Adirondacks '12: Day 4

"Lazy Day, Big Meals, Phil's Birthday"

Trip report in diary format. Brother Eric's account of the day is here and here:

7:45am

I've been up for maybe 20 minutes. I slept great, though it got cold in the night. I started out in just the bag liner, but woke up in the night and got inside the sleeping bag. I was awake sometime shortly after 6am, but I was so warm and comfy that I laid there for a while, listening to the birds and the early morning sounds of a campground. John, Ted, and Phil were up very early, and are preparing a breakfast feast.

The campground looks completely full, and there are Quebec license plates and French language conversations on all sides of us.

9:36am
We've been reminded that it's Phil's birthday, and we've wished him a happy day. He's let it be known that he's not a "birthday" guy - thus ensuring that we continue to make a big fuss over it for the rest of the day.

We've just finished a breakfast feast fit for a king: eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, yogurt, and a mix of potatoes, peppers, and onions. It's a beautiful sunny morning, though the forecast calls for a 30% chance of rain. I feel surprisingly good after yesterday's hike - just a tiny bit stiff.

2:55pm
We spent a lazy morning around camp: reading, chatting, playing guitar. Eric and Phil talked about driving into the town of Lake Placid to walk around and have lunch. Then the sky darkened and rain looked imminent, so we all decided to come along. As we got into the town, it started pouring rain, so we found a nice little pub, ordered some beer and wings, and settled in.

Phil liked the design on his beer glass and asked the waiter if they sold them. "Just put it in your pocket", he was told. This made us laugh, as we used to do exactly that, only without being invited by the waiter. Later, the waiter brought Phil one of the glasses in a carryout bag, which we dubbed his birthday present.

Now we're back at camp and it's still raining lightly - though it's hardly noticeable under the cover of trees at our campsite.

4:04pm
I'm back from...not exactly a hike...more a walk around the campground. I needed to stretch my legs after two big meals, and a third to come. The map showed a trail around the circumference of Heart Lake, and I found it. I went out in my rain jacket, but the rain stopped about as soon as I started, so I carried it the rest of the way. It seems to be clearing up, and there are patches of blue again.

6:13pm
The sun is out again, and the guys are cooking dinner over the campfire. Phil is doing big steaks with the works (veggies, corn on the cob, and garlic bread.)

Sacre bleu...our next-door Quebecians seem to be trying to smoke us out - they're trying to burn wet or green wood, and the breeze is bringing their smoke into our camp. French-accented curses fly....

We're talking about plans for tomorrow: I have a strong desire to hike to the summit of Algonquin Peak. I feel good and I want to give it a try. It will be a challenge - it's the second-highest point in New York State, just shy of Marcy, but the trail to the peak is two miles shorter - which means it's much steeper. John and Ted attempted Algonquin four years ago, and got close to the top before being told by a ranger that the trail was closed because of approaching thunderstorms.

No one's interested in joining me, which is fine, I'm happy to hike by myself. They're planning to hike to the summit of Mt. Jo, then hike back to Rocky Falls for a picnic and a swim.

7:38pm
We just finished a steak and veggie feast. Phil and Eric out-did themselves. That's three very big and very excellent meals today. It's a gorgeous evening - sunshine and blue sky. There are plenty of leftovers, and there will be steak for breakfast - not for me though, my tentative plan is to be up and out at first light, so I'm preparing everything I can now.  I want to wake up, dress, and go.

8:51pm
We have a roaring campfire going. Is there any better way to spend an evening than sitting around the campfire with good company? It's still a gorgeous evening, and the daylight is just starting to fade.

9:49pm

Heart Lake just after sunset

Guitar by the campfire. I've played everything I can think of, and the guys want more. I need to learn more songs before the next trip.

I just walked out into the clearing to see if there are stars, and there aren't - there's still a last remnant of daylight.

10:33pm
I walked out into the clearing one last time, and now the last daylight is gone, and there are a million stars out. It's not quite the sky we saw in the Dakotas, but it's pretty close. Someone saw a shooting star (Eric, I think).

Nite nite.

Adirondacks '12: Day 3

"Return to Mt. Marcy"

Trip report in diary format. Brother Eric's account of the day is here and here.

5:13am
Rise and shine. We were all awakened a while ago by the loudest squawking birds I’ve ever heard. There were a few of them, and they were close. I don’t know if they were vultures of some kind?

I slept very well. It never got cold - I spent the night inside my bag liner on top of the actual sleeping bag, and never felt the need to get inside the bag itself.

