Great DeRanged Traverse: Marcy to Haystack via Panther Gorge Bushwhack & Great Range

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  • mudrat
    Hiding in Panther Gorge.
    • Mar 2007
    • 1635

    #1

    Great DeRanged Traverse: Marcy to Haystack via Panther Gorge Bushwhack & Great Range

    Route:
    South Meadows to Marcy, Bushwhack east down Marcy’s main drainage bowl to Grand Central Slide-top, Cross Panther Gorge/Marcy Brook to Bushwhack Haystack via Western Face, Follow Range Trail to Rooster Comb and Keene Valley.
    Date: 2012 June 24
    Partner: Greg “Krummholz” Kadlecik
    Weather: 50’s-70’s, sunny with rain late afternoon and evening
    Mileage/Vertical Ascent: Need to check but about 20 miles / 19.5-9100 with bushwhack into Panther Gorge (Bushwhack=1.4 miles/1400 vertical gain)
    Nutrition: 6 liters water, 1 emergen-c pack, 2 egel packs, 1 mac/cheese dinner, 1 omlet, 3 loaves banana bread, 2 powerbars, many starburst

    Benchmarks:
    • Wake-up: 4:00 a.m.,
    • Begin at South Meadows:4:45Marcy Summit: 8:30 (30 minute break and route checking)
    • Begin Bushwhack to Grand Central (east face) Slide: 9:00
    • Grand Central Slide Top: 9:50
    • Panther Gorge Bottom: 10:50
    • Haystack Summit after Bushwhack up Western Side to Summit Direct: 1:25 p.m.+1450’
    • Basin: 3:30
    • Saddleback: 4:20
    • Gothics: 5:35
    • Armstrong: 6:15
    • Upper Wolfjaw: 6:50
    • Lower WJ: 8:00
    • Hedgehog: 9:00ish (walked by in semi-catatonic stupor)
    • Rooster Comb: 10:15
    • Exit In Keene Valley: 11:45
    Photos

    Evolution:
    Greg and I bushwhacked into the north end of Panther Gorge last month for a bushwhacking/slide foray. During the trek, we spotted a possible slide or drainage on Haystack’s western flank on a weakness between the cliffs below Little Haystack and Haystack proper. For years, I’ve wanted to explore the west face area a bit more closely. Thus we talked about a subsequent climb up Haystack. We emailed over the following week about a subsequent dayhike and the conversation went something like this:

    Kevin: “Hey, I’ve got an idea…What about bushwhacking down Marcy’s drainage to the eastern face slide, traversing Panther Gorge and ascending that serpentine break in the trees to Haystack’s summit?”
    Greg: “Great! Let’s do it.”

    …a couple days later.


    Kevin: ”Hey, you know that idea about traversing Panther Gorge?”
    Greg: “Yup. Really looking forward to that.”
    Kevin: “Well…what about if we do that and add a Great Range Traverse (through Rooster Comb) after the bushwhack?”
    Greg: “Great! I’m in! I’ve never done a full Great Range Traverse before either!”

    …so it began.


    Approximate Route down Marcy


    Approximate Route up Haystack

    Introduction:

    I’d never done the Great Range Traverse from Marcy to Rooster Comb. WalksWithBlackflies, two others and myself did a Keene Valley to Garden loop in 2006, however. It nearly killed me and took 21 hours. I’m no speed-demon, but I can keep momentum going to finish a lengthy dayhike. Combining a traverse and Panther Gorge bushwhack was a wildcard since bushwhacks are so much more demanding than trail hiking. Crawling, pushing trees, climbing ledges, extricating oneself from sodholes, getting cut up and navigation all take more energy. Putting 4.5 hours of ‘whacking’ together with the trail mileage and vertical ascent nearing 10,000 total feet (with the descent into the gorge) all put the outcome as less than certain in my mind. Both of us needed a good challenge to counterbalance recent life stressors, however.

    I planned on the conservative side and assessed our completion time between 20-24 hours (leaning toward 24) as I’m not the fastest hiker over a long day.

