Mount Skylight and Gray Peak - High Peaks Wilderness Area - 5/20/17

Saturday May 20th was the 125th Anniversary of the Adirondack Park.  With a great weather forecast, my dog Rev and I headed for Upper Works to climb Mount Skylight.  I hadn't been there in a few years and it's one of my favorite high peaks.

I got an an 8 AM start and was at the Herbert Brook lean-to at 10.  Four sleeping bags and gear were laid out, but the occupants were no doubt climbing peaks in the area.  I put on Rev's RuffWear harness with the carry handle and carried her down the ladder to the bridge at the Lake Colden outlet. We headed for the suspension bridge over the Opalescent and began climbing towards the Uphill lean-to.

It was 45 degrees at the start and there were no black flies all day.  I was comfortable hiking in a tee shirt and lightweight hiking pants.       

Opalescent River from the Calamity Brook Trail

Flowed Lands

A rocky sandbar on the Opalescent River. 

The suspension bridge over the Opalescent.  Rev has gotten used to these, although she still doesn't really like them. 

Although is was the Victoria Day Canadian holiday weekend, I saw less people than I thought I'd see. At the 3 hour mark I passed the Uphill Lean-to.  No signs of life there.  I went past the Feldspar lean-to and began climbing the Feldspar Brook Trail towards Lake Tear of the Clouds.  I began to see little pieces of snow spine; remnants of the compressed trail from a winter of snowshoe hikers.     

Rev inspecting Lake Tear of the Clouds

As I reached Lake Tear of the Clouds, and began to skirt around it to get to 4 corners,the spine spine became consistent and it was about 2 foot high.  I some places I could walk around it, but most places I could not.  Fortunately, the spine was strong enough that I didn't break through that often.

4 Corners.

At 4 Corners it is 0.5 miles to the top of Skylight.  Now it was an uphill climb on the snow spine. Still manageable, but I was thinking that coming downhill would be worse.  

Tree line.

As I reached tree line, the snow soon disappeared to to the exposure to the sun.  I reached the summit at 12:30 and I had the peak to myself!  In the distance, I could see at least 20 people standing on the summit of Mount Marcy.  I was glad to be on Skylight.  Rev and I sat down out of the wind and had lunch. 

Marcy from Skylight.

Mount Allen in the center background.

Zoom view of Mount Marcy.  You can see the people on the summit.

Going down the snow spine from Skylight wasn't bad if you went slow and didn't try to rush it.

Here is a picture of the snow spine.  Rev did fine on it.

It was still early afternoon so I decided to tack on Gray Peak.  The herd path up Gray didn't have as much snow since it faces south.

Skylight from Gray Peak.

A new summit sign on Gray Peak.

Mount Marcy from Gray Peak

After Gray, it was take to long the long 9 miles trek back the way I had come.  I began to see more people moving about.  Most of the were backpackers camping in the vicinity of Lake Colden and Flowed Lands.  It would have been nice to do the same and wake up Sunday Morning to do more climbing, but it was just a day trip for me.

Including my stops it was an 11 hour day, but well worth it.  Happy 125th to the Adirondack Park!

Hike Stats:

Hike Distance:  20.5 miles

Hike Time:  10.5 hours plus 30 minutes on Skylight

Total Vertical Gain:  ~4300'

    

The route...

Cliff, Redfield, Gray and Skylight - 2/26/13

Another wind free mild day for me to take advantage of.  This time I decided to head for Cliff and Redfield Mountains from Upper Works.  I left Schroon Lake at 5:45 and it was 27 degrees.  Somehow when I arrived at Upper Works at 6:30, it was 7 degrees.  It always seems cold there.  Every time I drive that direction, I see my temperature gauge dropping.

In any case, I knew it would warm up.  I was on the trail at 6:35 and I could see the sun just coming up over the mountains.  I was on the Calamity Brook Trail heading towards Flowed Lands.  I believe this trail is my favorite winter approach trail to high peak hiking.  It just feels nice to me, compared to other trails.  In the summer it's quite rocky, but in the winter it's nice.  It's also a great ski route.

Heading north on the Calamity Brook Trail

I was on snowshoes and covered the 4.6 miles to Flowed Lands in 1.5 hours.  Flowed Lands is just a magical place, and on a day with no wind, it's a joy to step out on the ice and cross.  It also saves time as opposed to skirting around on the trail.

The sun just about to rise

Mount Colden and Avalanche pass

Looking Back towards the Calamity Brook Trail

McMartin Leanto

I made my way over to the crib bridge that crosses the outlet of Lake Colden and began climbing the trail alongside the Opalescent River.  In the summer, this area is spectacular.  In winter there is not much to see around the flume.  I reached the suspension bridge at 8:30, crossed the Opalescent and was up at the Uphill Leanto at 9:10, 2.5 hours from Upper Works.

