Adirondack Mountain trip

Tristan

Barefooters
Sep 15, 2011
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Update: Lots of pics and trip report below, post #10

Well I finally am taking a trip back to the mountains I used to hike when I was a kid. This is a spontaneous trip, just got approved for vacation for next week. But can't pass up the opportunity. It will probably be a 3 day / 2 night traverse of the Great Range. It will probably be the most rugged trek I've been on which has me worried since I havent really hiked any real mountains in 10+ years besides 1 peak in the smokies last year on a daytrip. Plus I have mostly all new gear so I'm unfamiliar with a lot of it.

But anyways... the more important question... barefoot, mini-shod, or shod? This has got me worried. I'd love to go barefoot and will probably try it as much as possible. But I am unsure if my feet are tough enough yet. I dont have the exact route/distances but I'm figuring around 30-35 miles and maybe 10-15,000' ascent total is a good guess. There is lots of vertical, steep climbs, rock scrambles, etc. I plan on setting up a basecamp and doing each day as a loop back to the camp so I wont have to cary a full pack except on the first and last day from the trailhead to the basecamp. I've never had any issues with hiking boots and really tempted to through my Vasque Breeze's on, but I think I'll leave em at home. I think I'll try bare as much as possible and give it an honest shot, but figure I'll mostly be in my Unshoes Pah Tempes (really wanted to buy another slightly bigger pair for hiking, but its too late now), and maybe pack my Merrell True Glove as my heavy duty option. They have the rockplates in them so they should be good on the trail if I run into gravely conditions. But they rather tight in the forefoot and my big toe rubs the top - I kind of feel more comfortable in my boots than the merrells! But my boots I think will be too big to pack anyhow unless I take my big Kelty external frame pack.

In any case I am super stoked, and can't wait to get out of this flat land and back into some mountains!
 
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That's sounds so nice and I hope you have tons of fun.
As for what to wear on your feet it's really dificult to decide without being there but I think you're well prepared with your choices of footwear.
Like you say give BR a honest go and if it doesn't work then wear your sandals I think you'll be fine with those two options.
You really don't want to put the Merrels on if they are that uncomfortable and the boots? well just forget about them I won't wear them if I were you but then againg I am not going to the mountains:(
Good luck go and enjoy yourself
 
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Be prepared for both and do what feels right for the terrain and weather at that time. Have fun!
 
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Thanks for the suggestions! I never thought about a cheap pair of flip flops, that might work, but I typically hate flip flops if they dont have a heel strap!

BTW, many around here havent even heard of the Adirondacks, let alone the Great Range within them, and dont realize the beauty that can be had in New York, so here is a short youtube I found if anyone wants to see some glimpses from them. Wish there were more trail shots so I had a better feel of the conditions, but at least that video has some nice views! It does start off kind of slow for the first minute or so.

[edit: took down the youtube vid since I'll have my own pics and vid below....]

I hope to at least share some pics afterwards if I make it out alive.
 
Looks like a great area!
I've never done any 4,000 footers - closest I've come is Mt Monadnock in NewHampshire as a day hike. (Didn't quite make the summit due only to time constraints on our schedule :()
No problems doing it completely barefoot though.

I didn't see anything in that video that wasn't doable barefoot.
I say go for it as much as you can! Good luck and make sure we get to see some pics!
 
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That looks awesome and challenging I am so glad is not me out there:nailbiting:
 
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So the trip was a success! Lots of firsts for me, many which when combined lead to a bit of uneasiness... first time solo, first time on those trails, first time using almost all the gear I had, etc. And I'm happy to report that other than being uninformed on the trial mileages and having a bit too long of days, everything worked out well and had no issues to speak of.

I apologize this will be lengthy, I wanted to make a detailed trip report for myself anyhow. Thought about starting up a blog but I never have done that before so decided to include it all here instead while it was still somewhat fresh in my mind.

