Date(s) Hiked: 07/21/2007
Trails(s) Hiked: Dix trail from Elk Lake to Macomb Slide herdpath, then herd paths up Macomb, little Dix's Hough & to the Beckhorn near the Dix Summit.
Total Distance: Unknown, guesstimated at approx. 17 miles & a ton of elevation gain, if memory serves correctly over 5,000 feet
Difficulty: Very difficult but I had good company
Conditions: Sunny & dry, a perfect July day, thinking 60's. trail & herdpaths in good shape, a bit of mud after Thursday & Friday rain (see Allen report) but overall pretty good, got to junction of herdpath from Macomb & path that lead to South Dix or down & thought about which way but Jim who is a multiple time 46'er confimed our guess. Otherwise pretty easy to follow, did get all scratched up though.
Special Required Equipment: It's a long trip, it took us 12 1/2 hours although we were on Dix for about 45 minutes No water from the Macomb Slide until quite a ways down Dix so bring plenty, I had a gallon but still ran out & had to borrow some & then whine on the way down until we stopped at Lillian Brook for more. so lights, bug spray, filters & extra water required. Digital Camera & sunglasses recommended as there are a lot of places to stop for pictures.
Trip Report: After Allen on Friday I went to sleep thinking I was going to do something easy but I woke up feeling good, thanks to the Vitamin I that I took before bed Friday Night. I aslo had option of just doing Macomb, South & East Dix too. At 8:20 the Elk Lake lot still had room for a few cars. I was on the trail at 8:25 & about 40 minutes later had reached the start of the bushwhack. I had done Macomb back in 1997 with my wife & we had started at the lean-to got slightly lost on the way up & quite a bit lost on the way down.
This time I started at the brook. At the junction I ran into Glenn. Jim, Jim's wife, Jane alongwith his son Daniel & wife Liza. (Daniel I'd guess was around 25 or so) Glenn, Jim, Jane were going to be headed up the slide while Daniel & were going up Dix & then waiting for his parents & Glenn.
I started up the herdpath a few minutes ahead of the other three. Since 1997 the herdpath has been relocated some so that it comes out higher up on the slide than it did in 1997. For those who have not been but know NH, it's as loose or looser than Owl's Head but wider than either of the Tripyramid slides. In places I'd say it's not as steep though, I think it's pretty straight forward but you have to pick your way up. I started left then center, about 2/3's of the way up the right side is easier but the exit is on the left. Glenn, Jim & Jane caught me on the slide & while seperate, we were pretty together up the slide. You don't want to be underneath someone on this slide. Back in 1997 a scout troop was on the slide ahead my wife & I when one of them was struck by a falling rock on the wrist, possibly breaking his wrist.
It's a few hundred feet of elevation & maybe a 1/2 mile from the top of the slide to the Summit. All the way up the slide (actually a couple of spots before it now too) & the summit have great views. Elk Lake, the Dix Range, Allen, Marcy, Haystack & many others are visible. I got to the summit a couple of minutes before the other three & from Macomb over we pretty much were a foursome. Jim had brought some semi-frozen Cranberry juice that was delicious. (need to try this next time)
From Macomb's summit you descend about 700 feet before coming to the junction I mentioned before. From there it's only about 100 feet to the open slopes of South Dix. The summit sign is in the woods but the trip to it is mostly open with great views blocked slightly by Macomb but you look between Macomb & Hough. You also get great views of Dix, Giant, RPR & our next peak, East Dix. It's about a mile to East Dix & the col is about 3600 feet. As you approach the summit you break out onto open ledges again with great views. Today we could see all five of the VT 4K's + Pico & many 3K's This may be the best under 4,015 summit in the East. (BSP's Fort, S. Brother. Bigelow's S. Horn would figure in that conversation - maybe ME's Goose Eye also but I have not been there yet)
To get to Hough (or had I decided to go back) you have to go back over South Dix so we headed back. Between these two peaks we must have seen at least 30 people most part of two different ADK groups which started from Route 73 & bushwhacked up East Dix. Just beyond the South Dix summit the herd path takes a right towards Hough. (pronounced like huff & puff also due to a few PUD's one sizeable one that offers a view & a few others.)
As you get near the top, there is a large rock requiring some hand useage & it maked the exposure of Flume's summit feel like a woods walk. A slip at the wrong spot & you were falling to at least several broken bones. I thought after that I had reached the summit but that still was not it but it wasn't much farther.
