Wright in three days

[Bud3010]

What a wonderful weekend in the Adirondacks !! I arrived at the Loj parking area Thursday evening ( 6/30 ) at about 9 P M. I saw a couple standing in a little rain having a celebration drink so I went over to say hello. The woman immediately asked if I was Bud. Naturelovr had been reading my TR's and recognized me when I told her which peak I was doing and that I was camping. After chatting quite a while they departed and I went back to the car for a bedtime snack and went to sleep.
I was tired and the night went by fast. I wanted to be at the trailhead by 6 or 6:30 even though I was only going as far as MacEntire Falls to pitch my tent. I was all set to go and when I put my new backpack on, I discovered the clip for the sternum strap was missing. I could find no other strap on the pack to use to replace it so my only option was to try and tie it or wait for the Lake Placid EMS to open. I chose the latter as I really had all day to get to the campsite. The clerk really didn't want to deal with rigging up a strap for me and kept saying he had to wait on another customer behind me. After three times of this ( one very lengthy as the man needed help picking out his food and then had to rent a cannister). Those of us in the EMS Fayetteville area don't know how good our service is until we face something like this!! Finally I told the clerk I would buy a whole new pack..take the clip off that and put it on mine..then go to the Fayetteville EMS and deal with it later . He thought that was a great idea..waited on another customer and then completed my sale. Good thing I had all day !!
So back to the Loj parking lot and off by 11:30. The hike as everyone knows the first mile is a piece of cake. I knew my pack was very heavy but I was fresh and I went on. Upon returning home, I stopped at the Fayetteville EMS and weighed the pack. It was an embarrassing 56 pounds !! Believe me I really noticed it when I hit the Algonquin trail. After dozens of rests I got to the campsite at 6:30. No speed record there and yes a HUGE lesson learned. I had even piggy backed my day pack to the back pack and the space was there so I filled that too!!
Day 2 went just as planned. I headed out quite late (10:30) for Wright. On the way I met two couples. The first man, (even though I never met him) I knew immediately. PaRidgerunner and Muddy Bottom along with Snickers and Bushwhacker were on their way out. We chatted a while and then we both were on our way. There really were no big surprises as far as the hike except the big wind at the summit and the lack of people there. The views were fantastic. I looked over at Algonquin and decided right there that was going to be for another day. I was hiking my own hike and enjoying myself ( not peak bagging ) so I headed back to the campsite. Boy did it rain hard that night !
I had planned to just hang out at the falls all of Day 3 and just relax and talk to all the hikers passing through but the weather was not good so I packed up and headed out. Everything went fine til the first 100 feet. I decided to drag the pack down that first decline and the clip again came off and got lost. When at the bottom I put the pack on and had to hold the straps together . The first hiker I met gave me a hand. I came up with the idea of using my GPS string to tie the two straps together. Not the most desirable fit but 4 hours later I was at the parking area. ..both me and the 56 pound pack.
I know this is NOT how you all hike but this really works for me. I have no intentions of ever doing all 46.. What I do intend to do is just keep doing one at a time ..one step at a time at my own happy pace. If its that I am only doing the "easy" ones thats ok with me. There were a few posts to my last TR that implied ( or came right out and said ) to hang it up . I'm not ready for that quite yet. I will just keep moving to the side and let the real hikers pass and have fun. Next up is Giant... camping at Wash Bowl.. If you see a short chubby guy just barely moving along , just say Hi Bud3010. I love to chat.
No trip report would be complete without saying a special thank you to a man that has helped me out so much in making my hikes both fun and safe. ..(No he was not responsible for the 56 pounds in the pack..) Thank you ADK JACK !
Bud

[RockON]

Bud, you rockon with your own bad self! This whole hiking thing is for me and many others about enjoyment and you certainly do enjoy. Keep it up and keep posting.

[ADKJack]

Wonderin how things went.
Sorry to hear about the trouble with the sternum strap, glad to hear that you had a good time and enjoyed the weekend. It was a nice one.
If you remember correctly we weighed your pack without food, water or clothing and you were at 26 lbs. Think you might have packed a little too much ?
Hope when you got home you took an inventory of what you used and what you did not and adjust accordingly next time.
By the way my first attempt at Wright and Algonquin resulted in me only getting only Wright also.
Nicely done, I know you have a plan to improve your health and endurance and have checked in with your Doc as well. Those peaks will always be there, just stick to your plan and you will enjoy a few more than you think.

[Snickers]

Great to hear you made it up Wright, it is a beautiful peak with wonderful views!!

Nice meeting you and getting to say, "Hi!"

We all hike for different reasons, don't let anybody make you feel bad about the way you hike. You are out there enjoying yourself, better than sitting around vegging all day. You have just as much right to hike those trails as the "real hikers" do. You are a "real hiker" too Bud, just not a skinny hiker.