    To Marcy:
    4:45 a.m. found us walking and telling each other that we needed to hold back on the pace for the long haul. Neither of us had hiked in a month. I was a little concerned about weather reports from the prior day; showers and a supposed late night thunderstorm. I though we’d be hiking until early morning and didn’t want to be on an exposed peak with a foray of lightening about the area. Thankfully, we were greeted with a cloudless day that began with temperatures in the 50’s F…perfect, especially after a sweltering week in the 90’s. I don’t remember a thing about the walk to Marcy Dam, we were simply there 50 minutes after beginning.

    Time continued to pass quickly as more talk and some early morning humor found us at Indian Pass Brook adding a liter of water to our respective supply for the bushwhack into the gorge where we could refill again. Arriving at Marcy in full sun at 8:30, we found the path of least resistance from the trail into the drainage bowl of the eastern face (between the main eastern ridge and northern ridge). It was located about 200 vertical feet below and north of the summit on a heading about 125 degrees. The top of the drainage is convex, forming a bowl. I alloted 1.5 hours to bushwhack through the cripplebrush to reach the slide top since it took Mark Lowell and I 2 hours to reach the summit from slide top via the main ridge in 2009.

    A small meadow led quickly into the thick of it. Various intermediate humps and outcrops decorated the landscape. Haystack, now shadowed, loomed in the distance and seemed far away across a sea of balsam fir. In the beautiful grasses and early summer blooms, I first found a drybag with map and notepad, infiltrated by water and moldy…darn. A few hundred feet later, I found a candy wrapper and tucked it into my bag.

    The fir was only slightly difficult to navigate, by my standards. We had gravity on our side to help push through the forest. Most disconcerting was the sudden unseen drop underfoot from a hidden ledge or sodhole. Sodholes were the largest problem after the first hillock. The solution was to trek south of east to get out of the minor drainage. View were astounding all the while as the steep ridges pressed from the sides. We were descending quickly and looking for the upper portion of the slide where it gently curves toward the eastern ridge. At no time did it appear, but we knew we were in the correct drainage on a direct heading to it. 45 minutes into the descent, we found another area of rotting trees and sodholes…another bloody drainage. I tracked slightly south through the, now taller conifers, and saw a dramatic swath of rubble mere feet away through the woods…Grand Central Slide! I looked at my watch; we’d made the descent in 50 short minutes.


    Greg on a small knob below Marcy on the eastern face.

    Slide Descent
    The sun was bright and the blackflies thick and biting on the slide. The combination of sunblock and 2 types of bugspray didn’t deter them. I moved on the slide and broke a piece of rubble loose. “Rock!!”…Greg jumped aside. I suggested we descent side by side until reaching slab. Afterward, the descent went smoothy. The views were amazing, especially of our next portion…the ascent up Haystack.

    The last time I was on this slide was in 2009 in the fog and drizzle. This sunlit descent was a delightful change. Divots, dikes, intrusions and rippling ridges of stone made the slab easy to descend. Sunlight enhanced the nuances and the meager trickle of water brought out the colors. The bottom of the slab prior to the cliff is home to a diagonal ridge of anorthosite that redirects the water south across the face. I saw the feature from high above. Once at the diagonal, we descended another 10’ ledge and approached the edge of the cliff. The southern ledge tracks nearly east (perpendicular form the lip) and overhangs. The northern ledge runs north-south. This intersection seemed to draw me forward toward the maw, a dizzying feeling.

    Below, the forest of Panther Gorge spread out like a carpet, the hardwoods and softwoods in groupings of light and dark green. I knew the area to be a loosely knit network and very pleasant to traverse. The western face of Haystack sat beyond with shear cliffs, chutes, technical slides and a very tempting ramp; a weakness in the face and our target. We just had to navigate down and around Marcy’s cliff, the route being just to our south.

    Some new activity on the face (since 2009) confused me. It wasn’t quite how I remembered. I stayed relatively close overhanging ledge on the south and descended via a series of precarious ledges. 100’ further south lay the ramp that I’d previously used as an ascent. So we descended the ledges carefully and using much energy…energy we’d need later to climb the subsequent 9 mountains. Once below in the drainage, we refilled our hydration bladders with enough water for the ascent up Haystack to the Hay/Basin col. Note: As mentioned, I climbed this in 2009 so I knew how to circumvent the cliffs. It's easy to get cliffed out, so I wouldn't descend this without first finding the route before-hand.