We got to Hough around 3:00 & were making pretty good time but this next col looked to be about 4,000 feet (confirmed with Jim's Altimeter) & Dix is 4,857 feet. By now I was dragging pretty good uphill but we had ample time. The group was a few minutes ahead of me & who could blame them for going ahead as I'm sure Jane & Jim were anxious to see if their son was still up there. We joked a couple of times about how it sounded leaving your son on Dix alone but he wasn't alone & he was quite capable of taking care of himself. Getting to him via the herd path was pretty tough in a couple of spots where some ledges/large rocks before the Beckhorn had to be negotiated. These I thought made the ledge on Bondcliff seem like childs play.
I got to Dix about 4:20 & everyone was still there. Traditionally Jim carries a stove & makes Jane tea or Cocoa but this trip was hard so he let Daniel & Liza bring the stove. (Jim also has an artifical hip!) The stove was going & everyome was enjoying a warm drink. Well, I didn't need anything warm but when asked if I wanted more cranberry juice you bet I said yes, including some Daniel had that was not semi-frozen.
From Dix's summit you can see just about all the High Peaks (okay a few peaks may allow you to see more but it's a super view - I had planned on it for #46 but that appears to be Nipple Top now) from there & we stayed on up well after 5:00.
The first bit off the Beckhorn is quite steep, working your way down large boulders onto other boulders. While not as long as the Saddleback drop heading towards Basin or the Drop into the Chimney off Pamola peak on the Knife's Edge, it's pretty exposed. The first mile probably took close to an hour but after that it's pretty moderate eventually becoming near flat with actually some ascending in spots. (I hate ascending even 10 feeton the trail "down" to the car & this had some spots that may have been close to 100 feet, GRRRRRRRR)
While on the bushwhack I learned everyone else (not Jim's daughter but she wasn't there) were Yankee fans. That said, they were the 2nd best group of Yankee fans I've hiked with, my friend Al being the first. They were great company!
Still have to get photo's developed & put on CD. My wife had the Digital at the beach with the kids. This trip more than made up for all the dreariness of Allen in the rain! Thanks to the Stine's & Glenn. They were a great group to meet. Jane keep a great pace all day & Glenn & Jim had a wealth of trail knowledge & we shared a great love for where we were.
Trails(s) Hiked: Dix trail from Elk Lake to Macomb Slide herdpath, then herd paths up Macomb, little Dix's Hough & to the Beckhorn near the Dix Summit.
Total Distance: Unknown, guesstimated at approx. 17 miles & a ton of elevation gain, if memory serves correctly over 5,000 feet
Difficulty: Very difficult but I had good company
Conditions: Sunny & dry, a perfect July day, thinking 60's. trail & herdpaths in good shape, a bit of mud after Thursday & Friday rain (see Allen report) but overall pretty good, got to junction of herdpath from Macomb & path that lead to South Dix or down & thought about which way but Jim who is a multiple time 46'er confimed our guess. Otherwise pretty easy to follow, did get all scratched up though.
Special Required Equipment: It's a long trip, it took us 12 1/2 hours although we were on Dix for about 45 minutes No water from the Macomb Slide until quite a ways down Dix so bring plenty, I had a gallon but still ran out & had to borrow some & then whine on the way down until we stopped at Lillian Brook for more. so lights, bug spray, filters & extra water required. Digital Camera & sunglasses recommended as there are a lot of places to stop for pictures.
Trip Report: After Allen on Friday I went to sleep thinking I was going to do something easy but I woke up feeling good, thanks to the Vitamin I that I took before bed Friday Night. I aslo had option of just doing Macomb, South & East Dix too. At 8:20 the Elk Lake lot still had room for a few cars. I was on the trail at 8:25 & about 40 minutes later had reached the start of the bushwhack. I had done Macomb back in 1997 with my wife & we had started at the lean-to got slightly lost on the way up & quite a bit lost on the way down.
This time I started at the brook. At the junction I ran into Glenn. Jim, Jim's wife, Jane alongwith his son Daniel & wife Liza. (Daniel I'd guess was around 25 or so) Glenn, Jim, Jane were going to be headed up the slide while Daniel & were going up Dix & then waiting for his parents & Glenn.
