I lost my best friend this morning to a warrior battle with cancer. She was something else, the funniest golden and did every thing her way. In 2012, after proper grieving for my beloved, Marley Anastasio crossed the rainbow bridge, I began to again yearn for what the companionship of unconditional dog love can bring. I decided to start looking at rescue Golden Retrievers through the Neuse River Golden Retriever society in NC. It took some time for vetting/finding her, but there she was Tela. No, for any Phish fan who thought I name my dog for the jewel of Wilson’s foul domain, I did not. However, I took it as a sign. Tela was rescued and began her new life.
Tela’s first mountain exposure was in the Blue Ridge of course, back to the roots and rock.
At first, having Tela in my life was a bit overwhelming. She had been abused clearly from her bathroom and other social behaviors and lots of training was required. I had not really encountered training an abused dog before, as I had Marley direct from her mom at 8 weeks. So Tela was a brand new experience. I was committed to her, and reversing the damage as much as I could for this beautiful dog.
The more the days went by, I was reminded indeed milestone after milestone of overcoming certain obstacles, Tela was not like Marley in many ways. She was not an OCD ball chaser or a snuggle monster, but she definitely liked sleeping in the bed! This was fine for me, because I was alone, going through a divorce, and I’ve never minded one dog in the bed. Not sure about multiple dogs, but many folks do it. Since Tela was not ball OCD like Marley, we started with a buoy and swimming.
At the time I got her, I lived very close to Jordan Lake, so we would go back there for evening sunsets. It’s a miracle with all the pine straw on the path we took that we never encountered any copperheads or other snakes, but shockingly and thankfully we did not. It is not some world class lake, but I can say I’ve seen some really great sunsets there.
Oh the energy! While I was working, I had Tela at the vet in doggie day camp. She would get extra socialization and training which was quite needed during this time of her life. We still struggled with her abuse reactions and fear for using the bathroom inside, but had overcome the socialization fear aspects. Anytime she felt the potential urge to go, she would become frantically distressed barking as if to say “please let me out, I promise I won’t go inside”. This damage was very engrained in Tela, and it took years to get to a baseline of understanding she would not be beaten or punished. From all these years, only when terribly sick has Tela ever had an accident inside. So grateful we could put that behind us.
In August of 2014, I had my worst MS relapse (knock on wood hopefully the most severe I will have), that left me in a wheelchair, needing to relearn to walk again. Long story short, I recovered and although I had never been a runner, I began to run simply because I could. Having an ability taken away gives you a different perspective. Running became a routine in Tela and my lives for many years. She loved running, and I’m not a fast runner, so my pace she was able to keep up pretty well for even long distances for me. We lived very close to the Tobacco Road Trail, and what a great flat trail that went on for so many miles to begin our running adventures. So much energy in her early days, she would run for 10 miles, then 30 minutes later when I was beyond exhausted look at me with that beautiful smile and say, “what’s next, Mom?”.
In 2014, around Thanksgiving, I started dating my future husband, Chris. Life happens, and Tela and I relocated to Steamboat Springs, CO in the spring of 2015. What a wonderful life we experienced. Powder Hound in full effect. Chris’s condo he was renting at the time did not allow pets, but Chris found a former family who bred goldens, and they were willing to take her into their pack for a couple of months until we were able to buy our own place. She definitely enjoyed being a part of the West Golden Pack for a few months and we were eternally grateful.
Once we were settled in our own place, Tela and I of course began to explore the areas around Steamboat, hiking and exploring as much as we could. Rabbit Ears Pass was definitely her favorite place to go snowshoeing in that deep champagne powder. I will treasure those days so much. Then of course, there is the beauty of Colorado wildflowers and 14ers. So flipping gorgeous and made for such great hiking. Chris and I took her on her first 14er, San Luis Peak in the gorgeous San Juan Mountain Range. Tela would also hike other 14ers and 13ers. She indeed was a snow monkey and mountain dog.
She was my training companion while I trained for the Steamboat Half Marathon (no dogs allowed on the actual course).
Plainly stated, Tela has been a constant unconditional love and an adventure companion for me since her rescue. Is she perfect? No, there is no such thing, but as my friend Kayce sent me a card once, that said “You’re Flawsome- an individual who embraces their flaws and knows they are awesome regardless”
More to come later, may you Rest In Peace my sweet, Tela, a lullaby the breezes whisper.
Aha, here we are at the finale post of the ranking of the ADK 46er journey sans the Dix Range. I will not be applying stars to the Mountains ranked 21-41.
I don’t know if I ever really broke down the different ranges- so this particular post provides some context to the Adirondack Ranges Involved in this challenge.
Great Range:
–Upper Great Range: Consists of Haystack, Basin, Saddleback
-Lower Great Range: Sawteeth, Gothics, Armstrong, Upper and Lower Wolfjaw
Macintyre Range: Algonquin, Iroquois, Wright
Dix Range: (omitted in the ranking post due to extreme poor conditions and these mountains wouldn’t be ranked where they would fall.) Consists of Dix, Hough, Grace, S. Dix, Macomb
Seward Range: Consists of Sewards, Donaldson, Emmons, Seymour
Santaooni Range: Consists of Santanooni, Couchsachraga, Panther
To recap: The first 20 rankings are as follows from my bias:
Gothics (Cable Route)
Rocky Peak Ridge via New Russia
Algonquin
Saddleback Cliffs
Haystack
Skylight
Marcy
Giant
Armstrong
Big Slide
Cascade
Colden via Avalanche Pass
Wright
Whiteface
Nippletop
Sawteeth
Dial
Colvin
Iroquois
Phelps
21. Upper Wolfjaw– Hiking Partners: Becky, Tela Strava Stats 24.21 mi Elevation Gain-4,797 ft Elapsed Time 12:10:40 (Gothics->Armstrong->Upper and Lower Wolfjaw). This peak has some cool scrambles and views. This was part of the oops Gothics cable adventure with Tela, so my memory was more focused on her comfort at that moment as her paws were a bit tender/bloody. This is still a classic high peak and would repeat as we first intended with Upper and Lower WJ.
