AdkWalrus
08-24-2010, 11:46 PM
This one's been a long time coming -- 24 years, to be exact, from when I climbed Haystack in 1986 at the age of eight. It's been a crazy journey since then, right through four years of summer camp where I often wasn't sure if I really even enjoyed this. Eventually the bug took hold and I slowly worked my way through the 27 I had left after finishing my camping days in 1993... I convinced a lot of different friends to accompany me on these trips over the last ten-plus years, a few of whom I scared off, and some of whom decided to come back for more. No one was more intrepid than my wife, who was introduced to the High Peaks with a Basin-Saddleback-Gothics-Sawteeth marathon when we were in college, hated me that day, and then joined me for 10 of the 22 I had left after that, as well as many other re-climbs in between. We were lucky enough that she could join me for this one, and for not having done any major hikes since our kids were born three years ago, she probably kept up as well if not better than she had on any of our previous hikes. I am truly blessed.
We arrived at the trailhead at 6:45am, having hoped for a start between 6 and 6:30, but being a little held up in our departure. We were then further stymied by the bizarre problem of our car refusing to be locked! After several minutes of being convinced that the remote was sandwiched in the wrong spot in my pack (and not wanting to undo everything to get at it, I kept moving the pack down the trail...), we discovered that the second remote was in the pocket on the passenger side door, and the car wasn't letting us lock it in! Crazy!
That problem solved, we finally set off for good at 7am. We had good weather all day, though a bit cloudier than I might have wished -- then again, with the long meadow section in the middle, it's probably just as well we didn't have the sun baking down on us. We made great time to the herdpath turn-off, heading past the "ALLEN" sign at 8:45. Just over an hour later, we were crossing Skylight Brook, and ten minutes after that we arrived at the falls on Allen Brook.
The climb up the brook bed was about as advertised: steep, slippery, and ultimately not all that bad. I lost my balance completely once in each direction, but a couple of tiny blood blisters and one minor bruise are all I have to show for it. Not bad at all. :cool: I really enjoyed the final stretch from the top of the slide to the summit, and not just because I knew what was coming. It's a beautiful area in there.
I let everyone go ahead of me at this point so they could meet me on the summit, and within minutes (11:43am to be precise) I was there. 46 at last! A bit emotional, of course, though not so much as on Rocky Peak Ridge last month, as it turned out. That might have had something to do with there being around 20 people on the summit during the course of our time there. Absolutely wild to see all these people together smack in the middle of nowhere. I should note here that there were two other fellows on the summit at the time who were also finishing that day. Congratulations to them, and doubly so since they had just done all three Santanonis the day before! :eek: Also, no pine marten to report, I am afraid, perhaps due to two of the hikers there having a dog with them. Apparently, a marten knows when it just isn't his day. :D
We took our time on the summit enjoying the views and eating lunch, and then headed down at 12:30, running into some more folks who were on their way up. The climb down the slide and brook went their usual careful pace, with the mantra "nose over toes" being paramount. :) We pretty much took our time the rest of the way, stopping for half an hour at the Opalescent to rest and refill hydration units. At this point, we were met by Trail Boss, taking the long road back from Redfield (#45) to scout out the way to Allen, his planned 46th. Popular mountain to finish on this year! Trail Boss accompanied us the rest of the way out, making for good conversation and an even pleasanter walk than it might have been otherwise. We arrived back at the East River Trailhead at 5:50pm (10h50m, including stops) and I signed us out before we headed to the hotel for showers and then on to Lake Placid for dinner at the Pub and Brewery, 46er Pale Ale in hand! An absolutely thrilling day and one I will never forget.
While I'm here, I want to give a few special shout-outs to some people who helped make this possible. First, to Tim and Neil and everyone else here who has been so helpful and encouraging over the last few years. This site more than any other helps keep the Adirondacks a part of my daily routine, and since I cannot be there more than a couple weeks and weekends a year, that is a service that is beyond priceless. Neil, Tim, thanks again, and keep up the good work. :tup:
Second, to my good high school friend Sue and her husband, with whom I reconnected on Facebook just a couple of years ago, which has already led to several memorable adventures. They are experienced hikers and climbers in the Whites, but prior to Donaldson, Emmons, and Seymour in May of 2009, they hadn't climbed any 46ers. They've since climbed Marshall and Allen with me, and I think I owe them big time at this point. I think everyone here can appreciate the selflessness and pure joy of hiking that goes into starting the 46 with that quintet! My friends, here's to many more on both sides of Vermont in the years to come. :drink:
And last but not least, again to my wife, not just for her almost-always-smiling presence on so many hikes, but also for the ones she had to miss these last few years while staying home with the kids. I'm extraordinarily lucky to have someone who understands how important this is to me, and I'm grateful every time. It was a real treat to have her back out there this weekend, and I hope this marks the end of her temporary exile from hiking. She's the best. :kiss:
With that, some pictures (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=197259&id=618324168&l=039e45c980).
