Donaldson, Emmons, and Seward Mountain – Sean Carpenter

Having started the trip with 9 High Peaks remaining in our 46, we knew that at least three hikes were going to be difficult. With two of those hikes behind us, the last long day in our quest was Mount Donaldson, Mount Emmons, and Seward Mountain.

This was our first hike out of the Coreys Road trailhead, which was easy to find. (Note: It is 19 miles from Old Military Road & Route 73 to the left onto Coreys Road.)

The start of the hike was typical, turning in 1.2 miles onto a rocky old truck road. Coming down a long but not steep slope, we quickly came to the junction with the Calkins Brook herd path.

Of all the trails we’ve hiked in the Adirondacks, the Calkins Brook stands with Lillian Brook as the nicest approach herd paths we’ve been on: mostly soft underfoot, undulating, and pretty. The Calkins Brook took us up past the cairn signifying the cutoff for Seward (which we missed on the way up) and dropped us up just shy of Donaldson’s summit.

After enjoying a snack and looking over the hazy landscape, we kept towards Emmons, which was a 40-minute muddy slog. The views from Emmons were limited, so we turned back towards Donaldson, again passing the summit and down towards Seward Mountain.

The path between Donaldson and Seward was drier than the previous leg, with a bit more up to get to the summit. We enjoyed lunch on the 4,361-foot Seward Mountain, our 44th high peak. We turned back for the long walk out, noting the slope on the truck road more on the otherwise uneventful way back.

It was certainly taxing doing HaBaSa back-to-back with the Sewards, but we had set the stage for two “easy” days to finish our 46, Seymour first and then Colden. The only variable now would be the weather…