Bear Gap and Buffalo Mountain, December 24, 2021, Bald Eagle State Forest, Pennsylvania

 

View to Mount Nittany Ridge from Grosses Gap Trail

Knowing that we would be spending the rest of the day (and the day after that) in the kitchen, my brother and I decided to head out with his two boys for a Christmas Eve hike of Buffalo Mountain. As luck would have it, we timed it perfectly to enjoy about an inch of newly-fallen snow - just enough to make for a picturesque hiking day; but not enough to cause too much of a hazard on the unpaved roads leading to the trailhead.

The crew ascending Grosses Gap Trail

Our plan was a simple loop hike up Buffalo Mountain via Grosses Gap with a return via Bear Gap, where my nephews liked to take advantage of an established camp site to take a long break with a fire and hot chocolate. We hit the trail around 9 a.m. and judging by the absence of tire tracks on the snow-covered access road were the first people to enter Bald Eagle State Forest on Christmas Eve morning. Grosses Gap Trail took us steeply up to the summit ridge of Buffalo Mountain, at which point we headed west for a gentle meander on the Spring Mountain trail - an old fire road. Near the intersection with Bear Gap trail, we found fresh boot prints in the snow and assumed that they were from someone who was doing and out-and-back via Bear Gap Trail. But as it turned out the prints led off into the woods. Probably someone doing a bushwhack... but a little eerie, nonetheless.

Spring Mountain Trail on Buffalo Mountain Ridge

Bear Gap Trail made for a very pretty descent of the mountain and we set up at the aforementioned campsite to enjoy a camp stove fire just as the sun started to peak through the trees. After a long break, we continued down the trail and completed the loop with a short road walk along Spruce Run back to the trailhead.

View from Bear Gap Campsite

As it turned out, we really needed a calorie-burning peak hike on Christmas Eve. Our geographic locale of choice for this year's Italy-themed holiday feast was Parma, Italy. 

Light fare it ain't.

Destination: Buffalo Mountain

Elevation: 1,900 feet (Gain: 950 feet)

Distance: 6 miles roundtrip

Route: Loop, Grosses Gap Trail to Spring Mountain Trail to Bear Gap Trail

Conditions: Snow to partly sunny, 30 degrees F

Sunfish Pond, November 3, 2021, Worthington State Forest, Delaware Water Gap, New Jersey

Sunfish Pond view from the northside bluff

For me, Sunfish Pond is the best hike in New Jersey. The ascent, via the AT, is a long, uphill climb of about 1,200 feet in elevation gain on a very rocky trail that kind of feels like a surface you'd find on a hike in the Adirondacks or White Mountains. The pond itself is a splendid destination, affording numerous points to take in the views. And the long, meandering descent follows Dunnfield Creek the entire way, making for picturesque sights and pleasant sounds the whole way home.

View to the east from the AT

The only problem with Sunfish Pond is that you have to time it just right in order to get it all to yourself. That means no weekends, no holidays, no Thursdays or Fridays, and no days - not even weekdays - in the spring and summer months. Over the years, I've learned that the only time to hit Sunfish is after November 1, on a Tuesday or Wednesday, with a start time of no later than sunrise. That's the only way to have peace, quiet and solitude at the best hiking destination in New Jersey. 

Arriving at Sunfish Pond clearing

I consciously avoided Sunfish through the entire two years of the pandemic, knowing that the popular trail would always be busy. I recently found myself wanting to make sure that the hoards of Covid-era weekend warriors without outdoor education hadn't messed it up. On a beautiful, sunny mid-week morning in early November, I decided to do just that and pulled into the AT trailhead lot at 7:00 a.m. sharp. I found only two other vehicles - pick up trucks clearly belonging to deer hunters. They would stay close to the lot, so as long as there were not any early rising thru-hikers camping at the designated sites up top, I would have Sunfish Pond all to myself.

View from the western rocks

The AT ascent has less interesting scenery than the Dunnfield Creek return, but it's still wonderfully pleasant and I made it up to the south shore of the pond in an hour and fifteen minutes. From there, the AT continues along the western shore and I climbed up the rocky outcroppings found there to take a long break basking in the early morning sun. From there, I continued on the AT to the Turquoise Trail and then the Sunfish Pond Fire Road to complete the full pond loop. 

