My 46er Journey - Part 7 - Dial and Nippletop

View of the Great Range from the summit of Nippletop

Making dinner at the High Peaks Hotel

A few weeks after returning from our last trip up north there we were once again in the car heading north.  Dan and I had signed up for a crampon and ice axe class for the next morning then planned to grab Dial and Nippletop mountains.  This trip was being planned on a budget so we decided to check in to what has since been dubbed "The High Peaks Hotel".  The hotel is anything but, it's actually just the welcome center rest area for the high peaks region of the Adirondacks.  We arrived late and grabbed the stove out of the trunk for a nice dinner of chicken and rice.  We found the whole ordeal hilarious, little did we know just how much of a tradition this would become.

We woke up the next morning and got dressed and headed out to the Cascade trailhead for our class.  The class was hosted by Adirondack Mountain Rescue, and our instructor was absolutely amazing.  The class was small, 5 or 6 of us in total.  We went over basic crampon and ice axe techniques.  These skills were invaluable resources that we would begin to put in to practice immediately.  The class finished up and we headed to lake road to tackle what we thought would be an easy day.

There are 2 main routes to Dial and Nippletop, one you climb almost immediately, the 2nd you go a few miles down Lake Road then tackle Nippletop first.  We chose the latter of the 2 routes figuring it would be easier to knock out the miles at the start and go for a steeper climb.  It was a beautiful day in the Adirondacks.  Temps were hovering right around freezing, and just a few miles in we were shedding clothes.  As the ascent began we passed a group descending on their butt sleds.  The joy and laughter from the girls coming down the mountain was infecting.  I still remember just how much fun they were having being out there.  It encouraged us to press on.

As always the conversation was good and helped to ease the pain of the steep climb.  About a mile from the top we stopped for a break and to feed our stomachs.  Not surprisingly the climb was taking longer than expected, but we pressed on.  Eventually we reached the ridge and the split, we took a right and made our way to the summit of Nippletop.  We snapped a few photos and enjoyed the amazing view we had of the Great Range.  After a few minutes we decided to get going, it was getting late and obvious we weren't going to make it back before dark.

Trail to Nippletop on the ridge

The trek to the summit of Dial was grueling.  We were tired, and the sun was just about down.  The wind was picking up and the sound of frozen trees swaying back and forth filled the air.  A few weeks back we had bushwacked up the side of Spruce Knob, the highest point in the state of West Virginia, during a storm.  All I could imagine was one of those widow makers coming down.  We pressed on, the conversation dimmed as did the last remaining light from the sun.  By the time we reached the summit it was pitch black minus the glow from our headlamps.  No pictures, no celebration, no congratulations, just more steps.  Exhaustion had passed and finally I hit the wall, "get me off of this fucking mountain" were the exact words.

Dan and I have spent enough time together on the mountain that we know each other's limits, and each other's moments.  We always tend to hit that wall at different times, tonight it was my wall that was hit first.  We found a rock and sat.  It was cold, late, dark, and windy, but without some fuel we weren't going to make it much further.  I forced myself to eat some snacks I had in my pack.  A brownie, some Cheetos, a few peanuts.  Swished around some water and after about 15 minutes we were back on our feet.  We trudged on, up and down and up and down.  We failed to realize this ridge was more of a rolling ridge than an easy descent.  The beautiful day that had started with frozen waterfalls, laughs of strangers, and views of the Great Range, had diminished to a cold, dark, dreaded slug back to the car.  Eventually the rolling stopped and it was just downhill.  The warm weather had melted a lot of the snow in the lower elevations so we were dealing with lots of ice.  We slowly navigated down thankful for our gear to give us the grip needed.

A few hours later we were back on Lake Road.  Flat Lake Road.  Steady downhill Lake Road.  Relief set in and the pace quickened.  Finally back at the car I sat on the guard rail on the side of the road and just breathed.  I looked at Dan and said, "I'm ready to go back".  Just a few hours after declaring to be off the mountain I was ready to be back on.  There's something about the mountain that just draws you back in.  It beats you up, teases you, breaks your heart, and gives you this sense of accomplishment that you have fought and been granted a chance that day.  A chance to make it to the top, but also, a chance to get back home.

Summit of Nippletop

We undressed and hit the High Peaks Hotel for a quick bath in the sinks and headed down the road.  I awoke around 5am in a parking lot with Dan snoring.  The original plan was to grab Big Slide on Sunday but exhausted and dehydrated we decided to start the trek home.  We decided to make a stop in Saratoga and check out the Battlefield.  Saratoga was the site of an important battle during the revolutionary war.  Being from George Washington's hometown I've always enjoyed different things dealing with the war so I was excited to stop and check it out.  We spent a few hours walking the battlefield before heading home.

We knew this would be our last trip to the Adirondacks for a few months as spring was moving in and with it the dreaded mud season.  We had a big trip planned for June to come up and bag a bunch of peaks and spend a few days in the woods.  As I would soon learn, and have to come to terms with is that my plans are not always God's plans.  But right now, I was elated to be heading home, alive, warm, all my digits, and an amazing women waiting for me when I got there.

