May 2, 2025 • 37 mins
As spring arrives in the Adirondacks, the High Peaks enter mud season—a time when trails above 2,500 feet become saturated and vulnerable. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) advises hikers to avoid these trails to prevent erosion and protect fragile ecosystems. But that doesn't mean your hiking adventures have to pause!
In this episode, we'll explore a variety of lower-elevation hiking challenges perfect for this season. From the Lake Placid 9'er to the Fire Tower Challenge, discover new trails, earn badges, and enjoy the beauty of the Adirondacks responsibly.
Hiking Challenges Covered:
1. Lake Placid 9'er: www.lakeplacid9er.com
A collection of nine accessible peaks around Lake Placid, offering a mix of challenges and scenic views.
2. Saranac Lake 6'er
Six peaks surrounding Saranac Lake, providing a range of hiking experiences and the tradition of ringing the 6er Bell upon completion.
3. Tupper Lake Triad
A trio of family-friendly hikes near Tupper Lake, suitable for hikers of all levels.
4. Fulton Chain Trifecta
Three accessible peaks near Old Forge, perfect for a day of hiking with rewarding views.
5. Lake George 12ster
A more extensive challenge encompassing 12 peaks around Lake George, offering diverse trails and scenic beauty.
6. Adirondack Fire Tower Challenge
A challenge involving hikes to historic fire towers across the Adirondacks, combining history with adventure.
Tips for Spring Hiking:
- Trail Etiquette: Stay on designated trails to prevent erosion and avoid hiking on muddy trails to protect trail integrity.
- Gear Recommendations: Miccrospikes, waterproof boots, gaiters, and trekking poles are essential for spring conditions.
- Safety Precautions: Check weather forecasts and trail conditions before heading out, and let someone know your hiking plans and expected return time.
Follow Along on Instagram & Facebook:
@46of46podcast
@jamesappleton46
Join the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE 6-week challenge and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house.
Learn more about the Great Range Athlete Team Program HERE
Looking for help to improve your both your fitness for hiking and your disicpline and daily habits so you can become the strongest version of yourself on and off the trail?
Book a free strategy call with James to learn more about his 1-on-1 coaching program,
SEEK TO DO MORE at
www.seektodomore.com/vsl
Get my books:
1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks
2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue LineWebsites:
www.46OUTDOORS.com
www.46OF46.com
In this episode, we'll explore a variety of lower-elevation hiking challenges perfect for this season. From the Lake Placid 9'er to the Fire Tower Challenge, discover new trails, earn badges, and enjoy the beauty of the Adirondacks responsibly.
Hiking Challenges Covered:
1. Lake Placid 9'er: www.lakeplacid9er.com
A collection of nine accessible peaks around Lake Placid, offering a mix of challenges and scenic views.
2. Saranac Lake 6'er
Six peaks surrounding Saranac Lake, providing a range of hiking experiences and the tradition of ringing the 6er Bell upon completion.
3. Tupper Lake Triad
A trio of family-friendly hikes near Tupper Lake, suitable for hikers of all levels.
4. Fulton Chain Trifecta
Three accessible peaks near Old Forge, perfect for a day of hiking with rewarding views.
5. Lake George 12ster
A more extensive challenge encompassing 12 peaks around Lake George, offering diverse trails and scenic beauty.
6. Adirondack Fire Tower Challenge
A challenge involving hikes to historic fire towers across the Adirondacks, combining history with adventure.
Tips for Spring Hiking:
- Trail Etiquette: Stay on designated trails to prevent erosion and avoid hiking on muddy trails to protect trail integrity.
- Gear Recommendations: Miccrospikes, waterproof boots, gaiters, and trekking poles are essential for spring conditions.
- Safety Precautions: Check weather forecasts and trail conditions before heading out, and let someone know your hiking plans and expected return time.
Follow Along on Instagram & Facebook:
@46of46podcast
@jamesappleton46
Join the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE 6-week challenge and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house.
