Adirondacks July 2020 - Day 1/3

Monday, July 6, 2020 - Up to now I have done 16 of the 46 mountains (4000 footers) in the Adirondacks, and I want to do 3-mountains-in-3-days:


Rocky Peak Ridge on Monday, Table Top Mtn. on Tuesday, and Seymour Mtn. on Wednesday.

Today I'll do Rocky Peak Ridge:


It is 6.7 miles to the Summit, which equals 13.4 miles up-and-down. Other people have taken 9 1/2 hours, but I feel like I am in great shape, and should be able to bang it out Monday afternoon-and-evening.

I left home at 7 AM, returned a cd in Burlington, then up 93 into New Hampshire, northwest on 89 into Vermont, then over into New York State and Adirondack Park:


It was a beautiful day in Vermont:



At 11:30 I was able to look over into New York, and the Adirondack Park:



I was at the Post Office in New Russia, NY at 12:10


and at the trailhead 15 minutes later:




I knew that daylight lasted for another 8 hours, and I figured that I could do in that time what it took other people 9 hours 40 minutes.

I was wrong.

It starts off as a nice (upward) hike through the woods:

with occasional yellow markers on the trees:


It is nice in the woods on a hot July day, but the trail devolves into "regular Adirondack" - rocks, tree roots, and dirt:

You have to watch every step.

After 50 minutes, I was 1.6 miles into the hike, and up at the first viewpoint:


with a nice view through the branches:


20 minutes later I was up at Blueberry Cobbles:

with great views looking south:

and west:

(um, that high peak in the upper-right is where I'm heading)

After Blueberry Cobble, you go down and then up to Mason Mountain at about mile 3. I'm starting to get wiped out (first hike of the year), and this is just taking longer than I like - my splits were 31 minutes for mile 1, 32 minutes for mile 2, 34 minutes for mile 3, and 46 minutes for mile 4. After Mason Maountain, you go down into Hedgehog Notch at the base of Bald Mountain. To quote the "High Peaks Trails" book: "Now the trail begins to climb steeply ..."

After some hard climbing, you break-out onto bare rock (2 hours from the trailhead):



After 4 miles, and almost 2-1/2 hours of hiking/climbing, I felt like I was done for the day - but I was only at the top of Bald Mountain! Not even 2/3 of the way to the Rocky Peak Ridge summit!!

I had water (though not enough for the whole hike) and misc. snacks, so I figured I would go a little while longer.

And that's when you go a quarter-mile DOWN INTO Dickerson Notch!!


I hate "going down" when I'm climbing UP A MOUNTAIN (almost as much as I hate "going up" when I'm coming down!!)

After Dickerson Notch, I began a long slow climb up to the Ridge. After a while, I just sat down to rest for a few minutes (at 3:30 PM):


After breaking out of the forest, I looked back at Bald Peak:


Another 1/2 hour, another rest, another view:


Another 1/2 hour, and I had basically gone as far as I could:

That is the Rocky Peak Ridge summit in the upper-right.
No way I'm getting there today.

I started to continue to Marie Louise Pond, but as soon as I saw that it was "down to the pond", I turned around.

Some fun shots from Google Earth:




I saw a hawk soaring over the forest down below me:

and got a great final view off to the northwest:


It took me a little over 3 hours to get back down:

and that included using the cutoff to avoid going up-and-over Blueberry Cobble.

About a mile-and-a-half from the end, I lost the trail:

I didn't notice (meaning there was no sign) when the trail jagged to the right. I kept going straight, and suddenly there was No Trail. I was in nice open forest, and I knew to just keep heading east to hit the road (or the trail again). I hit a logging road, came out in a backyard, and walked up the driveway to the road. The front door opened and the guy asked "Can I help you?" - I said "Parking lot?", and he point to the right and said "A quarter-mile." I said "Excellent! Thanks!" and headed down the road (I don't think I was the first hiker to walk down his driveway.)

When all was said and done, I hiked 12.45 miles in 7 hours 23 minutes. I don't know if it was the hardest hike I have ever done, but I never had to rest as much, or as many times, as today. As I have written before: There's always another day.

44-minute drive and checked into the "Quality Inn on Lake Placid". 285.6 miles today.


A nice phone call with Wendy, and then Lights Out - Thank you God for this Great Day!

