Pitchoff North Peak, June 20, 2019, Eastern High Peaks, Adirondack Park

Rocco admiring the view of Cascade Mountain from North Pitchoff

I'm taking my sweet old time hiking the 46ers of the Adirondacks. The reason? There are so many other trails and peaks not on the list that I want to hike. More importantly, the ones NOT on the 46er list are the peaks that you can actually hike and not see a single person, even on a beautiful day in the busy season. Such is the attraction of Pitchoff Mountain.

There are two trailheads for Pitchoff. Both are on busy Route 73 from I87 to Lake Placid and the High Peaks. One trailhead shares a parking area with the trail to Cascade - the most accessible of the 46ers - and is therefore always jammed with cars. The other, however, is just a small, two-car pull off and is almost always empty. I chose the latter.

The hike to the north summit of Pitchoff is short. Only 1.4 miles. But in 1.4 miles you have to cover 1,400 feet of elevation. The trail goes right up a steeply-pitched, rocky steam bed pretty much the whole way to the summit.

Fortunately, the Rock is part dog and part mountain goat. He negotiated the trail with ease and adventurous aplomb. At the top, he even took his time to sit back, relax, scan the horizon, and admire the view.

Good boy.

Peak: Pitchoff Mountain
Elevation: 3,323 (Gain: 1,400 feet)
Distance: 2.8 miles, up and back
Route: Up and Back, Pitchoff Trail from Northeast Trailhead
Conditions: Partly sunny, 70 degrees F