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

Catamount, October 15, 2020, Taylor Pond Wild Forest, Adirondack Park

View of Silver Lake from Catamount Summit

I needed two days of rest after completing a 19-mile, single day loop of Gray, Skylight and Marcy. After two days off, my plan was to tackle another couple of High Peaks before heading home. Although the precip and temp forecasts for the day were perfect, there was a high wind warning with gusts in the  higher summits predicted as upwards of 75 mph. I don't mess with high winds above tree line, so I bailed on my plan and figured I would use the day to visit a lower peak that had long been on my to-do list -- Catamount. 

Catamount Approach

Catamount is in the Taylor Pond Wild Forest, just south of both Taylor Pond and Silver Lake. The Silver Lake Bog Preserve has long been a favorite short hike for K and me, so I was looking forward to getting a birds eye view of it from the Catamount summit. I also remembered reading a past issue of ADK Mountain Club's magazine that had short bios of people running as club officers. One candidate had listed Catamount as their favorite hike in the ENTIRE Adirondack Park. I always found that curious and wanted to see what Catamount was really all about.

View of Catamount from False Summit

As it turned out, that person was spot on. Catamount is a great little hike. It is short - just under 4 miles round trip - but in those few short miles it packs all the features of a classic ADK hike - open ledges, boulder scrambles, a "chimney" climb, remarkable 360-degree vistas from the 3,000 foot summit, and, as expected, a nice view down onto Silver Lake. 

Descending the Catamount Ledges

Despite the short distance and modest, 1,500-foot elevation gain, Catamount is not to be underestimated. It's not marked very well and there is potential to get lost on the ledges, especially when descending. And the boulder scrambles can be dangerous when it's wet or icy. The high wind forecast proved correct as I hit some serious gusts on the ledges and summit. I only managed to stay on top for a few minutes and quickly started my descent, thankful that I wasn't bopping around the High Peaks in that nastiness.

Peak: Catamount
Elevation: 3,169 feet (Gain: 1,571 feet)
Distance: 3.6 miles
Route: Up and Back, Catamount Trail
Conditions: High Winds, Partly Sunny, 35 degrees F