I like starting the morning off listening to books-on-tape. Neal Stephenson (a sci-fi author I really like) wrote one of his early novels Snow Crash in 1992, cd 1:


Staying in one of my mp3 cds that I burned back in November 2000:

Led Zeppelin - BBC Sessions, 1997 live album


New Order - Substance, 1987 double compliation album


various artists - No Boundaries: A Benefit for the Kosovar Refugees, 1999


Van Morrison - A Period of Transition, 1977

52 With A View - (not) Mt. Chocorua

Saturday, March 14, 2020 - Last November I got antsy and hiked Sandwich Dome - just for fun. It was a clear day, so it counts as my 1st "52 With A View":


I went skiing up at Bretton Woods last month, and drove up through Conway and North Conway. There is a stretch on 16, when you go over a hill, a beautiful lake (Chocorua Lake) stretches out in front of you, with Mount Chocorua dominating straight ahead of you:


At 3475 feet, Chocorua wasn't on either my "4000 footers" list or my "100 Highest" list - SO I HAVE NOT CLIMBED IT (yet)!

I did my reading, and the trails look easy/great:

Up 16 to Conway, west on the Kancamagus Highway to the trailhead/parking. Then up the "Champney Falls Trail" (with the side-trip to see Pitcher Falls and Champney Falls), loop around on "West Side Trail", up to Mt Chocorua, then over-and-across to bag the "Three Sisters" (Middle Sister is also on the "52 With A View" list). Then back down the little Cut-Off Trail, and back to the parking lot. 8/8.5 miles on a beautiful sunny day - sounds GREAT!!

What could happen?

Well, although it is early-spring (flowers coming up!) in Massachusetts, up on the Kancamagus Highway it is definitely "late winter" - the Swift River is ROARING, and there is snow EVERYWHERE:




Snow at the Trailhead:




I started a little after noon, and it was BEAUTIFUL going up the trail:





The side-trail to Pitcher Falls and Champney Falls goes left, alongside Champney Brook:



Pitcher Falls and Champney Falls are kind-of right next to each other. I look forward to exploring above them when Wendy and I come back here (2 mile hike from parking area) in "the spring". For now Pitcher Falls is a flume-like waterfall on the left, and Champney Falls is on the right:


It looks like there are some great cascades up to the right [UNDER THE SNOW!]:


You then go up some tricky steps, and get back to the main trail:


I was sweating by now, so took off both my fleece (soaked) and my winter hat. I was plenty warm with just my t-shirt and windbreaker, and had rainpants on outside regular pants. I maybe should have packed my sun-hat, but I think it will be ok.

Up, up, and up, until I finally got to the VIEW at 2:15




I believe the last one is "Middle Sister". This is where I discovered that COLD WEATHER REALLY SCREWS UP YOUR ELECTRONICS!! My iPhone battery had gotten really drained, and it had even drained my extra-battery-pack (but not totally). That is why there is this straight section on my MapMyWalk:


Which lets the cat out of the bag - I didn't make the summit of Mount Chocorua:

It was icy up there, and even with my micro-spikes it was too dangerous:

And it was REALLY WINDY - 79 mph over at Mount Washington at that time of the day:


I got some super views - back to the north (Mount Washington in the distance):

Northeast at "Middle Sister":

East to the eastern White Mountains:

Southeast to the Lake District (?and the Atlantic Ocean?):


Fun picture on the way back down:


I certainly look forward to coming back up when there is a little less white stuff on the ground:


I finished hiking 6.91 miles in 3:24:


WOW - Thank you God for this Great 52-With-A-View Day!

For today's music I am staying in one of my mp3 cds that I burned back in November 2000:

Sir Charles Hubert H Parry - Symphony No.3/Symphony No.4, 1992


Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy, 1973


The Who - Quadrophenia, 1973 double album


Traffic - Traffic, 1968 second album


It was so good that I wanted to listen to it again, but then suddenly came on the first song of:

U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind, 2000

which starts off with "Beautiful Day" (which sounds GREAT driving down the highway!!!)

At the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2001, "Beautiful Day" won Song of the Year, Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and Record of the Year. In the 44th Annual Grammy Awards in 2002, "Walk On" won Record of the Year, "Elevation" won Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The album also won Best Rock Album that year. All That You Can't Leave Behind is the only album ever to have two singles win Record of the Year in two consecutive years.

Van Morrison - Veedon Fleece, 1974


Wings - Wings Over America, 1976 live triple album


Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about visiting Art Museums and National Parks (and hiking in the Rockies)
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