Into the High Peaks - Climbing Algonquin, Wright and Iroquois

 Thus far in these blog posts I've steered away from any climbs in the high peaks area. Generally speaking there tends to be more people climbing these mountains and for good reason. The high peaks offer the most spectacular views. And, less tangibly, they have a certain undeniable cachet. Standing on top of a mountain in the heart of the high peaks is an inspiring experience and highlights the incredible diversity of NY State. You are about as far from the bustling streets of NY City as you could get and it's only a 6 hour drive away. The pinnacle of achievement with respect to climbing the high peaks is to become a “46er” by climbing all 46 mountains over 4000' in elevation. (Actually, due to more accurate measurements, 4 of the original 46 are under 4000' and there is one mountain is over 4000' but the 46er organization has stuck with the original list.) So here is a high peaks hike with options to climb up to 3 of those 46.

   Algonquin Peak is the second highest in NY State and it is a relatively short climb, albeit with a lot of vertical gain, from the Adirondack Mountain Club's (ADK) Adirondack Loj for such a big payoff. If you want a shorter climb with less vertical the Wright Peak trail cuts off from the Algonquin trail. Or you can climb both Wright and Algonquin. Climbing Wright would add about 0.9 miles to the Algonquin hike. Once you reach Algonquin's summit, you can continue on to Iroquois which would add 2 miles for the round trip. All of this would be a lot less confusing if you have a highly recommended guide book and map. At the very least you need the latter.

   Get to the trail head from Saranac Lake area by driving nearly to Lake Placid, turn right on Old Military Road (the road that bypasses the tourist crowded actual village), merge back onto route 73 at the end of Old Military Road and quickly you'll pass the ski jumps on the right, turn right on Adirondack Loj Road where there is a large DEC sign for the high peaks. Right at the start of the road you are treated to a impressive panoramic view of the high peaks afforded by the open fields next to the road. Take the road to its end at the Loj. There is a fee to park there which helps to maintain the facilities. There is a Hikers and Campers Building with items for sale – like guide books and maps (hint, hint). There are also staff members that can give you good advice. Take advantage of it. You don't want to be a subject in the “incident report” about an outing gone bad.

   The Van Hoevenberg trail starts at the end of the parking lot where there is a registration kiosk. Trail junctions are well signed. In about 1 mile there is a trail junction where the trail to Algonquin goes straight. The trail left goes to Marcy Dam (or what was Marcy Dam – it washed away with hurricane Irene) and Mount Marcy. The Wright Peak trail branches left 3.1 miles from the Loj and leads to its summit in 0.43 miles. A notable feature of Wright's summit is that in 1962 a B-47 bomber crashed into the mountain. There is a plaque just north of the summit on a rock wall memorializing the 4 airmen who lost their lives and some pieces of the doomed plane are scattered about. It is another 0.9 miles (about 4 miles and almost 3000 feet vertical gain from the Loj ) to Algonquin's summit. You're treated with spectacular views of mountains near and far dominated by Mt Colden with it open rock slides and dike or cleft in the rock face that is a famous non technical but still challenging climbing route. At the base of Algonquin is Lake Colden and Flowed Lands. There will likely be a summit steward at the top to, among other things, educate you about the attempts to maintain and reestablish fragile alpine vegetation. If you want to continue on to Iroquois the trail continues over the top of Algonquin, drops down to the col where a marked trail to the left continues down to Lake Colden and the herd path to Iroquois continue straight. It goes over an intermediary peak, Boundary which has 2 summits, before the final ascent to Iroquois. Make sure you give yourself enough time if you want to climb Iroquois. It is a 2 mile round trip from Algonquin with a lot of steep up and down over open rock. This route however, if you've got the 46er itch, is the shortest way to climb Iroquois and scratch it.

Chubb River Paddle - who needs shopping ?

