Early on Saturday morning (9/22/07) Jayme and I woke up, dropped off the dog with our friends Gideon and Jen, and drove north into the Adirondacks.
Having packed in advance, we made pretty good time and were on the trail by about 10:15 a.m. We decided to try the eastern approach to Giant Mountain via Rocky Ridge Peak.
Despite heavy packs and a hot sun, we made fair time to the top of Blueberry Cobbles (one of the smaller peaks on the ridge) and were rewarded with some of the most beautiful fall views in the Adirondack Park (so sayeth our guidebook.)
Now, I understand that asking for directions is supposedly unmanly, but I admit to having checked the guidebook and the map prior to planning and packing for the trip. There are three streams on the map, any one of which would have provided a place to replenish our water supply for drinking and eventually cooking that evening. Some of you may sense where this is going. We passed over three dry stream beds. No water. Stupid map.
We also ran into a Ranger (actually the Army type as opposed to the Forest variety, but either are generally good sources of information on the wilderness) who had come from Mary Louise Pond (our intended camp site) and informed us that the pond was so shallow it couldn’t be relied on as a water source. This is, unfortunately, the downside of camping in the dry season; the upside, of course, is the lack of bugs.
Dehydration didn’t sound fun, so I told Jayme we should probably head back to the trail head and try the southern approach (less scenic, but less chance of a dehydratey death). She wasn’t thrilled to be hiking downward without getting a peak, but agreed.
The southern approach proved to be much more steep. Jayme and I decided that rather than camp at Chapel Pond, very near the roadway, we would prefer to hike up the mountain about seven tenths of a mile and camp at Giant’s Washbowl. Giant’s Washbowl is a very pretty little pond tucked into a mountain valley with a flat area for camping nearby. After a fairly intense climb with the packs on (mind you this was Jayme’s first time with a frame-pack, and she was using an external… she’s tiny, but she’s tough) we pitched the tent with enough light left to cook dinner and eat at a relaxed pace.
We were both exhausted and went to bed at sundown. In the eastern zone fires aren’t allowed, so there isn’t much reason to stay up past dark (the moon rises ever so slowly over those giant peaks) We decided that an early morning would allow us to leave the park a bit earlier to get home to Guinness (our puppy) and still have time to wind down before bed, and so we hit the hay.
The next morning came early, but we reached summit and Jayme got her first peak around 11:15 a.m. We thought we were there when we reached “The Bump” around 10:30, but Giant’s topography is such that you think you’re almost done twice before you’re actually there. Jayme’s pictures are beautiful. We had lunch (and got windburn… it was freezing up there) on the peak.
The hike down was nice, we chatted and relaxed. Jayme signed us out of the park at the trail-head. Returning victorious from the peak, we wrapped up a nice weekend. Neither of us were injured, or even got a serious blister… great trip all in all!
For the next trip:
1. Really think twice about bringing Guinness. We met a fair number of dogs on the hike, but they were very well behaved. Guinness is a good boy, but still very young.
2. Jayme needs a women’s pack. The hip-belt and external frame caused bruises and prevented her from looking ahead while ascending. (The pack actually belonged to her father, also an Eagle Scout, who carried it during his time at Philmont.)
3. Learn some French. Better than half of the hikers we met on the trails were French Canadian. In addition to the utility of being able to discuss terrain, distance, and weather with our northern neighbors, it would be nice (in a general be groovy and welcoming kind of way) to be able to say something in their native tongue.
4. Camp near a large body of water, and carry more water on the way in.
5. ”Deviled Ham/Chicken Spread” is not as good/edible as I remembered it being from Boy Scouting and will never be used as a lunch (with or without crackers) again. Ever.