6:58am
We’re packed and ready, leaving the campsite and starting our hike. We had breakfast bars and yogurt for breakfast, then made sandwiches for lunch and packed our day-packs. I have all the fluids I can carry, two sandwiches, a baggie of GORP, a bunch of PowerBars, a rain jacket, and a fleece vest. That makes for a full and heavy day-pack. I'm bringing my iPhone for pics and maybe to capture the GPS track (though Eric has his GPS.) I have it off to conserve battery, and will turn it on if/when I need it.

The plan is simple - we'll take the Van Hoevenberg Trail to the summit of Mt. Marcy. It's a 14.8 mile round trip with 3,223 feet of vertical elevation gain - very strenuous by any measure. There's a mood of eager anticipation.

7:29am
Junction for the trail to Algonquin Peak, which means we've come about one mile. It's a very pleasant morning, and I feel great - ready for anything Marcy can throw at us (and yes, I fully realize the "famous last words" potential for that thought.)

7:55am
Marcy Dam. Except that it doesn't exist any more. Apparently last summer's hurricane (I forget the name, but the one that sent Darling Wife scurrying for her home and native land) washed it away. There's a detour around it, which hopefully won't add too much mileage to our hike.

8:30am
The detour around Marcy Dam was short, and a temporary bridge has been constructed. We're now starting to climb - the trail is a muddy and rocky trail ascending alongside Phelps Brook.

We're at a decision point. I've been in the lead, with Phil and Ted close behind. John and Eric have been lagging some, and I've been making stops to let them catch up. They're telling us to go ahead and not wait for them, that they feel bad slowing us down. Part of me agrees that this is logical...but I also don't feel good about leaving them behind. There's some discussion, and they tell us to go. We agree, and start off again. Hiking order is me, Phil, Ted.

10:06am

Water break. It's been a hard, steep, rocky, relentless climb - just as I remembered. But I feel good, and I think we're all doing well. It's overcast now, though there are patches of blue in the sky. The day could go either way - it could clear and be sunny, or clouds could come in and make it just as miserable as our first time. It's 1.2 miles to the top, and there's still a *lot* of climbing to do.

Ugh, I just looked toward the summit, and it's completely wrapped in clouds. A very discouraging sight.

10:51am
Summit of Marcy! The high point of New York State. It's now sunny and clear, thank goodness! That last 1.2 is just punishing and relentless - much of it scrambling over bare rock (as we're above the treeline.) The views are breathtaking in all directions.

I'm as wet as if I'd just jumped in a lake, and will now strip off shoes, socks, and shirt - to let them dry some for the return hike. I'll also chug some Gatorade, and eat a sandwich. Happy happy feeling.

11:16am
The cool breeze whipping us feels delightful. If I had any brains, I would have brought a change of shirt and socks with me. Sadly, I don't - but my socks have been inside-out, drying on a rock, and they'll do for the hike down. Phil, a prince among men, *did* bring a second shirt, but doesn't want to change, and has offered it to me. I'm not too proud to take it.

We chatted with some other hikers lounging at the summit as we ate, drank, and dried off. We're drinking in the views - and also thinking of Eric and John and wishing they were here with us.

We're ready to start back down. I've turned on my iPhone to take some pics, and will turn on the GPS track - hopefully I have enough battery to get the whole track from the summit back to camp.

My legs are a little sore, but overall I feel really good.

12:18pm

Water break. I'm still taking the lead, and I'm not making many stops. I need to take breaks when climbing, but not when descending. Phil and Ted aren't calling for stops either, so we keep moving. At one point, Ted started singing "Cripple Creek", which starts with the line "When I get off of this mountain...." Very appropriate, and now I have the song in my head.

The clouds have cleared, and it's now a beautiful sunny day. Discussion of whether we're going to meet John and Eric ascending...but so far we haven't. Also discussion of what the first beer will taste like when we get back to camp.

There's unanimous agreement that now that we've seen the view from the summit of Marcy in good weather, there's no need to ever climb it again. I offer that I can only think of one scenario that will get me on the Van Hoevenberg Trail again - and that's if a ninja hits me with a poisoned dart and tells me that the antidote is on the summit of Marcy.

2:21pm
Trailhead! We did it. Satisfaction and relief. I'm a little footsore, and just generally weary - but a hot shower and clean dry clothes will remedy that. Phil just told us that he's wearing a heart monitor, which tells him he's burned 5,555 calories on the hike. We tell him he can go to Wendy's and eat five Baconators and still be good for the day.

I'm happy to see that my iPhone battery has held out, so I should have a GPS track for the hike back.

7:21pm
Beautiful day and evening in camp. The weather is perfect. It turns out that Eric and John hiked a ways further after we separated, and then turned back. They also had a little misadventure, which can be read about in Eric's trip report.

