Feeling Liberated on Mount Liberty

Hello once again!  After yet another long hiatus, I am ready to make yet another triumphant return to the blogosphere.  This time, I think I am returning for good, as there is one crucial difference between this and my previous attempts to re-kindle the blogging flame; this time I am done with my MBA.  After three and a half long years of going to school while also working full-time and trying to have a life, I am finally done.  One of the things I hope to do with my new-found free time is blog.  Lucky you.  Try not to get your hopes up too much, though, as I don’t plan to blog every weekend, or even every other weekend, but I will write more often.

Now on to the exciting stuff.  On Sunday, Sarah and I traveled north to the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  Our objective for the day was to summit Mount Liberty, a 4,459 foot peak on Franconia Ridge, just a bit south of the popular (and spectacular) Franconia Ridge loop I walked this summer.  In the picture below, taken from the road as we approached the mountain, Mount Liberty is on the left alongside Mount Flume.  Below that is an up close picture of Liberty's rocky summit.

When we got on the trail at 11:00, it looked as if we were going to have a great day.  It was a bit cool (about 18), but nothing extraordinary for mid-December.  The trail was well broken, making snowshoes necessary only for traction, not flotation.  The hike started very gradually, as we gained very little elevation over the initial mile plus.  Eventually we started to climb, and climb, and climb some more.  The climb was grueling (gaining 3,250 vertical feet in just over 3 miles), and my out-of-shape body was feeling it.  Despite this, I couldn’t have felt better.  I mentioned to Sarah how appropriate it was to be hiking Mt. Liberty just a few days after being forever “liberated” from the burdens of school work.  I know, I know, that is a ridiculously corny statement, but it is true.  I really did think it was fitting.

As we slowly made our way up the mountain, clouds began to blanket the sky.  Finally, we reached the ridge, only 0.3 miles from the summit.  This last part of the climb was not terribly difficult, but extremely strong winds made the exposed rocky portions of the ridge somewhat interesting.  By this time, it had started to snow.  That combined with the intense winds virtually eliminated any views we may have had earlier in the day.  So we spent very little time on the summit before retreating to the safety of the woods.

Our decent was quite fast; the snow cushioned our steps and helped us glide down the mountain.  But we were tired, and the steady downhill tested our weary legs.  The snow that had started to fall as we approached the summit continued to fall at an increased intensity.  By the time we reached the car there were a couple of inches on the ground.  We had completed the 8 mile hike in just over 5 hours.  However, the most difficult part of our trip was still ahead of us.  We were hopeful that the highway (I-93) would be cleared, but that was not the case.  The road was snow covered, and what should be an easy 2 hour trip turned into a 3.5 hour, white-knuckle drive.  It wasn’t until we reached southern New Hampshire that there was any relief, as warmer temps brought rainfall in place of the snow in the north.

Our 3.5 hour trip brought us to the Lanigans, who were nice enough to have us over for dinner to celebrate my completing the MBA program, as well as Sarah’s admittance in to her own Master’s program (congratulations to you, too!).  We were lucky to also be joined by Sarah’s uncle Ben, who would be staying with us the next two nights.  This is a good thing for two reasons.  First, we both happen to like Ben.  Second, and perhaps more importantly, Ben staying with us always means a trip to Buff’s Pub.  I’m pretty sure I’m not hurting Ben’s feelings by saying that because my guess is that he would agree with me.

Anyway, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading along.  After the holidays I plan to write again.  Until then, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

1st Anniversary Celebration in Lake Placid

Hello again! It’s been way too long since we last spoke, and again I have to blame that on just being too busy to sit down and write. Well, given the exciting weekend we just had and the fact that I actually have some time off from school this week, this is the perfect time to start up again, even if it only lasts this one entry.

Before I get into this past weekend, I’d like to spend a few words on some of our other summer adventures. The first big hike of the summer was Memorial Day weekend, when Sarah, Susan, Ben and I went up Lyon Mountain in the Northern Adirondacks. After that, we hiked (in no particular order)

• Camel’s Hump - Sarah, Jessie, and I
• A shelter on the Long Trail, the name of which escapes me now – Sarah, Peter, Ben, Elizabeth, Sierra, Jessie, and I
• Blue Mt. – Sarah and Susan
• Franconia Ridge – Peter, John (friend of Peter’s), and I (pics here)

We also mixed in a mountain bike ride through the Pack Demonstration Forest and up Ben Wood Mt. in the Southeastern Adirondacks with my parents (Nancy and Dom). So, while some of these were more spectacular than others (Franconia Ridge comes to mind), we certainly have had an exciting summer.