Learn more about the Great Range Athlete Team Program HERE
Looking for help to improve your both your fitness for hiking and your disicpline and daily habits so you can become the strongest version of yourself on and off the trail?
Book a free strategy call with James to learn more about his 1-on-1 coaching program,
SEEK TO DO MORE at
www.seektodomore.com/vsl
Get my books:
1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks
2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue LineWebsites:
www.46OUTDOORS.com
www.46OF46.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey everyone. If you've got big hikes on the calendar
this summer, but your fitness isn't quite where it needs
to be and you want to make some new hiking
friends to adventure with, listen up, this is for you.
The next Great Range Athlete team kicks off June first.
Team wolf Jaw is up next. This six week training
(00:21):
program is designed to help you get stronger and build
real trail endurance so you can show up to the
mountains ready for your hiking adventure. No more trailhead anxiety
leaving you wondering if you can even make it up
the mountain. That will be a thing of the past.
People all across the country are joining Great Range Athlete
from Maine to Alaska and everywhere in between. So if
(00:43):
this sounds right for you, do not wait, because Team
Wolfjaw is already near capacity from early birds signups alone.
Now is the time to bet on yourself and become
an official Great Range Athlete so you can have amazing
mountain adventures this summer. Head on over to Great rangeathlete
dot com to reserve your spot on Team Wolf Jaw
(01:04):
and I look forward to hiking and training with you
this summer. Let's get into the episode Marcy Skylight, Gray
Cliff and Redfield. Done. Now the long walk back.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
To the lodge.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Three fifty five am. Just signed in Sanony Range. Let's go.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
The wind is whipped in here in the seward range
to just finish the Macomb slide, and my legs are
on fire. Well, I fell victim to the floating logs again.
Made it to the top of East Dix Peak, number
three of five for today here in the Dicking Range,
Avalanche Pass on top of Rocky Peak Bridge.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
It's like a hurricane up here.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Rain and wind here on tabletop, Whiteface number six, Muddy
Day here on street and I for number seven and eight,
Sonny in blue on haystack, al gong Win, I'm up
in the clouds number eighteen, Gothics number twenty two, Panther
number thirty eight, Allen number forty five seven twelve am,
Big Slide Adirondack forty six er.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
You're listening to the forty six of forty six podcast.
Hello everyone, and welcome back to the forty six of
forty six podcast. May is here. Yes we did it everyone, Congratulations,
we made it through the winter. May first is always
(02:21):
my favorite day of the year, because it's the day
where I can officially say, yep, we have completed the
winter up here in the Adirondack. Sure, every few years
we'll get that first week of May snowstorm that just
makes you want to die. However, the weather is going
to be great for the next few days, so I
think we are clear. But once again, it was a cold,
(02:44):
long winter with so much snow. It reminded me of
a winter growing up here in Lake Placid. But congratulations
to all of you listening to this podcast. We've made it.
Winter is behind us and what's in front of us
an amazing summer of adventure is coming. But it is
springtime and that means we can still get out in
(03:06):
the woods. We can still have adventure, and that's what
we're going to talk about today on the podcast. I'm
going to go through a bunch of hiking challenges on
the lower peaks that you can tackle this spring so
that you can get out in the woods, enjoy some
mountain adventure, and get those trail legs moving. So, as
(03:26):
many of you know, the DEEC recommends that people stay
out of the high peaks during this transitional season aka
mud season. The reason being is the snow is melting.
It's actually pretty terrible conditions when you really think about it.
But the point of it is to well, the snow
is melting, the trails get muddier, and the more people
(03:48):
that go on it, the worse it gets. So the
recommendation is to stay out of the high peaks, stay
on lower mountains where the snow is already melted, less muddy.
But we all kind of know how that goes. In
the out it's pretty much muddy all year long. However,
that does not mean we can't get out and enjoy
some mountain adventure. So today we're going to talk about
some different challenges that exist here in the Adirondack Park
(04:15):
now hiking challenges, peak bagging challenges, as they're called. It's
kind of the brand that we have here in the Adcades.