The campground is filling up (actually, it's probably completely full now), and mostly with Quebec license plates. There's probably more French than English being spoken in the campground.

I feel really good - surprisingly good. Yes, I can feel the miles I did today, but my legs aren't aching, and I'm not wiped out.

Burgers and dogs are on the grill, and I'm pretty sure they're going to be the best ever.

10:15pm-ish
It got cooler when the sun went down, and I put on long pants and a flannel shirt (prompting Ted's comment that I've "gone full Neil Young.") It was another lovely evening around the campfire - delicious dinner, much discussion of the day's hikes, some well-earned beers, and more guitar playing.

Overall, a very satisfying day. I won't call it "revenge on Marcy" - we got lucky with good weather at the summit, but she could just as easily have slapped us in the face again.

Nite nite.

Adirondacks '12: Day 2

"Setting up Camp, Hiking to Rocky Falls and Mount Jo"

Trip report in diary format. Brother Eric's account of the day is here, here, and here.

7:27am
We're up and getting ready. I slept well. The original plan was that we'd all go to Walmart, but John and Phil were up early, and figured they could go get the things we need. That's fine with me. When they get back, we'll re-load the van, then get a quick breakfast and hit the road.

8:56am
The boys are back from Walmart with groceries and now we're packing the van. I have no idea how we're going to get even more in the van than we had yesterday.... Oh, Phil got me a $3.50 pair of sunglasses. I like them as sunglasses, and I *love* that they cost $3.50!

9:27am
We did it, everything is loaded - I don't know how. We're hitting the McDonald's drive-through for Egg (or Sausage) McMuffins and coffee. It's a bright sunny day, and already quite warm, and we're looking forward to getting to the campground.

12:05pm
We're unloading the van and settling into our two campsites at the Wilderness Campground at Heart Lake. Eric and I will be in site #9, and my tent is already up. The rest of the guys will be in site #10, and that's where we're setting up the "kitchen" and Phil's pavilion (dubbed the "party tent"), where we can take cover if it rains. The sites are shady and secluded, and there are no sites here that I’d rather have. The day is quite hot and somewhat humid, but there’s a breeze, and it doesn’t feel bad. I'm very happy to have arrived.

1:46pm

Phil, John, Ted, Dave below Rocky Falls

We finished setting up camp, had a quick lunch, changed into hiking clothes, and are ready to hit the trail. We stopped in at the High Peaks Information Center, but there were no rangers to talk to, so we’ve decided on a short hike - we’ll hike to Rocky Falls, a bit over two miles away, then come back via the summit of Mount Jo - which is a short climb, though steep in places, leading to a fantastic view of Heart Lake and the surrounding high peaks.

2:47pm
We’re at Rocky Falls. It was a very pleasant hike to get here. We ran into a ranger on the trail, who was pleasant, but our conversation with him was frustrating. He was a young guy, and John asked him a few different times to recommend a good hike besides for Mt. Marcy (which we *are* doing.) He said a lot of words, but never answered that simple question.

The trail hit a rocky stream, and we could hear the waterfall a short distance away. When we walked toward it, a dog started barking, and alerted two sunbathing ladies to our presence. We chatted a bit and explored the waterfall. It was very pretty, a 6-8 foot chute coming through the rocks, then over, and had a lovely-looking swimming hole at its base. We were all ready to jump in, but we didn’t have towels, or any other way to dry our feet - and hiking in wet feet the day before attempting Marcy wouldn’t be wise. So we passed up the swimming hole, regretfully - though there was talk of returning another day.

4:19pm

Heart Lake from the summit of Mt. Jo

Ted and I are at the summit of Mount Jo. When we got to the connector trail, Phil and Eric decided to head back to camp and start preparing dinner. We needed ice and firewood, and the camp store closes at 5:00 - so we didn’t think we could do Jo and get back in time. John started with Ted and me, but then decided to join the guys at camp. I had forgotten just how steep Mt. Jo is in spots. But the view from the top is fantastic - you're high above Heart Lake (and it feels like you're looking straight down at the lake), and a number of the high peaks are spread out around you. We’ll sit on the rocky summit, sip a Gatorade, and enjoy the view.

8:28pm
It's a perfect evening - warm and beautiful. There are many empty campsites, though I imagine they’ll all fill up tomorrow for the weekend. We’ve finished dinner, which was a feast: marinated chicken breasts, baked potatoes, green beans, and salad. There was some disagreement as to how the potatoes should be cooked, and the result was potatoes charred beyond recognition - completely black and possibly useful as hockey pucks. Much fun was had with our carbon lumps.

