Lucifer spells hell!
Date(s) Hiked: 07/20/2007
Trails(s) Hiked: Trail 123 - aka Flowed Lands via Hanging Spears Falls (southern approach to Marcy) & the Allen Herpath
Total Distance: who really knows, somewhere between 16.5 & 17.3 RT
Difficulty: hard, can be real hard depending on conditions & logging operations
Conditions: wet & higher than average mud & water crossings while not dangerous were higher than average summer crossings.
Special Required Equipment: a saint's disposition, decent to abopve average route finding & lots of daylight. Poles help with mud hopping & brook crossing.
Trip Report: 30% chance of showers, someone told me that meant 30% chance of it raining wherever I was scattered in the ADK's. This was my first (likely only trip) trip heading to Allen, first (likely last) on trail 123 & first first from Tahawus. I arrived at 9:00 AM at the same time as three backpackers heading to Allen. After a couple of minutes of conversation, I set off. The bridge over the infant Hudson is a metal bridge suspended on two cables & onto a large rock via some wooden planks. The wood was wet & slick. The next obstacle was a long set of wooden bog bridges over the end of Lake Jenny. The first coupel were at an old angle but since the lake was low I walked along side of them. This section of trail followed old roads, occasional re-routes around a lot of mud via smaller mudholes & current logging & private roads. It's pretty flat so I made good time.
After about 3 1/2 miles or so you enter an old clearcut that is just filled with grass & prickers along with some old slash. The flora is overgrowing the trail which you can follow but markers are rare. The footpath in most spots is easy to see under the long grass. the grass was wet but not too bad as it had rained overnight & while it threatened so far, it had not rained where I was, that would end soon.
I got to the junction with the Allen herdpath in under two hours but the guide says I should leave four more hours to get to the summit. Soon after I entered the woods, the rain came, 15 minutes first while I negotiated some of the worse mud on the herdpath. the first brook crossing was not bad but the second was higher. By now my feet were pretty wet & muddy anyway so I picked a path with just once big step.
While taking the 'big step' i slipped just enough so I dragged my foot through the brook, at least my shoe was clean! (for about five minutes & thereafter I alternated between miuddy & clean but wet shoes)
Ten minutes later a downpour had me digging for my pack cover but given the choice of sweating in my coat or getting wet, I chose getting wet. At least the rain of the last couple of days & today made the waterfall on Allen brook full making for a nice picture.
From here for a while the trail is in & out of the brook over some ledges. If covered in a purplish growth, be careful, this stuff was real slick. Came across a couple who were a couple of hours ahead of me having hit the summit around noon.
I got to the top 3 1/2 hours after leaving the trail junction. I stayed just 10 minutes taking in the available views which were partial. Haystack was in the open but the tops of marcy & Skyight were hidden. I was above the waterfall when the rain started & while it started on & off, it turned into mostly on before I got back to the trail seven hours after leaving it. The grassy knoll, I mean field, The rain also meant I was going to get soaked, not by the rain coming down but the long fieldwhack lying ahead. On a wet day I was getting soaked but on a real hot day this trail would be worse as it provided little mid-day shade.
I got back to my car just before 8:00 & was thinking of drying off & driving back to the house I was staying at almost naked but someone was parked next to me in a SUV with a camper conversion so I merely put a piece of spare fleece in my seat & drove back toa hot tub & a dry bed. Hopefully tomorrow's weather would be nicer as my trip was planned for Macomb, the little Dix's, Hough & Dix. (It was)
Yesterday I caught some of "the Deadliest Catch" where one of the guys said that hell is not a warm place, I agree on that. it's Allen in the rain or I imagine, in the snow too.
Date(s) Hiked: 07/20/2007
Trails(s) Hiked: Trail 123 - aka Flowed Lands via Hanging Spears Falls (southern approach to Marcy) & the Allen Herpath
Total Distance: who really knows, somewhere between 16.5 & 17.3 RT
Difficulty: hard, can be real hard depending on conditions & logging operations
Conditions: wet & higher than average mud & water crossings while not dangerous were higher than average summer crossings.
Special Required Equipment: a saint's disposition, decent to abopve average route finding & lots of daylight. Poles help with mud hopping & brook crossing.
Trip Report: 30% chance of showers, someone told me that meant 30% chance of it raining wherever I was scattered in the ADK's. This was my first (likely only trip) trip heading to Allen, first (likely last) on trail 123 & first first from Tahawus. I arrived at 9:00 AM at the same time as three backpackers heading to Allen. After a couple of minutes of conversation, I set off. The bridge over the infant Hudson is a metal bridge suspended on two cables & onto a large rock via some wooden planks. The wood was wet & slick. The next obstacle was a long set of wooden bog bridges over the end of Lake Jenny. The first coupel were at an old angle but since the lake was low I walked along side of them. This section of trail followed old roads, occasional re-routes around a lot of mud via smaller mudholes & current logging & private roads. It's pretty flat so I made good time.
After about 3 1/2 miles or so you enter an old clearcut that is just filled with grass & prickers along with some old slash. The flora is overgrowing the trail which you can follow but markers are rare. The footpath in most spots is easy to see under the long grass. the grass was wet but not too bad as it had rained overnight & while it threatened so far, it had not rained where I was, that would end soon.
I got to the junction with the Allen herdpath in under two hours but the guide says I should leave four more hours to get to the summit. Soon after I entered the woods, the rain came, 15 minutes first while I negotiated some of the worse mud on the herdpath. the first brook crossing was not bad but the second was higher. By now my feet were pretty wet & muddy anyway so I picked a path with just once big step.
While taking the 'big step' i slipped just enough so I dragged my foot through the brook, at least my shoe was clean! (for about five minutes & thereafter I alternated between miuddy & clean but wet shoes)
Ten minutes later a downpour had me digging for my pack cover but given the choice of sweating in my coat or getting wet, I chose getting wet. At least the rain of the last couple of days & today made the waterfall on Allen brook full making for a nice picture.
From here for a while the trail is in & out of the brook over some ledges. If covered in a purplish growth, be careful, this stuff was real slick. Came across a couple who were a couple of hours ahead of me having hit the summit around noon.
I got to the top 3 1/2 hours after leaving the trail junction. I stayed just 10 minutes taking in the available views which were partial. Haystack was in the open but the tops of marcy & Skyight were hidden. I was above the waterfall when the rain started & while it started on & off, it turned into mostly on before I got back to the trail seven hours after leaving it. The grassy knoll, I mean field, The rain also meant I was going to get soaked, not by the rain coming down but the long fieldwhack lying ahead. On a wet day I was getting soaked but on a real hot day this trail would be worse as it provided little mid-day shade.
I got back to my car just before 8:00 & was thinking of drying off & driving back to the house I was staying at almost naked but someone was parked next to me in a SUV with a camper conversion so I merely put a piece of spare fleece in my seat & drove back toa hot tub & a dry bed. Hopefully tomorrow's weather would be nicer as my trip was planned for Macomb, the little Dix's, Hough & Dix. (It was)
Yesterday I caught some of "the Deadliest Catch" where one of the guys said that hell is not a warm place, I agree on that. it's Allen in the rain or I imagine, in the snow too.
