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LWJ-UWJ-Armstong-Gothics-Sawtooth CCW loop 3-31-07
What an amazing day to bust ones Adirondack cherry! 100+ mile views in every direction, warm sun and great temperatures (between 28-36 degrees). I arrived in Keene Friday night to scope out the trailhead and find a place to stealth car camp. While poking around the main lot for the road trail (which is .5+ miles from the actual trailhead) I met some Quebecers who had planned a similar trip to mine (mine was CCW LWJ-Sawteeth loop). We discussed this briefly and pondered where we would spend the night. They had decided to camp in a tent at a location suggested by a ranger. Their plan interestingly enough was to do a night hike, but they said the ranger would not let them. We bid each other "au revoir" and went our separate ways in search of sleep. I ended up sleeping on rte 73 right near the rte 9 jct. My master plan called for me seeing the sunrise and capturing it with my camera on top of Lower Wolf Jaw. This didn't happen unfortunately. I woke up at 4:00 am and hit the trail at 4:20 (don't judge). I looked at the map at the trailhead and judged which trail I needed to take. Sadly in my confused early morning stupor I choose the wrong one and had to backtrack adding 45 minutes to my ascent. This killed any chance of me catching any sunrise at all! As I ascended LWJ on Wedge brook I was blown away by the giant rock cliffs.. Later I would observe these were probably the smallest cliffs I saw all day!!! The ascent was slippery and required stabilicers (as I did not bring crampons!). The stabilicers worked nicely as the snow was rock hard. Lower Wold jaw opened up some pretty impressive views in every direction except north, The summit itself was fairly flat and narrow. I took in my share of views and took out my radio/mp3 player to see if I could get 102.7 WEQX from Manchester VT (best radio station ever BTW) Sure enough I could, however if I turned a certain way a francophone Québec channel would take over. It became an epic battle of signal strength. Generally speaking I would get the Québec station on the north face and VT station on the south face of whatever peak I was on. the Descent down LWJ and Ascent up UWJ was fairly tame except for the general slipperyness of the trail (Smoothed by butt-sliding) As I reached the top of the UWJ ascent I was greeted by a giant glacial erratic. This turned out to be the false summit, so I traveled a while longer on relatively flat terrain up to the very top. From UWJ I saw a helicopter is the Ausable valley, far below! Views were pretty much the same as LWJ. I don't remember the descent down UWJ, but I sure as hell remember the ascent up Armstrong. From the col, the first thing that greets you is a ladder. Well, the ladder was thoroughly encased in ice. and everything above it was ice too (I wish I took a picture). This was a very tricky climb which involved significant tree anchoring! I had to toss my poles up the hill a few times as they were a severe hindrance. This was a very difficult section, but I eventually made it in one piece. After a few more icy patches I was on top of the mountain on a ledge and in the sun with amazing views off towards Marcy and vicinity! It was at this time I met my first hiker, As it turns out the gentleman I met read about my trip plans on the Adirondack high peaks BB. His SN -- Electricman! Turns out this gentleman had climbed all the ADK 46ers last summer much how I climbed all the whites last summer. We talked for a bit before taking off, him in the lead and me behind taking pictures. I would not encounter him again until we started the ascent up the Gothics. The ascent up the Gothics was not nearly as dreadfully steep as I thought. The snowfield on the north shoulder was impressive and probably very deep. Once we reached the summit we were greeted by 360 degree views with 100+ mile visibility. The sun shined brightly giving the impression that it was warm (when it was really below freezing, or at least that what my fingers thought). Electricman and I chatted a bit more before he departed heading towards basin and the dreaded cable! I meanwhile stuck around to soak in the sun and eat my lunch. After a while I saw him climbing up one of the bumps heading SW. We were able to shout back and forth clearly as there was no ambient noise. Finally after spending nearly 30 minutes enjoying the Gothics I began my descent down to the Pyramid where I was told the best views in the Adirondacks resided. As I summitted Pyramid I was greeted by the Quebecers from the night before. We talked briefly about where we slept and exchanged useful trail condition information (they were going CW and I was going CCW) I warned them about Armstrong, they warned me about the Sawteeth. The views were as advertised profound. The Gothics stood before me with the sheer rock faces like giant cathedrals! Marcy and Haystack were in clear view with their whitecaps. Quite a sight! After soaking in all the views I could stomach, I began the steep descent down to the Sawteeth-Pyramid col. Upon arrival I met 2 hikers from Buffalo NY one being an ADK 46r, the other just starting (his first him in the Dax too!) Their goal was just the Gothics however. We chatted a bit about Western NY (I went to school out there) before taking off our own ways. Now for my final summit of the day, the Sawteeth! The ascent was steep as promised. There were a few nasty spots with regard to ice. I dropped my glove down one giant ice patch, and resolved to pick it back up on the way back (I was doing that peak as a spur). Upon summitting I was greeted by great views of Pyramid and Haystack. I witnessed a plane fly between I think Gothics and Saddleback (tried to get a pic too!). This would be my Fifth and final ADK46r of the day. I descended back to the col, retrieving my glove along the way. Upon arrival I read the sign "5.7 miles to St Hubert". "Crap" I thought: 2:45 until I get back to my car. The descent was interesting. I caught several glimpses of the Gothics towering above me, but none clear enough for a picture. Toward the bottom I was greeted by a giant gorge with a big waterfall (rainbow falls I believe). I reached the Lower Ausable Dam shortly after and started the long road walk (3 1/4 miles) back to my car. Oh god was the road walk boring, thankfully I had my mp3 player to keep me company! I did encounter some other hikers along the way, one was carrying an Ice Axe! I reached my car almost exactly 12 hours after leaving it. It had been a long day, but a very pleasant one. I met interesting people, saw amazing views, and experienced new terrain. My pictures and my words can't describe how great a day this was, it is surely something that one must experience first hand. I am very pleased and hope to visit the Adirondacks again after I finish my NEHH list!!!
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2007 - Marc Howes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