Cell phone service is spotty to non-existent. I thought there'd be service if we walked up to the lodge, but there isn't. The lodge does have Wifi, but it might be the slowest I've ever used. We're basically disconnected - and that's fine.

9:49pm

We've been sitting around the campfire talking and having a beer. There's talk and some prep for tomorrow's Mt. Marcy hike. I’ve also gotten my guitar out, and it’s a whole lot of fun to have it here. Today is one of the longest days of the year, and it’s not completely dark out. I’m happy (and a little surprised) that it's still warm - I'm in shorts and a t-shirt. Four years ago we were here at the same time of year and we were bundled in fleece and huddled around the fire to keep warm. Everyone's tired, and we'll be hitting the sack soon. We want to get an early start on Marcy.

10:15pm
Nite nite.

Adirondacks '12: Day 1

"On the Road"

Trip report in diary format. Brother Eric's account of the day starts here and continues here.

11:00am
We've loaded the van and are departing Phil's at exactly 11:00. There are five of us in a rented Dodge Grand Caravan with all our gear and supplies, and it's hard to see how we could cram anything else in. I'm surprised at how tight things are - we also had five guys in a Grand Caravan two years ago for the Great Smokies trip, and the van wasn't this full. I brought my travel guitar, and I said that if necessary, it would ride between my legs - and that's exactly where it is. It was either that or leave it home, and I very much want to bring it. Ah well, we're packed and on the road.

Eric picked me up around 9:30 and we drove to Phil's together. I have a number of smallish bags and duffels, and Eric has the same. We were the first to arrive at Phil's, followed closely by Ted, and then John.

In addition to our clothes and camping gear, we're taking a lot of provisions with us. Eric bought a list of non-perishable items, and Phil has planned most of the menus and has pre-packaged and frozen a number of meals. We'll just have a small list of perishables to pick up tomorrow morning before heading into the campground.

12:59pm
Lunch stop at Wendy's, Morristown, NJ. All is well, and we're making good time. Spirits are high. Phil is driving, as usual. Eric is the second driver, and is in the passenger seat. I'm behind the driver, John is behind Eric, and Ted is back in steerage.

We note, looking at the Wendy's nutrition chart, that their Baconator burger is over 1,000 calories, and I forget how many grams of fat. Much hilarity ensues, and the Baconator will be a recurring theme.

3:26pm
Rest stop on I-87 approaching Albany. We're making good time and all is well. It's scorching hot. The weekend forecast for home is very high heat, and we're pleased to see that the forecast for the Adirondacks is significantly cooler. I realize that I didn't bring sunglasses with me, which isn't a big deal...I don't wear them that often anyway.

5:02pm
Rodeway Inn, Lake George, NY. It was an uneventful trip, and we're very happy to be off the road. We have two rooms: one for the early-to-bed folks (Eric and I), and the other for the night owls.

We realize with disgust that we should all have put one change of clothes and our toiletries in our daypacks - so that we wouldn't have to completely unpack and re-pack the van. But we didn't think of that until now. Unpacking is a pain, and re-packing tomorrow morning will be a double pain. Oh well, no alternative now.

I should note that my older daughter considers staying in a motel "cheating." She thinks that on a camping trip, you're not allowed to do anything but camp. I'm not sure where she gets these ideas? I'm not sure if bringing frozen hamburgers is also cheating...perhaps we're only supposed to eat what we've personally hunted? I think we've watched too much Survivorman together....

10:00pm-ish
We had a pleasant low-key evening in Lake George. We drive into the town and walked around. The lake itself is very pretty - the town around it less so. It's very commercial and touristy - the kind of place I don't really enjoy. But it was nice to walk around. We found a place on the waterfront that had wings and beer, and we enjoyed our meal and the view of the water. We walked some more afterwards and even found a couple of geocaches (Phil is a cacher in addition to Eric and me.)

Now we're back in the rooms. We all watched some TV together, but now Eric and I are back in our room reading, and lights out will be soon.

Packed and Ready for Departure

The long-awaited Adirondacks '12 boys' trip starts tomorrow. Things have been so busy recently that I haven't really gotten excited about it - even through yesterday, when I was feeling almost overwhelmed by everything I had to do before I could leave with a clean conscience.

But now it's all come together, and I'm finally excited. I'm packed and ready to go. Eric will pick me up in the morning, we'll drive to Phil's, load the van as folks arrive, and go as soon as we can.