Saratoga Battlefield

My 46er Journey - Part 5 - Cascade and Porter Mountains

On the summit of Cascade Mountain; 9 of 46

After the thrill of conquering Giant Mountain we headed back to our hotel to thaw out and relax a little.  It was a long, cold, tiring day and a hot shower and sleep were definitely in order.  The temperature was supposed to be a little warmer the next day, but still well below 0°.  We had plans to head back out to climb then to head across the state to visit Dan's friend Dan who had joined us on our first hike in the Adirondacks.  I was excited to see him and his wife again and to just enjoy some time seeing the state.

We slept good that night, and completely overslept for our early start time.  We finally got up and out of the hotel and headed back to the mountains.  Cascade and Porter Mountains are known to be the two easiest of the 46ers, so we knew the small parking lot would fill up quickly.  

Summit handstand on Porter Mountain; 8 of 46

Luckily we got there early enough to get a spot and get started on the trail.  I was surprised with how much easier the hike was than any of the other ones we had done.  It felt like we made it to the split in no time.  We headed right to go tag Porter Mountain first.  Up, down, and around through the pines.  There were a couple of spots with great views, but the sky still wasn't very clear.  We could see parts of the valley but not 100% of it.  We finally made it to the summit and topped it off with another handstand photo.

It was hovering around -15° so we knew we couldn't stay long, after a quick break we headed back towards the split.  Porter offered some great butt sliding on the descent and we were back to the split and heading up Cascade before we knew it.  It was a short spur up to the summit, and though definitely my easiest 46er so far, the summit of Cascade was really cool.  It is all exposed rock much like the summits of Marcy, Wright, Algonquin, and Skylight, but a lot easier of a hike.  I could easily see why most people start their 46er journey here.  We spent a little more time on Cascade's summit taking photos, and chatting with the ice climbers who had just scaled the mountain.  It was getting cold and there were no views so we headed back on down the mountain and to the car.

Dan leaving the summit of Cascade

The descent down Cascade was a weird one.  Dan and I got separated by a little bit of space as I was descending a little quicker than he was.  As I walked along the last mile and a half my mind began to wander.  As I spoke about in my last post, this Christmas season had been totally different than any before.  I was going through major changes in my life at this time, which brought on some confusion.  I don't know if it was being tired, walking through the woods alone, or just the culmination of the last few weeks events, but it all started to hit me like a ton of bricks.  Suddenly I just wanted to be out of the mountains and back home.  This has been a constant in the emotional roller coaster of change that these hiking journeys have brought on, and it would not be the last time I felt that way.

We had a long drive across the state ahead of us so once we were back to the car we loaded up and hit the road.  A quick stop at a McDonalds for food and to change in to some warm dry clothes and we were on our way.  We knew we were going to hit some snow so we wanted to make up as much time as we could from the beginning, and then the snow hit.  It was heavy and coming down hard.  Dan was having a tough time but he got us there safely.

Dan on the summit of Cascade Mountain

It was great to see Dan and Jenn again.  There are some people in this world that from the first moment you meet them that make you feel like you have known them forever, and this entire family are some of those people.  We got there late and didn't get to spend too much time catching up but I was happy to be out of the car and in a warm house.  We hit the hay pretty early for a good night's sleep.

We woke the next day and enjoyed the morning catching up with Dan and the kids.  They made us an amazing breakfast and then we suited up to head outside.  Snowmobile time!!  I had never seen a snowmobile in person, much less ridden on one.  All of that was about to change.  Dan went out and cut a trail through the fresh powder that had fallen the night before, then turned over the keys.  I was very hesitant at first, this was a heavy machine, and I'm a small guy, but a few trips around the house and I was starting to get comfortable with it.  We headed back to the field on the back of his property and he told us to go for it.  Dan was a lot more ballsy than I was at first.  I was still very hesitant.  It felt like as soon as I got up over 25 miles per hour it was going to throw me off, but eventually I got the hang of it.  We rode for what felt like hours, around in circles, it was like being a kid again on that brand new orange bicycle I got for Christmas one year.  I rode that thing in circles for days out in the street.  I could have done the same on the snowmobile.

We went in and got showers and packed back up.  It was getting a little later in the day and we had decided to head home.  It was New Years Eve and the thought of a new year and new journeys ahead had me excited to get back home.  2017 was an odd year for me.  It started in Boston during a trip I never thought I would take, and ended at home on my couch after 2 great trips to New York back to back.  I covered a lot of miles in 2017, on foot, in a car, and in the air.  I visited 13 states, logged 53 summits, felt 140° of different temperatures, made new friends, and conquered a lot of my own personal demons.  I had no clue what the next year might hold for me, but I made one promise to myself.  The next year I was going to go higher, faster, and farther.  Now to just figure out how.