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Colvin and Blake - 7/14

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  • Colvin and Blake - 7/14

    Fresh off the excitement of climbing my first HP (Giant), I was anxious to hike another. The other threads here provided lots of useful intel about good choices and I settled on Colvin & Blake in part after reading how terrible this combo can be when muddy. The planned date was completely rearranged after seeing Sunday's forecast for rain and t-storms and no further outlook for next week. I took a chance late Friday night and packed my gear to leave early the next morning.

    One thing I learned after hiking Giant was that several key pieces of gear didn't work for me or at the very least would become a liability to the demands posed by the HP's. After doing some extensive searches and then trying some on, I picked up an Osprey Kestrel 32 pack and Osprey 3L bladder. The long Colvin/Blake hike also made me wonder if 3L would be enough (I hydrate frequently) so I added a filter combo of a 2L Platypus bag and Sawyer filter (from their bottle) just in case. This would later prove to be a wise choice.

    I arrived at the parking lot just before 7 am and was maybe the 10th car there (I read about the overflow warnings for that lot). After signing in by the AMR gate, the attendant there came out to say, "It's going to be a hot one today". "True, but it will be dry though", I replied. The forecast showed high 70's with wind of 5-10 mph. Now, I didn't have a thermometer in my bag, but it sure felt more like upper 80's by mid day with no wind at all.

    The walk in from Lake Road was uneventful other than the entourage of black flies. All of the trails are clearly marked and easy to follow. I used the Gil Brook cut-off suggested by another member here and it's your typical trail in the woods. At the end of this path you head south and cross over into the state land. Shortly afterwards you'll come across the first of three camp sites. The first one is pictured below and looks ideal being right next to the brook. The second is a little further in to your left and the last one is right before the Elk Pass junction.



    This is where the real climbing starts for the next 1.1 miles to Colvin's summit. It didn't seem as steep as Giant's ridge run, but a moderate hike. A couple of spots are tricky, but the exposed roots make for great hand and footholds. There were also three or four little toads that dashed by my path, too fast for grabbing my camera from the pack, but this fellow was happy to pose for a pic.



    Finally the summit of Colvin appeared without another soul in sight. The views of the Great Range are incredible from this tiny summit! I could also see Giant/RPR through the haze to the north and Dial/Nip to the east. A slightly better vantage point for seeing the Great Range and points south is just past the summit and not to be missed. After soaking in the views, taking pictures and resting, I packed back up for the trek to Blake thinking that this little outcrop would be the perfect lunch spot on the way back.

    From summit:




    From outcrop just past summit:



    From this point on the satisfaction and joy of reaching Colvin quickly faded. The temp was climbing fast and there was no breeze whatsoever. The hike down from Colvin and back up to Blake is hard, steep and no fun. You get plenty of eroded soil, debris and elevation. At least the conditions are dry; no wonder people don't like to do this hike when it's muddy. Here's a pic of the first of two ladders to be found on the south side of Colvin.



    It was a grind to finally reach the summit of Blake over an hour later. Unlike Colvin and Giant, I found myself standing there and saying, "Is this it?" Sure enough. No happy dance for reaching this peak, that's for sure. Here's a pic of the only view and the trail sign that sort of marks the spot.




    Hiking back to Colvin killed me. It was hot and my water was running out fast. I was overheated, winded and not having fun anymore. In hindsight, that planned return lunch break back on Colvin seemed like a mistake. In fact, when I finally did make it back, that outcrop didn't have a lick of shade so I dropped back to the summit which had a couple of bushes that offered a little bit of relief. Talk about having two different feelings when reaching this peak in the same day! It wasn't about taking in the views anymore; I was just trying to catch my breath and get some food in my system for energy.

    My hydro bladder was dry and Gil Brook was the only watering spot some two miles back down. Getting there was a slow haul with feelings of dehydration starting and me being careful not to take any missteps that would compound my problems. I finally reached the stream and filtered 2L of never-tasted-better cold water. After chugging half of that down, I drenched my head to cool off and started back on the trail to Lake Road. I finally reached my car filthy and exhausted about 10 1/2 hours after starting out that morning.

    In hindsight, I underestimated the heat and should have packed an extra water bottle with electrolytes. This was the longest hike I ever attempted before and just making it back to the car was an accomplishment. If not for wanting to check the box on Blake, the hike to Colvin would have been much more memorable. No wonder Blake has a bad rap; it deserves every bit of one. However, as I'm looking at the pics and video from Colvin's summit as I write this, that peak truly does offer some outstanding views.

    Quick question: the adirondack.net site lists the Blake distance as 13.6 miles; is that from the parking lot RT or the trail head where you sign in by the AMR gate?
    http://www.adkhighpeaksforheroes.com

  • #2
    Glad you made it out ok. Nice TR.

    I did Colvin and Blake in February so I had no problem with the heat. I didn't mind the trip to Blake. Maybe it is better in winter.

    The 13.6 miles is from the trail register at the AMR gate.
    offonadventure.com

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Telemarkmike View Post
      Glad you made it out ok. Nice TR.

      I did Colvin and Blake in February so I had no problem with the heat. I didn't mind the trip to Blake. Maybe it is better in winter.

      The 13.6 miles is from the trail register at the AMR gate.
      Thanks Mike. Is it another 1 mile RT from the lot then?

      By the way, the Nat Geo Topo maps you've posted with your TR's have been a great resource for me as a new HP hiker.
      http://www.adkhighpeaksforheroes.com

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by JW1069 View Post
        Thanks Mike. Is it another 1 mile RT from the lot then?

        By the way, the Nat Geo Topo maps you've posted with your TR's have been a great resource for me as a new HP hiker.
        Yes, it's another mile RT from the lot. I'm glad the maps are helpful. Happy trails!
        offonadventure.com

        Comment


        • #5
          I hiked that the day after you. Still hotter than blazes but not much for rain except a few showers. Heading back in a few weeks to tackle N/D.
          "Mountains have a way of dealing with overconfidence." -Hermann Buhl

          36/46

          2/46W

          My 46er journey - http://adkjourney.blogspot.com/

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