Dunnfield Creek

It was at the upper end of my descent on the Dunnfield Creek Trail that I encountered the only other hiker on the day, who was ascending with her Labradoodle. She mentioned that the creek was running high and that she had gotten wet from the difficult crossings. Sure enough, I found that to be the case and had to investigate alternate crossing points at all of the spots where the trail crosses and re-crosses the creek during the descent. At one crossing, the only valid option was a tight rope style walk across a fallen log which I could tell from the tracks had been used by others.

Log crossing on Dunnfield Creek

It took me four hours for the whole loop including a lengthy break at the pond and I arrived back in the parking area to find it already filling up to max capacity. No surprise there.

Destination: Sunfish Pond
Elevation: 1,379 feet (Gain: 1,374 feet)
Distance: 10.3 miles roundtrip
Route: Loop, Appalachian Trail to Turquoise Trail to Sunfish Fire Road Trail to Dunnfield Creek Trail
Conditions: Sunny, 32 degrees F

Seymour Mountain, October 15, 2021, Seward Range, Western High Peaks, Adirondack Park

Escalator log up the Seymour slides

I like to hike in all kinds of weather. But this year I found myself reserving all of my hikes to the highest summits for banner, blue bird days. It makes sense, I guess, since this means that all of the hard work going up is at least rewarded with a view. But there is also something to be said about a rainy day hike to a summit totally enveloped in clouds. If, like me, you sometimes want your one square inch of silence, I find this to be a great way to find it.

The flattest trail in the ADK?

On a recent Friday, my trusted weather service (NWS Mountain Points Forecast) called for warmer, slightly-humid temperatures, overcast skies, no lighting risk, summits in the clouds, and a 25% chance of passing showers. It seemed like the perfect type of day for Mount Seymour. The Seward Range gets light traffic anyway, but the rain forecast, I thought, might keep even more people off the trails. And although Mount Seymour does have nice some view points, it's a peak that I felt had the potential to be an equally-rewarding experience if totally enveloped in mountain fog.

Mossy summit approach

After an hour and fifteen drive in the morning darkness, I arrived to find the Seward Range parking lot on Coreys Road largely empty and hit the trail with headlamp and bear bell at 6:45 a.m. The sun was up by the time I reached the cutoff for the Calkins Brook approach trail to Seward, Donaldson and Emmons, which I had hiked earlier in the year. So the trail ahead was all new terrain. It's remarkably easy going - consistently flat, with few mud holes, rocks or tree roots. Decidedly un-Adirondack, really.

Quiet summit

The trail remained like that all the way to my first break point, Ward Brook Lean-To at mile post 4.5, which is where I rested and refueled before and after the climb to Seymour. Some people complain in their trip reports about the boredom of the overly-flat trail. I found it quite nice, especially in the autumn as the changing, falling leaves made for the sights and sounds of a pleasant, picturesque meander through the woods. It kind of reminded me of the Signal Ridge Trail to Mount Carrigain in the White Mountains - a seemingly-endless, flat approach before the climb.

Hazy view of Ampersand Mountain from Seymour shoulder

After the break, I stowed my larger pack and brought a summit bag the rest of the way. It's fairly easy to find and follow the unmarked herd path, which starts off climbing alongside a minor, trickling stream coming down the mountainside. Just when I started to climb, of course, it started to rain. I had packed raingear, knowing that a 25% chance of precipitation in the ADK really means 100% and spent the next hour clambering up the wet and slippery slides for which the path is known. It wasn't overly difficult - quite fun actually - and I made quick work of the hard parts to reach the beautiful, moss-covered summit cone. From there, it's a short, muddy distance over to the summit sign. There are no easy 46ers. But this one was certainly not one of the hardest.

Clothing change and dry out at the Ward Brook shelter

As expected, the top was fully enveloped in clouds. A light and variable wind rustled the trees on the wooded summit, breaking the otherwise eerie silence. I took another long break at the summit, which I had all to myself. In fact, the only other hiker I saw all day was ascending just below the slides as I was making my descent. We chatted for a few minutes, but I quickly got on my way to again enjoy the peace and quiet of a great trail and summit that I had all to myself.

