Reaching the summit of MacNaughton was one of my favorite days. It’s not one of the official 46 High Peaks, but it stands at 4000’, so I wanted to get it done. It took me and Jay two separate trips, within five days, to finally reach the summit.
One Friday night, after packing up Lucy and all of her gear, our snowshoes, and a whole bunch of random food left in the fridge at the end of the week, we made our way up to the Indian Lake area to check into our homestead for the weekend - Beach Point on Lake Abanakee.
It was early November in the Northeast, but by the looks of the picture above you would think it was the middle of January. On November 7th my dad and I took a hike up the Whiteface Mountain Memorial Highway (about 5 miles in length).
It was a brisk morning, 18 degrees with a consistent breeze out of the south. My dad and I set out for a snowshoe up Mt. Arab for the day, a peak with a 2,545-foot elevation in Piercefield, NY.
With an elevation of 4,587 feet, Wright is the 16th highest peak in the Adirondack Park. Evan (the extra ambitious one of the two of us) wanted to try for a sunrise hike so after a 4am wake-up call, we made our way to the High Peaks Trailhead at the Adirondack Loj.
On a beautiful Sunday morning, Evan and I made our way to Speculator in search of another Adirondack fire tower to hike. After hearing many good things about Pillsbury Mountain and the amazing views from its fire tower, we were excited to make the 3.2-mile round trip trek.
It was a Thursday night at Clarkson University and I had no Friday classes. I wanted to go on an adventure, so I checked the weather. The forecast called for clear blue skies, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to catch a sunrise from the top of one of the Adirondack Peaks.
From Heart Lake, you’ll stroll through aromatic pine forests, travel past Marcy Dam, clamber over wooden planks along Avalanche Pass, stroll next to expansive Lake Colden, and eventually pitch a tent along the Opalescent Brook. Overall it’s a circa 12-14 mile round-trip out-and-back, with some different routes returning around Lake Colden.
For years Evan and I have been wanting to get back to the Great Camp Santanoni and we were finally able to make that happen! Camp Santanoni, now a 32-acre National Historic Landmark, was established in the late 19th century by Robert C. and Anna Pruyn. As an escape from life in Albany, Camp Santanoni was a place to entertain guests and explore the Adirondack Forest Preserve.
On Saturday morning, we met up with our Fountain Square Outfitters comrades (and long-time friends) and their four-legged best friend at the Stewarts inIndian Lake before making our way to the Wakely Mountain trailhead.
In picking our mountain for the ceremony, we both agreed that it didn’t necessarily need to be a high peak. All we really cared about was an incredible view and having some of our closest friends in attendance. This made Mt. Van Hoevenberg the perfect fit.
Ice climbing is a strange thing. It looks like this mechanical vertical progression with sharpened steel tools, relying on power and strength to claw up a giant icicle. Yet at the same time, it possesses elegance and beauty. The movement of climbing is beautiful, in its own way.
+Share Your Experience
Interested in sharing your personal story/experience? Contact us via email at howdy@pureadirondacks.com