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I found the snowshoe track from the previous day heading up the herd path to Cliff and Redfield and I followed it.  At the split, I decided to climb Cliff first.  I did Redfield first in the summer and decided that next time I would do Cliff first.  I managed to climb the icy cliffs in my snowshoes by grabbing branches along the way for added security.

Summit of Cliff Mountain

At 9:45 I was on top of Cliff.  There was some visibility and no wind.  It was about 20 degrees.  I stopped to have a snack and explore the different view points, then it was back to the junction for Redfield.  

Views from Cliff

Mount Colden from Cliff

 I forgot how steep and continuous the trail is to Redfield, but at 11 AM I was standing on the summit wondering what happened to the views.  The fog had rolled in and that was the end of my summit views for the day.  Not much to see any longer.

Redfield summit sign and disc

View from Redfield

Although the climb to Redfield was steep, the descent was easy.  I found myself back at the Uphill Leanto at 11:30 and it got me thinking.  If I returned to the car, I would get back at around 2 PM.  I decided I had enough time to head for Gray and Skylight.  I could always head out the Calamity Brook Trail by headlamp if need be.

I continued on the trail along the Opalescent River until the junction with the trail for Lake Tear of the Clouds.  The trail for Lake Tear was the killer of the day after having done Cliff and Redfield.  It is a steep trail for almost the entire 1.2 mile to Lake Tear.

At Lake Tear, I dropped my pack and went up Gray Peak.  Still no views.  I was on the summit of Gray at 1:05 PM.  The fog was getting worse.  I dropped back down, left my pack where it was and headed for Mount Skylight. 

    

Summit sign and disc

Looking from Gray towards Mount Marcy

4 Corners

I had finished my 46 high peaks on Skylight, and it is a fabulous mountain, but today it felt like I was walking on the moon.  It was just white.  White snow, white sky, white cairns.  The cairns were the only feature that was identifiable.  I made my way to the summit rock pile and it was even hard to see my tracks in the snow.  It was now 1:50 PM.

The summit of Mount Skylight.  Nothing was visible.

It was all downhill now.  I made my way back to Uphill Leanto, back to Flowed Lands, then down and out to Upper Works.  Downhill in winter is so much easier.  I signed out at 5:10 PM.   Not bad, 10.5 hours for 24 miles and 4 peaks!  Time for an Advil though...

Lake Tear of the Clouds

Uphill Brook Leanto

Hike Stats:

Hike Distance:  24 miles

Hike Time:  10.5 hours

Total Vertical Gain:  ~ 6000'

My route for the day (Click image to enlarge)

A topo of the route

An ADK High Peaks Finish - Mount Skylight - 7/8/12

This was it.  Sunday was my day.  My day to finish climbing the Adirondack High Peaks.   My day to become an Adirondack 46er!  Why was this such an accomplishment?

46 peaks.  That's it.  No big deal.  How hard could it be?  But then the planning started.  Many of these peaks are 7-8 miles from the nearest trailhead.  That means a lot of 16 mile day trips, or multi-day backpacking trips.  Some traverses can be had, and some loop trips, but it's still a lot of hiking.  Every 46er has tales to tell.  You can't climb these 46 peaks and not have learned a thing or two.  Trial by fire.  You learn to respect mother nature.  You won't always win.  A lot of driving is also necessary.  Especially if you don't live close to the high peaks.

What you will find is friends along the way.  You'll learn how to navigate herd paths, then how to navigate by compass.  Your map reading skills will improve.  Topographic maps will be your friend.  You'll learn from veteran hikers and from beginning hikers.  Animals will play a role in your journey.  So will sun, mud, rain, sleet, snow, ice and bugs.  You'll learn to study maps to see where you can get water.  What to carry, what not to carry.  What to wear, what not to wear.  What to have available in your car.  Don't expect your cell phone to have a signal.  Don't expect help to be around the next corner.  What to expect?  The unexpected.

My quest began in 1989 when I climbed Algonquin and Colden with my dad.  That first trip started at Adirondack Loj.  We hiked up Algonquin on August 16, 1989 and down to Lake Colden and Flowed Lands.  A beautiful day.  We camped in a tent overnight at Flowed Lands.  In the night, it began to rain.  In the morning, we packed up the tent in the rain.  We decided to climb Mount Colden on the way out, thinking that the weather was going to break.  It did not, it poured the whole day.  In October 1990, we climbed Armstrong, Gothics and Sawteeth from the Ausable Club.

I didn't reach another high peak until March 1996 when I skinned up Mount Marcy and skied down with some guys from work.  That was a great trip!  Early Spring temperatures with great ski conditions on New York's highest peak under bluebird skies.  Unfortunately I did not continue my progress on the high peaks again until 2009.  I began tackling a few more and in 2010, Leesa and I moved to Lake George.  The Adirondack Park was now our backyard!