Peak: Seymour Mountain
Elevation: 4.091 feet (Gain: 2,798 feet)
Distance: 13.7 miles roundtrip, 7 hours total time out
Route: Out and Back: Trail 129 aka Blueberry Trail to Seymour Mountain Herd Path
Conditions: Cloudy, rain, 55 degrees F

 

Mount Marshall, October 10, 2021, MacIntyre Range, Eastern High Peaks, Adirondack Park

Peace and quiet on Indian Pass trail on a Columbus Day weekend

I always try to avoid starting hike from the Heart Lake/Loj parking area on weekends, especially holiday weekends. I like quiet, contemplative mornings, not mob scenes. However, my schedule recently facilitated the unlikely decision to hike Mount Marshall on the Sunday of Columbus Day weekend. Of course, I had anticipated every detail of the veritable shit show that greeted me as I arrived. There was a steady stream of car headlights behind me as I pulled up to the entrance at 5:55 a.m. The parking booth was already staffed and open for business, as was the Hungry Hiker snack bar and the High Peaks Information Center. The lot was at 80% capacity and streams of huge hiking parties in headlamps were surging towards the main trail towards Marcy Dam. The cacophony of voices was deafening.

View towards Indian Pass

Knowing that the main trails to Mount Marcy and Avalanche Pass would be loaded on a holiday weekend, my plan was to tackle Marshall from the west. I'd take the trail to Indian Pass and then up the Cold Brook Trail to the herd path. I expected that this route, even on a holiday weekend, would be far less trafficked than the ones leaving the Loj to the east.

Trail break on banks of Indian Pass Brook

I started out on the Heart Lake loop trail and needed a headlamp almost until the junction to Rocky Falls. The Indian Pass trail had easy grades all the way to the lean-to site on the banks of Indian Pass Creek. At this point, there was a split in the trail which had a yellow blazed trail going one way and the red-blazed trail that I'd been following crossing the river. I stuck with the latter and it brought me past a couple of brook-side camp sites, after which the trail rises and dips steeply down. It then follows the creek again to the start of the trail through Cold Brook pass, clearly marked by two cairns. This proved to be a perfect break spot to prepare for the long climb. I used this point for two breaks, one on the way up and one on the return.

Only views of the day, from trail through Cold Brook Pass

Though very poorly maintained, the trail up through Cold Brook Pass is a splendid one. It follows the brook pretty much the entire way, passing many deep pools and waterfalls. The crossings provide some visual interest, though long distance views as you climb are pretty minimal. Almost the entire way up, I endured the constant sensation of wet branches brushing my face and clothing. The trail is really overgrown and needs a trim. Some people seem to complain about this. I rather like it. It feels like an undiscovered, secret trail that nobody ever uses.

Brook-turned-trail in Cold Brook Pass

The clearly-marked herd path to Marshall is located near the high point between Indian Pass and Avalanche Pass. It's a fairly straightforward herd path and not too difficult, despite a few classic ADK boulder scrambles. There is a demoralizing false summit towards the start, which the trail quickly crosses and then dips down and up steeply again to the true summit. Though only partly cloudy down below, the forecast called for summits in and out of the clouds. The timing of my arrival didn't allow me to take in the one view point that this otherwise wooded mountain offers.

Absolutely no views from the Mt. Marshall vista point. Bummer.

The absolute highlight of the day, however, was the total isolation of the trails that I had chosen. From Heart Lake to the herd path, I saw only two other hikers. Two. On a warm and dry autumn day. At peak foliage time of year. On Columbus Day weekend. 

I'll definitely be going back.

Peak: Mount Marshall
Elevation: 4,360 feet (Gain: approx, 3,000 feet)
Distance: 14.5 miles roundtrip
Route: Out and Back: Indian Pass Trail to Cold Brook Pass Trail to Mount Marshall Herd Path
Conditions: Partly Cloudy, 70 degrees F

Mount Webster and Mount Jackson, September 19, 2021, White Mountain National Forest

View to the South from Webster Cliffs, Mount Carrigain at Center

It's just one of those immutable laws of my hiking universe. Avoid Crawford Notch on the weekends. It has to be that way. There are just too many people. One time, a full SUV screeched to a halt as I was hiking back to my car so the dude could ask me where he and his family could see a moose. That incident pretty much sealed my Crawford Law for good. But I recently found myself missing the notch and since it was a mid-week day after Labor Day, I figured that the day of the week coupled with the end of the summer season would keep the pressure fairly light. So I headed out.