22. Basin: Hiking Partners, Becky, Laura, 46er finisher. (Some trail angels included on this one). Strava Stats (Haystack, Basin, Saddleback):17.75 mi8:32:235,502 ft-Elevation Gain 13:12:23 Elapsed Time
I overhyped the effort of Basin based on some photo someone posted online for the descent and some of the things I had read so was not really looking forward to this. It was a steep ascent but not horrible sketchy descent but worse than I had built up in my mind and I guess the angle of the photo online, but Basin of course gets a better rating for it’s breathtakingly beautiful summit views.
23. Seymour– Hiking Partner Becky, Strava Stats: 23.05 mi Elevation Gain 6,260 ft yup, Elapsed TIme 16:26:26 This started our adventure in the longest day in the Sewards range. I felt like we would never get out of this mountain range, and I am sorry, not sorry, you could not pay me to go back. The range is remote, 2.5 hours away from my house… Seymour itself was steep, typical ADK mud, with extra mustard, straight up steep, with rocks upon rocks , and sadly no views, but it did mark Becky’s half way point on the journey to 46.
24. Cliff: Hiking Partners: Becky, Laura: Strava Stats: 20.19 mi Elevation Gain 4,413 ft Elapsed Time 13:38:18 (Cliff and Redfield) Often spoke of as a semi-challenging scramble, I was looking forward to this one. Cliff was challenging but the main memory that only stands out in my mind was being stuck on one semi-solid foot hold while a chatty couple sitting down on Cliff engaged Laura in a conversation and me saying, “we have to move or I’m going to lose footing”. Ledges were fine, good work arounds as well.
25. Panther : Hiking Partners Becky and Laura: Strava Stats: (Panther, Santa, and Couchsachraga) 17.02 mi Elevation Gain 5,030 ft Elapsed Time 16:27:03.
Wild crazy weather hit just as we were summiting as we unfortunately saved this for last on our journey of the Santas, but in typical oops, we found we missed our turn and did the loop beginning with Panther instead of ending. Saw a gorgeous sunrise as we headed up, then starting singing Mr. Sun as we needed that vitamin D boost for this hike!
26. Lower WJ,– Hiking Partners: Becky, Tela Strava Stats 24.21 mi Elevation Gain-4,797 ft Elapsed Time 12:10:40 (Gothics->Armstrong->Upper and Lower Wolfjaw). I was pretty gassed by the time we hit Lower WJ that day. Thank goodness Becky encouraged me to keep going and not orphan the peak. Lesson learned- have quick sugar on hand! Lower WJ didn’t have as many views as upper of this magnificent range.
27. Tabletop, Hiking Partners: Becky, Tela: 19.74 mi Elevation Gain: 3,866 ft Elapsed Time 9:02:54
Tabletop is a great peak with a wooded summit bit of the initiation to the ADK mud! I definitely was so happy Tela did not get sucked into the mud.
28. Esther, Hiking Partners: First time, Becky, Second Time, Tela, Becky, Laura, Tela. 8.00 mi, Elevation Gain 3,205 ft Elapsed Time 5:15:38. Such pretty views of Whiteface, further than I remembered the second time as we grabbed whiteface first 🙂
29. Porter, Hiking Partners: Becky and Tela , Strava Stats: 8.42 mi Elevation Gain: 2,401 ft Elapsed Time 5:18:29
2nd High Peak hiked ever paired with Cascade. I would recommend doing this peak first if I were starting my 46 journey, then move on to Cascade. Cascade’s views are stellar, so good to start with Porter which I just recall many mud pits, but there were some views.
30/31- Street/Nye– Hiking Partners: Becky, Laura, Tela 9.91 mi Elevation Gain 2,877 ftElapsed Time 6:22:06 (Street and Nye)
Tough hike for one in my party that day, but we timed this one right with the snow. Crossing the Opalescent can yield adventure, so careful timing is required as conditions can become dangerous. For me this hike of Street and Nye were special as there was snowy but not frigid conditions and Tela was able to join in.
32. Allen Hiking Partners: Becky, Laura Strava Stats: 20.43 mi Elevation Gain 3,881 ft Elapsed Time 11:35:19
Well- Allen is much talked about as a high peak, as it is one single adventure to check off the list only 1 mountain clocking in at 20.43 miles for our hike is pretty daunting , unless you are truly a type IV adventurer. The first section is pretty flat and easy. The last mile or so to the summit is one heck of a challenge. The red slime was out in full force, and I likely dulled a pair of my microspikes but they made when we got slightly off route. I definitely recall feeling I had somehow underestimated this mountain. It felt good to put the puzzle piece in, and Allen does truly offer beautiful views. The upper part of the trail is just a bit undesirable for me, so I would not foresee me ever hiking this mountain again. I still raise my eyebrows in wonder of what happened to the two young gentlemen we met on the trail who seemed to come out of no where in cotton hoodies with no backpacks or water asking how much further to the summit. Never saw a rescue report on them, so hopefully they made it safe.
33. Redfield– Hiking Partners Becky and Laura, Strava Stats: Hiking Partners: Becky, Laura: Strava Stats: 20.19 mi Elevation Gain 4,413 ft Elapsed Time 13:38:18 (Cliff and Redfield)
Maybe I ranked this too low? I don’t know, reflecting on Redfield, I recall it being up and and up but beside a stream the entire way, so not horrid. It did go on forever and was definitely lots of up and rocks. We had a beautiful day with nice views.
34. Blake– Hiking Partner: Becky, Strava Stats: 24.76 mi Elevation Gain 6,389 ft Elapsed Time15:18:46 (Colvin->Blake->Colvin->Nippletop->Dial)
Hmm, well if you do Colvin->Blake the way we did it I feel fine with ranking it here. Blake isn’t as bad as chatter may make it seem. The col between Blake and Colvin is sketch, there’s no doubt, so I see the chatter, of all that to come to a rock that says Blake. Um, ok, cool, wait we have to retrace all those steps and go back up and over Colvin. Whew. Yeah, the views on the way to Blake are worthwhile, but, in fairness I have heard the alternate approach offers a better experience potentially.
35.Marshall- Hiking Partners: Becky, Tela: Strava Stats: 16.92 mi Elevation Gain3,215 ft Elapsed Time 9:22:16
Memory- Ugh, no sloptastic. LOL I would never do Marshall again. Granted, we hiked this in Summer 2023, on a day it was not raining but had been per typical trend in the summer of 2023 but rained alot days prior to the hike. We were able to take Tela Moose, but, we had 5 out and back river crossings and it wasn’t by any means unsafe, but it was tiring and wet. It was the first time on our 46er journey 40/46 that I had to change shirts at the summit. I was drenched from the water from the thick herd path trees.
