Dennis Dixon is heading North!: Adirondacks

Thursday, May 23, 2019 - Wendy has a conference out in Marlborough (also known as Marlboro - don't ask), so I decided to START MY HIKING FOR 2019. I have done the 48 "4000 footers" in New Hampshire, then all 67 "4000 footers" in New England, and I am now just 2 shy of the "New England 100 Highest" - BUT THERE IS ALWAYS ANOTHER LIST!!

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:

I think I can drive out Thursday and do Giant Mtn and Rocky Peak Ridge, stay the night at the Keene Valley Lodge (marked by the X), Friday do the "Great Range Loop Trail" (Lower Wolf Jaw, Upper Wolf Jaw, Armstrong, Gothics, and Sawteeth), and then Saturday morning do Big Slide Mtn.

I did my Thursday Men's Breakfast in Boston. Left there at 8:45, and got to the "Giant Mountain Primary Trailhead" at 1:30

I had taken a close-up photo of my trail map:

I will be going up the Blue Trails - 48 and 47.

You start going uphill almost immediately, with 0.7 miles to Giants Washbowl. I was able to take a few "view pictures" before the clouds came in (along with the rain/drizzle) [left-to-right, looking south from a single vantage-point]:

After 0.7 miles you are at the east-end of Giants Washbowl:

I then kept heading up up up:

It was rainy and foggy when I reached the summit at 4 PM:

Um, there was no "Giant Mtn" sign, but I have consulted other blogs, and the USGS marker is the summit.

On my way up, a guy coming down said the it was REALLY HARD getting over to Rocky Peak Ridge. Since there were no views, and this was my first hike of the year, and I had already driven 300 miles today, I felt done - Rocky Peak Ridge will wait for another day.

On my way down I came to the "Bump trail" intersection:

I scrambled up the rocks, then remembered that it was raining and foggy and there would be NO VIEW up on "The Bump". So I turned around and headed back down.

Looking east, Google Earth does a nice job showing my route: 6 1/2 miles in 3 1/2 hours:

(2:10 up, and 1:20 back down)

A 5 mile drive up to the Keene Valley Lodge:

which was a perfect place to stay (the restaurant is a quick walk down the street, where I had a steak and a big glass of milk).

What a good start to the Summer-of-2019 Hiking Season! Thank you God for these wonderful adventures!

Today, for my listening pleasure, I am listening to one of my mp3 cds that I burned back in February 2000:

Chris Whitley - Din of Ecstasy, 1995