The Little Sister: Esther

Posted on 09/30/2013 by gkruesi
Esther Mt. Summit

Esther Mt. Summit

Overshadowed by her big brother, Whiteface Mountain, she is often hiked by those on the way to Whiteface and its glorious view.

As I read about the trail descriptions I immediately wanted to love this hike. The poor sister being out-shined by her big brother. Unfortunately, she did not deliver.

Exploring the 46 Adirondacks High Peaks says it best, “That as a result of her psychology snubbing, Esther acts like a women scorned. Tales of her fury are legendary.” Yes. I agree.

Maple and Oak Forest

Maple and Oak Forest

The beginning of the trail is one of my favorites to date. A maple and oak forest with a very modest incline. Not a sole in sight gave me the solitude I was seeking. Not to mention the chirping of squirrels and birds made for an orchestra of wildlife. The peeks at fall foliage was pretty amazing as well.

That quickly ended at around 1.4 miles when it begins a steady, and steep climb that just continues, and continues, and continues…. And around 2.2 you hit Marble Mountain (which I ventured to the summit on my way down but not my ascent). Continue reading →

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Montana comes to Vermont

Posted on 09/27/2013 by gkruesi
Sailor Man on the waterfront

Sailor Man on the waterfront

Last week one of my best friends came to Vermont. I was beyond happy to say the least. We had a jammed packed five days and a few things are clear: (1) I’m getting older and need more sleep than I did in my 20s (2) I miss Stacey dearly and wishing on a shooting star that she moves to Vermont (3) Couldn’t be happier with my decision to move to Vermont and not work politics 24/7.

We started the visit off with introducing my Montana best friend to my Vermont best friends. Saying they hit it off doesn’t do it justice. But I knew they would. Plus we had dinner at the Farmhouse which always guarantees a good time.

Hike at Mt. Philo

Hike at Mt. Philo

Saturday we then hit up some locavor breakfast at Magnolia and then a hike to  Mt. Philo which we were treated to perfect weather and a beautiful view. Really those kind of days that make you love Vermont just a little bit more. To cap off the day we took Ethan Allen boat tour on Lake Champlain. What could go wrong with a couple hours on a boat with cocktails? Lastly, I introduced Stacey to a maple creeme and of course Champ and Sailorman on the waterfront. Continue reading →

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Closing up Camp: The End of Summer

Posted on 09/11/2013 by gkruesi
Family camp - view from the beach

Family camp – view from the beach

So if you haven’t noticed by now I love the Adirondack’s. Where did that love come from? Well, first off who doesn’t love the ADKS, I mean really… Well, I grew up on the southern edge of the Adirondack Park and we have a family home on a small lake on West Mountain. It is one of those small communities (26 cabins) with a long, connected history. And is the epicenter of our family.

While we keep the house open through Thanksgiving there is a closing work day where all the docks, boats, benches, tennis courts, etc. are wrapped up for the year. I haven’t been to a work day in a long while (being far away for many years meant I didn’t hop on a plane just to put some boats in the summer house). But now as I (and my sister) start using the camp more, it’s time to step it up and do our part. Continue reading →

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Done: Giant of the Valley

Posted on 09/08/2013 by gkruesi
Me from Giant Summit

Me from Giant Summit

Giant didn’t go quite as planned –  but that didn’t diminish from a great hike (and day). If you read my previous posting you would see that I had planned on hiking via the Peak Trail but I ended up doing Roaring Brook. Wasn’t intentional, more that after getting up before dawn I was a bit on auto-pilot after the 2 hr drive and pulled into the trail-head that I recognized from my childhood, Roaring Brook. I didn’t realize until after I got settled and ready to the hit the trail, but wasn’t worth it to me to get back on the road. Oh well.

I have to hand it to the folks that maintain the trails at Giant, other then a few tricky parts (and the scrambles) the trail is very well maintained. I made great pace and reached the summit in 2.5 hours. I was tempted to continue the 1.2 miles to Rocky Ridge, but while it is only 1.2 miles from Giant it was harder than it sounded (or conversely hiking down the east ridge trail putting me out on NY 9 but I had zero desire to hitch a ride back to Giant’s trailhead). Rocky Ridge will have to wait for another day. Continue reading →

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On Deck: Giant

Posted on 09/04/2013 by gkruesi

GiantMtnMap

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).

adirondacks-65-giant-mountain500

Giant Mountain also known as “Giant of the Valley”

Continue reading →

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Cascade and Porter. Done and Done.

Posted on 08/27/2013 by gkruesi
Cascade Summit

Cascade Summit

Two down. Only 44 to go.

How to approach hiking the ADK46

Well, for me I luckily have some vague memories of hiking many of them. So I’m starting with those – or at least for the time being. And the two easiest are hands down Cascade and Porter. However you rank it (some sites go on a 1-7 rating, others a C-AA rating) Cascade is the easiest. I also have family who have hiked them all. I haven’t had in-depth conversations (yet) but Cascade and Porter were the resounding opinion of what to start with.

Since it has been a while since hiking in the ADKs (though lots in Montana and Green Mountains here in Vermont) I read a few blogs and bought a couple of books. I highly recommend Exploring the 46 Adirondack High Peaks by James R. Burnside for planning. Gives lots of great description, logs from his journal but is a heavy book so not a great option for the trail. For that I have Adirondack Trails High Peaks Region by Tony Goodwin, which also includes a waterproof map. It is useless for planning (particularity if you want to see options for combining mountains) but has a great synopsis on the trails, organized by region, and many other area hikes – so if you aren’t looking to doing strictly the High Peaks. Or at least that’s my thought after one hike/ 2 mountains. Hopefully that trend continues. Continue reading →

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