36. Seward– Hiking Partner Becky, Strava Stats: 23.05 mi Elevation Gain 6,260 ft yup, Elapsed time 16:26:26 (Seward Range Seymour->Seward->Donaldson->Emmons). Ugh. I’m not even sure I have many photos of the trip up Seward because having a phone out was not really ideal. It is very steep with many scrambles required careful points of contact, but all the rocks were wet. I was extremely happy not to have to go down the mountain in this direction. I much rather climb up than down climb wet rock. This range is notorious for always being wet and muddy, (although we know some lucky souls who experienced it dry, which would be quite different. We were pretty mentally ready for the misty weather and steepness, but we were not really ready for the bogs we encountered.
One tried to eat Becky, which was really a scary moment. Like quicksand, except a hug bog of mud had trapped her leg! Thankfully, she able to escape undamaged minus being insanely muddy and changed her socks and on we continued. The ADK always trying to kill you, lol.
37. Santanooni- Hiking Partners: Becky, Laura: Strava Stats (Panther, Santa, and Couchsachraga) 17.02 mi Elevation Gain 5,030 ft Elapsed Time 16:27:03. We had some amazing views, from this adventure, but our feet were definitely squishy and we were getting tired physically and mentally from all the wet and mud. We made our 3rd summit, and then began our descent down the Santa Express., which had a cliff that was sketchy even to crab walk or butt slide down. There were two girls that waited for us and said, don’t go that way I fell. Um, yeah, while one partner was already half way down I think 2 of us threw our packs and crab walked down holding onto any friction on a slide.
38. Gray– Hiking Partner: Becky, Strava Stats: 19.24 mi Elevation Gain 5,367 ft Elapsed Time 13:10:05 (Marcy, Skylight, Gray)
After walking past the turn off to Gray and extending our hike while doing Marcy, Skylight, Gray on a Canadian wildfire impacted day, it kinda of set the tone for Gray. The trail itself invoked many curses and unpleasantries about this hike from Gray->back to the car and through Shrek’s swamp. Per my earlier rankings the other part of the hike, peaks Marcy and Skylight were amazing. It was also the first time on our journey that I pulled out the bug net as they were pretty bad at Lake Tear of the Clouds 41/-43/46. It probably does not help that we then descended through Shrek’s Swamp Bog, but we didn’t go swimming, so it was a win considering our conditions. I would absolutely not re-do Gray, but definitely Marcy and Skylight and then back and over Marcy on this trio.
39. Donaldson-HIking Partner: Becky, Strava Stats: 23.05 mi Elevation Gain 6,260 ft yup, Elapsed Time 16:26:26 (Seward Range) -The trip to Donaldson was a piece of a story of one of the more memorable moments that we met our mystery trail angel on the finisher who ran into the same. An elderly lady, then a granny 70s (?) coming up the back side of Seward, assuring us we were almost there giving me this false sense of what lie ahead. Bogs, mud, mud, mud pits, logs, and then yeah we reached it. Only to look out to see what type II fun was in front of us, then ridiculous realization of just how far we had to go to reach Emmons, and how getting out of this range was indeed going to be much much longer than “you’re almost there” haha.
40. Couch– Hiking Partners: Becky and Laura: Strava Stats: (Panther, Santa, and Couchsachraga) 17.02 mi Elevation Gain 5,030 ft Elapsed Time 16:27:03
Next in the ranking comes the long talked about journey to the summit of Couchsachraga Peak, which is the 46th-highest of the Adirondack High Peaks, with an elevation of 3,820 ft. This mountain is pronounced “Kook-sa-KRA-ga,” and is an ancient Algonquin name that means “Dismal Wilderness.” The Algonquin used this name for the Adirondacks. Today, people refer to it as “Couch Mountain” (Couchie, pronounced “Coochie” for short. Couchsachraga Peak is an un-trailed peak and is fully lined with trees. Couch is known for its bog and up and down in elevation. It also as referenced above isn’t actually 4,000 ft, which adds a little insult to injury. But you must do it to get all 46, so we did it! You could not turn without navigating water, mud so you just had to embrace it. I had extra socks but the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze to change them as this was nothing but sloptastic saturated conditions.
41. Emmons– Hiking Partner: Becky Strava Stats: 23.05 mi Elevation Gain 6,260 ft yup, Elapsed Time 16:26:26 (Seward Range) This was my 23/46 half way there peak. Well, that is the nicest thing I can say about Emmons. It takes current last place in my ranking of enjoying hikes because, no matter what anyone says, that last peak combined with the walk out adds into the overall memory of ‘that’ peak. For this one, the bogs were relentless, and then requiring us to navigate our way back up over Donaldson again before the long walk out, where we once again ran into Granny again on a crazy trail when you were miles from anything. What a spooky little adventure. This wrapped the Seward range up for us, and I can attest that doing all 4 peaks of this range in one day is pretty intense. Becky didn’t get home until 2am. I have no idea how she was able to drive.
Long blog post short. The journey to completion of the ADK 46 High Peaks was a significant accomplishment for me. I’m grateful for my hiking partners along the journey, and all the Adirondack wilderness has taught me. As James Appleton says, “The Mountains don’t Care About You”. So true. But I am glad the ADK hiking community is as active and caring for this Wilderness Park. Until the next adventure- be well.
16. Sawteeth: Hiking Partner: Becky, Strava Stats: 16.49 mi Elevation Gain 4,600 ft Elapsed Time 11:18:06 Although a very warm day, we made the most of only getting 1 High Peak into a long beautiful day. Sawteeth is a challenging ADK hike, pretty demanding but I was happy we picked the route we did. A Traverse from the garden where I parked, up Gothics cable route-> Pyramid Peak->Sawteeth-> Rainbow Falls->Indian Head then back out via Lake Road/AMR/ Roaring Creek to Becky’s car. I remember thinking Sawteeth was pretty tough when we were climbing it. That could have come from the warmth, the fact that we first repeated the best Gothics before doing it did it. It was hot that day, but again we got the combo factor of all the other rewards clear views, water falls, Indian Head. Good stuff to overcome the work to get up there! Sawteeth has those amazing views, as a part of this beautiful range of the Adirondacks. 4.7 out of 5 stars. Steep scrambles and climbing galore, and oh the loveliest views .
