Sawteeth in December

"Hey, Look. There Really Are Mountains Up Here"
Sawteeth, Adirondacks

December 5, 1998

This report was "Shamelessly Stolen" from Joe until I write my own.

Their snowshoes at the ready, they came looking for snow. Well, they found it. But snowshoes, had they carried them, would have been overkill. El Nina'? Who knows. They had fun just the same.

They did have one objective for the day. That was to demonstrate to Rob that there actually were mountains in the Adirondacks. Rob has been to the ADK several times but had never experienced a summit that was not cloud-covered. As seen below, Rob saw that the mountains really do exist. 

Pictures:

Gothics from Sawteeth.

Haystack (left) and Marcy (middle background) from Sawteeth.

Rob and Sherry

 Mike and Joe. For some reason Mike wants everyone to notice that he is the only one wearing a sweater on the summit. Must be one of those indestructible youth things. Maybe it's inexperience. We're not sure. His goosebumps did make the Guinness Book of Records though!

 

There was something unexplainable
about the food on this trip.

Huh!? Must be a newlywed thing.

Mike prepares for battle by sharpening his trekking pole. He's heard the chipmunks get pretty aggressive in these parts.

Trip Summary:
Summit Elevation:  4,100'
Hike Type:  Day Hike
Trail Difficulty:  easy to moderate
Date of Summit:  12/5/1998
Trailhead to Summit:  5.9 miles
Time to summit:  ~4.5 hours
Vertical Ascent:  2,975'
Weather: Overcast
Hikers:  Mike Bowen, Joe Mynio, "Doc" Sherry, Rob (Mr. "Doc" Sherry)

Mt. Marcy - AWESOME!

"We'll Meet You Here After Lunch"
Yeah, Right.
Mt. Marcy and Haystack, Adirondacks

October 3, 1998

So six hardy souls adventure into the mountains one October, Saturday morning. Joining Joe on this trip were Mike, Teena and their freind Scott, Jersey-Boy Alan, and Doc Sherry. But there really isn't much of a story to tell. It was a gorgeous day and there was plenty of time and apples for Teena. 

The day started overcast and was a might chilly but great for hiking. Most of the group wanted to add Marcy to their list but Sherry had been there and done that. So she somehow convinced Joe to separate at the last trail junction before Marcy's summit and head for Haystack. The rest of the group headed to Marcy as planned.  We all agreed to meet at the junction after lunch. Yeah, right.

Sherry and Joe started on their extra 2 miles while the rest of the group navigated the icy 0.6 mile trail to Marcy's summit. About a half-mile down the trail to Haystack, Joe manages to find a perfectly flat, dry rock to slip on. As he was lying on the ground trying to catch his breath and do a parts inventory, Sherry, being the ever-helpful ER doc, says, "Move each limb one at a time and see if it hurts." Joe can't help but think, "So this is what they teach in med school?" Although hurt mostly in pride, his back side stung for 2 months every time he tried to stand up.

While the rest of the group had a leasurely hike, Joe and Sherry were downing Power Bars and moving quickly in order to catch up with them. They made Haystack's summit, downed lunch, and headed back. On the return climb up Marcy, Joe nearly fell on the same rock.

Of course, when they arrived at the trail junction, the group had moved on. Not wasting any time, they walked and snacked non-stop the whole way back to the Loj parking lot. There they met the rest of the group. They had returned 15 minutes before them. Wish we could tell you more about their portion of the trip but all they said was it was a great hike.


Pictures:

Sherry, Alan, Mike, Teena and Scott at Marcy Dam early in the hike. Nobody hurts yet. Why is Alan leaning to his left?

 Scott, Teena and Mike on the approach to Marcy. The trail is starting to get a little icy. The group got jealous of Scott's minimalistic hiking style.

  Alan and Sherry nearing Marcy's summit. Why is Alan still listing to his left? And what is Sherry nervous about?

Mike, Teena, Joe, Sherry, Alan and Scott about a mile from Marcy's summit. The summit is in the background. Now Alan has the whole group listing to the right. Yes, that's snow and ice.

Joe and Sherry broke off at this point to head to Haystack.

Haystack's summit.

Sherry on Haystack with Marcy in the background.   Can you see Mike, Teena, Scott, and Alan on the summit of Marcy?

 Joe on Haystack. Yes, it was a bit chilly. No one knows why his head swelled up like that though.

More Pics to come...    (Need pull out the scanner.)