It's very unique to what we do, the mountains that
we climb, the way that we climb them. It's just
a unique element to the Adirondacks. And I know some
people think of the word peak bagging as a derogatory term,
whereas I kind of think of it as just it's
(04:37):
just what we're doing. It's what we do here and
to me. I don't really see it as being derogatory
in any stretch. I just think it's what we do,
and I take it as a it's like a little
badge of honor in my opinion, because climbing mountains is hard,
Summoning mallins is a difficult challenge, but that's what we
do here. And I think that's also why when you
hike in the Adirondacks, and you hike a lot, you
(04:59):
become a very exceptionally talented hiker, because again, as we
all know, most of our trails just go straight up
the mountains. So I think there is a you know,
it's a it's a badge of honor in a sense.
So today, let's go through a bunch of different hiking
challenges that maybe you've climbed, maybe you haven't. It will
help you to be aware of what we have here
in the Adirondack Park and give you something to shoot
(05:21):
for this spring, easily digestible, small mountain challenges that are
not forty six long. Obviously, I know most of you
that listen to this podcast are forty six ers or
aspiring forty six ers, or that is just on your radar.
One day, forty six is a big number, but number
is like three, six, nine, twelve, much more easily digestible.
(05:43):
So we're going to dive right into my list for
fun spring hiking challenges around the Adirondack Park, and I'm
going to go through each of the mountains on those
lists to give you an idea of what to expect,
and you know, see what tickles your fancy where you
want to go in the ADYK. The EIGHTYK is big, right,
there's lots of stuff to do, lots of places to explore.
(06:05):
So let us dive right into some lower elevation hiking
challenges around the Adirondack Park. Starting us out my personal favorite.
I bet you know what this is. This is the
Lake Placid Niner Challenge. Yes, most of you who listen
to this podcast are aware that I created and run
(06:25):
the LP nine. It is near and dear to my heart.
All nine mountains on this list, in my opinion, create
the ultimate Adirondack hiking experience. These are nine mountains under
four thousand feet all around the Lake Placid area, so
in Lake Placid or basically one town over in Keen
(06:46):
or one town over in Wilmington. So you know the
Greater Lake Placid area. The nine mountains on the list
are Cobble Hill, Mount Joe, Baxter Mountain, Mount Van Hovenburg,
Big Crow Mountain, Bear Mountain, pitch Off Mountain, Catamount Mountain,
and Hurricane Mountain. And if you want more information on
the Lake Plaid Niner, go to Lake Placid nine er
(07:10):
dot com. It's got all the information for the challenge there.
The reason that I really recommend this challenge to people
who want to get out this spring is most of
these mountains get dry quickly for starters, but it's also
just the perfect warm up to get your legs ready
to rock for a summer of hiking. You can hike
(07:31):
these mountains small to medium to large and you really
get yourself ready for the high peaks, especially if you
start on the you know, the lower mountains like Baxter
Mountain or Cobble Hill, and then at the end you're
hiking Pitchoff, Catamount, Hurricane. Those mountains kind of hike like
a high peak. So when you hike hike this challenge
in the order, you really you know, build on itself
(07:52):
mountain after mountain after mountain, And that was my intention
when I created the Lake Placid Niner. I wanted a
perfect linear warm up to get people prepared for the
high peaks and just get used to hiking in the
Adirondacks in general, because yeah, everywhere you go hiking it's
a very unique area. This helps you to kind of
see that. And every mountain on this in the Lake
(08:13):
Plastid Niner list are mountains worth visiting many times over.
