I had a plan. And what do they say about well intentioned plans.

Anyways, my plans were set. Hike Giant, like I have many times before (though not since I was in my teenage years) via the Ridge trail (though the Roaring Brook trail is another good option). Then I went home to help close the lake activities at my family home and ran into my Uncle. O.K. he is really my second cousin – my Great Uncle’s son, making him my fathers first cousin, thus my second cousin. But being contemporaries of my maternal Uncle’s I think of him more of a Uncle – but I digress.

He is in the process of finishing up his last six hikes to be a ADK46er (all trail-less, all long), I guess there is a reason he has put it off for 15 years or so… Anyways, he recommended hitting up Rocky Peak Ridge, while doing Giant. I thought another two mountain hike, sure why not. Then I looked at a map and the description. For starters Rocky Peak is 13.4 miles by itself and 10+ hours. Many, many warnings on bringing enough water (where is my damn water filter?!) and Exploring the 46 Adirondack High Peaks had this to say:

Adirondack hikers who have explored this mountain seem to be as polarized as the characters in Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. They say their experiences was not only “the best of times” but “the worst of times.”

So, yeah, uhm…. I think I’m sticking with my original plan of doing Giant this coming weekend and saving Rocky Peak Ridge for next summer (or maybe the one after).

Giant Mountain also known as “Giant of the Valley”

Giant Mountain: The Hike

Giant Mountain is also known as “Giant of the Valley,” due to its stature looking over Keene Valley and St. Huberts to the west. The prominent rock slides on the mountain’s steep western face and its location away from most other large peaks make it quite an imposing figure, leading to its name. 

The normal route up the Ridge Trail is long but not overly steep, it has great sections of exposed rock with some minor scrambling, there are a number of good lookouts along the trail and the summit is mostly bald and offers the best view of the entire great range as well as Whiteface, Easter and the Dix range.  But beware of the look out over the washbowl as it is a sheer 300 foot drop that can be hard to see at night or in bad weather.  (via cnyhiking.com)

Giant – 3.2 Miles, Ascent 3050, Elevation 4627, order of height 12. Estimated time 7.5 hours.