Day 1 Left my parents house a little behind schedule, and arrived a few hours later at the trailhead. Had to repack my backpack still, and didnt head out on the trail until 11:08AM. That morning my mom had made photocopies of a guide book describing the trails, but I was in such a hurry I forgot to get them out and read them. I had no idea how long the trip was, nor exactly where I was going to setup my 2 night/3 day basecamp (but I knew I would have a few choices).

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My new pack and poles ready to go.​
So off I went. I'm sure the first question on most everyone’s mind... yep barefoot. I packed my Unshoes Pah Tempe as my primary backup, and in case my feet really took a beating I decided to bring along my Merrell True Gloves. Elevation at trailhead: 1406' on my GPS. The trail started out nice, mainly dirt, but soon progressed to mud, rocks, roots and everything. But the feet held up fine. I was suprised actually, it seemed as they can handle so much rougher terrain hiking than running, even with well over 30 extra pounds.​
Since it was so late getting started on what I knew was going to be a long day, I favored a base camp location on the actual route I was taking the first day, and decided on the campsites near the Ore Brook Lean-to.​
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Home for the next 2 nights. A small brook was in earshot probably 50 yards away, made a wonderful soothing sound.​
I set up my new tent, handmade by a fellow out west, Henry Shires (tarptent.com). Amazingly light weight and easy to setup! Only a pound and a half, double walled, all goes up at once (interior is attached to fly) and doesnt use tent poles (instead uses my trekking poles) only 4 stakes, and sets up in under a minute. My last tent weighed nearly 5 pounds, used 8 stakes, needed a bunch of guy lines and was a pain to feed the poles into, and probably 5 minute setup time. Elevation of the campsite was around 2675', and the time was 2:30pm when I departed after a quick lunch of PBJ in a whole grain pita.​
I read quickly the notes for the trail ahead, and decided to do the loop in reverse, so as to avoid descending the steepest parts. I had a pretty minimal pack after unloading most of my gear, but still prefer to climb the steep parts. This meant Gothics Mountain would be my first peak, and the tallest of the days list of peaks at 4736' and the tenth highest peak in the Adirondacks.​
The trail was rocky and rugged, but my feet kept going. Its wasnt too long before the trail broke out into a huge slide, and for a few hundred feet there was actually a timber ladder/stair thingy which was a nice change of pace. Nearer the summit the trail finally rose above the treeline offering terrific views as I made the final ascent.​
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Cables were installed here to assist hikers. Probably unnecessary in good weather but I'm sure comes in handy in wet, slippery, and icy conditions. In any case, it was fun stretch.​
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The view on top was so wonderful, and it had been so many years I yearned to visit the Adirondacks again, that I (almost) started to tear up.​
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Garmin had me at 4785', about 50' higher than listed, pretty close for GPS elevation which isnt nearly as accurate as position.​
Well as much as I wanted to stay in that spot forever, I still had 3 more peaks to bag and it was after 5pm. Most all hikes I was back at camp and having dinner by now. This had me a bit worried. I was 6.5 miles in and still had nearly that much more to go!​
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At least this stretch was wonderful on the feet. Smooth wet rock. A very thin layer of humus covered in moss is all that supports the trees and vegetation near the top of the mountains.​
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Occasionally there were timber ladders and such to help hikers climb too steep sections that didnt offer many footholds.​
I picked up the pace and didn’t take many pictures (no great ones anyhow). Hit the peak of Armstrong (#22 4400') at 5:52PM, 8.1 miles into the journey, and then Upper Wolfjaw Mountain (#29 4185') at 6:46PM and 8.8 miles. When I was heading down Upper Wolfjaw I had to make a decision about Lower Wolfjaw. It was a short out and back on my route, which took a trail back down the valley in between these two peaks. I really didn't want to hike in the dark, especially barefoot, on potentially rough or dangerous terrain. But the valley was already under the shadow of the nearby ridges. When I hit the trail junction at 7:42PM and saw it was a half mile to the peak still, meaning a mile extra, I decided to get headed back to camp and save Lower Wolfjaw for a future trip. I was getting more nervous by the minute, especially with some scary-steep descents. Twilight was soon upon me and I tried to use natural light as long as I could. I would have loved to got a nice sunset picture for one of the peaks, maybe another trip I can camp closer, or one with terrain less dangerous to traverse in the dark. Soon I broke out my headlamp for my first night hike. I was so glad I brought the GPS, and marked the tent site. It was very reassuring seeing the flag denoting the tent site getting closer and closer. And finally back to basecamp at 9:40. Dinner was freeze dried Mountain House beef stew, which tastes so good after a long days hike. And then a nice treat...​
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Freeze dried ice cream sandwich. Pure joy after a long day in the mountains!​