I started up the herdpath a few minutes ahead of the other three. Since 1997 the herdpath has been relocated some so that it comes out higher up on the slide than it did in 1997. For those who have not been but know NH, it's as loose or looser than Owl's Head but wider than either of the Tripyramid slides. In places I'd say it's not as steep though, I think it's pretty straight forward but you have to pick your way up. I started left then center, about 2/3's of the way up the right side is easier but the exit is on the left. Glenn, Jim & Jane caught me on the slide & while seperate, we were pretty together up the slide. You don't want to be underneath someone on this slide. Back in 1997 a scout troop was on the slide ahead my wife & I when one of them was struck by a falling rock on the wrist, possibly breaking his wrist.
It's a few hundred feet of elevation & maybe a 1/2 mile from the top of the slide to the Summit. All the way up the slide (actually a couple of spots before it now too) & the summit have great views. Elk Lake, the Dix Range, Allen, Marcy, Haystack & many others are visible. I got to the summit a couple of minutes before the other three & from Macomb over we pretty much were a foursome. Jim had brought some semi-frozen Cranberry juice that was delicious. (need to try this next time)
From Macomb's summit you descend about 700 feet before coming to the junction I mentioned before. From there it's only about 100 feet to the open slopes of South Dix. The summit sign is in the woods but the trip to it is mostly open with great views blocked slightly by Macomb but you look between Macomb & Hough. You also get great views of Dix, Giant, RPR & our next peak, East Dix. It's about a mile to East Dix & the col is about 3600 feet. As you approach the summit you break out onto open ledges again with great views. Today we could see all five of the VT 4K's + Pico & many 3K's This may be the best under 4,015 summit in the East. (BSP's Fort, S. Brother. Bigelow's S. Horn would figure in that conversation - maybe ME's Goose Eye also but I have not been there yet)
To get to Hough (or had I decided to go back) you have to go back over South Dix so we headed back. Between these two peaks we must have seen at least 30 people most part of two different ADK groups which started from Route 73 & bushwhacked up East Dix. Just beyond the South Dix summit the herd path takes a right towards Hough. (pronounced like huff & puff also due to a few PUD's one sizeable one that offers a view & a few others.)
As you get near the top, there is a large rock requiring some hand useage & it maked the exposure of Flume's summit feel like a woods walk. A slip at the wrong spot & you were falling to at least several broken bones. I thought after that I had reached the summit but that still was not it but it wasn't much farther.
We got to Hough around 3:00 & were making pretty good time but this next col looked to be about 4,000 feet (confirmed with Jim's Altimeter) & Dix is 4,857 feet. By now I was dragging pretty good uphill but we had ample time. The group was a few minutes ahead of me & who could blame them for going ahead as I'm sure Jane & Jim were anxious to see if their son was still up there. We joked a couple of times about how it sounded leaving your son on Dix alone but he wasn't alone & he was quite capable of taking care of himself. Getting to him via the herd path was pretty tough in a couple of spots where some ledges/large rocks before the Beckhorn had to be negotiated. These I thought made the ledge on Bondcliff seem like childs play.
I got to Dix about 4:20 & everyone was still there. Traditionally Jim carries a stove & makes Jane tea or Cocoa but this trip was hard so he let Daniel & Liza bring the stove. (Jim also has an artifical hip!) The stove was going & everyome was enjoying a warm drink. Well, I didn't need anything warm but when asked if I wanted more cranberry juice you bet I said yes, including some Daniel had that was not semi-frozen.
From Dix's summit you can see just about all the High Peaks (okay a few peaks may allow you to see more but it's a super view - I had planned on it for #46 but that appears to be Nipple Top now) from there & we stayed on up well after 5:00.
The first bit off the Beckhorn is quite steep, working your way down large boulders onto other boulders. While not as long as the Saddleback drop heading towards Basin or the Drop into the Chimney off Pamola peak on the Knife's Edge, it's pretty exposed. The first mile probably took close to an hour but after that it's pretty moderate eventually becoming near flat with actually some ascending in spots. (I hate ascending even 10 feeton the trail "down" to the car & this had some spots that may have been close to 100 feet, GRRRRRRRR)
While on the bushwhack I learned everyone else (not Jim's daughter but she wasn't there) were Yankee fans. That said, they were the 2nd best group of Yankee fans I've hiked with, my friend Al being the first. They were great company!
Still have to get photo's developed & put on CD. My wife had the Digital at the beach with the kids. This trip more than made up for all the dreariness of Allen in the rain! Thanks to the Stine's & Glenn. They were a great group to meet. Jane keep a great pace all day & Glenn & Jim had a wealth of trail knowledge & we shared a great love for where we were.
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