    Base of the slide/top of the cliff above Panther Gorge.

    Haystack West
    Our walk through Panther Gorge was serene. Open forest, soft mosses and the tranquil Marcy Brook lulled our senses. It was the calm before the storm. Our heading across the gorge was 96 degrees magnetic, ideally a bearing that would lead to the drainage slab up higher. We found a convenient drainage and following seemingly on the correct heading. The ascent got increasingly harder as we exited the now deeply recessed drainage, its walls long grown in and overtaken by the forest. Atop the wall, was a view of the valley I’ve never seen. Little Haystack’s cliffs loomed just to the north and the full panorama of Marcy’s eastern cliffs answered our gaze from the opposite side of the gorge. Minor drainages from Marcy’s upper forest drained into chutes in the cliff, one after another. Shadows decorated the face enunciating the lines.

    Continuing, we found a ledge and circumvented it to the north, a crucial error. Our relative position to the Grand Central slide was correct while low on Haystack’s flank. Ascent drew us slightly to the north, but enough to foil our attempt to locate the minor (possible) slide/drainage on its initial run. Our TARGET track led to a series of outcrops which in turn led directly to the summit. Another drainage hugged the south of Little Haystack’s cliffs. Our errant track was between the two. 400’ up the face, higher than the ledge of Grand Central, we reassessed. We were too far north and needed to contour directly south. 10 mintues later found us at the top 1/3 of what can only be described as a grown in drainage with a few meager open patches of rock, red with algae and slick with moss. Oh well, not every plan works perfectly!

    A couple hundred feet higher was our first rounded outcrop. At least we were in line to climb that and its successors on a heading of roughly 130 degrees. Hopefully the open rock would minimize the swim through the krumholz. The base of most cliffs often harbors a corridor of openness, a break in the cripplebrush. Ice and rockfalls kill the trees at the base and grass and smaller plants populate the duff in the summer. I hoped this held true on Haystack.

    Each successive knob of rock was a work of art, often 50 or so feet high. Crags and weaknesses in the face made climbing relatively easy. When it wasn’t, we traversed around to find a weakness or crevace. These climbs formed the highlight of Haystack’s western face. Some of the boulders were overhanging in their formation, a tempting refuge for a freak storm. Others were like pieces of an interlocking puzzle. The climb went quickly while rock-hopping from protrusion to protrusion. 1:30 found us on the summit and re-nourishing; relishing the view of our 1.5 mile bushwhack and laughing about it’s relative brutality and shortcomings. I told Greg it was still easier than Haystack’s eastern face. I suppose it would have been easier on him if he hadn’t worn shorts as well J

    It took us 8 hours and 45 minutes to reach this point of the day, some 2 summits attained of 10. Our next goal was to finish the Great Range Traverse. We didn’t reassess or talk of failure, we just looked at each other and said, “Here we go!”. Within that phrase, was the inherent context that we were absolutely going to complete this project.


    Magical view of Marcy's eastern cliffs from the side of Haystack (100' above Panther Gorge).
    Basin/Saddleback/Gothics

    We refilled our water bladders at Haystack brook. I’d gone through 4 liters and was dry. I added 4 more liters for the rest of the trek. Our progress can best be described as ‘slow and steady wins the race.’ The showers forecast for the day began as we reached the cables on Gothics at 5:00 p.m. The light rains blew a cool air across and the effects of evaporative cooling were appreciated. A dinner of mac & cheese set well as we took a 10 minute respite on Gothics summit.

    Armstrong/Upper & Lower Wolfjaw
    We trekked quickly over Armstrong and UWJ, gaining each summit in less than 35 minutes a piece. Lower Wolfjaw found us beginning to feel the cumulative strain of the day, especially the bushwhack. Greg’s knee was painful and I was cramping pretty severely which last for 4 hours. I’m not sure of the reason as my food and water seemed in check. The soft ridge-top trail was a welcome change underfoot.