An interesting paddle is up the Chubb River in Lake Placid. The what ? Water wise, Lake Placid the village is all about, well, Lake Placid the lake (and Mirror Lake).  And shopping and crowds - ugh!  The town turns a blind eye to its riparian asset. The Chubb is unique because as you paddle along it guides you right into the mountains. I can't think of another paddle where such tall mountains are this close. Plus, except for one out of place residence up high on the bank about 10 – 15 minutes into the trip, it is a total wilderness experience. The first time we paddled the Chubb there was a seemingly upset otter sticking its head out of the water and yelling at us. Well, he was making a lot of noise at least. There are sections where the river is very narrow but mostly it is of moderate width as it meanders back and forth along the valley floor. Thanks to hurricane Irene the several beaver dams we had to pull over on our first trip were gone this year (August, 2013). There is one ¼ mile portage part way up the river that bypasses some rapids. Continue half as much time as you want to paddle and turn around. There is an end to navigable water but we didn't reach it on our trips. Bring something to eat. You can paddle for several hours easily. The first time we paddled the Chubb, on my recommendation, we brought only a small snack and we were hungry. Now, my wife recalls that nutritional misstep every time I think we need less food for an day outing than she does.

To reach the Chubb drive toward Lake Placid (From Saranac Lake)

and turn right onto Old Military Road which is the route that bypasses town, is signed for ski jumps, Keene, etc and is the first right after the golf course in Ray Brook. Turn right onto Averyville Road which, in about 1 mile, crosses the river. Go another 0.2 miles and look for the opening in the trees on the left that is the start of the less than 1/10^th mile trail down to the river. Parking is just along side the road.   

Deer Pond hike

     If you want a nice half day walk to a pretty pond that is not a climb Deer Pond is a good option. It's a 2.4 mile one way trail with a few moderate ups and downs to the southern end of this pond. There is a rock to sit on overlooking the water and good swimming off the rocky shore. We were there recently (September, 2014) and the fall colors were not quite peak but still very beautiful. Drive south on route 30. About 3 miles past the very large Fish Creek Ponds campground look for a large parking turn out on the right and a DEC sign. If you reach the junction with route 3 you've gone 1.8 miles too far. The trail is totally level to an open wetland area and a substantial bridge over a beaver dammed small waterway. Shortly after the bridge there is a junction which is 0.8 miles from the start. Go straight, not left. At 2.3 miles there is another junction where, again, go straight. The trail drops down to the Deer Pond shore in 0.1 mile. Just after crossing a bridge go up very briefly and look for a clearing on the left and the rock. Someone placed a memorial plaque on a tree by the rock. I don't know the story behind it. Typically this is something DEC does not allow but, so far, it's still there.  I wouldn't be surprised if a ranger removes it.  

climbing unique Catamount Mt.

     Catamount Mountain is unique. As you approach it on the road it rises abruptly from the surrounding flat countryside. Half the mountain is bare rock because it was burned over twice. In these areas you are climbing following rock cairns (small towers of piled rocks marking the route where there are no trees to place the more typical trail marker disc) and enjoying good views along the way. It's a fun mountain to climb because there are many places where you have to look for hand holds to haul yourself up rocks. There is also a “chimney” feature – a very narrow 20 foot long steep rock cleft that defines the trail up an otherwise unclimbable rock face. If all of this sounds scary don't worry. Unless you are extremely sensitive to heights it's not a problem. We once saw a couple of men probably in their 80's on Catamount enjoying themselves, albeit at a very slow pace. The trail starts out very level, climbs over a smaller rocky cobble, then dips down before the climb to the summit. Great views from the top of several ponds and lakes (Taylor Pond, Silver Lake, Union Falls Pond) and mountains (Whiteface preeminently). The trail is 1.9 miles long and about 1570 feet of vertical ascent.

     

To get to the trail head east on route 186 to the “T” at Donnelly's corners. (The famous Donnelly's ice cream stand is on the right – soft custard, one flavor per day always twisted with vanilla. The only decision you have to make is the size you want. Leave your cholesterol concerns at the door. Hey, you just climbed a mountain – you earned it ! Interesting fact: the tiny stand used to be the warming hut for a small downhill ski area.) Turn left onto route 86 heading toward Paul Smiths and Malone. Go about 3 miles and turn right on little Split Rock Road. At the “T” turn right onto Bloomingdale Road and follow it into Bloomingdale. At the stop sign turn left, go about 2/10^th mile and turn right onto River Road just after crossing a small stream. Follow River Road for quite a while. It eventually crosses over a dam (can't miss that landmark) that forms Franklin Falls Pond that you have been driving along. About 1 to 2 miles past the dam where the main road takes a 90 degree turn to the right, bear left onto Plank Road which becomes Forestdale Road. There is a new sign and ample parking lot on the left. (Previously you had to look for a gap in the trees, some flagging and, hopefully, another car or two.) It is about 3.5 miles from where you left the main road or 0.7 miles from the Clinton-Franklin county line which I assume is signed.