Happy Trails - Cindy

[mastergrasshopper]

Hey have a good time
don't wory about us skinny guys running around all the time
hike your own hike.
MG

[Bud3010]

Im on it Mastergrasshopper !! Just gotta follow PaRidgerunners map of Morgan Hill a few more times to get in better shape !!!

[PA Ridgerunner]

Congrats, Bud! Nice to meet you on the trail Saturday. Isn't Wright a beauty?

Like Jack, we also set out to do more than Wright on our first attempt, but did not do so. Keep hikin, man!

[billandjudy]

Way to go Bud!...Keep at it...You may not get taller, but you'll be less chubby

[DelawareMike]

Sounds like a good adventure Bud. Keep enjoying the mountains!

[Altbark]

Good job Bud. pack weight is definitely something you might want to work on.

I'd like to make a suggestion since hiking all 46 high peaks is not on your agenda. I just finished a hike up Marshall from the Upper Works trailhead via the Calamity Brook trail. It is a great trail and absolutely beautiful. Why not hike in to Lake Colden? One or two days in nice weather with a 25-30 pound pack would be an absolutely wonderful trip. If you have a look at the map you will see plenty of camping opportunities along the way. Al

[Bud3010]

that and having fun is the plan... thanks

[Bud3010]

My pack weight was ridiculous Al. I plan somehow to trim it by about 20 pounds. As I unpacked, I think I have found how to do about 12 already. The broken sternum strap was a lot of my problem too. Thanks for the Colden idea. I plan to do Giant next with a camp over at Wash Bowl and then if that goes well there's one more and then Colden. I do the easy ones but I do know my capabilities ( and for now limitations. ) I love hiking and do only what I can do one step at a time.

[Naturlvr73]

Congratulations on Wright Bud. So glad you had fun!!! It was very nice meeting you. Good luck with Giant.

[Chewi00]

Congrats Bud, nice work. I agree about the EMS in f'vile. I even dont like the service at the Carousel Mall store compared. When are you doing Giant? Suzie and I are looking at the 23rd of July. Since she is coming from fieldwork in NH, we will have 2 cars and works out perfect for the ridge walk. Maybe we will see you on the trail if you are doing it that weekend also.

[Gerard01]

Great TR, Bud. Glad you had a good time. As far as anyone telling you to hang it up, hang a 46r patch on your wall and just smile. We'll hash out the details on Giant and grab that peek. Looking forward to meeting up with you. How did you like that scramble near that false peak? Was that something?

[Trail Boss]

Thanks for keepin' it real, Bud! It sounds like you had a great time! Attitude over altitude!

PS
RE: sternum strap. You're one stickler for detail!

[Bud3010]

Hey Gerard..

No patches on my wall.. I carry 5 of them in my pocket and show everybody!!! That scramble did stop me for a bit but I came to far to let it stop me.. did have a second thought about Y I did it when I had to come back down. The plan is still a go for Giant. That peak will never be the same after we hit it together !!

[Bud3010]

I like that saying.. "attitude over altitude".. wait til I pull that one on Gerard on our way up Giant in a few weeks !!

[Altbark]

Originally Posted by Bud3010

My pack weight was ridiculous Al. I plan somehow to trim it by about 20 pounds. As I unpacked, I think I have found how to do about 12 already. The broken sternum strap was a lot of my problem too. Thanks for the Colden idea. I plan to do Giant next with a camp over at Wash Bowl and then if that goes well there's one more and then Colden. I do the easy ones but I do know my capabilities ( and for now limitations. ) I love hiking and do only what I can do one step at a time.

Hiking is a good excuse to buy new gear. I went lightweight more than a few years ago and it has paid great dividends for me. I base most of my backpacking gear on weight. Lightweight costs unless you can find the stuff used.

The most important bit of backpacking gear can be found at Walmart. It's a digital scale. Granite Gear and Golite make nice 60L packs that weigh in at less than 2.5 pounds. A down summer weight sleeping bag is the way to go in terms of both weight and compressability. A Thermarest Prolite 3 pad 3/4 length goes under the bag. It will do absolutely nothing for you as far as comfort is concerned but may keep you somewhat warmer. A Trangia Mini alcohol stove set will boil water, pot included. A Nalgene 2L bladder is lighter than the equivalent bottles and combined with an MSR Hyperflow will keep you properly watered for your next adventure. Your Big Agnes tent weighs in at around 4 pounds and is probably 2.5 pounds heavier than you need to carry.

If you talk with some of the backpackers you meet along the way, you'll find endless variations of the lightweight scheme. Butane stoves fit in that category.

You've dropped your pack weight by 12 pounds and that's great! The trick is to take just enough stuff to get through the trip safely and with some comfort. To this day, I overpack food. Hope to see you on the trail some day. Al

[Bud3010]

Thanks AL. Actually I am out to buy the digital scale tomorrow. never thought of Walmart . When I get to a certain weight I am determined to stop packing or taking some out and changing the load. Hope to see you out there some day too. Bud