Day one, though pretty strenuous, was fantastic. And hitting the high peaks on a Thursday yielded hardly any competition for the trails or peaks. I passed several groups on the way in, a lodge was in the middle of the valley the Adirondack Mountain Club runs, and its usually booked up through most of summer. But once I got off the path between the trailhead and lodge, I passed only a handfull of people the rest of the day, and had every single peak to myself. Thats pretty well unheard of for any weekend in the summer there.​
Total distance: 12.2 miles​
Total time: 10hrs 32 minutes​
Elevation: 4678' ascent / 3407' descent.​
Day 2 started off a little later than I had planned too. I knew I had went to bed late and wanted to get some decent rest for the long journey ahead, so I slept in a bit. Actually my most restful sleep seemed to be after the first time I woke up around dawn until about 9:30. It was also much colder than I hoped, closing in on the thermal rating of my sleeping bag, quilt actually - an enLIGHTened Equipment RevelationX 30 degree quilt (no bottom, just top) with 20% overstuffed down, and an uninsulated Nemo Astro 2.5" air pad. Quilts are usually meant to be used on insulated pads to get near their min temp rating, but I gambled on my smaller and lighter uninsulated pad. I was hoping the lowest I would see was mid 40's (which is freezing compared to the overnight lows in the 70's we had been having) but Keene Valley nearby reported a low that morning of 36F! I had a thin wool top and my running tight pants I wore to bed, and a pair of wool socks. I was actually comfortable. Props to the folks at the small company that made the quilt, another piece of local handmade gear that well outperformed my expectations.​
I was stiff and sore that morning, legs had more of a workout than they have had in a long time, err... well a different kind of workout at least. And it was still a bit chilly so I kept my wool socks on and Pah Tempes huaraches while I made some dehydrated scrambled eggs and filtered a few liters of water from the nearby brook.​
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Feet seemed to be in good shape after their first day in the mountains.​
I headed out at 10:45, not much earlier than the previous day. I started out barefoot, and my feet felt fine after they got going. The legs were still stiff and sore, but eventually just got used to it. Today had a much longer trek to reach the first destination.​
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When it wasn't mud, it was boulders. This scene was very familiar throughout the trip. Nothing but boulders as far as the eye can see.​
The rocky terrain and being barefoot did slow me down. Especially in the above scenes where I really had to pay attention to footing. But it was nice not using big heavy boots, feeling nature every step of the way. Bare feet had surprisingly good traction too. Feet stayed nice and cool, and stopping in every stream crossing for a few seconds was fantastic! Speaking of stream crossings...​
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Some of the sights from the bottoms of the valleys were just as nice as any vista from above.​
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Approaching the summit of Mt. Haystack.​
Haystack would be my tallest peak of the 3 day journey, #3 in the Adirondacks at 4960'. Once I reached little Haystack at 3:53PM, 5.9 miles, I was pretty much above the treeline the rest of the way. I had to put the poles on my pack and secure the camera, this stretch was constantly crawling and climbing up and over boulders and rock walls. I didn't reach Haystack until 4:30PM, 6.3miles in. I knew it was going to be another long day, but the views from Haystack are probably the best in the Adirondacks. Unfortunately my photography skills were lacking, but got half way decent pics I suppose.​
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Mt. Marcy and Panther Gorge, as seen from Mt. Haystack.​
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Leaving my mark near the summit of Mt. Haystack.​
Well I was off again, with 2 more peaks to hit. My feet had been worn down a lot by Haystacks rocky summit, it wasnt nice smooth rock as it may appear, but very abrasive textured and eroded. Then the trail turned to lots of small rocks, some very sharp fractured looking. Combine that with the slow pace I was maintaining through the rocky sections and I decided I'd try my huaraches.​
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Sharp small rocks. After nearly 20 miles (total trip) my soles were finally ready for a break (not to mention I needed to make quicker time).​
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My Unshoes helped out when the going got rough.​
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A particularly steep decent with lots of loose rock.​
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Finally some beautifully soft dirt.​
I reached Basin (#9 4827') at 6:40PM, 8.2 miles in. And Saddleback (#17 4515') at 7:47PM 9 miles. Twilight again was soon approaching, this time I had no shortcuts or side trips I could cut off. Luckily after Saddleback, I would reach a junction with the trail I took up yesterday, only this time I'd be going back down it, to the camp site. I felt a little better knowing the trail somewhat. I reached said trail at 8:18PM after descending from the last peak of the day, and once again had to use my headlamp to get me back to camp at 9:45. I knew the routine now and started up dinner quick, feasting on Mountain House's pasta primevera, and afterwards some freeze dried neapolitan ice cream.​
Total distance: 11.4 miles​
Total time: 11 hrs​
Elevation: 4600' ascent / descent.