And that's what it's all about, going up mountains. Not
you know, you check the box, you've done it doesn't
mean you can't go do it again, because again, being
in the mountains is always better than being, you know,
in your living room. In the Lake Plasid Niner list
is a fantastic list to get out there and enjoy,
(08:33):
and each one of these mountains again, it brings a
totally unique experience. So you're gonna have, you know, some
mountains that go straight up but they're short. You're gonna
have mountains that are very rock scramblly. You're gonna have
mountains that are the hike like a high peak. You're
gonna have mountains that offer different types of views of
(08:55):
different areas. So you're gonna have mountains that are like
smack in the high peaks and the mountains that are
over here off to the side, not in the high peaks,
so you just kind of get everything. So to me,
the Lake Placid Niner is the ultimate warm up to
help yourself get trail ready, get in shape for climbing mountains,
and have a fantastic summer adventure. Once again, Lakeplacid Niner
dot com. To date, we have over three thousand finishers
(09:20):
who have completed the Lake Placid Niner in all different
seasons and with everything else that we do in the
Adirondack Park. Right like you hike the mountains, you fill
out your registration, you get a patch that is a
tangible representation of the adventures that you had. I like
these things when they're tangible and when you have something
that you can look at that patch and then it
(09:41):
can remind you of all the different good memories that
you had hiking hiking these certain mountains. The Lake Placid
Niner Challenge now moving just one town over the Saranac
Lake Sixer Challenge. Now this is six mountains around the
Saranac Lake area, which, if you're not familiar, is one
(10:01):
town over from Lake Placid. Another list of fantastic mountains
and right off the bat, I'm going to let people
know because there has been some confusion, and there was
confusion on my end as well. So I did a
little bit of digging, a little bit of research. The
Saranac Lake sixer Challenge consists of Mackenzie Mountain, Amper Sand Mountain,
Scarface Mountain, Haystack Mountain, Saint Regis Mountain, and Baker Mountain.
(10:25):
So some of you may know, some of you may
have no idea. The Scarface Mountain trail has been closed,
or at least like the trail head has been closed
due to a bridge out over a river crossing for
the last couple of years. I'm told that the bridge
is supposed to be rebuilt this year. We'll see how
(10:46):
that goes. But the challenge still exists. So I called
the Saranac Lakes Chamber of Commerce, who are the people
who run the program, are run the hiking challenge. I
asked them about Scarface, about like can people still submit
their patch it for patches and submit that they did
the thing? And yes, the challenge is still open as usual,
(11:09):
but it's kind of like a gray area for Scarface
when they say, like we're not going to recommend people
go do it. But if you do climb the mountain,
we're not going to say, We're not going to say
the challenge is closed. They're just kind of not taking
a stance because they kind of don't want to be
responsible for people crossing the river at their own risk.
(11:29):
Even though it's yes, technically a river crossing, it's not
like a flowing river crossing. It's really just like a
more like a little pond crossing in a sense. So
if you do want to go hike Scarface, which is
an awesome mountain, very underrated, you just get ready to,
you know, hike up the shorts, take the boots off,
and cross across the river. So the Serac Lake Sixtra
challenge still exists, still is open, and it's still something
(11:53):
that will create an awesome Adirondack mountain adventure. So let's
dive into some of these mountains. Now. Baker Mountain is
in Saranac Lake, and this has been this has been
a question for quite some time now if Baker is
going to be removed from the hiking challenge, But no,
it is still there. It's an awesome mount and it
hikes like a high peak. It's point nine miles and
(12:14):
the last half a mile just goes straight up the mountain.
It's awesome little mountain in Saranac Lake. But because the
locals are kind of tired of the traffic congestion and
I'm air quoting traffic congestion over at the Baker Mountain trailhead.
According to the Saranac Lake Sixer Challenge, you have to
(12:37):
actually start in downtown Saranac Lake to hike Baker Mountain
where there is a bell. So it's kind of fun,
like you ring the bell when you finish the Saranac
Lake Sixer Challenge. It's actually like part of their part
of their tradition with the Saranac Lake six When you
finish it to the you go to the square in
the middle of downtown main Street and you ring the
Saranac Lake sixer bell. You can't miss it. But to
(13:00):
officially hike Baker Mountain, you park in Main Street, downtown
Main Street, and you walk over to Baker Mountain. So
it's going to add I don't know the exact mileage,
but it's going to add probably a mile in each direction.