We arrived at the trailhead at 6:45am, having hoped for a start between 6 and 6:30, but being a little held up in our departure. We were then further stymied by the bizarre problem of our car refusing to be locked! After several minutes of being convinced that the remote was sandwiched in the wrong spot in my pack (and not wanting to undo everything to get at it, I kept moving the pack down the trail...), we discovered that the second remote was in the pocket on the passenger side door, and the car wasn't letting us lock it in! Crazy!
That problem solved, we finally set off for good at 7am. We had good weather all day, though a bit cloudier than I might have wished -- then again, with the long meadow section in the middle, it's probably just as well we didn't have the sun baking down on us. We made great time to the herdpath turn-off, heading past the "ALLEN" sign at 8:45. Just over an hour later, we were crossing Skylight Brook, and ten minutes after that we arrived at the falls on Allen Brook.
The climb up the brook bed was about as advertised: steep, slippery, and ultimately not all that bad. I lost my balance completely once in each direction, but a couple of tiny blood blisters and one minor bruise are all I have to show for it. Not bad at all. :cool: I really enjoyed the final stretch from the top of the slide to the summit, and not just because I knew what was coming. It's a beautiful area in there.
I let everyone go ahead of me at this point so they could meet me on the summit, and within minutes (11:43am to be precise) I was there. 46 at last! A bit emotional, of course, though not so much as on Rocky Peak Ridge last month, as it turned out. That might have had something to do with there being around 20 people on the summit during the course of our time there. Absolutely wild to see all these people together smack in the middle of nowhere. I should note here that there were two other fellows on the summit at the time who were also finishing that day. Congratulations to them, and doubly so since they had just done all three Santanonis the day before! :eek: Also, no pine marten to report, I am afraid, perhaps due to two of the hikers there having a dog with them. Apparently, a marten knows when it just isn't his day. :D
We took our time on the summit enjoying the views and eating lunch, and then headed down at 12:30, running into some more folks who were on their way up. The climb down the slide and brook went their usual careful pace, with the mantra "nose over toes" being paramount. :) We pretty much took our time the rest of the way, stopping for half an hour at the Opalescent to rest and refill hydration units. At this point, we were met by Trail Boss, taking the long road back from Redfield (#45) to scout out the way to Allen, his planned 46th. Popular mountain to finish on this year! Trail Boss accompanied us the rest of the way out, making for good conversation and an even pleasanter walk than it might have been otherwise. We arrived back at the East River Trailhead at 5:50pm (10h50m, including stops) and I signed us out before we headed to the hotel for showers and then on to Lake Placid for dinner at the Pub and Brewery, 46er Pale Ale in hand! An absolutely thrilling day and one I will never forget.
While I'm here, I want to give a few special shout-outs to some people who helped make this possible. First, to Tim and Neil and everyone else here who has been so helpful and encouraging over the last few years. This site more than any other helps keep the Adirondacks a part of my daily routine, and since I cannot be there more than a couple weeks and weekends a year, that is a service that is beyond priceless. Neil, Tim, thanks again, and keep up the good work. :tup:
Second, to my good high school friend Sue and her husband, with whom I reconnected on Facebook just a couple of years ago, which has already led to several memorable adventures. They are experienced hikers and climbers in the Whites, but prior to Donaldson, Emmons, and Seymour in May of 2009, they hadn't climbed any 46ers. They've since climbed Marshall and Allen with me, and I think I owe them big time at this point. I think everyone here can appreciate the selflessness and pure joy of hiking that goes into starting the 46 with that quintet! My friends, here's to many more on both sides of Vermont in the years to come. :drink:
And last but not least, again to my wife, not just for her almost-always-smiling presence on so many hikes, but also for the ones she had to miss these last few years while staying home with the kids. I'm extraordinarily lucky to have someone who understands how important this is to me, and I'm grateful every time. It was a real treat to have her back out there this weekend, and I hope this marks the end of her temporary exile from hiking. She's the best. :kiss:
With that, some pictures (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=197259&id=618324168&l=039e45c980).