    Hedgehog & Rooster Comb

    Darkness settled on us as we descended Hedgehog. We used headlamps for the ascent due to the thick canopy of branches. Hedgehog’s descent was slow and painful as my knee had nearly locked with pain in my ACL. Pure will-power compelled us up Rooster Comb. We were within a breath of the last summit and the rain was still relatively mild though steady. Our conversations were humorously mono-syllabic, almost grunts. My mind kept jumping to Mastergrasshopper, CoryD, HOL & others…jeez.. how can they go such distances, far beyond what we did? I’d chalk it up to old age, but MG is older than I so that excuse is out the window J.

    Atop Rooster Comb, a gentle wind blew as the rain took a break. Headlamps could be seen descending Hedgehog, likely of three people we passed while descending Armstrong.

    Exit

    Monosyllabic talk morphed to quiet solitude for much of the remaining 2 miles out as we focused upon placing one foot in front of the other and keeping our knees in check. I also pondered my caloric deficit of the day, likely about 8000 shy. Less than ¼ mile from the car, I followed a boardwalk to the left over a pond, led us in a circle around it and started an ascent back toward Rooster Comb. The irony that we successfully traversed Panther Gorge some 10 hours earlier, but got lost around a frog pond within a stone’s throw of the car was NOT lost on me. We retraced our steps, found our error and arrived at the car at 11:45 after an hour of hiking in a much heavier, though still pleasant, rain. Another Sunday walk in the park!
    Last edited by mudrat; 12-01-2020, 09:01 PM.
    May your ambition for the goal allow you to be a student of the journey.

    www.adirondackmountaineering.com
  • DeepForest
    Backcountry Bastard
    • Mar 2007
    • 318

    #2
    UN-EFF-ING believable!!! Sickest GRT ever!
    The greatest precept is continual awareness.

    Comment

    • bstewie
      Educator
      • Jan 2011
      • 137

      #3
      Great job! Thanks for the pix. How long did you sleep after finishing?
      46/46 #7106W
      46/46W

      "If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, is it still my fault?" - my brother in law

      Comment

      • CatskillKev
        Commander
        • Mar 2010
        • 2289

        #4
        Emails with Greg Kneescars Kadlecik.........
        You ask a stupid question you get a stupid answer. Don't ask stupid questions.
        I might be kidding...

        Comment

        • NoTrace
          Running Against TrailRuns
          • Aug 2006
          • 206

          #5
          Great "Deranged" Traverse..... great choice of words!

          Comment

          • nangaparbat
            Commander
            • Aug 2011
            • 701

            #6
            Well another outing that you will not forget. We almost met on Basin since , I left the summit at around 15:00, 17:00 found me going down orebed trail....

            I was so tired when I arrived at the parking at 19:25, I would not have been able to follow you.

            Congrats to both of you.
            8000m 0/14

            Comment

            • Telemarkmike
              Commander
              • Mar 2012
              • 902

              #7
              Outstanding deranged trip and great report. Nice route annotations. It's tempting!
              offonadventure.com

              Comment

              • ADKJack
                Sure, Why not!
                • Jun 2006
                • 3556

                #8
                Kevin, What an incredible day. This has got to be one of the most interesting Solstice hikes I have ever seen. I blame Neil even though the company you kept on this day has seemingly drank the same kool-aid as you, Neil, MG, NP, WWBF
                Nice.
                "Climbing is about freedom. There's no prize money; there are no gold medals. The mountains are all about going there to do what you want to do. That's why I'll never tell anyone else how to climb. All I can say is, This is how I prefer to do it."
                Ed Viesturs

                Comment

                • adkeditor
                  Senior Member
                  • Sep 2006
                  • 131

                  #9
                  Amazing feat.

                  I've never been clear on what the Great Range is and who decides? Is it the range as far as Haystack? Is Marcy not included?
                  Phil
                  Adirondack Explorer
                  www.adirondackexplorer.org

                  Comment

                  • mudrat
                    Hiding in Panther Gorge.
                    • Mar 2007
                    • 1635

                    #10
                    Originally posted by adkeditor
                    Amazing feat.