Summary Info:

Summit Elevation:  Marcy (5,344'),  Haystack (4,960')

Vertical Ascent:  Marcy - 3,166',  Haystack - 3,570'
Hike Type:  Day Hike
Trail Difficulty:  Hard
Date of Summit:  10/3/1998
Trailhead to Summit:  Marcy - 7.9 miles,  Haystack - 8.9 miles
Time to summit:  ~5 hours

Weather: Cold, but clear
Hikers:  Mike Bowen, Teena Bowen, Joe Mynio, "Doc" Sherry, Alan Bianchi, Scott Smith

Big Slide, Brothers, & Yard

The long haul to Brothers, Big Slide & Yard

Summit Elevation:
Hike Type:  Day Hike
Trail Difficulty:
Date of Summit:
Trailhead to Summit:
Time to summit:
Ascent:
Weather:  STUNNING Autumn day with full foliage!
Hikers:  Mike Bowen, Teena Bowen

SUMMARY:
TBD - Converting all the old trip reports into this blog

Colden - A Two Apple Hike!

A Two Apple Hike
Mt. Colden, Adirondacks

September 19, 1998

This report was "Shamelessly Stolen" from Joe until I write my own.

Joe was joined on this trip by a now common hiking figure, Mike, and his girlfriend, fiancée, or something like that, Teena. Being in no hurry, they slept through the alarm at the motel. They didn't even mind the long wait at McD's for breakfast. There was no rush. But it was a close call. They were the last car allowed at the ADK Loj.

The planned trip was up Colden via Lake Arnold and out via Avalanche Pass. It was a gorgeous day. Why hurry? The group took a leisurely pace to Marcy Dam. An hour at the Dam? No problem. Lots of little breaks? No problem. Another long break halfway up? No problem. This was a nice pace.

The summit was reached around 1:00. Sunny, great views, just a little cool. Perfect excuse for a long lunch. And Teena eats the first apple.


They even got to watch a helicopter in the Lake Colden valley bringing in supplies and construction materials for the new Interior Outpost at Lake Colden. The last burned in March due to a chimney fire.

Oops! Look at the time. Oh well, no trip through the Pass. Out they went the way they came. Teena begins taking the lead a little more often. Is the pace picking up a little? Halfway down Teena eats the second apple.

The pace is definitely picking up. Teena's on an Empire apple high. And she's threatening anyone that tries to take the lead. Including strangers. Empire apple highs are relatively rare but can be dangerous to those around the apple junkie. The high brings out the most competitive and aggressive traits of the junkie's personality. Soon Teena's swinging her trekking poles at anyone that tries to pass. It was getting ugly.

Mike and Joe could only try to save the others unlucky enough to be on the trail at the same time. They established a perimeter around Teena as she continues on her breakneck pace back to the Loj. After setting a record for longest time to the Colden Summit, they broke all speed records from Marcy Dam to the Loj. Luckily no one was hurt. There are no photos of the return trip. There was no time.

Back to Placid. Dinner suppressed the apple toxins in Teena and the town was saved.

Trip Summary:
Summit Elevation:  4,714'
Vertical Gain: 2,850'
Hike Type:  Day Hike
Trail Difficulty:  Moderate
Date of Summit: 7/19/1998
Trailhead to Summit:  7.6 miles
Time to summit:  ~4 hours

Weather: Sunny
Hikers:  Mike Bowen, Teena Bowen, Joe Mynio



Pictures:

Mike and Teena at Marcy Dam for the first long break. See how clean they are?

Whales Tail from Marcy Dam.

 Teena, Mike and Joe on the summit of Colden. Algonquin in the background.

Mike and Teena on the summit of Colden. See how clean they're not?

 

 

Giant & Rocky Peak

A very dry Giant & Rocky Peak Hike

Summit Elevation:
Hike Type:  Day Hike
Trail Difficulty:
Date of Summit:
Trailhead to Summit:
Time to summit:
Ascent:
Weather: 
Hikers:  Mike Bowen, Matt Rice

SUMMARY:
TBD - Converting all the old trip reports into this blog 

Cascade & Porter

Summit Elevation:
Hike Type:  Day Hike
Trail Difficulty:
Date of Summit:
Trailhead to Summit:
Time to summit:
Ascent:
Weather:  Absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!
Hikers:  Mike Bowen, Teena Bowen

SUMMARY:
TBD - Converting all the old trip reports into this blog

Mt. Marshall - Almost

Flowed Lands camping, but no Mount Marshall

Summit Elevation:
Hike Type:  Day Hike
Trail Difficulty:
Date of Summit:
Trailhead to Summit:
Time to summit:
Ascent:
Weather: 
Hikers:  Mike, Joe Mynio, "Doc" Sherry

SUMMARY:
TBD - Converting all the old trip reports into this blog