Paddling Upper St Regis Lake - an Adirondack "great camp" tour

The Adirondacks are seeped in history. And the best place to visualize historic “great camps” is right close by on Upper St Regis Lake. It is great fun to paddle around the lake and drool over these incredible examples of classic rustic luxury estates. Many camps have cute, tiny guest cabins, each with its own fireplace, hanging over the lake shore. You can peek into the large boat houses and see wooden guide boats and old varnished wood inboard power boats. “Idem” class sailboats sit on their moorings. These long, sleek, gaff rigged beauties are only found on Upper St Regis. One sunny weekend day we were paddling around the lake showing the sights to friends when we spotted one of the Idems heading out for a sail. Then there was another, and another. Turns out everyone was heading out for one of the scheduled weekend races so we pulled over next to an island and watched the whole fleet sail close by. Pretty cool ! Thank heaven for digital cameras. Another memorable time we paddled past the several boat houses of Camp Topridge at the far northwestern end of the lake (once owned by Margaret Maryweather Post of Post cereals fame) and there were probably 20 wooden canoes and guideboats on saw horses spread out along the waterfront. No person was to be seen. It's like they put all their boats out on display just for us. We were duly impressed as we paddled past in our plastic fantastic canoes.

Upper St Regis is just a bit longer than Lake Clear but it has interesting islands, bays, and narrow sections. It's easy to loose track of where you started out. So, as you leave the put in, turn around and remember what it looks like. (It is a really good idea to invest in a map and by far the best is the “Adirondack Paddlers Map” which you can purchase at St Regis Canoe Outfitters in Saranac Lake or at their back woods location on Floodwood Road. All the paddling routes I blog about will be covered by this map. For some trips the map is essential.) Access USRL off route 30 about 3 miles north of the Lodge. Look for the “Lake Clear Camp” sign on the left. This is the Girl Scout camp access road. Take the next left onto a wide dirt road which leaves 30 at an angle when 30 is on a downhill grade. The good dirt road leads to the put in in about 3/10 mile. The public launch is to the right of the property owners launch. There is usually a manned boat wash station where you will be requested to wash your boat out to keep invasive plant and animal species out of the lake. I don't know if Upper St Regis has a problem or not but Lake Clear does not – yet. I'd wash out your boat after your trip before putting it into Lake Clear. Invasives are a huge, expensive problem and the best solution to protect what we all love is prevention.

You can extend your trip by paddling into Spitfire Lake (more great camps and boats to die for). If you have 2 cars or a bicycle an “A” to “B” trip can be done from Upper through Spitfire to Lower St Regis Lake which has no camps but hosts the hulking presence of Paul Smiths College. You can take out at PSC or continue down the West Branch of the St Regis River to the dam at Keese Mill. (Look at your MAP !!) Access the PSC take out by turning into the college's main entrance, taking a sharp right at the stop sign and looping around the buildings to the water. Look for the canoe racks by the water. That's the spot. The Keese Mill take out is opposite the start of the Black and Long Pond trail explained in a previous blog.

Climbing Ampersand Mountain

     The Ampersand Mountain trail, at only 2.8 miles one way, is a shorter climb than St Regis (see previous blog post) and it starts out with a long, fairly level teaser of a walk. But you pay for it because the trail climbs almost 1800 feet to the top compared to Regis's 1250 foot gain. It is quite steep for a mile or so. The trail used to be an eroded mess in some of the steeper sections but now there are many rock steps that are a great improvement. It's a pretty impressive job of trail engineering – and also represents a lot of physical work. The final scramble up the rocks to the large bare summit rewards you with a magnificent 360 degree panorama. No wonder it is one of the “Saranac Lake 6er” mountains. One direction you see mountains – the nearby Seward range of the high peaks – and Long Lake far off in the distance. The opposite side view is dominated by the 3 Saranac Lakes - upper, middle and lower. It is definitely one of the best payoffs for a relatively short, but admittedly hard at times, climb. On the opposite side of the road from the trail head there is a half mile path leading to Middle Saranac Lake and a sandy beach. I've never been on this but I've read it would be a good spot for a post climb swim. I've snowshoed up Ampersand a couple of times and those steep downhills made for some exciting and fast trips down the mountain. Find the trail head by driving south on route 30 to the junction with route 3. Turn left on 3 heading toward Saranac Lake and go 7.1 miles to the parking turn off on the left. The trail begins on the direct opposite side of the road.  