The mountain itself is short, it's an awesome mountain, but
that is something to be taken into account. Now you
got Mackenzie Mountain and Scarface Mountain, ampersand Haystack, Saint Regis
(13:25):
and Baker, so you can hike Mackenzie and Haystack in
the same hike. Mackenzie Mountain is thirty eight hundred feet elevation,
so it's just shy of being a high peak, and
in fact it's taller than some official high peaks. Awesome
Mountain overlooking Lake Placid, the actual lake. You get to
see the cool figure eight shape that Lake Placid is
(13:47):
when you're on top of Mackenzie. Fun story, if you
guys haven't heard this podcast for a while, I had
to date my absolute worst experience in the woods of
my life hiking Mackenzie Mountain a long time ago, probably
over ten definitely over ten years ago. At this point,
was in no condition to hike mountains, but I got
(14:07):
roped into trying to complete the Serenaca Lakes and trying
to hike some of the Serenact Lakes sixture with my
brother and brother in law or brother and sister in law,
and my god, I bonked coming down the mountains so bad.
I talk all about it in my new book. Yeah
around I forty six and eighteen hikes. In case you
want to check that book out, it is available now,
little shameless plug. But I bonked so hard coming down
(14:30):
that mountain where my body just stopped working between from
one step to the next. I was so dehydrated and
everything stopped. I couldn't step, I couldn't move. It was
an awful experience. And then long story short, thanks to
having lots of snacks and gatorade and electrolytes and stuff
and my sister in law's pack, we got me. We
(14:51):
got me back moving and I made it out of
the woods. But one of the Mackenzie Mountain will always
hold a dear spot in my heart because it was
one of those moments where I was like, WHOA, what
is happening to my body right now? Wasn't sure. But
Mackenzie Mountain and haste little Haystack Mountain. There is also
a high peak called Haystack Mountain. They are different, and
once again you're gonna see lots of mountains with the
(15:11):
same name here in the Adirondack Park, but you can
hike those in one hike. Awesome Mountain, Big, that's like
a full type of day. Then there's Ampersand Mountain which
is between Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake. And that is
also a mountain that is you know, it's a moderate
sized mountain in it has an amazing summit, open exposed
(15:32):
rock summit, so you got the three hundred and sixty
degree views. Just a fantastic hike. Just be careful crossing
the road when you're out there, because you are on
the side of a highway, a highway as far as
an Adirondacks is concerned, a fifty five mile an hour road.
Great mountain though, amper Sand Mountain again will hold a
very near and dear place in my heart because that
(15:53):
was the mountain where I realized, WHOA, I can climb
mountains and I can have a good time doing it.
That's the mountain that is what started my journey actually
deciding to like try this hiking thing for real, not
just like hike a mountain here maybe another year later,
might hike another mountain. No, that's what That's where I
got the I bit, the bug bit me was on
(16:15):
Ampersand because I was able to make it to the
summit without wanting to die for the very first time.
So that will hold a near and dear place in
my heart for for a very long time. So it
took me five years to complete the Serac Lake Sixer challenge.
I did Mackenzie McKenzie, Little Haystack and Baker Mountain the
(16:37):
summer that the Saranac Lake Sixer started and I never
hiked again. And then five years later when I did
that time up Ampersan, all of a sudden, I was like, WHOA,
I could actually hike. This is amazing. So the very
following day I hiked Scarface Mountain and then the very
next day I finished the Serac Lake six by hiking
Saint Regis Mountain. So it took me five years, but
(16:58):
it basically took me four days to complete it over
the course of the five years. The Serenac Lake six
are an awesome challenge to enjoy the Adironac high peaks
around the Saranac Lake area. Make sure you go ring
that bell. It's a very unique element to the Serenac
Lake six.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
Hey guys, this is Matt from MS Moreland. I joined
the Great Range Athlete team because going on long hikes,
my legs would cramp up and lock up pretty good.
After Great Range Athlete, I've gone on ten twelve fourteen
mile hikes and no cramps at all. I got stronger,
I got faster, and really wasn't a huge chore to
(17:36):
hike anymore. I'd definitely recommend the program, and good luck
to everyone who's gonna do it. Thanks guys.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Moving further along Route three, we get to the other
try Lakes Town topper Lake. This is the Tupper Lake Triad.
