 4:00 PM and headed to dinner. Josh actually was able to get someone kind enough to drive him from the trailhead to the car so he didn’t have to walk it and then drove back and picked us all up. We decided to go to the Lake Placid Pub and Brewery for dinner. After a half hour wait we were seated on the second floor dining area, a spot we hadn’t been to before, and had our usual excellent dinner. After that we headed back to Speculator and arrived home around 7:30. Although the views were not great it was another good day hiking with good friends and a good end to summer as Josh and Abbey head out to Caltech to start a new chapter in their lives. 

Armstrong, Upper Wolf Jaw, and Lower Wolf Jaw 29'th, 30'th, and 31'st High Peak Ascent

Armstrong, Upper Wolf Jaw, and Lower Wolf Jaw

The 22'nd, 29'th, and 30'th highest peaks in New York State with elevations of 4,400, 4,185, and 4,175 ft.    

Climbed Saturday 7-26-14 with my two sons Nathan, Joshua, and daughter in law Abbey. We left Speculator around 6 and arrived at the parking lot off of 73 at 7:45 AM.

It was another good hiking weather day, not too hot or humid, and with no rain in the forecast. We walked to the AMR gate and signed in at the register and set off down the Lake Road.

Josh and I were surprised that this was the first time Nathan had started from the Ausable Club. We had both been on this trail several times before.

We walked the road until the start of the Beaver Meadow Falls trail to Gothics/Armstrong.

We stopped for a couple pictures at Beaver Meadow Falls.

It was pretty much straight up to the col between Gothics and Armstrong with we got to at 11:00 AM.

There is not much to see along this trail but there are some interesting rock formations and several wooden ladders to climb both up and down.

After a short snack break at the col we continued to the Armstrong summit and arrived at 11:30.

We had lunch with several other hikers on Armstrong and then headed over to Upper Wolf Jaw. We were on the summit at 12:15.

Another couple that we saw on Armstrong also came up behind us on UWJ. We didn’t spend much time there until we headed over to Lower Wolf Jaw. At the base of Lower Wolf Jaw I dropped my pack in the underbrush so I didn’t have to carry it up and back. The climb was a little less strenuous but not easy since I was getting tired and it was the third peak of the day. We summitted LWJ at 12:35.

I was the last one up and the first one down. I was a little anxious getting back down to my backpack because I later thought I should have taken my keys with me. If stolen I could replace everything but if we couldn’t get in the car and home that wouldn’t have been too smart on my part. As usual the hike out was long and tiring but not very strenuous since it is mostly descending.

We got back to the car at 4:20. 

Gothics and Sawteeth 27'th and 28'th High Peak Ascent

Gothics and Sawteeth

The 10'th, and 35'th highest peaks in New York State with elevations of 4,736 and 4,100 ft.

Climbed Saturday 7-12-14 with the newly weds, my son Josh and his wife Abbey. We left Speculator around 6:00 and arrived at the Weld Parking Lot only to find it was totally packed and not a parking space to be had. We parked across route 73 in the lot for Giant and hiked in and signed the log book at the AMR gate around 8:00. 

    On Spencer’s recommendation we took the Beaver Meadow Falls trail up towards the col between Armstrong and Gothics. 

  After the falls, which are much smaller than Rainbow Falls, but still impressive, the trail got steep in sections. 

    Surprisingly it was pretty dry so getting bogged down in the mud would not be a concern today. After the falls we continued up towards Gothics. It was a pretty uneventful climb and typical of most other trails we had been on. Surprisingly we made good time and even passed one group and two other single climbers on the way. I say surprisingly because it is usually me who is making way for other climbers to pass by. I don’t think we were going any faster than usual but I credited Abbey for setting and keeping the pace. We did have a little mud as we got towards the top but not a big deal at all. 

There were a couple wood bridges and ladders which I always enjoy taking pictures of. There were even a couple ladders that we had to climb down along the way as you ascend the mountain. 

     Eventually you see Gothics rising before you on the left. At about 11:30 we reached the trail split and the sign post to choose Gothics to the left or Armstrong to the right. It is only 0.4 at this point to Armstrong so we considered a change of plans to include Armstrong but then thought better of it and stuck to our original plan. It was such a terrific weather day and we had heard of the impressive views on Pyramid so we didn’t want to potentially loose the opportunity to take pictures on this day from that point. After a quick bite at the col we headed up to Gothics. We passed several other groups coming down from Gothics and several more on the summit. 

 We stopped for a few minutes for the standard summit pictures, chatted with a couple other hikers, and then headed over to Pyramid around 12:15. The descent off of Gothics was pretty steep and we passed several other hikers headed up to Gothics. The views on Pyramid were impressive and before we knew it we were down at the junction to go either back to the road via the Weld Trail or up to Sawteeth. 

 We summited Sawteeth at about 2:00 and then had another decision to make. Would we head back down the way we came and exit to the road via the Weld Trail or go over Sawteeth and exit via the “scenic route”. We settled on heading back and exit via the Weld Trail because it was slightly shorter and because it passed by Rainbow Falls. The hike out seemed long, like usual, but uneventful. Rainbow Falls was impressive and before we knew it we were crossing the Ausable River and then on the lake road. 

   We tried to hitch a ride with the Ausable Club bus back out but were told since we weren’t members couldn’t ride. We knew that already but had to try. 