17. Dial: This peak is amazing in that it can be combined for so many unique adventures in this range. Choose your own adventure! It doesn’t get quite as many views as Nippletop, but it’s pretty amazing nonetheless. What diminishes this peak for me in stars is only the long walk back the parking lot which seems to go on forever :). Still give it 4.7/5 stars for the 46.
19Jun2022: Hiking Partner: Becky Strava Stats: Paired with Colvin->Blake->Colvin->Nippletop->Dial->Bear Den 24.76 mi Elevation Gain 6,389 ft Elapsed Time 15:18:46
30Sep2023: Indian Head, Nippletop and Dial Fall Beauty 15.41 mi Elevation Gain 4,715 ft Elapsed Time 9:10:03
18. Colvin Hiking Partner Becky- See Strava Stats above. Colvin was a beast to go up and then over to Blake then regain it again, but I have to give credit where credit is due, it’s a beautiful mountain with steep elevation, roots, rocks, and reggae that the ADK provides. Up, Up, Up you go! 4.6/5 stars only due to the painful double ascent from both sides if you want to get Blake. Tough but fun hike.
19. Iroquois– Sträva: 11.16 miles, Total Elapsed Time: 9:47:46, Total Elevation: 4,629ft. (Algonquin, Iroquois, Wright) Hiking Partners: Becky, Laura, Tela This saunter to Iroquois is such a unique hike. Iroquois is one of the High Peaks with rare and endangered alpine vegetation; please tread lightly and stay on bare rock. Iroquois is blessed with a 360 degree view from its bald summit with amazing views, as you can imagine, with the best views of Wallface. The geology on this entire trail is too cool for school. The approach from Boundary, which is not technically a 46er, but is above 4000 ft is narrow and unique. The summit of Iroquois is beautiful like all on this hike, and then the ADKs laugh at you as you are required to reclimb back up and over Algonquin. 4.7 stars for a cool out there peak with mostly solid rock.
20. Phelps– Hiking Partners (Becky and Tela) (Phelps and Tabletop)
Strava Stats- Seem Wonky-I don’t think it was this long in mileage:
19.74 mi Elevation Gain , 3,866 ft Elapsed Time 9:02:54
This was a joyous venture with Becky and Tela. We had perfect weather, but got quickly initiated into beginners ADK mud. My phone call home to Chris, “get the hose out”. Still so much fun, great views, mudtastic, roots, rock and reggae! 4.6/5 stars good, be ready for a little extra mustard mud.
Happy 2024! I have taken the first full week of January off work, and I must say it’s really one of the best decisions I have made and may become a tradition. Yesterday, I was able to do a New Year’s Day winter hike, in the ADKs. It was a cold but windless day with blue skies and much needed. Quick photo as it was a beautiful first ascent for me of Noonmark.
Back to the ranking of bias…
12. Mount Colden via Avalanche Pass Both Solo
Strava Stats:
03Jun2023: 14.40 mi, Elevation Gain 3,481 ft, Elapsed Time 7:38:07
05Aug2023: 16.83 mi, Elevation Gain, 3,907 ft Elapsed Time 9:26:28
More to come on the variances later. First let’s talk about how flipping special Avalanche Pass/Lake is it just brings a huge bonus to the Colden journey.
This view is why my second solo trip was extended. The weather broke during the hike and cleared up, so while I was not willing to redo Mt. Colden completely, I was willing to extend my hike by some mileage and minimal elevation to actually see Avalanche Lake clearly as my previous attempts, even leading up to this second time left me in a fog with no view! This has been my only solo 46 Peak. I can’t exactly say why, minus two reasons. Becky and Laura had already done it, it was not suitable for Tela due to the numerous ladders, I think she could have handled the scrambles ok, but negative on the ladders.
I had so little visibility my first trip hiking trip. The second time, I was itching to hike to maintaining fitness of some sort, and to get some views. The summer of 2023 in the ADK especially on the weekends were dismal pickings at best. Trail advisories were up many times, and the area experienced extensive flooding and erosion. Mount Colden- what’s to love- when you go through Avalanche Pass, you experience one of the coolest engineered hiking experiences I have had. Read history here https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2017/02/the-origin-of-the-hitch-up-matildas.html . The trail up Colden is steep (1950 ft in 1.6 miles), and the true summit is a little hard to locate in the fog, but when it’s clear or semi clear and you get those views, it is simply phenomenal. 4.8/5 stars. Pictures include both journeys. Ladders, did I mention ladders, like multiple sections of ladders…Oh Colden, you are beautiful! This is also a stair stepper someone that someone put amazing effort into. Since I was solo I counted and each staircase was 100+. That’s a lot of help!
13. Wright Peak- Strava Stats (inclusive of Algonquin and Iroquois: Hiking Partners: Becky, Props to Laura for Tela sitting as she already had this one, and Tela was tired :).
11.16 mi Elevation Gain: 4,629 ft Elapsed Time 9:47:46
Wright is a wonderful peak, although I must admit I hadn’t done too much research on it compared to the other peaks on this particular journey. We had saved Wright for the last peak, and it was a little more technical slab wise than I was expecting. Thankfully, we were slack packing, so it made it much easier, especially on tired knees/legs. The summit of Wright is simply amazing, wide open, and there is also the plane wreckage. https://www.adirondack-park.net/history/b47.wright.html Such a super cool peak! Rank 4.7 of 5 stars for scrambles and a unique and wonderful summit to explore with views for days!
14. Whiteface Mountain
First Attempt DNF Nov 2021 due to winter weather with Becky, but we had Pumpkin Cheesecake!
, Second attempt success! 15Jul2023 Hiking Partner- Tela; Strava Stats
8.00 mi, Elevation Gain 3,205 ft Elapsed Time 5:15:38 Recently, we also helped Laura and Tela gain Whiteface and Esther which brought Tela to 18 high peaks it was a snow wonderland right before it got warm and weird winter weather! Some pics included of that summit which included Esther (not yet ranked). On this day, Tela and I lucked out to a blue clear day, only on luck as Becky ended up going the day post and had wildfire haze. Becky finally got her amazing Whiteface views on our snowshoe adventure! This hike starts off a little bit like a bitch. The ascent starts right away, up, up and up Marble Mountain you go. You gain about 1700 ft of elevation in the first two miles, so it gets you going. While the top of Whiteface is unique in that it’s the only 46er people can take a paved road to, and a ski resort. The top is wicked cool especially in winter the ice formations due to wind are mind blowing. This hike on a clear day gets 4.7 stars. I only detract from the stars due to the painful steep descent in the last stretch of the hike.
