The Great Range 101

After reading some trail reports on the Sewards, I wimped out and decided I'd rather walk on maintained trails as opposed to frustrating myself trying to figure out which herd path will not peter out. This turned out to be a great decision as I got my first taste of the Great Range Trail and I met quite a few people along the way.

First and foremost, this hike's intention was to nab a few more 46ers. What originally was planned to only take a little more than a year has now amounted to a decade long quest to become a 46er. The 46ers are America's oldest peakbagging club, second only to the Munros of Scotland. To become a 46er you must ascend (and most importantly, descend) the 46 summits in the Adirondacks that are over 4,000 feet. Although, technically there are only 42 that are over 4 thousand feet. The four that are not were thought to be when the first 46ers completed the list.

Today's goal was to top Sawteeth, Gothics, Armstrong, Upper Wolf Jaw, and Lower Wolf Jaw. I previously hiked up Sawteeth, so I would add four more to the list. Reality struck the instant I opened my car door. IT WAS COLD!!! It has been such a hot and humid summer, the almost freezing temperature shocked me. It shouldn't have since this is quite normal for the Adirondacks in late August. The only clothing that I had that was warm was a cotton sweatshirt. Which is pretty stupid. COTTON KILLS!!! I was careful I did not over heat. The walk through the Ausable Club was spectacular as usual. The golf course must have one of the best views of any in the country with Giant rising out of the valley and straight to the sky.

The hike up the Adirondack Mountain Reserve (AMR) Road was pleasant. I never did get warm enough to take off my sweatshirt. The two mile road brings you to one of the great spots in the Dacks, Lower Ausable Lake with Colvin rising sharply to the East with its prominent slides. To the west, Sawteeth also rises out of the lake.

This would be my first destination, via the "scenic trail." It lives up to its name. The AMR does an excellent job maintaining this trail. The trail first follows along the coast of the lake, offering splendid views. I was able to see a group, taking advantage of their membership, out in their boat. Only self-propelled boats are allowed. The lake sits at about 2,000 feet. The trail then rises steeply and relentlessly. So steeply, that in some sections there are ladders to negotiate the cliffs. Along the way, while ascending ever higher, there are amazing views of the lake below. Eventually, there are views toward the Upper Ausable Lake and Elk Lake.

With quite a bit of huffing and puffing and climbs over some false summits (its teeth), I managed to reach the true summit and awarded with what the Marshall brothers called, "the single greatest view in the Adirondacks." You will not get an argument from me. From here you get an up close view of the great slides of Gothics and Basin. These mountains, along with the Wolf Jaws, Armstrong and Saddleback form what is called the Great Range.

On the summit I met a girl from an educational camp called Pok-O-Mac Cready. She was part of a group raising money for the camp. In a 24 hour period, this group would have someone on each of the 46ers. Luckily, she was climbing Sawteeth, easily one of the great hikes in the Adirondacks. This camp attracts students from all over the world and they do all sorts of outdoor activities and they recently completed an indoor rock climbing gym that includes a bouldering section! I would love to have her job.

The climb down entailed lots of use of the hands. This would be a major theme of the day. These trails were no joke. The trail up Pyramid (a sub peak of Gothics)went up part of the slide. Thankfully, it's been dry. Awesome views were had on Pyramid. It was windy as hell, but there were great views of Basin, Marcy, Haystack and Algonquin could be seen further in the distance. I met a man with his young children, aged 9,11,13. The boy found a "cave" in the vegetation to get out of the wind. He's practicing for winter. I was surprised to see them on a hike this long. I told him it was great that you had them out. He said, "yes it is." I wish the school I work at would exercise the shit out of them. If they did, they would have far fewer behavioral problems. Oh well, I can dream, can't I?

There was quite a bit of scrambling going down Pyramid and then up Gothics. I met a few guys who were taking on the entire Great Range (I was envious, maybe later this year). Going up one of the scrambles, I could here, "you're almost there!" I turned around, and saw the kids waving to me. I waved backed and shouted, "pizza!", which they were eating while taking a break. When they started down, I got excellent footage of them scrambling down with the video camera I have.

When I reached the summit of Gothics, I was amazed at how many were up there. And again the views were unreal. Now the views expanded to the north, with Big Slide, Cascade, Whiteface and Lake Placid all visible. On top of that the views of Marcy were much better.

For a little while, I was hiking with these three guys from the Albany area. One of the guys was bitching about the trail and its steepness and that he'd rather bushwack. This other guy and I laughed at that. More than once while bushwacking, I have descended cliffs only to have to turn around and go back up because I couldn't negotiate my way down. No thanks. I'll take the trail with ladders and having to constantly use my hands.

The Great Range trail led to Armstrong and both the Wolf Jaws. Only Lower Wolf Jaw disappointed, with barely any views to be had. The summit of Armstrong afforded views of the north side of Gothics with what appeared to be fresh new slides going straight down the mountain. Upper Wolf Jaw provided a nice place to lunch and had great views to the south, where Noonmark, Dial, Nippletop and the Dixes were visible.

On the hike out and down Lower Wolf Jaw I met Ralph who was a Dean at one of the colleges near Albany. He was fascinated with some of the stories I had at work and asked me, "How I got up in the morning?" I told him I actually liked my job although it goes by slowly. We also talked about hikes in the Catskills and I gave him what I consider my Top 5.

Mileage: 13 Elevation gain: About 6,000 ft Time: 11 hrs

31 down and 15 to go!!!