When will the Boat Float - Ice out 2015

When will the Boat Float?  Ice Out 2015

We are giving away

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a Lodge embroidered baseball hat

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4/13/2015

4/13/2015

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Skiing St Regis Mountain

  I just returned from a short cross country ski trip on the Raquette Falls trail (see another blog post for details on that trip) with my wife and a couple of friends. We didn't ski all the way into the falls but the conditions were great and the skiing was just the right amount of time for everyone. (Well, admittedly, I would have skied all the way into the falls but, hey, I can be social and make a sacrifice. Sometimes.) So I'm sitting here all warm and toasty by the wood stove, enjoying a nice mug of hot apple cider with rum and cinnamon with everyone and thinking back a couple of days to an absolutely super little ski I did on the St Regis Mt trail. In other words, I'm not being social at all. But no one seems to mind.

Skiing the St Regis trail is not for beginners. I guess I would rate it as an intermediate + trip for whatever that is worth. Don't go if it is at all icy or crusty – it won't be fun. But if there is plenty of light powder you'll have more fun than you'd think is legally possible. That is if you don't mind some climbing (it is St Regis MOUNTAIN after all) and are comfortable skiing narrow trails with twists and turns around the trees part of the time – albeit mostly not at great speed. Every time I've gone the trail has been broken by snowshoers which is really ideal. When you want to slow down it's easy to do a little snow plow and push your ski tails into the deeper snow to the side of the snowshoe track. Or put one ski into the deeper snow.

The really nice thing is that the trail is a great variety of ups and downs of mild and moderate steepness, some pretty straight, some twisty. (OK – there are 2 very steep but extremely short pitches. Only about 20-30 feet long.) About 40 minutes from the beginning you start a long, steady, mostly straight, gentle climb before a short mild drop to a bridge over a small creek, On the return trip this makes for a nice mellow glide. The bridge is a good turn around spot. It takes me a bit over an hour to get there. A couple of days ago, however, I continued past the bridge for about 20 minutes on a continuous moderate climb which became steeper the further I went. I turned around when I thought the descent was going to be as much of a challenge as I was ready for. I've heard of people who ski all the way to the summit. I'm sure it's doable but not for me and still have fun. `

To get to the St Regis trail drive north on route 30 to Paul Smiths College. Just past the college entrance turn left onto Keese Mills Road. About 2 ½ miles in there is a large parking lot on the left with a St Regis Mt sign. Ski about 1/10^th mile down the single lane road that starts next to the parking lot to the actual trail and sign in register on the right.

Have fun! And I'd definitely recommend a hot apple cider and rum when you get back to accompany your equally delicious ski reminiscences.

St Regis Canoe Area cross country skiing - Part 2

The St Regis canoe area is known for 2 historic canoe routes named according to the number of canoe portages they required - 7 and 9 carries. The 7 carries route connected two long gone grand hotels - Paul Smiths and Saranac Inn - and makes for an interesting day's ski. There is a definite cool aspect to skiing an exact route that you paddle in the summer. This is a point to point trip so you will need to spot a car at the end. Also, you will be skiing mostly on ponds which is good if there is not much snow. The portage trails don't need much snow either since they are mostly smooth. On the other hand, if it is windy you won't get the protection afforded by skiing in the woods.  This is the 2^nd post about skiing in the St Regis Canoe area. The first post, Part 1, is titled “St Regis Canoe Area Cross Country Skiing”.