                    I've never been clear on what the Great Range is and who decides? Is it the range as far as Haystack? Is Marcy not included?
                    Phil,
                    Thank you, Sir. AMC High Peaks Region Trail Guide defines the range on page 51-52 of the 13th edition. Per amc it runs from Rooster Comb to Marcy (including Haystack [pg 51]). Geologically, I've seen others include Skylight, Redfield and Cliff as well if memory serves. I've also seen others leave Haystack off as a spur. Every now and again this discussion pops up. Anyway, for all intents and purposes I go by the AMC definition of RC to Marcy including Haystack.
                    May your ambition for the goal allow you to be a student of the journey.

                    www.adirondackmountaineering.com

                    Comment

                    • mudrat
                      Hiding in Panther Gorge.
                      • Mar 2007
                      • 1635

                      #11
                      Originally posted by ADKJack
                      Kevin, What an incredible day. This has got to be one of the most interesting Solstice hikes I have ever seen. I blame Neil even though the company you kept on this day has seemingly drank the same kool-aid as you, Neil, MG, NP, WWBF
                      Nice.
                      Ha! thanks. I blame Neil for lots of things
                      I didn't even realize it was close to the solstice until Greg mentioned it en route. This was just a convenient date for both of us as i don't really care if i hike in the dark or not. I just wanted decent weather for the bushwhack portion.
                      May your ambition for the goal allow you to be a student of the journey.

                      www.adirondackmountaineering.com

                      Comment

                      • mudrat
                        Hiding in Panther Gorge.
                        • Mar 2007
                        • 1635

                        #12
                        Originally posted by bstewie
                        Great job! Thanks for the pix. How long did you sleep after finishing?
                        Thanks, 3.5 hrs before and about 5 after with a few naps
                        May your ambition for the goal allow you to be a student of the journey.

                        www.adirondackmountaineering.com

                        Comment

                        • Neil
                          Administrator
                          • Apr 2005
                          • 11910

                          #13
                          Very, very sick hike. If that's what it takes to remain healthy then so be it.

                          The Marcy side of Haystack is something I remember eyeballing for a few hours...

                          Nice navigation job descending to the top of the Marcy slide.

                          Comment

                          • Gregory Karl
                            * — * — * — * — *
                            • Sep 2006
                            • 2371

                            #14
                            Great read and pics Kevin! I was impressed beginning with the nutrition list. Wow! That is one monumental day of eating! The hiking agenda wasn't bad either.

                            Comment

                            • krummholz
                              Consultant
                              • Feb 2011
                              • 203

                              #15
                              Originally posted by ADKJack
                              I blame Neil even though the company you kept on this day has seemingly drank the same kool-aid as you, Neil, MG, NP, WWBF
                              Nice.
                              Ha. The ironic part is that when I decided to plan some bushwhacks and slide climbs last winter, I started emailing Kevin and most of those you mention (plus CoryD) knowing that they might be interested in some of my more ambitious ones (several still to be attempted). It just so happened that Mudrat was also eyeing a possible Skylight 'whack as well, and our schedules (and pace, decision making, etc) meshed very welll.

                              The recent hikes we've completed have taught me a lot about what's possible with good routefinding. I remember being awe-struck looking across from Haystack toward the waterfall at the base of Grand Central (which I always called the 'comma' slide) during spring runoff years ago and thinking it would be really cool to stand at the base some day, but would require a lot of time to push through PGorge toward the base and carefully weave up the drainage to the falls. I've day hiked with Kevin twice now and been to that spot twice, and both times we had the majority of our workload ahead of us! He's got a knack for reading the terrain and confidently pushing through each phase. It's been a great experience.

                              Although our originally conceived "slide" on Hay turned out to be a lemon, the exit route through those elaborate outcroppings on the upper slope turned out to be a highlight of our trek for me. I definitely feel well acquainted with Panther Gorge after these last 2 trips! If I were a more accomplished rock climber, I'd be drooling over those cliffs.

                              Hopefully my lacerations will heal before my next adventure in a few weeks

                              Comment

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