Dix

This was it - our final ascent to reach our goal of forty-six high peaks! We awoke at five and must have really improved our "get-up-'n'go" because we found ourselves sitting in the dark at the Round Pond trailhead before 6:00AM. We munched on banana bread and waited for the sky to brighten a bit.

Once we had enough light to see our footing in the woods, we headed up the trail. Within minutes, we found ourselves looking at Round Pond - a large pond with a nice campsite right off the trail. We made a mental note to return here with our Hornbeck boats someday...

We continued on a pleasant stroll through the autumn forest, which was just past peak foliage. Our footing was mostly visible under the debris, but we found the occasional slippery pile of leaves. By the time we made it to the Boquet lean-to, we had some snacks and started to climb.

The ascent was gradual until we found ourselves on the bottom of a long slide. It must have been old, since there was no visible debris at the base. Looking back, we could see Noonmark, Giant and Rocky Peak Ridge in the morning sun. The soft light brought out the reds that were still clinging to the trees.

Following to the right of the slide through the woods, the trail became unrelentingly steep. There were no cliffs or scrambles, but we gained most of our elevation for the day in this relatively short section of trail. We were happy to see the grade of the path lessen when we arrived at the intersection of the Hunter's Pass trail.

The last part of the trail was rocky and steep, but not nearly what we had just climbed on the slide section. We had to jump over and through some mud puddles and were happy to find very little ice on the summit. Considering that we were hiking in October, we were very lucky in this regard.

The view on the summit was clear and breathtaking in all directions. I kept snapping pictures from the summit where we stayed for an hour taking in the sights. We counted twenty-five of the high peaks that we could now easily identify and we could see large stretches of Lake Champlain and the Champlain Valley in the distance. It was the perfect day and the perfect peak on which to finish our 46!
 

As clouds just started to roll in, we descended the trail the same way that we had come up. Picking our way down the slide section was slow-going, but from the base we had a long but easy stroll through the woods. We got back to the car just as the muscles started to hurt and headed to Gene's Michigan Stand in Port Henry to celebrate!

By looking back at our 46er journey, we have certainly taken a slow but steady transformation. Two years ago, we were casual hikers, content to be on afternoon jaunts and beginning experiment with backpacking. We have refined our skills so that we are now comfortable packing in and out of the backwoods for multiple days (with declining standards of cleanliness as time goes on though...). Our map and compass skills have improved as well, especially when we became unsure of the path!

Most of all, we have gained a deep appreciation and love of the Adirondack Mountains. Their charm lies in their inaccessibility. With the dome shaped range, mountains are obscured and peaks are sometimes not even visible until you find yourself in the thick of it! With an increased understanding of the region's topography with each hike, it becomes more rewarding (and more addicting) with each peak.

We look forward to exploring some of the other wilderness areas both by foot and by boat, and try some new approaches to some of these now familiar high peaks!

7/18/2012 - Porter - Our first Adirondack High Peak

10/5/2014 - Dix - Our Forty-Sixth Adirondack High Peak