Which brings me to this past weekend. As many of our readers know, Sarah and I were celebrating our first wedding anniversary this weekend. Of course, we celebrated the only way we know how and headed for the mountains of our beloved Adirondacks. The original plan was to backpack and spend a night camping in the backcountry. However, with Hurricane Bill threatening to dump all sorts of rain on us, we nixed those plans and booked two beds at the Adirondack Loj (pronounced “lodge”) at Heart Lake. The Loj is owned by the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) and is spelled as it is in honor of its builder, Melville Dewey (he of the Dewey Decimal System), who was a proponent of “simplified spelling” (this according to the ADK Trail Guide). More on the Loj later.

So with our new plans all set we made our way up to the mountains on Friday morning. We reached Keene Valley by about 11:30 and set out to hike Blueberry Mountain. The mountain is quite small, standing at less than 2900 feet, but it still offered impressive views of Giant Mt, Keene Valley, and part of the Lower Great Range (pics here). We finished the 4.8 mile hike in about 2.5 hours, managing to only get a little wet, and went right to the Noonmark Diner for lunch. After our lunch, we wandered around Keene Valley a bit before finally heading to the Loj.

The Adirondack Loj is an experience in itself. The building is what one would expect of an Adirondack lodge, just about as rustic as can be. There is a great room filled with Adirondack furniture and literature. Next to the great room is the dining area where the meals are served. Off of a hallway behind the great room are all the bedrooms; a combination of private rooms, four and six person bunkrooms, and a twelve-person loft. Sarah and I were to spend the first night of our first anniversary celebration in bunk beds in a four-person bunkroom. If that’s not romantic, well then I’m just not sure what is.

After getting settled in our room and checking out the property a bit, we went to Lake Placid for dinner. We grabbed a quick drink before going to Lisa G’s to eat and were back at the Loj by 9. The evening atmosphere at the Loj is quite special. It’s very quiet, while also being social. Most guests are reading, whether it be a trail guide or one of the many old Adirondack books or magazines provided. Folks tend to turn in early, so we followed suit and were in bed by 11.

Saturday morning we were up by 7, just 15 minutes before a staff member parades around the lodge ringing a triangle to wake the guests for breakfast. After enjoying a delicious and hearty breakfast and picking up our trail lunch that the staff packed for us (that’s right, they packed our lunch!) we hit the trail. The original plan for the day was to at least get to Algonquin Peak and nearby Wright Peak, and maybe add Iroquois as well. With the weather calling for possible showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon, we decided to forgo Iroquois (and the additional 2+ miles of hiking it would have required) and settle for just the two peaks.

And two impressive peaks they were. Algonquin is the second highest peak in New York, standing at 5,114 feet tall. The 4.3 mile trail to the summit is well eroded and quite rocky, save for some smooth, bare rock near the top. The climb is quite steady, as the trail gains almost 3,000 feet in elevation over the last 3 miles or so. Once on the summit we were rewarded with panoramic views of the Adirondack High Peaks. Clouds limited the views in some directions, but to some extent they actually enhanced it as well (pics here).
After lingering for a bit on the summit, we headed back down to the junction with the trail to Wright. The climb up from the junction to the 4,580 foot summit was steep, but short. Again, the views were spectacular. We stayed only briefly, however, as we felt raindrops for the first time of the day. So we made our way back down the mountain, stopping for one prolonged break at the base of a waterfall. We reached the trailhead again after having covered 9.6 miles in 7 hours. Thankfully, those few drops of rain on Wright’s summit were the only ones we felt all day.

Now that we were back at Heart Lake, its water never looked so enticing. So we took a quick dip in the lake, much to the delight of our weary muscles. It was quite rewarding to soak in the lake while gazing up at the mountains that we stood on just a few hours prior. When we were finally able to drag ourselves out of the water, we went to our real favorite watering hole, the Lake Placid Pub & Brewery. After grabbing a post-hike beer and appetizer we went to the Golden Arrow Resort and checked in to our room. Dinner that night was at the Moose Lodge Boathouse Restaurant at the Whiteface Club & Resort on the west shore of Lake Placid.

