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| View to Gothics from Armstrong Summit |
It has been slow going on my ADK 46er list. Some people crank out all 46 in a couple of weeks. I think the record is a couple of days. Me. I'm taking it slow. There are hundreds of smaller peaks and lower elevation trails in the Adirondack Park without the seemingly-constant pressure and congestion of the High Peaks. Many days, I'd just rather take one of those than contest with the Marcy Dam Mobs. In other words, I pick the days for my 46er outings VERY carefully.
Fall is a great time of year for them. I chose a crisp, sunny Columbus Day to tackle part of the Great Range -- Lower Wolf Jaw, Upper Wolf Jaw, and Armstrong Mountain. Knowing most holiday hikers out of St. Huberts would be going to Gothics, I specifically left it off the day's itinerary.
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| At the Wedge Brook Cascades |
I did the mile from the St. Huberts parking area to the Ausable River Club gate at dawn. From there, many people use the easy-graded Lake Road to quickly cover the distance to the many climbing trails. I opted for the West River Trail which is a lot more scenic. I took it to the Wedge Brook Trail, which goes up to the col (or maw) of the Wolf Jaws. It's a nice trail that offers a dramatic look at the head wall of the peaks before you start the serious climbing. Reaching the Adirondack Ridge Trail, I did a quick up and back to the wooded Lower Wolf Jaw summit.
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| Upper Wolf Jaw Summit |
After that, I followed the ridge to Upper Wolf Jaw (keep an eye out for a short side trail to the viewpoint) and then went down and up again to Armstrong. The climb to Armstrong is seriously steep, with hand over hand boulder scrambles and ladder climbing needed to negotiate the trail. At the summit, I ran into a couple of hikers who had come in from the Garden and were heading back via the Jaws, as well as three Quebec fellows who I had seen earlier and seemed to be doing the entire Great Range over their Canadian Thanksgiving holiday weekend. I couldn't really tell. My French is terrible these days.
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| Ladders. A Great Range Necessity |
After Armstrong, it is down and over a small hump to the Beaver Meadow Trail that winds down and back to the Lake Road. It was a nice trail, made even nicer by the early afternoon sun and fall foliage turning everything a glowing yellow color. There are a few ladders at the top to negotiate the steep pitches, but after that the trail consists mainly of switchbacks making for a fairly easy descent.
Two disappointments. I saw neither meadows nor beavers on the way down.
Peak: Lower Wolf Jaw, Upper Wolf Jaw, Armstrong Mountain
Elevation: 4,175, 4,185, 4,400
Distance: 14.3 miles round trip
Route: Loop, West River Trail, Wedge Brook Trail, Adirondack Ridge Trail, Beaver Meadow Trail, Lake Road.
Conditions: Mostly sunny, 30 degrees F
