Cold Mountain, June 30, 2022, Shining Rock Wilderness, Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina

 

View from Cold Mountain Summit

Once we had made the decision to turn a July 4 weekend wedding in Asheville, North Carolina, into a full week vacation, I immediately got hold of some maps of Pisgah National Forest to investigate some hiking possibilities. Of course, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River - Mount Mitchell - immediately came to mind. I charted several approach options but all roads still led to the same undesirable place - a summit swamped with cars, buses, motorcycles and the hundreds of tourists that those vehicles would be bringing up the auto road with them. In the end, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. At the end of a long hike to a mountaintop, I want my one square inch of silence. So instead of achieving any bragging rights to the eastern United States' highest point, I instead decided on a hike to the top of a way more quiet peak - Cold Mountain. And for you literati, that's right, it is the same Cold Mountain of book (and movie) fame.

Cold Mountain From Blue Ridge Parkway

After snubbing my nose at Mount Mitchell, I actually had several alternate hikes in mind. I made the decision on Cold Mountain as K and I were driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway southwest of Asheville. There are many parking lot lookout points along this famous road, many with sweeping views of mountain ranges to the south. All of those were mobbed with cars, so we didn't bother to stop. Then we came to an empty, north west-facing lot with a sign "Cold Mountain Overlook" and pulled in to check it out. There, far across the hazy valley, rose a hulking mass of a mountain with no other peaks nearby. Cold Mountain. From a distance, it appeared isolated, quiet and a tad bit menacing, as if no other mountain wanted to be near it. I liked the look of it. So, I thought, Cold Mountain it is.

The Trail to Deep Gap

I chose the more difficult of the two approaches which starts on the Art Loeb Trail due south of Camp Daniel Boone, a Boy Scout camp. I arrived in the parking lot at 6 a.m. and needed a headlamp to get my bearings and find the trail, which rises steeply from the get go via switchbacks. Once high above the scout camp, the trail levels out and follows the contours of the ridges to gradually climb higher and higher. There weren't any rock hopping sections, boulder scrambles, hand-over-hand ledges or other more difficult Adirondack and White Mountain trail features. Just a sure-footed, steady ascent on a long, graded incline with a few steeper pitches through a really beautiful forest. 

Rhododendron Tunnels on Cold Mountain Trail

At the top of the ridge - a place called Deep Gap - the Art Loeb Trail turns south and the Cold Mountain trail heads north. I took my first break of the day at this point, where a fire ring and log seating suggest it to be a stopping point for backpackers heading south on the Art Loeb trail. My route to the summit climbed around the back of the summit cone and up to the top. Though 6,000 feet in elevation, the summit is fully tree-covered but there are still a few good lookout points. The first one that the trail reaches is the best, with an impressive, sweeping view to the south and the many famous peaks located along the Blue Ridge Parkway with colorful names like Shining Rock and Dog Loser Knob. I took a nice long break admiring the view and trying to figure out the exact location of the overlook where we had first glassed Cold Mountain a few days earlier. I then pressed on along the overgrown summit trail to the USGS marker indicating the true summit and another nice lookout point. On this particular summer day, it wasn't very cold on cold mountain. But I still wore the new wool hat that K knitted for me as a gift for my birthday - one stripe for each decade, lol.

Panorama View to the South from Cold Mountain Summit

I had Cold Mountain all to myself for five and a half hours of a six-hour-long hike. The only people who I encountered all morning were part of hiking parties just setting out as I was completing the final half hour of my hike. Just as I hit the final switchbacks leading back to the parking area, rifles and shotgun blasts from the Boy Scout gun range began to pepper the peace and quiet of the wilderness. As my hike came to a close, I recalled an excellent trail, not terribly difficult, with beautiful scenery and tons of wildlife. But when the shooting starts, it's time to get the hell off of Cold Mountain.