Sunday morning we spent some time hanging around Lake Placid. We checked out around 11 and left town shortly thereafter. As is always Sarah’s preference, we took a meandering route home. We made stops at a farmers' market in Keene Valley, the beautiful Elk Lake Lodge, and had lunch at Once Upon a Moose Café in Minerva before reluctantly setting our course for Newton (pics here). We arrived home shortly after 9 p.m. on Sunday evening. And so concluded a wonderful weekend, and also a wonderful first year of marriage. Here's to many more of both. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your week!

Camp Peggy O'Brien Trip

And we’re back! Sorry for the delay in entries. It’s not that we haven’t had anything exciting to write about; quite the opposite, actually. We’ve just been too busy to take the time to blog about any of it. Well, I spent this past weekend (March 27-29) in a cabin in the middle of the Adirondack High Peaks, so I just had to make time to write this week.

Before I get to the most recent weekend adventure, allow me a few quick words on how we’ve been keeping busy. For the most part, we’ve been relatively stationary over the last several weeks (that tends to happen when Sarah is in the middle of application reading season). We did mix in a one night get-away in Portland, ME, complete with a dinner at the American Flatbread Co. and a short hike up Douglas Mountain near Sebago Lake the next day (pics here). Other than that, we’ve welcomed a couple guests, none more welcome than my parents (hi Mom and Dad!). When my parents visited they treated us to a delectable dinner at Henrietta’s Table in Cambridge, then we treated them to cannolis at Mike’s Pastry. We also took a trip up to Mt. Monadnock in south-central New Hampshire one beautiful Sunday in March (pics here). Desperate for our after-hike beer, we went to the only place we knew wouldn’t let us down…Wachusett Mountain. Who said you could only enjoy an après-ski party after you skied?

Now, on to the main event. As I already mentioned, I spent this weekend in one of my favorite places on earth; the Adirondacks. The only problem, I was there without Sarah. This visit to the Dacks was courtesy of a backpacking trip with my good friend Andrew, and 12 other guys that I did not know. For Andrew, this trip is a yearly event. For me, it was my first time. We stayed at Camp Peggy O’Brien on Johns Brook. It truly is in the heart of the High Peaks. The camp is about a 3.5 mile hike from the Garden trailhead in Keene Valley. We hiked in on Friday under sunny skies and very mild temperatures. The hike was difficult as we were carrying packs with clothing, food, and drinks for the weekend (turns out you can’t get beer or whiskey from the brook, only water). The camp itself is quite rustic, but it does provide some comfort in the form of propane heating and lighting.

Once we were settled in at the cabin, seven of us headed out for a small hike to a ledge called Short Job. At the lookout we officially kicked the weekend off with cheese and crackers topped with artichoke hearts and smoked trout and meat (courtesy of Oscar’s Adirondack Smokehouse in Warrensburg), all of which we washed down with some adult beverages. Dinner that night was not your typical back-country fare, as we enjoyed pasta with a chicken meat sauce along with broccoli rabe and garlic bread. It was quite a treat.

After a night spent tossing and turning in my sauna-like third level bunk, I was up early Saturday morning to get ready for the big hike that day. We left the cabin just short of 9 a.m. and hit the trail on our way to Upper Wolfjaw (UWJ), Armstrong, and Gothics, three of the High Peaks. (Only nine of the fourteen guys attempted the three-peak hike. The other five choose to do a somewhat less demanding hike). The trail climbed gradually at first, then descended briefly before beginning a long, arduous climb to the col between Upper and Lower Wolfjaw mountains. From there the trail continued upwards to a false summit (which had us all fooled), dropped again, then ascended to the real summit (yep, we all thought we were climbing the second peak at this point). Here, we took a short break on the 4,185 foot high summit of UWJ.

After our rest we got back on the trail which dropped very steeply off the summit. Although Armstrong’s summit is only a bit more than 200 feet higher than UWJ, the net elevation gain ends up being at least a couple hundred feet more. The ascent up Armstrong was easily the hardest part of the day for me. There were several very steep pitches that were sheer ice. When climbing one of the steeper and longer icy pitches I dropped one of my poles, and though it was just out of my reach, I was in too precarious of a position to go back down for it. A bit later on a different (and thankfully much shorter) icy patch I lost my footing and fell about ten feet before being stopped by the trees lining the trail. Tired and frustrated, I trudged upward until finally reaching the 4,400 foot summit of Armstrong.