Waterfall and Pond on Webster-Jackson Trail

I arrived late by my standards (7 a.m.) but still found plenty of parking near the rail station/information center just south of the Highland Center -- A good sign towards having the trail all to myself. Indeed, the entire hike up the Webster-Jackson Trail to the summit of Webster was peaceful and quiet and I didn't encounter a single hiker. The views from the summit cliffs on Webster are fantastic, so I took a long break on an open ledge and enjoyed the sights, the sun and the absence of any wind. A perfect peak day, really.

Panorama to the West from Webster Cliffs

While relaxing, I encountered a pair of thru-hikers who appeared somewhat surprised to see someone up on the summit ridge at that time of morning. We chatted briefly and then I packed up and made my way along the Webster Cliff trail over to Jackson. I usually approach Jackson from the other side, via the high elevation bog, and was looking forward to an approach from a different direction.

Mount Jackson Summit, View to Mount Washington

Webster's atmosphere was peaceful, quiet and contemplative. Jackson was the total opposite. When I arrived there, I had the peak all to myself... for five minutes. Then, within the 10 minutes thereafter, the summit got mobbed by four groups of 4-5 people each and another group of 3 with 3 off-leash dogs that starting zipping all about the summit. Next, a gregarious, loud-talking solo hiker showed up and took it upon himself to talk to EVERYONE about his exploits doing hundreds and hundreds of hiking miles. When one of the loose dogs started sniffing my pack as if getting ready to take a leak, I quickly packed it in and got outta dodge.

A 4,000 footer in Crawford Notch... What did I expect?

Peaks: Webster and Mount Jackson
Elevation:  3,910 feet and 4,052 feet (Gain: 2,381 feet)
Distance: 6.5 miles
Route: Loop, Webster-Jackson Trail to Webster Cliff Trail to Webster-Jackson Trail 
Conditions: Partly Cloudy, 70 degrees F

Black Mountain, September 18, 2021, White Mountain National Forest

Lime Kiln on Chippewa Trail to Black Mountain

As far as I can remember, I'd always wanted to hike Black Mountain. The peak is well-known for its  open ledges and nice vistas. Though it is easily accessible from our home base of Sugar Hill, the problem has always been the trail mileage. It is only 1.8 miles to the summit; 3.6 miles for a roundtrip out and back. That's just too short. Thus, I always found myself passing it up for something a little more substantive. But on a day when I got up a little later than normal and woke to a cloudy, blustery day that was clearly going to be a little unsettled in the higher elevations, I decided that it was time to give Black Mountain a go. 

View from Black Mountain Summit

Although the north approach trail to Black Mountain was closer, I circled around to the southern access point off Lime Kiln Road. This is the start of the Chippewa Trail, which is thought to be the more scenic approach to the summit with the added benefit of taking one near the remains of the lime kilns. As one might expect, the trail is steep going the entire way since it gains so much elevation over such a short distance. I took my time on the approach and enjoyed both the trail and the summit very much. The steep-short-distance-for-big-payoff nature of the hike reminded me of a neat little peak called Catamount in the Adirondacks.  The only downside was that the celebrated long-distance views were pretty much totally obscured by clouds.

Final Approach to Black Mountain Summit

Peak: Black Mountain
Elevation: 2,820 feet (Gain: 1,587 feet)
Distance: 3.6 miles roundtrip
Route: Out and back, Chippewa Trail
Conditions: Summits in the clouds, windy, 70 degrees F

Donaldson, Emmons and Seward, July 15, 2021, Seward Range, Western High Peaks, Adirondack Park

 

View of Emmons (left) and Donaldson (center) from Shoulder Slabs of Mount Seward

The only non-stormy day of the week that I had planned to hike the Seward Range turned out to be a sweltering day of high temperatures and high humidity. I probably got as wet from excessive perspiration as I would have just going out in the rain. But holding out for a day when the summits were out of the clouds was definitely worth it in the end. Although most of the Seward Range summits are tree-covered, there are enough open ledges to afford some really nice views of the Western High Peaks and canoe wilderness country.