15. Nippletop: Twice, once for the 46, once in the fall for amazing beauty!
19Jun2022: Hiking Partner: Becky Strava Stats: Paired with Colvin->Blake->Colvin->Nippletop->Dial->Bear Den 24.76 mi Elevation Gain 6,389 ft Elapsed Time 15:18:46
30Sep2023: Indian Head, Nippletop and Dial Fall Beauty 15.41 mi Elevation Gain 4,715 ft Elapsed Time 9:10:03
Sometimes this ranking thing gets murky, looking at this one it makes me think should it have been higher? Doing this the first time it was feeling like a huge accomplishment, the second time it was simply views galore. There are some steep scrambles up this way, but it absolutely worth it. Roots, Rock and Reggae for the ADK win every time! 4.7/5 stars, this hike has summit views, and multiple awesome combinations with other peaks for a longer or shorter hike
Had to pop the Indian in on this post from this hike, because it’s just so flipping iconic for good reason. To be continued…
8. Giant: 06Aug2022 Hiking Partners: Chris, Tela, Strava Stats: 6.22 mi Elevation Gain 3,045 ft Elapsed Time 4:34:58
Oh Giant, I have been fortunate enough to climb you twice as you make a quick day with great elevation in a short distance. You are majestic, offering views a plenty. I have not paired you yet as a traverse with Rocky Peak Ridge (my 2nd favorite) so I look forward to giving that a go sometime as well. Short, steep, rewarding views (no warm up just go up!) 4.8 stars
9. Armstrong– Hiking Partners, Becky, Tela Strava Stats 24.21 mi Elevation Gain-4,797 ft Elapsed Time 12:10:40 (Gothics->Armstrong->Upper and Lower Wolfjaw) This Peak offers absolutely stunning views, and happens to be sandwiched in with some of my other favorites (like Pyramid Peak) which is not technically a high peak towards the 46 count even though it is 4596 feet in elevation. The views are amazing and this little area of the ADK is just divine really. Why does Armstrong make the top ten? Our approach was going up Gothics cables to get there, so the approach is fast and you’ve done most of the work, oh and yes that ladder that will give me chuckles for the rest of my life, watching your golden try to go piggyback on your hiking partner. Oh, Tela. Such a ham! Man, do I love you and you can bet she loves her Aunt Becky for leading the Armstrong ladder descent front woman, Tela in the middle, and me bringing up the rear we got this one done. 4.8 out of 5 stars.
10. Big Slide (Extended Loop)- Hiking Partners, Chris, Jess, Tela Strava Stats: 14.00 mi Elevation 3,074 ft Elapsed Time 6:44:33
When my old college roommate came to visit, I tortured her with an early morning 46er. Poor thing, I don’t think she was awake until closer to the end of the hike, while Chris was huffing and puffing, and Tela was happy as ever to be with me. We ended up letting Jess lead who had no map just following signs and quickly realized you can’t do that in the ADK. LOL. Not the only time we’ve added mileage in our journey, but we almost doubled this one. Great hike, via the Brothers with views on end for days. It was a humid day when we went, but still have to give Big Slide a huge prop, still need to just do the standard route. Big bang for your buck on distance with views and some cool scrambles. 4.7 out of 5 stars.
11. Cascade,First High Peak Completed. Hiking Partner: Becky, Tela. Strava Stats (Cascade, Porter)- 8.42 mi Elevation Gain 2,401 ft Elapsed Time 5:18:29.
Having no real idea of the journey ahead, Becky and I started this journey on 10Jul2021 at 5:47 am. This is one of the most visited high peaks due to ease of access and shortness of the trail to get to some really stellar views in the park. Many families, tourists etc. hike this peak, and I actually have not redone it since this hike. It’s a beauty though and earns its spot in the upper tier for accessibility, views, cool scrambles, and less committing time to completing a hike peak. Beautiful geological features all along the grand summit. 4.7 out of 5 stars.
Happy New Year’s Eve! The rankings shall continue, until we get to the gruesome last ones :P. Enjoy a safe celebration of 2023 all, and whatever you do, take care of your shoes.
Welcome back to part 2 of the ADK ranking blog again my favorites all biases including with the exception of the Outlier Peaks of the Dix Range due to visibility issues.. it’s another rainy day here, with the trails being slick so writing time is the right time.
Peak #4: Saddleback Cliffs – 23Sep2023, Hiking Partners, Becky, Laura, 46er finish. (Some trail angels included on this one). Strava Stats (Haystack, Basin, Saddleback):
17.75 mi
8:32:23 Moving Time
5,502 ft-Elevation
13:12:23 Elapsed Time
Ahh, the Saddleback Cliffs. Ever since we started this journey we were so excited to finish on these. I still count this in my top five peaks even though it was more rushed than I would have desired and there was a lost footing saved by a trail angel to secure safety… but that’s not exactly my story to tell. I watched many few videos, prepping for these and the biggest question was the height challenge and awkward start for shorter people. I sadly do not have many photos of us on this route. That is because the trail angels who we met for the ride on on finisher, meeting the group at both preceding peaks,them assisting to find a Powerade that took a tumble, give beta on a descent, had decided they would wait for us in case assistance was needed (how gentlemanly!) first time in our 46er journey we saw men willing to give a hand! Laura was a few feet ahead and before I was ready to make a big here we are on our last peak, she was already on the second move, so I said, ok, I guess we are doing this. It was pretty easy because they gave beta on the handholds for the two crux moves for vertically challenged people and were the most gentlemanly kind men helping us celebrate our 46er journey!
5. Haystack– 23Sep2023- Part of 46 finisher Hiking Partners Becky, Laura Strava stats above.
Oh Haystack, Once I finally got to you, I saw why many people finish on you, it takes a minute to get to your beauty, but once you reach little Haystack that 8 mile trek in makes it all worth it. Your geological uniqueness and open summits with tons of fun scrambles are too good to not consider reclaiming you in the right conditions. You get a slightly lower score than five, because you made me work just a touch more on the approach than I desired. 4.9 stars
I struggled to pick Skylight before Marcy, but I think it says volumes about how cool I thought both hikes were considering we had sub desirable conditions due to the Canadian wildfire haze to contend with on this hike. Skylight is just so magical. Reminds me a bit of Algonquin with its open summit, and just amazing views to be had. I can see why people pick this as their finisher. She’s a beauty. We had minimal views but wow, just such a sweet ass hike. Unique, still give it 4.9 stars!
