Anyone been in the Santanonis recently?

[abovethesink]

I'm first wondering about mud conditions. Not that it matters too much, but has the lack of rain dried up any of the infamous mud at all or is it the same as I read it always is? Also, I don't plan on using the new/old/express route, but are the standard herd paths in clear, easy to follow condition? Lastly, on a Wednesday in July, how likely am I to find the Bradley Pond lean-to empty? I need to lean-to camp as I have to bring the pup per a deal with the wife and I don't want to bother someone else in the lean-to with his craziness. Any neighboring lean-to sites (anything is okay as we'll already be down there) for backup camping plans? Thanks.

EDIT: Oh, and if someone answers before I dig my map out and see which section of the high peaks they fall in, camping regulations: Bear canisters? Fires allowed? Leash laws? Etc. Thanks again.

[DSettahr]

I haven't been there recently, but the Adirondacks right now are facing some of the driest conditions in a while. The mud is probably about as dry as it's likely to get.

The herd paths are pretty easy to follow- but I'd recommend doing your research in advance, and bring and use your compass anyways, so that you're sure you're headed in the right direction. There are some confusing side trails in the vicinity of Times Square.

I'd say that your chances are reasonable that you'll have the lean-to to yourself on a Wednesday evening, but not 100%. I'd be surprised if it were full, but I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up sharing it. There really isn't any other lean-tos nearby, at least not close enough to make for a good backup plan if you arrive to find the lean-to occupied. There are some designated tents sites, though.

You can have fires there, although be careful- the Adirondacks are extremely dry this year. You don't need a bear canister, but please take appropriate precautions with your food. The Eastern High Peaks leash regulations also don't apply here, but use common sense- your dog really should be leashed when in camp and on the trail to prevent a potentially escalated situation with other hikers, and at high elevations to prevent damage to the alpine ecosystem.

[JoeCedar]

After last night's rain, I think you can plan on plenty of water and mud for the next few days.

[Chef]

I was in there last week. It's pretty dry all things considered. There's always mud in there but we found it to be pretty nice. The worst of it is between the new old herdpath and the Bradley Pond/ Panther Brook herdpath. There's a nice new re-route up to the leanto that totally avoids all of the slop by the beaver dam.

[MEssig]

Just finished the Santanonis yesterday and there were no issues with mud. No worse than anywhere else I've been. I was quite relieved after all the stories I've read.

[georgelong]

if you still need to hike this range, but have been dreading the muddy mess, go hike it as soon as you can. the only good thing i can say comes from severe drought is that trails like these were really dry! oh, and for what it's worth, the views from each of these peaks were pretty good. awesome angle of the entire high peaks region, and the sewards were beautiful on the other side. the santanoni range is just fine in my book...

yesterday couldn't have been a nicer day out there.

awesome to hike with you, matt and k.j.! we'll have to do that more often. hope you liked the chocolate milk!

great to put a face to a name, dackerdan! hope the rest of your day went well!

and great to meet all the other friendly folks who were out. there's something definitely a little different about folks who choose to do what we do with our free time, but as long as there's enough of us, we can at least have the illusion that we're "normal". can't wait for the next one!

[DackerDan]

It was great meeting the "Chocolate Milk Man" - sounds like you had a great day. We did as well and I would say that the Santas are in great shape, the dreaded swamp is very passable.

DD

[MEssig]

George, The milk was amazing. K.J took one sip and said "we're moving." Had a great time on the hike. We're hoping to be up again in the next 2-3 weeks if the weather is good. I'll let you know what we're planning.

Two trail notes:

If you're heading up via Panther brook, there are two beaver dams that you can choose between to cross over. We took the first one, with a large tree trunk to climb across. If you take the second crossing you have to double back to the right on the far side to find the herd path.

On the way down the Santanoni express there are a couple odd forks in the path. The first has a clear split with two paths, take the path to the right marked with the cairn. Within a few minutes or so after this you should reach the cliff with the rope. Descend to the left. Towards the bottom of the Express there is another split near Bradley pond. Go right to avoid a whole lot of water.

[DackerDan]

Originally Posted by MEssig

If you're heading up via Panther brook, there are two beaver dams that you can choose between to cross over. We took the first one, with a large tree trunk to climb across. If you take the second crossing you have to double back to the right on the far side to find the herd path.

Interesting - we did not see two dams, only one and the one we took did not involve crossing over a log and when we got to the other side the herd path was right there. Maybe we missed the log.