I look at my bags, and it seems like a lot for four days of hiking and two travel days. But our experience is that the weather changes often - rainy, sunny, quite warm, and quite cold. So I've packed a lot of layers. I have two very small gym bags, one small duffel bag, a large duffel bag of camping gear (tent, sleeping bag, etc.), my day-pack (which can ride with me), and my travel guitar (which I will keep at my feet, if necessary.) I really can't pare it down much (yes, I could leave the guitar...but I'm bringing it if at all possible.)

Tomorrow we'll drive as far as Glens Falls, NY, where we've reserved two cheap motel rooms. Thursday morning we'll hit a Walmart or equivalent for groceries, then head into the park. Check-in at the campground is noon, and we'd like to be there as close to noon as possible. We have sites 9 and 10 at the Wilderness Campground at Heart Lake  (PDF map of the campground is here).

We'll set up camp, then do a short hike Thursday afternoon. We'll do more strenuous day-hikes on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - then break camp Monday morning and drive home.

Looking at the weather forecast for Lake Placid, NY for Friday-Sunday, they're calling for daytime highs in the low 70's, nighttime lows around 50. There's a small chance of rain Sat. and Sun. If that doesn't change, it looks like Friday might be the best day to climb Mt. Marcy in clear weather. Ted has dubbed this trip "Revenge on Marcy", but the truth is that she could kick us in the ass again. Time will tell.

Trip reports to come.

RCSP, 6/10/12

Last Sunday I had a little free time, and it was a gorgeous sunny day, so I decided to get out for a quick local hike. The closest "real" hiking is at Ridley Creek State Park, so that's where I went.

I got to lot #16 (the red blob at the left side of the attached map, below) around 10:30am, and decided to just go - to cover as much trail as possible, not worrying about which trails or which loops - to just go and keep going until I found myself back at the car.

I went north on the blue trail, then crossed Big Run and made a counterclockwise loop. Then I came back southwards on the white trail, then headed east (skirting the Tyler Arboretum), and made a clockwise loop. Then it was back toward my car.

This wasn't exactly a training hike for the Adirondacks - though I have been trying to get out for some hike (no matter how small) every week. It was more taking advantage of a chance to get outside on a beautiful day.

Distance: 5.59 miles
Elapsed Time: 1:39

Mt. Misery, VFNP, 6/3/12

I recently spent another Sunday morning in the Valley Forge area (if I told you why, I'd have to kill you, so let's avoid that question!) With my work done, and a beautiful sunny day beckoning, I decided to pop in to the National Park for a short hike.

I parked in the big lot on Rt. 252, then discovered that there's no good way to get to the covered bridge and the Valley Creek Trail. You have to walk on the very narrow shoulder of 252 for maybe a quarter mile, and passing cars are *very* close.

I crossed the covered bridge, then followed the Valley Creek Trail along the stream for maybe a half mile. I saw the Wolfinger Trail on the left, and took it, climbing steeply our of the creek bottom. When I reached the top, I followed it to the junction of the yellow-blazed Horseshoe Trail, then turned around.

Coming back, I took a trail I had never taken before, just to see where it went. I figured it had to come out somewhere near the covered bridge. It descended more gradually, and finally dropped me into a parking lot (that I wasn't aware existed) on Yellow Springs Rd., not far from the covered bridge.

I had a short trek on the road to the covered bridge, then re-traced my steps back to the parking lot.

This was short hike, but a very nice way to stretch the legs on a beautiful sunny day.

Distance: 2.34 miles
Elapsed Time: 44 minutes

Mt. Joy, VFNP, 5/20/12

I recently had a chance to get out for a short Sunday morning hike. I was in the Valley Forge area, so I went into the park and decided to explore the trail that climbs Mt. Joy. I only recently discovered the trails in this area, so I decided to see if I could find out if it connected to some other areas in the park that I'm familiar with.

I parked in the lot at Washington's Headquarters (top right on the map below). I walked through the park and crossed Rt. 23, and the trail starts immediately on the other side of the road. The trail climbs steadily, and when it levels off, it feels like it really hugs the side of the hill (it's a bit of a stretch to call this little suburban hill "Mount" anything.) Looking at the topo map, it *is* a steep slope down to Rt. 252 (which is audible, but not visible through the thick tree cover.)

I continued on the trail, taking it further than I ever had before. It gradually descends, and I finally came out at a road I knew. It was near a parking area on Rt. 252, so I continued there, and then down to the covered bridge on Yellow Springs Rd.

At that point, I picked up the wide packed-dirt Valley Creek Trail, which is quite popular, and always filled with walkers, families, kids, and dogs. It's flat and pretty, following the creekside. I followed it back to Rt. 23, then crossed back over to Washington's Headquarters and my car.

A very nice leisurely hike on a beautiful sunny morning.

Distance: 4.28 miles
Elapsed Time: 1:18