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!