This is the perfect trio of family friendly hikes and
they're all in the tupper Lake area. Young kids, this
is the perfect challenge for you. It's only three mountains.
(18:05):
The kids can easily complete this, so it gives your
family something to do and something to shoot for. That again,
it's digestible. Three obviously a lot less than nine, a
lot less than six. It's a perfect, perfect way to
go spend the springtime climbing some mountains. And yes, if
you are you know, if you are a hiker, who
is in you know even okay shape? Yeah, you can
(18:27):
do all three in one day easily. There are three
different mountains at three different parking lots, so you will
drive between the three. But the Tupper Lake Triad consists
of Mount Arab, Goodman Mountain, and Coney Mountain. They're all
in the twenty to twenty five hundred feet elevation range,
so again shorter mountains, but really enjoyable ones. So Mount
(18:49):
Arab has a fire tower on the top, it has
a little cabin on the top too. It's a really
it's a big summit, awesome place to go have your
lunch for the afternoon. And then you got Goodman Mountain
which has a paved up like a paved trail for
(19:09):
a good portion of the beginning. So the point of
that was to have a wheelchair accessible trail in the
woods so that if you're ever wondering, why is this
paved and why is the first part of the trail paved?
That's that was the reason, so that people in wheelchairs
can you go out and enjoy the nature therapy that
we all love when we're out in the mountains. And
then there's Coney Mountain twenty two hundred and sixty four
(19:30):
feet elevation. That's my favorite mountain of the Tupper Lake triad.
You know, it kind of goes straight up, but the
summit is just fun. It's cool, and you can see
you can see Goodman Mountain just like right next door.
When you're on the summit a fantastic day. It's an
awesome just day to kind of get yourself warmed up,
get back in the woods. If you go on a
nice sunny day, the Tupper Lake Triad is a freaking
(19:52):
awesome day. I highly recommend now as we move west
in the Adirondack Park because right the Adirondacks is more
than just the Tri Lakes area, more than just the
High Peaks region. We head over to the Old Forge
region where a lot of you Western New Yorkers who
listen to this podcast spend a lot of your time.
There is the Fulton Chain trifecta once again another great
(20:15):
family friendly hiking experience, hiking challenge with three very accessible
mountains around the Old Forge Inlet area. We've got Bald Mountain,
Rocky Mountain, and Black Bear Mountain. The Rocky Mountain and
Black Bear Mountain you'll hike from the same trailhead, different trails,
but from the parked at the same trailhead, and Bald
(20:36):
Mountain is just up the street towards Old Forge. Now,
Rocky Mountain is really cool. It gives you a very
unique view of the Fulton Chain, the Fulton Chain of Lakes,
so out in the western Adirondack region. Tons of lakes.
We all know like that, Like boating is the big
thing out there, tons of lakes, and it gives you
(20:58):
a very unique view, especially if you've never really explored
that area or you don't do a lot of paddling
or boating. It's a different view. A lot of people
who listen to this podcast, you get really used to
the High Peaks region and seeing kind of the views
of the High Peaks. This offers a totally different experience
and a totally different Adirondack experience, which is why I
really find this challenge to be really fun. This you
(21:18):
can also easily complete in one day. I would say
it's going to be a slightly longer day than the
Tupper Lake Triad, but maybe not. But also again remember
family friendly, great for the kids, great great experience. So
on black Bear Mountain, that's going to be the longest
of these three mountains. Of the Bald Rocky and black Bear,
black Bear is the longest trail. It's also the highest mountain.
(21:40):
That hike's more like a moderate hike in the Adirondack Park.
You know, it's perfect for this sort of challenge, but
that would be the bigger one of the three. Great
views at the top. Again similar to Rocky Mountains because
they're in similar areas. But then there's Bald Mountains, so
I really like Bald Mountain. Bald Mountain also has a
fire tower and more on fire towers later in the episode.