The Infamous Can Cairn

I opted against tackling all four peaks in the range in one day. Instead, I decided on doing Donaldson, Emmons and Seward together as a "T" shaped hike via the Calkins Brook Trail -- an unofficial "herd path" accessible via the trail to Duck Hole. I decided to stay in Saranac Lake as opposed to the usual home base of Jay since the Seward trailhead was only 30 minutes away.

I hit the trail at 6 a.m. and quickly reached the turn off to the south for the Calkins Brook Trail. There's a split before you get there - one trail for foot traffic and the other for horses - and I opted for the foot trail. I suspected that there would be way more mud on the horse trail on account of the recent rains. Once you get to the Calkins Brook turn off, the trail becomes quite wide with easy footing and follows a long descent to the famed "can cairn" Here, one turns off towards the east to start climbing the herd path up to the Seward Range ridgeline. It's a pleasant trail that follows the brook pretty much the whole way up, ensuing a water supply if needed.

View from Donaldson

At the intersection with the summit ridge trail, I stowed my large pack and used a summit bag to do two out-and-backs to the peaks. I tacked Donaldson and Emmons first, then returned to my pack to take a short break before heading over to Seward. Of the two trips, I found the one to Seward to be a much more pleasant experience. The trail to Emmons had tons of mud holes, few views, and was otherwise totally unspectacular. On the contrary, the trail over to Seward follows some interesting contours and culminates in several hand-over-hand scrambles. It wasn't easy, as the trail requires you to go down steeply, then up and over a wooded knob before dropping down again and making the final climb to Seward. Although the summit itself is wooded, the slabs on its western face offer nice views back to Donaldson and Emmons.

Wooded Summit on Emmons

After the two summit treks, I returned to get my pack from the juncture and headed down about .5 mile to the point where the trail first meets the brook. There, I took a long break to change socks (you always bring a change of socks in the High Peaks), refill my water bottles (the three liters I packed proved insufficient on such a scorcher of a day and I always bring my u/v filter) and rest up for the long descent. On the way down, I met another solo hiker going up to Donaldson and took a second break to chat with him. I needed the second break as the heat and humidity had really drained me and the final stretch from the can cairn to my car seemed to go on forever.

View of Seward from Donaldson Shoulder, Seymour Beyond

I finally made it back to the parking lot at 3:45 p.m. for a total of 9 hours and 45 minutes of trail time. All in all, I liked being in a different -- and certainly quieter -- part of the High Peaks. I would surely go back to Seward, but I kind of doubt I will make the trip over to Emmons again.

Peaks: Donaldson, Emmons, and Seward
Elevation: 4.140 feet, 4,040 feet and 4.361 feet (Gain: 3,996 feet)
Distance: 15.5 miles
Route: "T" - Ward Brook Truck Trail to Calkins Brook Trail to Seward Range Ridge Trail, out-and-back to Donaldson and Emmons and out-and-back to Seward, return via Calkins Brook Trail and Ward Brook 
Conditions: Partly Cloudy, 85 degrees F, high humidity

Basin and Saddleback, June 16, 2021, Eastern High Peaks, Adirondack Park

 

View to the South to Ausable Lakes from Saddleback Mountain Summit

For a late-summer, mid-week section hike of the Great Range, I knew that the famed Saddleback Cliffs were something that I'd very much prefer to go up, rather than down. I therefore mapped out a hike over Basin and Saddleback as a counterclockwise loop wherein I'd hike past both and then circle back over the summits. The hitch? This route meant going up the Shorey Shortcut, a route with the ignominious reputation as being the "most hated" trail in all of the Adirondacks.

First Trail Break Spot - John's Brook Lodge

I arrived at the Garden just before 6 a.m. and was on the trail within a matter of minutes. It didn't take much energy to do the easy 3.5 miles on the Phelps Trail to John's Brook Lodge, where I took my first break of the day to fill up my water bottles. I never stay overnight there, but the great thing about the JBL is that you can save water weight on the first part of your hike by traveling with empty bottles and filling up there. I hung out on the porch and figured that I'd talk to a few hikers while eating second breakfast, but the place was super quiet and not a soul stepped out of the lodge. Too early, I guess. 