   We signed back out at the AMR trail register and were back at the car at about 5:30. After dinner at our favorite spot, the ADK café, we drove back to Speculator for a hot shower and a slice of Lemon Shaker pie from the café!

Marshall 26'th High Peak Ascent

Mount Marshall

The 25'th highest peak in New York State with an elevation of 4,360 ft.

Climbed on Saturday 7-5-14 with my two sons Joshua, Nathan, and friend Evan. We left Speculator at 6 and arrived at the Upper Works Parking Area and were on the trail by about 8. It was a perfect weather day with temperatures in the low 80's and low humidity. 

The first four miles of the hike into the Flowed Lands was mostly flat with only some slight up and downs. The Flowed Lands is a very pretty spot to stop and take a break. 

 Just before the Flowed Lands is a solemn spot at the Henderson Memorial. The memorial is a stone monument erected at the very spot where David Henderson was accidentally killed by a rifle that, as the story goes, went off while "half cocked". It is pretty impressive how this stone monument was brought in and set on this spot some 150 years ago shortly after the accident in 1845. 

 At the Flowed Lands leanto the trail bears to the left around the lake until in intersects with the heard path up to Marshall. From this point on up to the peak you basically hike up a running riverbed. The trail goes back and forth across the river which transitions from mud to stone but mostly rock slab. Some of the path itself is actually straight up the river. The rock is very slick in places where green moss and algae are growing. 

   There are not many views while climbing except in a couple places where you can see back over the tail climbed at Mount Iroquois. 

    The climb is steep but not all that hard and before you know it you are at the summit of Marshal and taking pictures of the sign. 

    There are a few spots past the summit to the rear and to the left and right of the summit where there are views. This is a wooded summit and does not have 360 degree views like some of the better summits we have been on but the views are not nearly as bad as almost all the trip reports I read online. I bet most people that have disparaged the views on Mount Marshal never went past the summit and therefore missed the views that this mountain provides. 

 The climb down was the same trail as we just climbed so we knew what to expect wet, muddy, and slippery. After the descent to the Flowed Lands nothing was left except the long, mostly flat, walk out. 

 On our drive out we stopped for a few minutes to read the placards and look at the remnants of the abandoned town of Adirondac 1826-1858. There is a lot of history hear of old days gone by and the early days of Adirondack commerce and a lot of connection with the early pioneers who were instrumental in climbing and naming many of the landmarks in the High Peaks region. 

 Since the Upper Works Lot is not really near any town we decided to just drive back to Speculator for dinner. When we got back we all went our separate ways and counted this a one of our more enjoyable climbs.

Ester and Whiteface 24'th and 25'th High Peak Ascent

Whiteface and Ester

The 5'th, and 28'th highest peaks in New York State with elevations of 4,867 and 4,240 ft.

       Climbed on Sunday 5-25-14 with my friend Evan. We left Speculator at 7 am and arrived at the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center parking lot a bit after 9. We were on the trail and headed toward Whiteface by 9:30. The trip reports I had read online weren't kidding. The trail starts with a steep rocky incline almost immediately and doesn't let up until you get to the top of Marble Mountain. 

      From that point towards the mountains it is still mostly uphill but not nearly as steep and not nearly as rocky. We tried to decide as we hiked if we would go first to Ester and then finish with Whiteface or the other way around. I had read that the views on Ester were not much and that Whiteface was much better. We had pretty much decided to go on to Whiteface first if for no other reason that if something went wrong it would be easier to return to climb Ester since it was closer. 

      When we got to the cairn marking the footpath towards Ester we spoke to a couple other hikers that were waiting for a group to come off Ester before they went up. That clinched it for us and even if we hadn't already decided to go to Whiteface first we decided now. We continued on and summited Whiteface around 12:30 pm. 

      The climb was gradual and not too strenuous almost the entire rest of the way. We actually saw some snow and ice on the trail, which I didn’t expect to see in May. 
      

      I also didn't expect so many people on the summit of Whiteface. Whiteface is a unique peak in that there is a road to the top and many people drive up for the views. 

      I always said I would finish the 46 on Whiteface but am now glad I didn't. It would be too different I think to finish the 46 and have so many other people around that had just drove up and wouldn't appreciate all the blood, sweat, and tears that it takes to climb a high peak. I think I will prefer to finish on any other peak with just a few others who had actually climbed the mountain. After a lunch break of around a half hour we headed back down and got to the Ester junction around 2 pm. We met a dad and his two daughters just coming down and warned us of the mud and said it would take us about an hour to summit Ester. They weren't exaggerating a bit. The trail less peak was a wet muddy mess almost the entire way. 

      We passed two other groups coming back and one couple even had two dogs. The dad was right on with his time prediction as well. We were at the Ester plaque in about an hour and the round trip about two hours total. The peak isn't much to see but the plaque is pretty cool and the hike, although muddy, was gradual and no real steep sections at all. 

      I’m surprised that Ester is a separate peak because it didn’t feel like we gained enough elevation for it to be considered one. We then headed down and out and the last mile was a killer on my toes. Evan was feeling it a bit as well but my toes were banging against the front of my boots and every step because a painful experience. We were back to the car almost exactly at 5:30 pm. We finished the day with our usual stop at the ADK Café for dinner. After dinner I bought a Lemon Shaker pie to bring home to the rest of the family. Back in Speculator after a nice hot shower that slice of pie with whipped cream really hit the spot. Over all great hiking, great weather, great views, great food, and all shared with a great friend.