Voigtlander Super Wide-Heliar 15mm f/4.5 II
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Bennies Brook Slide to Lower WolfJaw, Upper WolfJaw & Armstrong
We started before sunrise, and made our expected time to the DEC Interior Outpost. From there we crossed Johns Brook onto the now-unmaintained South Side trail, first crossing the start of the Range Trail and a half mile later the base of Bennies Brook.
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Allen (Friday), Street & Nye (Saturday)
Allen Mountain for my September 46, followed by Street & Nye to get Kathy approaching half way towards a 46 year.
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Nippletop Bushwhack
I took my camera to document our hike up the huge slide leading up to Nippletop. The only problem is that we never got there.
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Whiteface, Lunch, Esther
Sunday’s hike would be a bit easier though, and had a unique bonus for the Adirondacks: Lunch at the cafe at the summit.
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Perfect Pyramid, Gothics and Sawteeth
Back in July 2009, we hiked our first Adirondack High Peak, a 2.3-mile jaunt up Cascade Mountain. We made it, but definitely not in ‘style’, and…
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Dial & Nippletop plus Fish Hawk Cliffs and Indian Head
After two straight days of being thoroughly drenched, we wanted something relatively dry. I knew the excellent Leach Trail to Dial & Nippletop, with much of the hike on a ridge, would fit my criteria.
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Phelps & TableTop: All Water
I’ve never seen Marcy Brook like this, she was a raging torrent.
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Dial Mountain
For this year’s winter Gathering, I learned my lesson from the 14-hour behemoth hike last year and picked something that both Kathy and I could do.
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Giant & Rocky Peak Ridge (March)
As much as I dislike some aspects of the Ridge Trail, I have to admit that the ratio of wonderful views to effort is high.
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Whiteface & Esther Breaking Trail (February)
Eight hours after heading out, we returned to the car. All the new snow made this quite a challenge, but all day the landscape was stunning. And except for skiers on the ski trails, we didn’t see a soul all day.
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Marcy, Skylight and Gray Redux
My last attempt at these three was aborted by footwear, so I was glad to have another try.
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Mount Marshall, My Winter 46
I realized how lucky I was for last winter, but I definitely appreciate the last four the most. It’s been a great challenge, and I’ve got a lot more winter hiking in my future. For now, I’m going to take some time and enjoy being 46er #8475W.
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Haystack, Basin & Saddleback (Winter)
This winter has been no joke. Conditions are variable, there is no guarantee that any trail is broken out. Even with Joe’s experience we almost had to turn around two hikes in a row. It makes this trio all the sweeter.
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Sawteeth, Gothics, Armstrong (Winter)
It’s been a long 9 months waiting for winter to arrive.
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Hough, S. Dix, Grace, Macomb, Giant & Rocky Peak Ridge
The six-hour drive home after hiking in the Adirondacks is sometimes harder than the hike itself. Not this hike.
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Marshall, Cliff and Redfield
These three peaks are normally two long days, but with enough will they make a single inspiring, exhausting, rewarding one.
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Armstrong & Upper WolfJaw (Winter)
After a successful hike to Big Slide and with continuing cool temperatures and sunshine, I had hoped to take Kathy on a more wintry hike. We packed the snowshoes, hoped for a white fluffy trail and headed up two of the lower Great Range, Armstrong and Upper WolfJaw Mountains.
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Allen Mountain (Winter)
4,340-foot Allen Mountain is one of the more rued hikes for aspiring 46ers. It sits to the south of most of the other High Peaks, isolated from all the other trailheads. The start of the hike, shared with the über-cool Mount Adams and its restored fire tower, is a whopping 9 miles (one way!) from…
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Cliff & Redfield (Winter)
In finishing the Adirondack 46 High Peaks a second time, I had a few of the more remote peaks to tackle. I had considered attempting Allen Mountain instead, but the planning (read: breakfast in Keene Valley) dictated this pair instead.
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Porter Mountain and Little Porter Mountain
After climbing Porter Mountain via Little Porter (and Blueberry Mt.) this summer solo, I wanted to bring Kathy along this interesting and scenic route.
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Nippletop Via Elk Pass (and Dial Mountain)
We enjoyed an unusually comfortable hike up the icy Elk Pass to Nippletop for our December Adirondack weekend.
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Tabletop, Marcy, and Phelps
Upon finishing this 18.5-mile, 5,400-vertical foot hike, I reflected that these three mountains are really just hiked together by peakbaggers.