We rested briefly on Armstrong before pressing on to the ultimate goal, the 4,736 foot summit of the majestic Gothics Mountain. (The picture above is of Gothics from Armstrong. It really is an awesome mountain). Of course, in order to climb up, we first had to go down. We left Armstrong’s rocky summit and headed back into the trees. Much sooner than I expected we emerged from the trees and were ready to make the final climb to the summit. The climb up the open ridge was exhilarating. With each step the views got better and better, culminating with absolutely stunning summit vistas. It seems like a good time to mention the weather; sunny skies, temperatures near 60ْ , little to no wind. In short, it was perfect. Even in mid-summer you would be lucky to have weather that pleasant on the summit of a mountain like Gothics.

Taking advantage of the brilliant weather, we all got comfortable on the summit to eat and take some pictures. Here, the decision was made by some of the more daring members of the group to bushwhack off the mountain. That group left the mountain first. I decided I’d rather stick to the trail, so I lingered on the summit a bit longer (actually falling asleep briefly) before heading down with the two senior members of the group. (That’s right, everyone under 50 years old decided to bushwhack except for me. That’s what I call making smart decisions). Once back on the trail, I realized that completing the loop over Gothics was not going to be easy either. The trail down the West face of the mountain is so steep in parts that permanent cables have been installed to assist hikers. (The cables are there more to protect the fragile vegetation on the mountain than assist hikers, but those two things often go hand in hand. You can read more on that here if you feel so inclined). After the steep descent off the mountain, the rest of the hike out was nothing more than a leisurely stroll along (and sometimes in) the Orebed Brook.

I arrived back at the cabin over 8 hours after I had left. The hike covered 8.5 miles and a total elevation gain of over 3000 feet. I quickly cracked open a well deserved beer (unfortunately, there would be no trip to the Lake Placid Pub & Brewery this time) and enjoyed a fun but relaxing evening. Dinner that night was even better than the first, as we were treated to a Sri Lankan beef stew. We hiked out in light rain the next morning and immediately went to the Noonmark Diner, where we splurged on burgers and soda (and I never drink soda).

All in all it was a splendid weekend. Good people, good food, and great hiking (with a huge assist from the weather) made for a great time. I have every intention of making this an annual event and am already looking forward to next year’s trip. With that, I should stop writing now. Pictures from the weekend are here, and many more are still to follow. Bob, the trip organizer, is a bit trigger happy with the camera and he will be sharing his shots soon. Sorry for the length of this entry. I hope to be writing again soon, but given my recent track record, I wouldn’t hold my breath. Thanks for reading and enjoy your week!

Skiing and Scattergories

For the first time since the introduction of the blog, we have gone two weeks between updates. Do not be alarmed, as this may happen from time to time. In the event that this does occur, please remain calm and I will do my best to post as soon as possible. Why does this have to happen, you ask? Well, for two reasons. Number 1: we are very busy, and sometimes it’s just going to be hard to fit a blog entry into the schedule. Number 2: we won’t always have much to write about. It just so happened that for the first month of the blog we were doing something fun and adventurous each weekend. That won’t always be the case, and in those times, we won’t force an entry. This weekend, however, was very exciting, so here you go.

This weekend, our good friend Laura Mullen invited us up to her parent’s house in Wilmington, VT. This was great on two levels. First, we got to stay at a beautiful house in a beautiful part of Vermont with some of our best friends. And second, Saturday was Valentine’s Day, and I didn’t have to make any plans. Thankfully, Sarah’s not really into Valentine’s Day anyway, but it was still nice to have something to do. There were six of us in all; Laura (of course) and A.J., Dre and A.C., and Sarah and me. In Valentine’s Day speak, it was a triple date (I know, I know…that’s super corny).

We all arrived within a few hours of each other on Friday night. It was a relaxing evening, as we toured the house (did I mention it’s beautiful?), shared a couple drinks, and chatted awhile before heading to bed to get some rest for our big day ski day at Mount Snow.

