With a few weeks between GrassRoots and Women Swimmin', I was able to finish up some stuff around the house and hood and still get in a four-day trip to the Adirondacks. My first stop was in Piseco where I saw Gail's brother and family at Chips and Ann's house. No pics of them, the boys blended into the couch too much to show, but the tornado damage at the top of their driveway was significant enough to get a pic.
I camped at the Slide Brook Campsites near Elk Lake. There were three other groups there, but with a lean-to and several tent sites, there was plenty of room. In the morning, I started the traverse of the Dix Range by going up Macomb Slide. One video about trails in the Adirondacks claimed it's the steepest in the mountains, but that's only true if one goes straight up. I zigzagged so many times, I think I might have doubled the distance.
On over to South Dix with clearer views of the Beckhorn that blocks the view of Dix for much of the hike.
Grace (formerly East Dix, renamed for Grace Hudowalsk) followed. The summit had a decent view, but the treat was just beyond with exposed cliffs facing the rest of the range and the northern high peaks. Nine miles away, Marcy sticks up between Hough and Dix.
After Grace, it's necessary to retrace your steps over South Dix before heading over to Hough. Thankfully, South Dix is one of the lower of the group.
Looking back at Grace and the exposed ledges just northeast of the summit.
From the renowned Beckhorn. It is a prominent peak, but there isn't enough elevation change between it and Dix to count on its own. They are also only a short .2 mile apart. Great views though, and a fun scramble up a ledge to get to the top.
The view of the Great Range from Dix. The open ledges offered views of the Keene Valley, Elk Lake, and much of the range that isn't obstructed by the Beckhorn. And waaay off to the north, Whiteface (20+ miles).
The trip down was a long one, and the Beckhorn Trail is another renowned for its steepness. When I got back to the lean-to, I learned the woman who came back after dark the night before with her husband and two large dogs had seriously injured her knee. Luckily for her, there was a fire fighter from Rochester camped there and he did triage and had an emergency beacon to call rangers to come get her.
Due to a stupid move on my part, I decided to go back up the Macomb Slide so I could get a signal to let Gail know how the day went. She was kind enough to send me the updated summit forecasts, so I wanted to return the favor. I also thought of going back up if there was a potential for a nice sunset and I had any steam left (I did), but it didn't look like the sun would break through the clouds. When I'd gone up in the morning, I got a signal almost immediately after leaving the woods and onto the slide, but this time I ended up going almost to the top before I gave up. Then on the way down, I hit a sweet spot, texted her, and we both slept better. Another stupid move was not taking a headlamp with me so I couldn't stay for the sunset. From the little bit we could see from the lean-to, it turned out to be spectacular. At least the view of the Great Range was sharper than it had been in the morning. Can you imagine those clouds all red, orange and pink?
A splendid day, and I have completed all the Adirondack peaks on the list of the highest 25 in the Northeast. Only Katahdin and Hamlin in Maine left. But lots more interesting peaks in the Adirondacks and Whites to get to.....
The next day, the weather was even better so I took a different route up to Dix and Hough before coming down the Lillian Brook Trail. I thought I had all day but once up there got a message that Glenn and Mary Ann would get to their house much earlier than planned. I still had plenty of time to take in the views and relax.
I had a nice sunrise kayak on Lake George.
Things are much better for Glenn now that he's resigned to wearing the helmet all the time outdoors, and has the fridge next to the couch for easy access. The only disappointment is he can't change the hinges and still has to stand to get something out of it.
Mary Ann is an avid tennis player (Top seed on her high school team a few years ago). She was going to the courts to see if there would be anyone to play with but I thought it would be fun to join her and see if I could get a point. 6-2, 6-1. Respectable.
I asked a bored kid whose dad was playing pickleball if he would take a video of our action to capture my form (I could learn from reviewing the tapes). The kid has a future in film making. I tried pickleball for the first time. Think I'll stick to tennis.
And thanks to the google, all my photos pop!
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