Day 3 Would be a short day, but still pressed for time as I hoped to get out early afternoon and be at my parents house for dinner. This whole trip has been non-stop fast-paced terrain conquering adventure. Not very relaxing but I'll save that for a different trip. Today's trek would also be with a full pack, since the path I had chosen takes me out over two mountains and back to the trailhead.

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Beautiful blue morning sky over my tent.​

I got up a little earlier, skipped making oatmeal and went for a quicker PBJ pita. Filtered water, packed up, and departed the site by 9:05. The route would take me over Yard Mountain, Big Slide (#27 4240'), and The Brothers. This trail was very muddy and overgrown in spots. I was barefoot again, figured I'd give it a shot for as long as I could. My legs were pretty worn down, but seemed like they adapted to the conditions and despite being well spent they just kept going. The Klondike trail up to Yard had many flat-ish sections that were smooth dirt I actually picked up the pace to a hybrid jog/hike even though I had a full pack. It was great actually stretching the legs a little and making good time. Yard had only a small outlook and it was crowded with people (it was Saturday after all) so I passed it by. Big slide had some nice views, and also The Brothers, three (I think) smaller peaks with numerous vistas that arent recognized as official mountains.

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Yours truly on the last day.​
In the above pic you can see what I climbed day one. The trailhead is in the valley bottom, off the left side of the screen. I traversed all the way to screen right, and that mountain half way off the screen with the broad rocky side is Gothics. From there I proceeded to the next peak left, Amrstrong, and then Upper Wolfjaw which is just above my head slightly right. Lower Wolfjaw would then be the one I didn’t get too, to the left of my head with Y shaped slide.​
I've reached my maximum photo upload for this post... and have to make dinner quick, so more to come shortly!​
 
Bumped to the home page, but of course.
 