(22:01):
But Bald Mountain, once you hike in maybe like one
hundred yards, you are now on You now hike on
a slab, like a rock slab, literally all the way
to the summit where you get onto a big exposed
rock summit with a nice fire tower on the top.
Once again, an awesome views, awesome experience with the fire
(22:22):
tower on the top of the mountain. But it's fast
because you are literally on a not a bald slab
the whole way up the mountain very fast. You can
run up that in really quick quick time. But Bald Mountain,
Rocky Mountain, black Bear Mountain. Once again the Fulton Chain
trifecta out in the Old Forge region, a great spot
for you to just go get the get the rust off,
(22:44):
enjoy some different views of the western Adirondack Park and
perfect for the kids. Moving south, we head to the
Lake George region. Yes we have the Lake George twelve
Stir Challenge. Shout out to from the Lake George Twelfster Challenge.
This is a much more extensive challenge obviously twelve peaks.
(23:06):
It's much much more in terms of numbers compared to
what we talked about before. And this is around the
Lake George region. So good thing about the Lake George
region is the snow melts there significantly faster than it
does up here in the high Peaks. Same thing. Without
an old forge, the snow is going to melt much
faster there. And with the Sarac Lake six and the
Lake Placid at nine, some of those mountains are going
(23:28):
to have snow on them longer, specifically the ones around
the Lake Placid region, but anything in the other regions.
So the further you get from Lake Plasted and Saranac
Lake with a lot of these mountains in the LP
nine and the sara Nec Lake six, the snow is
going to melt much faster. However, down in Lake George,
these mounains are going to have less snow significantly sooner
than any of the others. So now is a great
(23:49):
time to hit the Lake George Twelster. So the peaks
on the Lake George twelfster are Black Mountain, Buck Mountain,
Cap Mountain, Thomas Mountain, Arrebus Mountains, Sleeping Beauty Mountain, Brown Mountain,
Huckleberry Mountain, five Mile Mountain, Fifth Peak, French Point Mountain,
and First Peak. So some of these mountains are in
(24:10):
the fifteen hundred foot range, so they're smaller, and then
they go all the way up to twenty five hundred feet,
so you got a good assortment of again smaller mountains
that all pack a lot of punch, have great views
of the Lake George area and offer a complete experience.
I remember that around a park, lots of different areas.
Here a lot of times we forget that. So this
(24:31):
is a great way to experience that area for sure.
And you can go to Lake George twelve stir dot com,
twelve st er, Lake George twelve one two s ter
dot com. That's how you'll submit your information. Once you
do hike the mountains again, you'll go to get a patch.
You're going to get a certificate a roster because that's
(24:52):
what we do here. You know, every one of these
challenges that I'm talking about today. You can submit your
information when you complete the challenge to get a patch,
to get the sticker, to just be have that tangible
representation of your adventure, so you can look all these
things up online. Some some challenges are run privately, such
as the Lake plastd Niner, which again I run lakeplastdniner
(25:14):
dot com, sarah nec Lake Sixer challenges run by the
town of Sarahac Lake. The Topper Lake Triad was originally
created by a private citizen, but now the town runs it.
The Fulton Chain Trifecta ooh, I am sorry for whoever
runs the Fulton Chain tri Effecta. I actually don't know
who it is that runs that, but Fulton Chain Trifecta
is the website and you'll find that again, submit your information,
(25:36):
get the patch, collect them. Let those be tangible representations
of your fun adventures. A lot of beauty is back
to the Lake George twelve. There's a lot of beauty
out in that region. And I feel like the Lake
George region has its own vibe. I feel like it
has its own community. Same thing with Old Fords, Like
people tend to have like the their soft spot, their
sweet spot for what kind of park part of the
(25:57):
Adironack Park is like it's there, they kind of they
feel this ownership to it because it's kind of where
they always go. And I think the Lake George region
also has that same kind of feel. It's unique. It's
different from the ad It's different from the Lake Placid
High Peaks region, which is different from the Old Forage region,
and so on and so forth. The Lake George Twelfster
a perfect challenge for you to enjoy the mountains here
(26:18):
in the springtime, especially where the snow is going to
melt significantly faster than it is here in the High Peaks.
