This is it, I'm down to the final 5 peaks of the 46'ers. I started May 15, and I will be finishing up, if all goes to plan, September 5.... so just over 3.5 months, 255 miles, and 84.8K feet of elevation gain and loss.... if all goes to plan.
Saturday, I went and did Colvin (4057', #39) and Blake (3960', # 43). These are by far not the tallest peaks in the park, but they are relatively remote in that the shortest in and out hike is 14.5 miles with nearly 4000' of elevation gain/loss. So, they aren't easy by any means. I arrived about 615 to find the Ausable Club parking lot full. I had to go park again about 1/4 mile up hill from the lot....
This weekend will be Colvin(4057', #39), Blake (3960', #43), and back over Colivn. I've heard that the trail between Colvin and Blake is a slog, and not fun...
My next trip will have a lot of hiking and hit 13 peaks over a week. The first 3 nights I'm saying at ADK Loj, so I'll have a soft bed and shower available each night. The next 3 nights, I'll be in the backcountry, hopefully at Lake Arnold, camping.
Saturday, I went up and did Gothics (4736', #10) and Sawteeth (4100', #35). The day started off rather poorly. When I got up there, I realized how tired I was, not having a great night's sleep along with getting up at 4. On top of that, the AMR and Roaring Brook parking lots were full! According to the ranger I talked to on my way out, they were full at 530...
So, the last 2 weekends I have left undone peaks. Specifically 2 weeks ago I left Colvin (4057', #39), and Blake (3960', #43) when I did Dial and Nippletop, and this last weekend I left Gothics (4736', #10) and Sawteeth (4100'. #35) when I did the Great Range. My goal is to get these 4 peaks done before I go in via ADK Loj for a week of hikes. That means that I will do them this weekend, or maybe, depending on weather, a pair next weekend.
This weekend, I tackled the Great Range of the Adirondacks High Peaks. Thursday, just after work I headed up to the Gardens parking lot. I had a fear that there would be no parking as it was marked as full about 9 in the morning, but when I arrived around 530, there were a dozen or so spots. I hiked in about 3 miles and set up camp on Howard Hill, just shy on the trail from the DEC interior outpost (aka rangers). I was surprised when I hit the trail to see a party of 10, about half of which were pre-teen, getting on the trail to go to Johns Brooks Lodge, an int
So, I planned to do the Great Range this weekend. As of this moment the Gardens parking lot is marked as full, so I may not be able to. If that is the case, I'll come home tonight and go right to bed when I get home to get up early and try again Friday morning. I suspect there are just a bunch of day hikers out today and when I get there I'll find a parking spot.
The great range of the High Peaks is one of the most rewarding things to hike in the park. The range itself is 7, mostly close peaks with a side peak of Sawteeth that also hits the 4000 mark. This is not one of the easier hikes to do. I know from experience as I've done 4 of the peaks back in College, and we had an Alaskan with us that was used to backpacking and hiking in Alaska, and she had trouble with our trails.