In the next couple of weeks, I'll start the annual, the year in hiking thread (how was your year)
Another topic that comes up from time to time is: Are you a peakbagger, a dayhiker, backpacker, mountaineeer (when are you mountaineering Vs. just hiking uphill) etc.. I've been predominately a day hiker except this time of year when I'm day mountaineering.
Anyway while I keep multiple list & I love views, if I had to call myself a view junkie or peakbagger, it was hard to say. So last Friday on my first trip in the AMR (the Au Sable Club) I ended up not doing Sawteeth. The last couple of hikes (Cabot & Owl's Head) felt like slogs in less than average conditions. On my way to AuSable Lake I had seriously thought about taking some time off. Summits from the lake looked like they were in/out of the clouds & visibility was iffy.
I decided to take the Indian Head Fish Hawks Cliff trail to the Cliffs that were above the AuSable Club's boat house. (This is Indian Head) Glad I did, the walk was not too hard, the view was spectacular (now sorry no camera) Similar to the view from the top of Cannon Cliff with the lake replacing the parkway. The view of Gothics from here is SWEET!
IMO, best views in ADK's have Gothics in them, while the view from Gothics is very good, since you can't see slides on Gothics from the top, views from Pyramid, Big Slide, Indian Head, the ledges on the Brothers, etc. will always be better. I may be part peakbagger but it's under 50%. At the end of the day I was not sad I missed getting up Sawteeth but real happy to get the views from the top of the Indian Head cliffs. (I managed not to take the Gill brook option back which appears to have crossed Indian Head's actual summit but this is definitely a trip to bring the kids back on, I'll summit then.)
Now I have an ambitious summer hike planned for 2008 to get to Blake, Colvin & Sawteeth in a day but will a fanny pack & plenty of water & daylight, it should be doable. (Friday someone had a Blake, Colvin, Nippletop & Dial trip planned. I wonder if he made it)
Another topic that comes up from time to time is: Are you a peakbagger, a dayhiker, backpacker, mountaineeer (when are you mountaineering Vs. just hiking uphill) etc.. I've been predominately a day hiker except this time of year when I'm day mountaineering.
Anyway while I keep multiple list & I love views, if I had to call myself a view junkie or peakbagger, it was hard to say. So last Friday on my first trip in the AMR (the Au Sable Club) I ended up not doing Sawteeth. The last couple of hikes (Cabot & Owl's Head) felt like slogs in less than average conditions. On my way to AuSable Lake I had seriously thought about taking some time off. Summits from the lake looked like they were in/out of the clouds & visibility was iffy.
I decided to take the Indian Head Fish Hawks Cliff trail to the Cliffs that were above the AuSable Club's boat house. (This is Indian Head) Glad I did, the walk was not too hard, the view was spectacular (now sorry no camera) Similar to the view from the top of Cannon Cliff with the lake replacing the parkway. The view of Gothics from here is SWEET!
IMO, best views in ADK's have Gothics in them, while the view from Gothics is very good, since you can't see slides on Gothics from the top, views from Pyramid, Big Slide, Indian Head, the ledges on the Brothers, etc. will always be better. I may be part peakbagger but it's under 50%. At the end of the day I was not sad I missed getting up Sawteeth but real happy to get the views from the top of the Indian Head cliffs. (I managed not to take the Gill brook option back which appears to have crossed Indian Head's actual summit but this is definitely a trip to bring the kids back on, I'll summit then.)
Now I have an ambitious summer hike planned for 2008 to get to Blake, Colvin & Sawteeth in a day but will a fanny pack & plenty of water & daylight, it should be doable. (Friday someone had a Blake, Colvin, Nippletop & Dial trip planned. I wonder if he made it)
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