First of all, as I've mentioned many times before (and you are probably sick of reading this), you will need a map. You will have a hard time finding the portage trail to the next pond without one. There are two starting point options both of which have been described in previous skiing posts. You can start on the fish hatchery road or on Conley Road (see "walk or ski off Conley Road"). In either case read the post and follow the directions to Little Clear Pond. The Conley Road option has more woods and a bit less pond skiing. Once you're on Little Clear Pond your goal is the carry to St Regis Pond which is at the far northwestern corner of the pond. Look at your map. As is always the case, the portage trail is identified with a white rectangular sign on a tree indicating its destination. The 1/2 mile trail has a little up at the start and down at the end but is mostly flat. Keep right where you see a trail off to the left. That's the trail mentioned in "part 1" that connects to the truck trail. Once out on the body of St Regis Pond ski down the right hand shore, go around the point (a nice campsite for the warmer months) and find the carry trail to Green Pond behind the large island. (Leave the island to your left.) The trail is short and Green is very small. You can see the sign for the next portage trail as soon as you're out on the ice. This trail, about 2/10th mile long, brings you to Little Long Pond. Ski down it's length, passing through a narrow section, to the next trail at the far northern end. It's a 1/4 mile through the woods to Bear Pond. Ski straight out from Bear's shoreline rounding a point on the right where there is a private leanto and you'll see the sign for the very short carry trail to tiny Bog Pond. Another very short trail from Bog to Upper St Regis Lake is at the end of a short marshy passage on the far end of the pond. Now you are in the land of grand summer camps. If you want to cruise around Upper St Regis and dream of warm summer days sailing your classic Item sailboat you can keep occupied for a long time because it's a large lake. But the quickest route to the spotted car is heading off to the right. Leave a couple of island to your right and head to the deepest point of the bay. You'll see some buildings connected with the water access only camps where your car will be parked. (Road access to this spot is the wide dirt road off route 30 about 3 miles north of the Lodge and the first left after the "Lake Clear Camp" Girl Scout camp road sign. My experience is that the road is plowed in the winter.)

Another loop trip is one I made up after skiing other, more popular, routes and exploring unmarked trails around Lake Clear. There are lots of them. Most of the skiing is on trails that I've already described, but not all. The first part of the loop is not marked on the map so a compass (and the knowledge of how to use it) is a wise precaution although, honestly, I've never come close to needing it. It is a 9 mile loop about 70% in the woods and 30% on ponds and almost all flat. Follow the directions in the “walk or ski off Conley Road” post to the small grassy clearing at the 28 minute mark. But this time continue going straight instead of turning left. Ski about 10 minutes (that's a guess) on the perfectly flat old road to a very obvious but narrower trail that turns off to the left. It will very likely be unbroken. Take that and in about 15 to 20 minutes you'll see Grass Pond (which is on your map) about 200 feet away on the left. (A bit before that there is another smaller pond visible through the woods but further away.) The trail continues past Grass but you want to get down the hill onto the pond. You'll have to pick your way through the trees since there is no definitive trail. Once down on the ice head right, to the far end of the pond and look for a not very distinct carry trail. It's a short way to Little Clear Pond. Follow along the shoreline of Little Clear to the right and look for the start of the carry trail to St Regis Pond. About half way along the ½ mile trail to St Regis turn left on an obvious trail which, in a mile, brings you to the main Fish Pond truck trail where you again turn left. Go about 1/3 mile to another trail on the left which is the loop trail around Little Green Pond described in the “St Regis canoe area skiing – part 1” post. There will be a sign high on a tree to your right indicating that Fish Pond is behind you. Turn left onto the loop. You will be heading in the reverse direction of my description in the part 1 post. Skiing on the level there is a crossing trail (Bone Pond to the left, Little Green Pond to the right), then a very short moderate downhill pitch followed in a couple of minutes by “T” intersection where you turn right (the left at the “T” is not used much and may not be too obvious). After the right turn there is a nice gradual downhill at the bottom of which a bay of Little Green will be visible on the right. Continue on to the gate where there is a very short trail down to the ice of Little Clear Pond on the left. Here's the slightly tricky part. You need to find the campsite like clearing (meaning no underbrush, just tall trees) on the far shore. If you look on the paddler's map there is a little point on the eastern shore right across from the 2 islands that hug the western shore. The clearing is about 1 or 2 tenths mile to the right of the point and a heading of due east on your compass from your starting point on the pond. (If you want to check out the clearing that you are looking for, go down to Little Clear on your way in at the 3 way fork. It's only a 1/10^th mile side trip each way.) Once on land, and feeling very proud of yourself for following these directions so well, head up the hill on the trail and, in a few minutes you'll join the trail you started on at the 3 way fork. Turn right to head back to your car on Conley Road. You are now cleared to eat whatever calorie laden food your heart desires.