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Mount Colden and Mount Marshall
With autumnal weather finally arriving, I jumped on an opportunity for one more Adirondack hike. Keeping with this year’s theme, I carved out a plan to hike two new trails, alternative approaches to Mounts Colden and Marshall.
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Gothics, Sawteeth, and Mount Haystack
My plan was ambitious, so I stayed overnight at the interior Johns Brook Lodge (JBL), cutting 7 miles round trip to and from the car. Seeing no morning rain, I started on a loop over Gothics and Sawteeth to Haystack via the Warden’s Camp.
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Little Porter – Porter Mountain – Blueberry Mountain
I encountered my first other humans at the summit of crowded Porter Mountain. I stopped for a brief photo and quickly headed back the Range Trail towards Blueberry Mountain. On the way, there was a perfect rock outcropping offering views of Porter and Cascade, after which I continued towards Blueberry.
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Big Slide
Our new aspiring 46ers enjoyed their third High Peak in three days, ultimately logging 30 miles and almost 10,000 vertical feet of climbing in the process. Each day was simply perfect for hiking, cool with a mix of sun and clouds.
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Dial Mountain
Instead of the quick 3.8 miles to Big Slide, for which we didn’t pack lunches, we started Dial an hour later and didn’t finish until after 5.
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Mount Colden
Kathy and I were incredibly proud — two new aspiring 46ers with Mount Colden as their first ever High Peak. Way to go!
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Owl Head to Owls Head
Owls Head in Keene easily beats the Owl Head in Elizabethtown for vistas, but the latter has a better hike.
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Round Mountain
Round Mountain’s summit, thankfully, is gorgeous. Dominated by the perfectly-shaped Noonmark, the Great Range extends to the West and the Dix Range to the South.
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Mount Skylight (and Mt. Marcy)
We had previously hiked Mount Skylight in 2012, the year we started tackling the 46 High Peaks in earnest. It was our hardest hike. Ever since, we have been looking to go back. This hike was our primary target for 2015. Then we both got injured. Well, so what?
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Rooster Comb
The climb up Rooster Comb from the eponymous trailhead is straightforward and over soft forest for almost the entire way. Sporting a few switchbacks, it is still steep enough to get the blood flowing – in all, a decent day hike.
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Scenic Trail to Sawteeth
Back in 2012, we hiked Sawteeth in conjunction with Gothics in our first Adirondack traverse. Gothics was the star of that hike, with its (in)famous cable route and sprawling vistas. Sawteeth was a half-mile out-and-back-again tacked on somewhat as an afterthought.
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Mount Adams (New York)
Today our late hike was an absolute gem, with dramatic clouds and “our mountain” – Mount Colden – the highlight of the view.
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Landing
Sometimes it just takes a lot of looking to just see one thing. This was it for me.
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Wright Peak, 2015
Wright Peak is a slightly lower summit on the way up to the popular Algonquin Peak in the MacIntyre Range. Looking for another relaxing day (and having summited Algonquin twice previously) it was chilly as we started, but not nearly as cold as the previous day.
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Phelps Mountain 2015
Our first time up Phelps, we climbed the north side of the mountain to a socked-in and windy summit. This time, we took the marked trail from Marcy Dam and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
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Ricketts Glen in Winter
One of my favorite places was even more fascinating than usual after the recent cold snap and snowstorm.
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Snowy West Chester
We got a decent snowstorm, finally, after so many rounds of rain/sleet/freezing rain.
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San Francisco at 15mm
I found time in between working and playing for a little ultra-wide 15mm shooting in San Francisco.
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State Game Lands No. 13
Wanting to try my first bushwhack and being a huge fan of Ricketts Glen, I had high hopes for this hike. It did not disappoint.
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Ricketts Glen, Autumn
This time of year, the rocks at Ricketts Glen are filled with fallen leaves, making for a continuous breathtaking 6.25-mile loop.
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Mount Minsi from Delaware Water Gap
Marking the eastern extent of Pennsylvania’s Blue Mountain ridge, Mount Minsi rises to 1,461 feet along the Appalachian Trail.
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Shenandoah: Old Rag & Robertson Mountain Loop
Psyched at my first black bear spotting, I turned from Old Rag up the Robertson Mountain Trail. This is a steep, constant climb, with 1,700 vertical feet in the last 1.5 miles to the summit.
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Pomplamoose Plays Philly
There was a reason Jack Conte is wearing knee pads. If they’re coming to your town, you should go!
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Ricketts Glen, Early Summer Morning
Shots are mainly with a new excellent little lens I got for my Fuji X-A1 – the Voigtlander Heliar 15mm f/4.5.