Friday, September 19, 2008

Got an itch

With all the good weather lately, I've been itching to climb a high peak all week. So, I took the day off and headed up north with Howie. We got to the Elk Lake trailhead a little before 8 AM. It was a brisk 33 degrees (!!!). Had to break out the fleece and even gloves (at least for a litttle bit). Took the Dix trail to the start of the path to Macomb. The path takes you up part of a slide (lots of loose dirt and stone). Stopped at the top for a bit where we shared the summit with two other guys. They would be the only two people would see on the range. We then headed over to South Dix and East Dix. Murphy's law came into effect. Howie's retractable leash broke. Luckily, my pocket knife had a phillips head screw driver so I could take it apart. Got that fixed and noticed that water seemed to be leaking out of my pack. Thought it was the water bladder, but decided it was the bite valve. Luckily, I didn't lose all the H2O. After a lunch break, headed back over to South Dix for a quick nap, and then down the Lilian brook herd path to the Dix trail. From the pictures you can see we had a glorious day - blue skies ... no clouds.

Summit Elevation: Macomb 4405 ft, South Dix 4060 ft, East Dix 4012 ft
Round-trip Distance: 11.6 mi
Elevation Change: 3550 ft

Saturday, September 13, 2008

In a fog

I did a hike with Howie today in the North Lake area (Catskills). It was kind of a blah day, with lots of clouds and fog. We hiked the Harding Road trail up to the Escarpment trail. Continued past Inspiration Point (not too inspiring today), Sunset Rock, Layman monument and then the Laurel House site (an old hotel that was located at the top of Kaaterskill falls). Followed the horse trail back and then a path to Palenville overlook and back down. Walked about 10 miles altogether.

Monday, September 08, 2008

Buck the system

I extended the weekend and went on a hike today with Howie. We climbed Buck mountain on the east side of Lake George. It was a great day to skip work.
Surprisingly, we saw around 12 other hikers (and one dog).

Summit Elevation: Buck 2330 ft
Round-trip Distance: 6.0 mi
Elevation Change: 1980 ft

Monday, September 01, 2008

High noon


Howie and I did a short hike in the Adirondack high peaks region. We climbed Noonmark mountain from the Round pond trailhead. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon for a hike. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera in the car.... but the images are forever etched in my mind. That's like poetic and stuff.

Summit Elevation: Noonmark 3556 ft
Round-trip Distance: 6.5 mi
Elevation Change: 2000 ft