DSettahr
05-22-2011, 03:52 PM
Pictures here: https://picasaweb.google.com/116537596394442741068/RondaxeMountain#
Since Rondaxe Mountain alone wasn't worth a drive down from Saranac Lake to climb (even if I did need it for the Fire Tower Challenge), I decided to climb it in conjunction with nearby Woodhull Mountain (also a fire tower mountain). I arrived at the parking area in the early afternoon, having spent the previous night at the Woodhull Lake lean-to, and climbed Woodhull Mountain earlier that day. My feet were definitely feeling the effects of walking on an old road most of the day, but I felt up to the challenge of hiking 4 more miles before driving home.
In contrast to the trails in the vicinity of Woodhull Mountain, the trail up Rondaxe obviously gets a lot of use, and was worn down to bedrock in most places. Especially concerning the level of use it gets, it was in excellent shape, though. The climb, even though it was a bit steep in spots (and perhaps because of it), was a welcome change from the flat hiking I'd had all morning.
There are lots of nice views on the way up- at times I could see the Fulton Chain Lakes, as well as Blue Mountain in the distance. I passed a few groups on their way down- even though it was a weekday, it seemed like there was a decent number of people out climbing this mountain. I bet it's a popular destination on weekends!
It didn't take long before I was at the summit (less time that I would've expected 2 miles uphill to take even). I climbed the tower and took in the views from the summit... Blue Mountain again to the east, the Fulton Chain Lakes spread out below me, and the hills of the Fulton Chain Wild Forest to the North. I had to get out my map and compass to find it since I couldn't spot the tower, but I was able to find Woodhull Mountain, whose summit I'd stood on earlier that day, to the south!
While I was on the summit, a guy came up on a mountain bike... as I watched him bike around on the summit, I became convinced that he'd probably managed to get all the way up the mountain with dismounting! Definitely an impressive level of skill.
The hike down went quickly and uneventfully, although some of the steeper sections made me pause for a bit while I considered the best route to take on the descent. Overall, despite it's steepness in a few places, this was a short and easy hike... definitely a great one for families with kids, and the views are more than worth the effort needed to climb to the top!
Since Rondaxe Mountain alone wasn't worth a drive down from Saranac Lake to climb (even if I did need it for the Fire Tower Challenge), I decided to climb it in conjunction with nearby Woodhull Mountain (also a fire tower mountain). I arrived at the parking area in the early afternoon, having spent the previous night at the Woodhull Lake lean-to, and climbed Woodhull Mountain earlier that day. My feet were definitely feeling the effects of walking on an old road most of the day, but I felt up to the challenge of hiking 4 more miles before driving home.
In contrast to the trails in the vicinity of Woodhull Mountain, the trail up Rondaxe obviously gets a lot of use, and was worn down to bedrock in most places. Especially concerning the level of use it gets, it was in excellent shape, though. The climb, even though it was a bit steep in spots (and perhaps because of it), was a welcome change from the flat hiking I'd had all morning.
There are lots of nice views on the way up- at times I could see the Fulton Chain Lakes, as well as Blue Mountain in the distance. I passed a few groups on their way down- even though it was a weekday, it seemed like there was a decent number of people out climbing this mountain. I bet it's a popular destination on weekends!
It didn't take long before I was at the summit (less time that I would've expected 2 miles uphill to take even). I climbed the tower and took in the views from the summit... Blue Mountain again to the east, the Fulton Chain Lakes spread out below me, and the hills of the Fulton Chain Wild Forest to the North. I had to get out my map and compass to find it since I couldn't spot the tower, but I was able to find Woodhull Mountain, whose summit I'd stood on earlier that day, to the south!
While I was on the summit, a guy came up on a mountain bike... as I watched him bike around on the summit, I became convinced that he'd probably managed to get all the way up the mountain with dismounting! Definitely an impressive level of skill.
The hike down went quickly and uneventfully, although some of the steeper sections made me pause for a bit while I considered the best route to take on the descent. Overall, despite it's steepness in a few places, this was a short and easy hike... definitely a great one for families with kids, and the views are more than worth the effort needed to climb to the top!