Peak: Cold Mountain
Elevation: 6,030 feet (Total Gain: 2,800 feet)
Distance: 10.6 miles roundtrip
Route: Out and Back: Art Loeb Trail from Camp Daniel Boone to Cold Mountain summit trail
Conditions: Partly cloudy, 75 degrees F

Mount Colvin and Blake Peak, June 20, 2022, Eastern High Peaks, Adirondack Park

The Great Range, view from Mount Colvin

When a mid-June cold front brought plummeting temperatures and moderately high winds to the High Peaks, I figured that the conditions warranted the hike to Colvin and Blake. The highs were going to be in the mid 30s to 40s up top - perfect hiking temperatures - with zero chance of rain and sunny skies. And since Colvin and Blake are among the lower elevation 46ers, nestled between the Great Range to the north and the Nippletop massif to the south, I figured the moderately stronger winds would be less of an irritation there than trying to do something higher. Fortunately, I had made a Sunday morning online reservation well in advance on the off chance that I'd want to start a hike from the AMR that day. I understand the concept of the new reservation system, believe me I do, but it is kind of a pain to have to plan 2 weeks in advance. As an early a.m. hiker, I personally prefer the good old days of first come, first serve at the AMR. Early bird gets the worm.

View to Blake Peak from Colvin Shoulder

People seem to really hate this hike. Trip reports and online chatter don't rate it too highly. This was confirmed on the trail when I spoke with a few hiking parties that had disgusted, pained looks on their faces and openly lamented that they "just wanted to get this one over with." I don't like to disparage any hikes. They all have some redeeming features. This one had great bird habitats and one nice vista, but I suppose that I do agree that the trail itself was somewhat unremarkable, especially the difficult slog down and up to Blake and back. I liked the secluded, wooded hollow between Blake and Colvin. Out of the wind and with a long, fallen log for seating, it offered a peaceful and comfortable lunch spot. But I suppose when a col between two peaks is the most memorable point, that does say something.

Rickety Old Ladders Being Replace on Colvin

Although it was a Sunday, there were not too many people on the trail to Colvin and Blake. Maybe the reservation system was the reason, or perhaps the cold, rainy weather the day before caused people to cancel their weekend plans at the last minute. I didn't encounter anyone until the cut off to Elk Pass. He was a fast-moving, gregarious hiker who had left from the AMR Lake Road gate just ahead of me by 5 minutes (I knew this from recalling his name on the trail register when I signed in). I suppose that I had beaten him to this point by my choice to take the Gil Brook cutoff, a shortcut to avoid to more rugged Gil Brook Trail. He was quite friendly and we chatted for a few minutes, commenting that we might see one another again on our respective descents, or when catching a post-hike swim in one of Gil Brook's picturesque pools. He then set off towards Dial and Nippletop, and I headed onwards and upwards to Colvin. 

Due to the high winds, I just spent a few minutes on Colvin's summit to catch a quick view to the Great Range and back down to Lower Ausable Lake. I then pressed on to Blake. Not doubt about it. It is a long, plodding, ho-hum slog to get there, with a steep, ladder-strewn descent from Colvin and then up to Blake. There aren't many good views along the way or exciting natural features. Just a tough, rock- strewn classic Adirondack trail. 

A Rare Quiet Moment on the Lake Road

The worst part of the hike, I suppose, was the 2.5 mile return to the parking area on Lake Road. On a weekday, I don't mind the road at all, In fact, I kind of like a long, gradual descent with steady footing to conclude a rugged, higher-mileage hike. But on a  sunny Sunday afternoon, I had to constantly keep an eye and ear on the road for more motor traffic than I have ever seen on that road after all these years of hiking it. What I assumed were AMR members in their Cadillacs, BMWSs  and Audis kept me company pretty much the whole way down to the gate. A real bummer... but I suppose it is their property, after all.

Peak: Mount Colvin and Blake Peak
Elevation: 4,057 feet and 3,960 feet (Total Gain: 4,000 feet)
Distance: 14.6 miles roundtrip
Route: Out and Back: Lake Road to Gill Brook Cut-off to Mt. Colvin Trail to Colvin summit; out and back to Blake Peak.
Conditions: Sunny, 25-30 mph winds, 40 degrees F

Mount Redfield and Cliff Mountain, June 14, 2022, Eastern High Peaks, Adirondack Park

 

Mount Marcy from the Cliff Mountain Cliffs

As far as big hikes go, this was one of the biggest. Many people like to tackle the most remote ADK peaks as overnight trips. That way, they can hike in, set up a base camp and then do assorted peak hikes from there. Instead, I've done all of my 46ers as single day hikes. For Cascade, Algonquin, Giant and the other easily-accessible peaks, day hiking makes sense. But for the remote peaks like Redfield and Cliff, one can easily understand why people choose to camp overnight. If you don't, you're facing major mileage, major elevation gain and major trail time in a single day.