Conditions up Marcy- started out as great and looking potentially clear, then morphed into very windy/ hazy/ cloud/fog let’s get down type of vibe, preventing much time on the summit of Marcy. I do agree the Van Hoevenberg is liked a paved highway of the ADK trails. Super smooth! In retrospective, I would have done this trail back up and over Marcy, if done again to avoid the infamous floating logs. I rather deal with elevation than slow bog water, lol. Marcy, is a classy mountain. I want to spend more time may a sunrise hike up her but she’s also quite a long way in. Overall 4.8 stars, could easily move up to a 5.0 with a bluebird day ;0).
As someone who fights challenges in many different ways, I would like to take the time to share my thoughts about my favorite peaks along the journey in order of preference from my experience, and what it really took for me to accomplish the ADK 46er journey. If you have read this blog over the past year and a half it is filled with stories of these summit goals, and I’m super grateful for my hiking partners and my own capability to find a way to accomplish this goal.
When I was on my previous MS medication, we were killing it in the Summer of 2022, I felt stronger physically and mentally than I had in a very long time (probably in my Sabbatical of 2018). As my job was really stressful at the time, I found the challenges, beauty and all the other challenges the ADK could bring, such as bogs, mud, black flies, just an ADK mile to go, to be exactly what my brain needed to push all of that other stuff out of my mind and focus on one foot in front of the other. In Nov 2022, when I had to switch MS therapies, I was worried for multiple reasons. I was starting all over again in disease modifying therapy, trying to find my body’s new normal and this was insanely challenging, and remains a challenge until this date. How was I going to be able to finish our remaining hikes when my schedule and body was on a 5:00am to 6:30pm work, eat, spend little time with my family then the body demanded bed. Thankfully through science, we have figured out some alternatives to help my energy levels, but everything is at least four times more difficult for me. Now to the journey….
When I look back at the person I was when Becky and I first completed Cascade and Porter, it’s almost laughable. The photo below is when I thought, yes, we can do this challenge as we hit four peaks (really I count it as five as you are required do Colvin->Blake->Regain that lost elevation to climb back up and over Colvin->Nippletop and Dial in the same day with long mileage and elevation and 14 hours outside in the ADK wilderness. Yes, we can! The challenge was on, and the adventures, the planning, the weather watching, the coordination of schedules, the middle of the night alarms, it was in full effect goal on.
As I have said many times, the journey to achieving the summit of all of the 46 ADK High Peaks is a challenge somewhat like nothing I had embarked on. I considered myself to be a knowledgeable intermediate-early advanced hiker. No, I had not completed any major accolades of long distance trails like the AT or PCT, or Rainer, Denali etc, but I had hiked plenty of different mountain ranges internationally in various conditions and knew my limits at that time (or so I thought). I also thought I knew mud intimately. After all, I did survive two Phish festivals that were more than mud (Coventry) and (IT)was pretty sloptastic as well!
The ADK takes those limits you are accustomed to associated with hiking and kinda threw out minus the 10 basics of leave no trace, typical hiking etiquette into another dimension moving towards a unique, challenge that I can say took major mental, physical, and at times physiological strength to achieve and overcome.
Let’s talk about mud and sludge. At the above referenced Coventry Phish festival, they had created make-shift boards to help people with the mud/sludge concert field->campsite navigation. As with all big crowds, people get impatient in the dark, things aren’t moving fast enough? No problem, they will just create their own pathway. Which is all well and good until they come face to face with an ATV gator who gets stuck in the mud/sludge and just proceeds to spin mud over and over in as if they are under attack. Ok, I digress. Thankfully I was just an observer in the tragic comedy above…. Now to the ADK. While I can say I am truly thankful we scheduled most of our hikes for the summer 2022 for many reasons, weather in the summer 2023 was one of them. We really lucked out with only one hot day, and pretty descent summer conditions. The Fall of 2022 wasn’t as kind to us, but the summer of 2023 was really a weather disaster for those 46 journey completion seekers. We ended up with only 5 trips during that time, doing Marshall in the wettest of non-raining weather I’ve ever hiked in, Marcy->Skylight->Gray, and me doing Colden via Avalanche Lake to try to get my views in. Our finisher on 23Sep2023 on Haystack, Basin and Saddleback brought this goal to completion. I have learned much about myself, my will, determination, when I need help to ask for it, and grateful for trustworthy companions to help me when I needed it.
I am going to do a peak by peak ranking with photos if possible. I will not include in the ranking the 5 peaks of the Dix range we hiked on what we hoped would be the fall hike of 2022- 09Oct2022. The weather was so miserable on the day we planned, and I can not in good ranking ethic count these peaks as I do believe they deserve their spot in the upper half, but since we had 5 ft of visibility most of the day, it was like moving through a fog with none of the beautiful views this range offers.
My Favorite 46 ADK High Peaks in Order Biased to Weather Conditions
(Sans Dix Range for inclusion due to weather)
Gothics– 05Jun2022- Hiking Partners: Becky, Tela Strava stats: 24.21 miles, Elevation Gains 4,797 ft Elapsed Time 12:10:40 – Oh man, there is just so much to love about this mountain, and I have only gone up the cable route twice. This hike going up the cable route offers the thrill of many things the ADK can offer. We took one trip up Gothics a bit by mistake from the Garden. Missing our turn for the Wolfjaws, we decided to go for it and see what happened as Tela was along for this adventure. We encountered a few guys in route, two discouraging our choice, and one highly encouraging as he said the other two guys were his friends and bailed, and we went for it. Between Becky’s efforts, Tela’s efforts and my efforts we were able to get Tela up the cables! Whew. The larger Tela challenge on that hike was the ladder descent from Armstrong. Tela pretty much wanted a piggyback ride down Becky’s back. Teamwork made the dream work and we had a return trip to Gothics up the cables sans Tela to truly enjoy another beautiful but warm day on 26Jun2022! (combining a bit of magic with bluebird skies and an unusually empty Rainbow Falls and trip to Indian Head and Sawteeth with Strava clocking 16.9 miles, Elevation Gains 4800ft, Elapsed time 11:18:06. Why is Gothics my favorite of the 46? It’s completely varied in its challenges, you get varied terrain, multiple routes to mix and play around with. The views, the cable route scramble gives nice exposure and you get some of the fine ADK ladder action. 5 stars.