It was our intention to get to the mountain as the lifts were opening at 9 a.m. Of course, that didn’t quite happen. By the time we made the 20 minute drive to the mountain and were ready to hit the slopes it was almost 11. We were greeted by huge lift lines (Happy President’s Day!) and waited nearly an hour before our first run. After that the lines were not quite as bad, as many skiers broke for lunch. We skied through the afternoon, stopping only for lunch and a beer at around 1. Conditions were great on the mountain, as there was a good amount of powder and minimal ice. Our group was of varied ability, as two members had only been on skis a couple of times (A.C. and A.J.), one was on a snowboard for the second time (Dre), and the other three (Laura, Sarah, and I) had considerably more experience. The beginners all did exceptionally well (especially A.J., whose experience on skates combined with his retro ski jacket made it seem like he’d been skiing for years).

When we finally had enough we packed our things and headed back to the house. It was now game time! What game, you ask? Uno, of course! The deck of cards we used was older than all of us! We decided to try and get a quick game in before dinner, which turned out to be a mistake, as two hours later we finally started cooking. A.C. made some delicious chicken parm which we smothered with my homemade pasta sauce (my Dad’s secret recipe). It was excellent, especially considering (or perhaps, because) we were all a few drinks deep.

After dinner we went back to the games, and this time it was Scattergories. I could go into great detail here, describing how the game went and all the hilarity that ensued. But this has already been a long entry, and I would not be able to do it justice, anyway. So you’ll just have to take my word…it was funny. There is one thing I feel like I should mention about the game, and that is that I won. That’s the kind of thing you need to know. Everything else is just details.

Sunday morning we made a big pancake breakfast, cleaned up a bit, and then hit the road. I really can’t say enough about how much fun we had, and I can’t thank Laura’s parents enough for letting us all stay at the house for the weekend. Those of you who were there (you know who you are), please feel free to comment below if there is anything you’d like to add. You can see all the pics here. With that, I am done for now. Enjoy your week!

Stowe Pinnacle and so much more

As I mentioned last time we spoke, Sarah and I spent this weekend in Vermont, staying with Sarah’s parents in Woodstock. Of course, Sarah’s parents are, now my in-laws. This still sounds strange to me because I actually like them, and from what I understand, that’s just not normal. Oh well, I’ll give it some time, maybe I’ll come around. Now, we never need an excuse to come to Vermont. It just so happened that this time we had one. Bill McKibben, an excellent author as well as tireless environmental activist, was scheduled to speak at the Woodstock Town Hall. More on that later. For now, let’s take a hike.

As Saturday morning rolled around, Sarah and I had no idea where we were going to hike. We knew that we were going to be ending up in Warren, VT for dinner (home of Sarah’s Uncle Ben, Aunt Susan, and their two beautiful children, Elizabeth and Sam). We also knew that we didn’t want something that would take forever to complete. So we choose Stowe Pinnacle, a small mountain in the Worcester Range. (I know what you’re thinking…Worcester? Believe me, it’s much nicer than the dumpy city in Massachusetts of the same name.) This time, we brought Jessie along (the Boston’s beautiful English Setter, for those who may not know). The hike started with a gentle climb through a thin hardwood forest. The climb gradually steepened (and seemingly never relented), mixing in a few rather steep pitches for good measure. Eventually, the trail leveled as we reached a little col where a spur trail led to a nice view of the Stowe Valley.

After briefly taking in the view, we got back on the main trail and continued to the summit. At this point the trail wrapped around to the backside of the mountain and descended a bit before beginning the final ascent. Emerging onto the 2740 foot summit we were greeted with beautiful views. Although we had stood in this same spot just over two years ago, we were still surprised by the landscape that sprawled out before us. Across the Stowe Valley stood two of Vermont’s most famous landmarks, Camels Hump and Mount Mansfield. Their striking profiles easily make them two of the most interesting mountains I have ever seen (and climbed). We lingered on the summit just long enough to snap a few pictures (which are here) and let Jessie soak up the view before we moved out of the wind to have our lunch. After that we made a speedy descent and were back at the car just over 2.5 hours from when we left it.

Before heading to Ben and Susan’s we stopped at The Shed in Stowe Village to enjoy a beer and a warm bowl of soup. Of course, the hiker who was most deserving of a treat like this had to wait in the car. Why? Well, because she’s a dog. I say she’s most deserving because, as is always the case, Jessie covered at least four times as much ground as Sarah and I did. It’s just the way she hikes (and as far as I’m concerned, better her than me).