A long day hike is how I chose to do Redfield and Cliff. These peaks are definitely on the favorites list and I'd happily visit either one again. But both in one day? Probably not. I turn 50 this year, FFS.

Floating Logs

Although the approach to Redfield and Cliff via the Upper Works parking area is shorter, I started my hike at the Adirondack Loj since I wanted to minimize my morning drive time. I hit the trail at 6:30 a.m. sharp and passed the time on the boring first leg chatting with two hikers from Maryland who were (of course) on their way to Mount Marcy. I left them shortly before the dam and from there had the trail to Lake Arnold all to myself - probably because it is a notoriously rough trail. Beyond the height of land at Lake Arnold, the trail descends to the famous floating logs where I encountered a flummoxed solo hiker who had just fallen into the water. I showed her the bushwhack (into the trees/brush on the right) that allows one to circumnavigate the trouble spots. From there, I pressed on past Feldspar Brook and towards Uphill Brook.

Redfield Herd Path 

I took my first long break of the day at the cairn where the Mount Redfield and Cliff Mountain herd paths diverge in order to fuel up for big climb #1. I decided to do the longer spur first - Mount Redfield. I found it to be a great trail. For the most part, it follows picturesque Uphill Brook and then a smaller tributary thereof. At some points (in classic Adirondack fashion) the brook actually BECOMES the trail. It is a long, steady, upwards slog of rock hopping almost the whole way to the summit. The reward is a fabulous sweeping view of the southern Adirondacks.

View to the South from Mt. Redfield, Allen Mountain at Center

After Redfield, I returned to my base camp at the cairn to prepare for Cliff Mountain. The herd path to the peak couldn't be more different than Redfield. Instead of the long, steady rock-hopping climb, Cliff starts with a notoriously messy and muddy lower section which leads to the peak's apropos natural feature - the cliffs. These are vertical exposed rock slabs requiring hand-over-hand and root-grabbing technique in order to negotiate. I expected one or two of these slabs, but there are actually four super-steep sections to tackle before you reach the top. But the "top" isn't really the top because Cliff also has a demoralizing false summit. So one must go down and then back up, trudging through more mud pits, until reaching the true, wooded summit. The peak offers little more than a partial view of Mount Colden. For Cliff, the fun is in the journey, not the destination. If you don't mind the mud, that is. 

A lot of the fun of these peaks, I suppose, was the unexpected discoveries of the herd paths. My go-to ADK trail book, High Peaks Trails, is sorely lacking in descriptions of these peaks. Even the recently-published 15th edition has almost nothing about them. They really should do an update on Redfield and Cliff.

The Cliffs

In their own ways, the herd paths to Redfield and Cliff were both tough. And after all of that, I still had the 6+ mile return hike to the parking area. By the time that I had renegotiated the floating log bushwhack, I started to realize why my chosen hiking route was harder than I had anticipated. I now had yet another long climb - the fourth of the day - back up to Lake Arnold before (finally) being able to descend. But because the trail to Lake Arnold is rough, even going down didn't offer much solace. I encountered a few hiking parties on the return and chatted for a few minutes with each. When I told them that I was returning from Redfield and Cliff as a day hike from Heart Lake via Lake Arnold, they looked at me like I had three heads.

Extra Socks, as ever, are Essential Gear in the ADK

Mud-covered and weary, I finally reached the Loj at 5:30 p.m. 11 hours trail time. 18+ miles distance. Nearly 5,000 feet of elevation gain.

This hike was tough... probably the hardest of all my 46er hikes.

Peak: Mount Redfield and Cliff Mountain
Elevation: 4.606 feet and 3,960 feet (Total Gain: 4,800 feet)
Distance: 18.5 miles roundtrip
Route: Out and Back: Loj to Marcy Dam via Trail 61; Trail 68 and 73 to Feldspar Brook lean-tos; Trail 121 to Uphill Brook; herd paths to Redfield and Cliff; return same route.
Conditions: Sunny, 70 degrees F