2. Rocky Peak Ridge– Via New Russia Trail Hiking Partners: Laura
On the 27May2023, I had orphaned this peak which is usually paired with Giant which I did with Chris prior to a trip to CO for a warm up hike (excellent hike). Strava clocked this hike at 13.16 miles, total elapsed time 8:49 minutes, elevation gain: 5,312 ft. Well, what I can I say, we lucked out. This hike is truly one of my favorites from this approach. Yes, there is a ton of up and down in elevation, but you are greeting with stunning 360 views at times. Definitely a hike best saved for a clear day. The conditions have to be right to reach a ranking this high, and on this day, they were right on time. Becky and I attempted again in the fall but DNF due to poor weather and visibility.
Why do I love this hike? It actually is one of the more friendlier designed trails for an ADK high peak. Although there is a ton of elevation and ups and downs you go through splendid forests, an exposed Ridgeline, with 360 views. Again, must be done on the bluebird weather day. Bliss! In the right conditions 5.0 stars.
3. Algonquin-10Jul2022, Sträva: 11.16 miles, Total Elapsed Time: 9:47:46, Total Elevation: 4,629ft. Hiking Partners: Becky, Laura, Tela Due to scheduling conflicts for openings and we really had the itch to get things done, we tackled this mountain done typically paired as we did with Wright and Iroquois the Sunday weekend of my MS infusion. Pushing myself with these views and smiles made it a pleasant yet challenging day. The 46 teaching me new ways of adapting to challenges. This one you can also end at the hungry hiker, which meant ice cream for Tela and food for us all!
What do I love about Algonquin? It’s constant scrambles, amazing open summit where there’s views for days (also lucked out on the weather for this journey). The type of mountain that calls to me to embrace it even if I normally wouldn’t want to leave the house. 5.0 Stars although the knees do feel the impact on the descent.
Stay tuned for more recaps to come of my look back on ranking my favorite of 46 journey through this non-work season!
On 23Sep2023, we awoke at 1am, with a 2am leave time from my home in Saratoga Springs. This was going to be a big day with the goal of finishing the summits of all ADK 46 Peaks. We had saved a trio of peaks to finish on Haystack, Basin and Saddleback, (HaBaSa) going up the much talked about and anticipated, Saddleback Cliffs. HaBaSa is a commonly used acronym for the Upper Great Range in the High Peaks Wilderness in New York. It consists of three of the 46 4,000+ footers in the Adirondacks: Mount Haystack, Basin Mountain, and Saddleback Mountain (HaBaSa). These are some of the taller mountains on the 46er list as Haystack, Basin, and Saddleback rank 3rd (4,960ft), 9th (4,827ft) and 17th (4,515ft), respectively. We saved this trio for our finisher as we love rock scrambles, and despite the long approach to Haystack, all three of these mountains offered lots of scrambles. Indeed a day of scrambling we had complete with some trail guardian angels who happened to be doing the hike with experience and restoring my faith in humanity for kindness and giving helpful advice or a helping hand.
Why so early? This is a common question about hiking in the ADK. I live about 1.5 hours from most of the core high peak trail heads, and parking in the ADK has become very challenging for some hikes, especially those leaving from the Garden Parking lot which is very small. Sometimes the lot has been full at 3:30am, and with the long hike ahead of us 17+miles, and 5,500 ft of elevation gain, we didn’t want to risk missing a spot at the Garden lot, so we started hiking at 3:27am. It had been a long time since I had done a multi-peak ADK hike, (Marcy, Skylight, Gray) so I was hoping my body could handle the demands that lay ahead of us. We started out in headlamps, and began the very long approach to our first summit of the day (8.7 miles to ADK High Peak #44, Haystack.) The weather was toying with us again, but sending all we could summon, the sun answered our calls and graced us with glorious Vitamin D for the remainder of our summits, then clouded up for the descent and walk out. Welcome to my favorite season, fall! Once we got to Haystack I started to feel more energized, as the views are simply divine. We had a bit of hazy clouds on the summit, but I can see why people pick Haystack to finish on, and I’m happy it was a part of my finale. The open rock summits and 360 degree views make every mile to get there and climb to get up worth it. You hit “Little Haystack” first, then progress on to Haystack. Then, as the High Peaks sometimes do, you had to lose and regain the path back to Little Haystack and on to Basin!
Basin, hmm. Well, on this adventure, I’m a firm believer you need to do your homework, and I had gotten all kinds of mixed reviews on this mountain. It had me concerned, not for the ascent, but the descent. Due to the flooding and rains, I had read and seen a few photos that indicated conditions were dangerous, but I was mentally prepared (as much as I could be). The ascent of Basin was pretty steep, but I had overhyped it in my mind. When we got to the top, ADK High Peak #45, we met our three guardian trail angels who we saw whilst descending Haystack. There was one awkward down climb at Haystack, and a young man, Chris gave helpful beta to make it feel effortless. We chatted with them a bit, I thanked them for their help and beta. They were kind enough to take some photos and then gave us beta for the descent crux of the section of Basin. Thankfully, the section was not as scary as I had created in my mind, and we utilized Chris’s beta again, dropping our packs and butt sliding down. They were behind us and I did have a few things go flying when I dropped my pack down the rockslide. Very gentlemanly, they helped grab a dropped Powerade and went on to our next stop, High Peak 46/46- to take on the challenge of our last high peak to complete for this goal, Saddleback Mountain and the Saddleback Cliffs.
You have such a great view Saddleback and its cliffs, at this point, we were one summit away minus the long walk out of completing peak 46/46.
The Saddleback Cliffs are about 100ft of class 3, with 2-3 crux moves, especially if you if you are vertically challenged, like Becky, Laura and myself. When we got to the Cliffs, the gentleman David, Chris and David’s son- who saved my Powerade, were waiting for us, our trail angels. Chris was already a 46er, and I think they had sized us up as being short, offered beta and assistance if it was needed, so we took no time for a breather before our last summit of completing our goal. Becky got one photo of Laura and up we went.