After our quick pit-stop we continued on to Warren. We were lucky enough to have Brian and J.J. Lanigan join us all for the evening. It was especially great to see the little kids. Sam is really growing and it’s getting easier and easier to make him smile. As for Elizabeth, she is the most perfect 26 month old I have ever seen. Of course, I may be somewhat biased considering that she adores me (I am such a sucker).

Finally, I mentioned above that we had the pleasure of listening to a favorite author of ours speak on Sunday (along with US Senator Bernie Sanders). Their focus was on the state of the economy and where the environment fits in that picture. I won’t get into any detail of the talk, but it was extremely interesting and I am thankful that we have people like Bill McKibben making an effort to preserve our planet. With that, I am done for now. Enjoy your week!

Negotiating Crane Mountain

This weekend Sarah and I visited my parents in Latham to spend some time with the fam and celebrate my father’s birthday (albeit a couple of weeks late). Considering our weekend base-camp’s proximity to the Adirondacks, we had the perfect opportunity to head out for a day of snowshoeing. Of course, we took full advantage of this and made our way to Crane Mountain. This time we had company, as Sarah’s brother (my new brother-in-law) Peter and his roommate Tom came along for the hike.

Crane Mountain is in the tiny hamlet of Thurman in the southern part of the Adirondack Park. Although it stands at a modest 3240 feet, it is significantly taller than the mountains around it. That coupled with its several bare rock ledges make it a rather impressive looking mountain. In her book 50 Hikes in the Adirondacks, Barbara McMartin calls Crane her favorite peak in the park. While I’m not quite ready to give it that label, it certainly was a great mountain to hike.

After picking up Pete and Tom in Saratoga and grabbing some sandwiches, we set off to the trailhead (or at least as close to it as we could get). We started out at about noon and had the makings of a beautiful day. The first part of the walk was along an un-maintained road for about 0.4 miles until we reached the actual trailhead. We then entered the woods and almost immediately began to climb…steeply. The steep grade combined with the significant amount of snow and the frequent ice made for rather slow going. We were rewarded early for our efforts as good views were available almost immediately through the thin forest.

Eventually the grade leveled off and we reached the first of many open rock ledges, providing good views to the west. As we continued along the trail we soon entered a beautiful pine forest. Heavy snow blanketed the forest, giving it surreal feel. We caught occasional glimpses of the steep rock ledges above that drop from the summit, and the rock's contrast with the incredibly deep blue sky was stunning. Soon we emerged from the forest and began to climb again. Two ladders had been placed along the trail to assist climbers in ascending some tricky sections. Finally, we walked on to the summit, and it was awesome. Views to the south and west were completely unobstructed. To the north we could see the High Peaks through an opening in the trees; and to the east we had views into Vermont. The sky was so clear and so blue that it seemed like we could see forever.

We stood for as long as we could on the summit, but the chilling wind was making it difficult to keep warm. So after snapping several pictures and posing for a group photo we continued across the summit ridge and began the descent to Crane Mountain Pond. (I’d like to thank the crazy guy on the summit who took our picture just before he took his shirt off and lay down in the snow. I know you said it was a tradition, but that’s a little ridiculous.) The descent was very steep, but it was so much fun. As Peter would say, we “charged it”, flying down the mountain in what might best be described as controlled chaos (and I use the term “controlled” quite loosely). We quickly came to the pond, which was nice, but nothing too special.

Continuing on, we climbed gradually away from the pond. Soon we came back to the first clearing that we saw on the way up. We were not supposed to be here again, but at some point we made a wrong turn and took a cut-off trail instead of completing the loop. No worries, though, as this was one of the nicest spots on the mountain. Here we sat in the sun and out of the wind to enjoy our lunch before resuming our descent. Our wrong turn was not all good, however, as now we had to negotiate some of the tricky spots that made the climb up difficult. A few sections required a bit of creativity. The preferred method by most was the soon to be patented “Tommy T. Tushie Slide.” My method was seldom as pretty, but just as effective. Peter described it best as part barrel roll and part "Tommy T. Tushie Slide." (Sorry, there is no video of this). Either way, much fun was had by all. While I was struggling most to control my speed, Sarah was having equal amounts of trouble controlling her laughter. Thankfully, we all survived and completed the hike in a grand total of about 3 hours and 15 minutes.