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Adirondack Mountain Trip... Continued
Ok so hopefully part 1 didn't crash the servers, as I have a little more to upload yet. Well by the time that last photo was taken I was nearing the end of my journey, decending back to the trailhead at the Garden parking area in Keene Valley. The final strech of trail was quite picturesque, moss lined trails and stream crossings.​
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The 'enchanted forest'.​
At some point a couple miles from the trailhead I decided to put the huaraches on again. This trip was just so much more rugged than I envisioned I can't believe I got as many completely barefoot miles in as I did. But my soles weren't quite up to this, and I was wanting to make some good time during the final stretch.​
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One last glimpse of the Great Range.​
Well I made it! Back at the trailhead at 3:30PM, just enough time to get back home for dinner, and visit my folks which has been just a once a year thing.​
Total Distance: 8.6mi​
Total Time: 6hrs 25min​
Elevation: 2650' ascent / 3630' descent​
3-day trip total distance: 32.2 miles​
All toenails still intact. My pinky toe on my left foot took a beating though, multiple times. Seems it was the only one I ever hit. But its fine. Dirty, but fine. This trip was rather brutal on the feet and legs though, more so than I was prepared for. I held up fine, but realized running mostly on flat road and rail trails does not work the legs like hills and climbing on boulders does. There were stretches up to hundreds of feet where the angle was such that my feet were flexed the whole way, straining the arches and calves. My feet were constantly flexing over the edge of rocks, or angling to the sides for stability. Unlike the very short strides I take when I run, long strides were often required to get to the next good foothold. That meant reaching out, and often having to apply quite a lot of force to stretched outward and flexed feet. The bottom of my soles were surprisingly good, but up around the sides especially around the heels took a lot of abrasion and those areas weren't really toughened up yet. I also strained my arch a little in my left foot, I could feel like a small cramping sensation near the end of the trip. And on the topside of the foot as well, around the ankle, was slightly strained. Probably wasn't the best idea to go bare or very minimal for this trip without much bare trail experience, but after a few days my feet were back to normal. And besides, I often see folks in heavy boots with blisters or just as sore feet anyhow (not to mention sweaty and stinky).​
I really hope to make hiking a part of my yearly/monthly activities again. I had such a good time. And it was such a workout for the legs! If I did something like this once a month or two I'm sure it would really improve leg and foot strength.​
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A map of my journeys with gps tracks showing the 3 loops I hiked.​
I also left out most of my pictures from on top the mountains! Just too many to post here! I did take around 500 pics on my trip, most of which were part of multi-pic panoramas. See more pics including lots of panoramic views from the peak here: https://plus.google.com/photos/104594693899642898325/albums/5908021279546542961 I'm new to google+ / picasa so hope it works.​
I know it was long, but hope everyone enjoys at least the pics!​
 
To be added to the home page soon.
 
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Wow, wow, wow the ice cream looks sooooo tasty:hungry:
 
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But seriously, the hiking area is so beautiful and it looks like tons of fun.
Was it scary sepending the night solo in the middle of no-where?
Glad you had fun.
 
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But seriously, the hiking area is so beautiful and it looks like tons of fun.
Was it scary sepending the night solo in the middle of no-where?
Glad you had fun.
Nah, I rather enjoyed sleeping in the middle of no-where. Its so calm and peaceful (and the nearby brook made it perfect with its rushing water sounds). There was one other tent there when I got up in the morning, and I remember hearing voices early on when I was sleeping in. But I was up so late as it was, I figure they came in early and setup camp for later that day. Friday night all three of the tentsites had a tent in them, and the lean-to was packed with 6-8 sleeping bags. So I definitely wasn't truly alone the second night. The tentsites are really only big enough for single tents, and spaced out enough they are barely visible through the trees, so still have that feeling of being alone which is nice.

Can relate to that, I lived in Toledo, Ohio for three years. :nailbiting:
No kiddin! Yeah Ohio isnt much for hiking, or at least backpacking thats for sure! The 'hi' in the middle is a misnomer, its all flat. :wacky: I know most don't think of NY as beautiful countryside, lakes, and mountains, but they are really nice and my family is all there so I would someday like to move back. It is a long drive to hit the mountains though, West Virginia is closer, as is the Smokies, and they are nice but I really do enjoy the 'Dacks the best. Well just as much if not more I've enjoyed many climbs in the White Mountains in New Hampshire, but from where I am now they are just too far away.
 
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