John's Brook Running High

I soon pressed on along the Phelps Trail and quickly noticed that John's Brook was raging, probably from the previous two days of showers and thunderstorms. My observation of high water was quickly confirmed by three hikers who passed me heading down to the lodge, warning me of a tough crossing. Sure enough, the crossing point was way too high to cross safely, so I spent a good 15 minutes scouting for a better place. I finally found one that was pretty safe to negotiate using trekking poles for balance on the slippery rocks, but it did require one fairly substantial leap. I made sure to lunge low and forward on the landing rock in the event that it was algae-covered and fortunately had no issue.

View of Saddleback from the Shorey Shortcut

After the crossing, the trail starts its gradual climb to the junction with the Shorey Shortcut. The Shorey really wasn't THAT different from many other muddy, seriously-steep-trails-turned-streams in the High Peaks, but I guess I can endorse its hated reputation. The issue is that the trail makes you climb high up above the col on the west side of Basin and then you have to climb all that way back down to get to the point where you even begin your climb of the high peak. Why didn't this Shorey dude just build the trail directly there?

View of Marcy from Basin Summit

Once I negotiated ups and downs of the Shorey Shit Show, I was ready to head east to the two high peaks of the day. I made quick work up the many scrambles to Basin and admired the bare summit view back towards Mount Marcy. It was windy, so I decided against my usual practice of taking a break on the top and instead quickly pressed on to Saddleback. The Range Trail requires you to go over one "hump" before finally arriving at the eagerly-anticipated highlight of the day's hike - the Saddleback Cliffs.

Approaching the Saddleback Cliffs

When I arrived, I encountered a flummoxed solo hiker with his black lab. I quickly learned that they had hiked the same route as I did, but were now stuck. Much of the time, four legs work better than two in the high peaks. But not here. The Saddleback Cliffs are seriously vertical, requiring hikers to use hand and foot holds to clamber up the open rock faces to various ledges, each leading to the next hand-over-hand climbing point. I offered to help the guy out and our strategy was for me to climb up first. Then, when I got situated and balanced on the ledge, he would lift his dog up and then toss me the leash so I could lead the pooch up to the ledge. It worked on the first section, but that was it. It became way too steep and, coupled with the high winds, the poor dog kept getting scared and pulling out of his collar. In the end, they had no choice but to retrace their steps the way they came. 

After bidding farewell to the unfortunate pair, I finished the climb. There are tons of descriptions of these cliffs online - some say they are easy, and others are overly alarmist. None of them accurately describe just how exposed you are on the bare rock, so I was unsure what to expect. In the end, it really wasn't that bad. After taking a few quick summit pictures (it was still too windy to linger), I pressed on and started my descent via the Ore Bed Brook trail. This is one of my favorite trails in the High Peaks as it offers sweeping views on the descent, with one remarkable section in which a wooden stairway descends 100 yards to allow safe passage back into the valley over a long section of bare rock. One of my favorite birds, the White-Throated Sparrow, was singing his distinctive song at a pretty spot where runoff was cascading down a granite slab. I stopped for a quick break and then entered the woods on the final section that pretty much follows a brook the whole way down. 

Stairs on Ore Bed Brook Trail

I needed to re-visit the John's Brook Lodge to fill up my water bottles again and took my final break of the day on the porch to change my socks, which were totally soaked from the mud and slop of late spring trail-streams that I had been sloshing through all day. After chatting with the caretaker for ten minutes, I did the 3.5 back to the Garden wondering why these stretches always seem so short when ascending and so long when descending. I was back at my car at 4 p.m. sharp for a total of 10 hours on the trail... a chunk of that wasted trying to cross a nearly-impassable brook and attempting to help a four-legged friend climb up a mountainside.

Peaks: Basin and Saddleback
Elevation: 4.827 feet and 5,515 feet (Gain: 4,100 feet)
Distance: 15.7 miles
Route: "The Garden" to Phelps Trail to Shorey Shortcut to Range Trail to Ore Bed Brook Trail to Phelps Trail
Conditions: Partly Cloudy, 40 degrees F, 15-25 mph winds