All-in-all, it was a tremendous hike. A beautiful day on an awesome mountain with great company…it doesn’t get better than that! On the way home, we enjoyed some delicious, well-deserved beers by the fire at The Log Jam Restaurant in Lake George (Pete and Tom can be seen doing so at right). As always, you can find the full photo album from the hike here. We’ll be heading to Vermont this coming weekend, so hopefully we’ll have another hike to write about soon. Hope you all have a great week, and we’ll talk to you soon!

Winter Weekend in Keene, part 2 - Snow Mountain

Our Saturday evening in the North Country included a delicious dinner at Tip A Canoe in Keene and drinks by the fire at the Ausable Inn in Keene Valley. We woke up to snow on Sunday morning and planned to hike the small but rewarding Snow Mountain. After our second consecutive breakfast at Cedar Run Bakery, we made our way to the trail head in St. Huberts.

We chose to approach Snow Mountain via the Deer Brook trail. Initially the trail follows the brook very closely, crossing it several times. At times, we would be standing on a frozen part of the brook and could hear (and sometimes even see) the water rushing beneath our feet. It was very slow going, as we had numerous rather steep scrambles to negotiate. We gladly welcomed the challenge, partially because it was such a contrast from the generally easy walking we did the day before, but also because the trail was so beautiful.

Eventually we climbed out of the ravine and away from Deer Brook and began a slight but steady ascent to Snow Mountain. The trail only steepened for the last couple tenths of a mile before we emerged on the mostly open summit. At only 2362 feet of elevation, Snow Mountain is dwarfed by its much more prominent neighbors. However, climbers are rewarded with nice views of those other peaks. On this day, views to the south and east were mostly snowed in, although we did get a glimpse of Giant and Noonmark Mountains through the light snow. Our best view was of the cliffs on Rooster Comb Mountain, but even that was a little hazy. All of our pictures from the hike can be seen here.

The descent was a breeze, mainly because we choose not to walk back along Deer Brook, but to take the “high-water” route instead. This amounted to walking down a gravel road for the last half-mile or so. After enjoying a hearty lunch at the Noonmark Diner, we began the trek home. Heavy snow turned the usual 4.5 hour ride into a 7+ hour marathon. Even still, it was a wonderful weekend, and we can’t wait to head back to the area.

Winter Weekend in Keene (Avalanche Pass hike)

This past weekend Sarah and I visited one of our favorite places in the world, the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks. I booked the weekend for the two of us and put it under the Christmas tree for Sarah, although it's just as much a present for me, too. We stayed at the shiny new Dartbrook Lodge in Keene. As is to be expected at an Adirondack lodge, rustic is the theme, and they pull it off nicely.

We arrived to bitter cold temperatures on Friday night. It was the kind of cold that makes you cough when you take a deep breath and freezes whatever may be in your nose at the time. The temperature gauge read as low as 16 below on our return trip to the lodge after dinner in Lake Placid. Despite the cold, Saturday morning we planned a hike through the spectacular Avalanche pass. The hike starts slowy, departing from the Adirondack Loj and heading to Marcy Dam. The sun did try and fight through the trees from time to time, giving us some nice shots along the trail.

Eventually we began the steep climb up into the pass and saw the results of a recent avalanche, evident by the barren slopes above and the tangled mess of trees in the pass.

After climbing down from the pass, we emerged on to the frozen shores of Avalanche Lake. It was an incredible sight, sheer cliffs rising directly out of the lake on each side. We ventured out on to the lake just far enough to get a view of the famous Trap Dike on Mount Colden, but were forced to turn back by the bone-chilling wind (that really doesn't do it justice...it was more of a bone-freezing wind). Fortunately, we were able to snap a couple of pictures before our hands became entirely useless. We returned the way we came, completing the 9.2 mile hike in just shy of 5 hours. Of course, we rewarded ourselves with a beer and some soup from the Lake Placid Pub & Brewery before heading back to the lodge.

Well, I've just finished my beer (from the LPP&B, of course) and it is getting late, so I will get to the remainder of the weekend at another time. For now, enjoy a few more pictures from the hike (the whole album is available via the link in the margin above) and we'll be back with more soon.

Welcome!

Greetings, and welcome to our blog! Sarah and I have been toying with the idea of starting a blog for a little while and finally decided to go ahead and do it. We plan to mainly post about the hikes that we do for our family and friends to read about, but I'm sure we'll end up posting about a little of everything. Thanks for stopping by...enjoy!