The next list for me is "The Northeast 111". It is supposed to be the 111 mountains in the Northeast (Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, plus New York) over 4000 feet, but, to quote the amc4000footer.org page: When the list was first compiled there were only 111 peaks. Since then, measurements have gotten better, and there are now actually 115 peaks that comprise the list. Since I did the 2 down in the Catskills last May 2018, that leaves the 46 mountains in the Adirondacks:
This area is TOO FAR to day-trip, so I've been a little worried about how I'm going to handle this: rent a cabin-in-the-woods for a summer and just bang them out day-by-day/week-by-week/month-by-month?
But upon looking at the map, it seems like there are areas-of-mountains (consecutive peaks along ridge lines), and therefore maybe I can bag multiple peaks in single days. Let's see what happens!
Zoom in on the mountains on the right:
Today I'll do the "Great Range Loop Trail" (Lower Wolf Jaw, Upper Wolf Jaw, Armstrong, Gothics, and Sawteeth):
and with my path highlighted:
From what I had read, I had a 16.5 mile hike today. I started just after 9 AM, so I figured that I had 11 hours of daylight, so no problem.
Overcast, but not raining, as I hiked past the Ausable Club golf course:
With no markings, I hiked right past the turnoff for the trail, but eventually caught myself and backtracked:
A mile up the trail I crossed over my first stream:
Looking downstream:
40 minutes later (after passing a couple resting on the trail) I was at the Falls on Wedge Brook (appropriately named Wedge Brook Falls):
200 yards up the trail is Wedge Brook Cascades:
The trails are in pretty rugged condition:
but "well-blazed":
The blazes almost always appear just when you need one (don't forget to look behind you - it might be on that tree you just passed).
2 minutes from the Lower Wolf Jaw summit, I stopped "for the view":
12:44 at my first summit:
Um, once again, there was no "Lower Wolf Jaw" sign.
Just to keep me humble, in the col between Lower Wolf Jaw and Upper Wolf Jaw, I passed a guy in his 20s with 2 11-or-12-year-old boys.
My ascent going up Upper Wolf Jaw:
It was REALLY HARD going up Upper Wolf Jaw, but I made the summit at 2:04:
45 minutes later I was at the top of Armstrong:
It was very wet, but not too cold (I just hadn't gotten to the snow yet).
At 3:40 I reached the summit of Gothics - still no signs, but I took a photo of the USGS Survey Marker:
Going up Gothics is when I first encountered the snow. It is generally stable, with only occasional post-holing (the length of my entire pant-leg at one point). I was Very Surprised at the number of times I had to grab branches and tree trunks for support. The trail would have been un-navigable without them!
After continuing up-and-over Pyramid (not a 4000 footer), I hit the top of Sawteeth at 5:10 PM:
Having been doing this hiking stuff for over 8 hours, I was feeling a little beaten up. I could have back-tracked and taken Weld Trail down to Lower Ausable Lake (2.2 miles), but I'm a "loop kind of guy", so I went on (as opposed to "went down") Trail #36 Scenic Trail 3.0 miles to the intersection with Weld Trail. Um, because my paper map had disintegrated, I didn't know that my trail was going up-and-over TWO ADDITIONAL RIDGES before going down (Insanely Down!!) to the Lake:
After taking 2 final pictures of Lower Ausable Lake at 7:05 PM:
my camera was just "rained out" - the lens was covered in water, and I had NOTHING to dry it off.
Google Earth does a good job of visualizing Lower Ausable Lake from the far east, but it is really awesome in-person, in the mist:
The hike turned out to be 20.76 miles in 12 1/2 hours. WOW:
It was a hard hike up in the mountains - my 3 longest (mile) splits were 55, 54 and 53 minutes!
And now for the maps:
and a rotated point-of-view from Google Earth:
(also showing yesterday's hike up Giant Mtn.)
Dining was closed, so I ate an apple, showered and WENT TO BED! What a great Second-Day in the Summer-of-2019 Hiking Season! Thank you God for these wonderful adventures!
I only had time to get one song in my brain, as I drove to the trailhead:
"You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)" - Joe Jackson - Live 1980/86, 1988 double live album