At the beginning of 2012, I had 14 high peak summits to my credit.  I picked up 7 more during the winter season.  In April,  Leesa and I grabbed Tabletop, Whiteface and Esther.  In May, Mount Marshall and the Dix range were added to our list.  After the Dix range, I decided I wanted to finish this year.  I had no excuse.  I had most weekends free, I had vacation time I had to use and distance was not a problem.   Leesa wasn't driven to climb all the high peaks, but she now has 27. 

During June I climbed Cliff, Redfield, Allen, Haystack, Basin, Saddleback, Iroquois and the Santanoni range.  In the first few days of July, I climbed the Seward range and MacNaughton Mountain, the unofficial 47th peak. 

All that was left was Gray Peak and Mount Skylight.  Leesa wanted to do the hike with me and we wanted a nice weather day.  Sunday's forecast looked great so plans were made.  She wanted to start early and have a leisurely day.  After all, it was only 16 miles. 

New foot bridge below Marcy Dam

We were on the trail at 5:30 AM.  Our itinerary was to take the Van Hoevenberg trail past Marcy Dam to the trail past Lake Arnold to Feldspar Brook.  From there, it was up to the Gray Herd path and Gray Peak.  Back to Gray to Four Corners and up to Mount Skylight.  Back to Four Corners and up to Mount Marcy via Schofield Cobbles.  Leesa had not climbed Mount Marcy previously, and I had not done it in the summer.  From there, we would return via the Van Hoevenberg trail to the Loj.

Early morning light at Lake Arnold

We both found the Lake Arnold to Feldspar trail to be really interesting and a nice trail.  New foot bridges and lots of recent trail work made the trail very enjoyable.

Lots and lots of new foot bridges and planks on the Lake Arnold to Feldspar trail... nice!

Gray Peak from near Lake Tear of the Clouds

Lake Tear of the Clouds

This was our first visit to Lake Tear of the Clouds (the highest water source for the Hudson River).

Cairn marking the Gray Peak herd path, just west of Lake Tear of the Clouds

Gray Peak... summit # 45

Gray Peak has nice views of Marcy and Skylight and distant mountain views as well.  We were on the summit at10:30 AM.  Five hours to get from the ADK Loj to Gray Peak at our leisurely pace.

  

Mount Marcy from Gray Peak

Mike at the summit

Four Corners

We descended Gray Peak and continued east past Lake Tear of the Clouds to Four Corners.  At Four Corners we saw a cairn marking what appears to be a herd path heading north (perhaps another way up Gray or Skylight?)  We didn't have any knowledge about where it went.  We took the marked trail south towards Mount Skylight.

It felt strange to be approaching the final high peak.  As we climbed, the partly cloudy skies were becoming blue.  We reached the top at 11:55 AM.  Peak #46 was mine!  We had the summit to ourselves.  Leesa gave me a big hug and congratulated me on my 46er finish.  There was a strong breeze, but it felt great.  We stayed on the summit for 30 minutes and celebrated.  We didn't see anyone else until we had returned to Four Corners and began climbing Mount Marcy.

Mike as a 46er, on top of Mount Skylight with Rev

We got Rev from a shelter in March 2012 and she now has 22 high peaks!

#46!

Rev getting a well earned snack

Mount Marcy from Mount Skylight

Leesa enjoying Mount Skylight (Marcy in the background)

Climbing Schofield Cobble to Marcy

After thoroughly enjoying our time on Mount Skylight we returned to Four Corners and began the climb to Mount Marcy.  The last half of the trail is above treeline and the views are fantastic.  It totally takes your mind off of the exertion of climbing.

400' to go

Looking back at Mount Skylight from the side of Marcy

Mike, Leesa and Rev on Mount Marcy

We were on the summit of Mount Marcy at 1:30 and stayed until about 2:00 PM.  There were plenty of people on Marcy as expected, but there was room for all.  After more snacks for Rev, we descended the Van Hoevenberg trail as planned back to the ADK Loj.  We reached that car a couple minutes before 6 PM.

Mount Haystack from Mount Marcy

Looking towards Mount Colden; the Macintyre Range is behind Colden

Looking towards Haystack, Basin and Gothics.  Giant, RPR, Nippletop, Dix, Hough  also visible 

Mike on Mount Marcy

Rev and Leesa on Mount Marcy.  Rev had snack...now resting

Yep

Leesa descending Mount Marcy

With my 46 complete, I'll be looking to hike other trails that I haven't been on before.  I'll be sure to revisit the high peaks.  Perhaps I'll work towards my winter 46.  I have 8 at present.  I've learned a lot along the way and enjoyed every minute.  Hiking is still in my future.  It won't end here.

Hike Stats:

Hike Distance:  15.8 miles

Hike Time:  12 hours, 25 minutes (including breaks)

Total Vertical Gain:  4800'

My Gray Peak, Mount Skylight & Mount Marcy GPS track at EveryTrail

Our route shown in blue (click image to enlarge)