I went second after Laura, and David and Chris gave great beta on hand and foot placements. I was up on a good ledge as they were helping Becky. I couldn’t see what was going on from my position, but I could hear there was assistance needed, and David was indeed the guardian trail angel, helping ensure Becky was fully secure when footing was lost. We were super lucky, and not only did they cheer us on as we hit that summit, but they were kind enough to take photos.
As we descended Saddleback, we had a long walk back to the Garden parking lot. We did see lots of hikers and a guy with two beautiful dogs, one who he had just taken a different way on Saddleback to get the dog’s NE 115! Amazing!
The walk out we were feeling good at first, then by mile 14, I was ready to be back to the car! So exhausted, but super happy and proud of our accomplishments, grateful for trail angels, and having the opportunity to accomplish this challenge. Aspiring, no more, ADK46er, 15263.
Living via a B cell depleter MS medication has not gone without challenges. In this time, I have struggled immensely with energy and finding the balance between work and having the time and energy to get my life back in check. Two weeks ago, I met with my MS Specialist to discuss strategies, and well, much to my dislike I am where I am on the transition of Tysabri->Kesimpta. So as I face mentally the reality of this ‘new normal’ we accept the challenges life presents and do the best we can to get back to being ourselves. I was supposed to go see my favorite band with amazing company and looked forward to it so much, only to have it snatched away at the last minute due to another stupid Covid surge in NYC. With friends at the show testing positive, I knew I could not take the risk, especially with a pending important trip to CO upcoming. I basically would be signing up to get Covid with my immune system in the current state of things. So I took this disappointing blow for something I had been looking forward to and tried to make the most out of the situation.
When I attempted ADK High Peak Colden solo previously via Avalanche Lake, I was socked in with no views at all on the summit. So I decided to do a repeat in hopes of getting those views in and a mental stress relief. I was solo again, so on my own timetable. I went to bed early, got up around 2:30am, and was at the LOJ trailhead to begin hiking at 5:24 am. In total, this route with my backtrack add on was 16.83 miles and 3907 ft of elevation per my Garmin watch.
The morning began with promising skies, and I was all excited that today was the day. There has been a ton of rain and flooding in upstate NY and VT over this summer, and the past week was full of rain. I was prepared for muddy, wet ADK conditions.
As I approached Avalanche Lake, the skies were looking amazing, and then, again, it happened, the fog and clouds rolled in socking my views along the Avalanche Pass. WTH. I was super annoyed at this part of the hike. Don’t really plan on coming back this way, but felt pretty shafted in all aspects at this point.
Despite my frustrations at the weather, I decided to continue on with high hopes that I could at least get some summit views and the clouds and fog would pass on. I knew this trail and way could be a little spicy because of the flooding. I continued my ascent, and once I got to the upper slabs, I was pretty much hiking up a waterfall of a trail the rest of the way. The trails in certain areas were flooded, but I continued on slowly, deliberately making my way up. I could see some sunshine peaking through so I had really high hopes.
As I arrived to the top, the winds picked up strongly, and clouds were on the move. Was I really going to miss views again on this mountain? Although I did not have full 360 views, I did get some views which were worth the climb.
As I descended the Lake Arnold Trail, the clouds had moved out, and I was finally seeing other folks on the trail. I had no set plan and a little peak of energy and decided to push myself on this loop to circle back to Avalanche Lake for my sandwich and a view. As we often find from a hikers perspective, you do meet folks on the trail. My theory in trail etiquette is to be kind, and usually I’m cautious on giving advice unless someone directly asks me.
However, in this journey, I came up behind a couple maybe in their late 20s or 30s (I can’t tell age anymore). The female was having a bit of a challenge crossing a very simple log compared to what lie ahead as they were heading up Colden. I chatted briefly with them as she expressed she doesn’t hike, and was not used to this. As I knew what lay before them. I gave them beta, but the guy was pretty insistent that he wasn’t worried, and I hope their hike turned out well.
I did get a beautiful picturesque spot to eat lunch and although I can’t say that I fully got to experience Avalanche Pass the way I desired, it was worth the add on of the 2 ADK miles for a nice spot to eat lunch and relax, completing the two sock changes needed due to the amount of flooding on the trail. Next week is CO, hoping we have good weather and a productive trip. Keep pushing, keep challenging, find your own way!
In this 46er journey, there have been many memorable moments, but we had one intense unexpected snow in Nov 2021 doing Esther and Whiteface, so to keep things pure, although we weren’t able to coordinate with the weather to do it together, we agreed we needed to reclimb this peak to ensure we actually completed it before our finish.
We had planned on an attempt on Sunday, but the forecast predicted a washout. I was free today, and the weather was good. Becky had Monday available to rehike this high peak with a favorable weather forecast. It would be nice to take in some views since the last time we were on this peak, we faced high wind and white-faced’ conditions.
Although the conditions made this trail non rememberable (getting down as the storm was ascending was the priority), I confirmed it was dog friendly, and took the Tela Moose McNaughton along for probably her last ADK high peak, Whiteface.
So off she and I went leaving my house around 3am, and began the drive to Wilmington, NY. As we drove as I often have this summer while being able to hike have raised my eyebrows at the weather forecast vs. what would actually happen. As I drove through the rain, I hoped for the forecast to correct itself once we got closer. Thankfully, it did, although a very high humidity, we began our hike of Whiteface at 4:55am. It has been a wild time weather wise, so wet, the DEC had issued an advisory regarding high peaks, especially those with water crossings. Reviews and conditions for this peak seemed low risk, and we were the first there.
We started ascending via the Marble Mountain trail with a headlamp on Tela, the trek up to Marble Mountain is pretty steep, gaining about 1015 ft of elevation in .9 miles. Luckily the trail was dry and in good conditions. We could see the sun rising but not high enough to grab a good shot.
We continued on to Lookout and the trail conditions became a bit muddy, but nothing more than the ADK has presented in the past. I’m so happy we rehiked this mountain. I would definitely not feel I could say I hit the true summit after seeing what more the trail offered. Although I had to give Tela some pep talks to get through the descent and attack of bugs, we made decent time and were back at the car by 10am. So happy we had such a beautiful day with these amazing views. Very different than the first time I hit this mountain up. Other hike repeats to come between other summer activities. Our finish of the 46er journey hopefully will happen in September. Keep on adventuring, pushing yourself and living life to the fullest. With love to all!
Adventures in this thing we call Life 