Moving on, the Adirondack fire Tower Challenge. This is a
big one and a popular one. This challenge involves hikes
up to the all of the historic fire towers across
(26:39):
the Adirondacks and in the state, because there are eighteen
in the Adirondack Park and five in the cat Skills,
which are a part of this official challenge. Yes, there
are twenty three fire towers, eighteen and the eighty K
and five down in the cat Skills. So this is
going to take you to different spots right, different air
(27:00):
is The Adirondack Fire Tower Challenge is, as I believe,
is run by the Adirondack Mountain Club, and these are
the mountains two hike Adirondack Park in alphabetical order. Azure Mountain,
Bald Mountain, Belfry Mountain, Black Mountain, Blue Mountain, Buck Mountain, Cathedral, Rock,
good Now Mountain, Gore Mountain, Yes, the Ski Trail, Hadlee Mountain,
(27:24):
Hurricane Mountain, Cane Mountain, Loon Lake Mountain, Lion Mountain, mount
Adams mount Arab, Owlshead Mountain, Pillsbury Mountain, poke A, Moonshine Mountain,
Snowy Mountain, Spruce Mountain, Stillwater Mountain, Saint Regis Mountain, Swede Mountain,
Vanderwacker Mountain, wake Lee Mountain, and Woodhull Mountain. Those are
(27:45):
the Adirondack Park twenty three or those of the fire
towers that are in the Ataronic Park, and the rest
of the twenty three are in the Catskills. The other
five where you got Balsam Lake, Mountain, Hunter Mountain, Overlook Mountain,
Red Hill, and mountin Don't Tremper. Those are some fantastic
mountains to hike when you're in when you're looking, if
(28:06):
you're looking for like a bigger challenge to tackle that
takes you to all different parts of the Adirondack Park
and technically the state if you think about it, but
you know, it's bigger than like the nine, bigger than
the twelve. It's like, you know, more mountains to climb,
but it's a it's undoubtedly the most diverse of any
of these smaller peak challenges because again it's taking you
(28:28):
to all sorts of different parts of the park, so
that it creates that sort of lure and that vibe.
And also these fire towers, like there's so much history
behind them. So the fire towers they were first built
in like the early nineteen hundreds, is part of New
York's effort to stop forest fires before they spread. It
was back then like wildfires, they were like a major
(28:50):
threat to both the Adirondack wilderness. And of course you
had lots of logging operations, right, we've got to follow
the money to a little bit, right, and then obviously
the dry sea. We ought to make sure a forest
fire doesn't spread, right, We want to make sure we
could tackle it sooner. So that's why these fire towers
were built. So they put them up on top of
these different mountaintops and they staffed them with observers who
(29:12):
were called fire watchers shocker, right, and they basically spend
their day just like standing up on the fire tower
looking out into these amazing views that we hike up
just for fun. That was the way they worked, just
kind of scanning the horizon looking for smoke and then
if they did spot fires they spotted anything, they'd report
it right away and then crews could you know, of course,
(29:33):
tackle this before it becomes an absolutely devastating forest fire.
So for decades, these towers they were you know, big
parts of preserving the Adirondack Park and you know, keeping
the keeping the woods safe and keeping people safe technically.
And most of these fire towers, though they're not you know,
technology has improved since right, Like they're not don't have
(29:54):
working you know, firewatchers on top of these fire towers.
So most of these fire towers have been restored or
by different organizations around the park and just local volunteers
who you know, they want to value, they value the
history and the living history that are these fire towers.
So shout out to anyone who has been a part
of restoring these fire towers so that we can enjoy
them and have fun and just experience what it's like
(30:16):
to be on them, and you know, kind of like
step into the boots of those early stewards of the
wilderness here in the Adironic Park who helped make sure
nothing was nothing was lighting on fire and we still
had this beautiful park, you know, all these years later
to enjoy and continue to enjoy. So very cool stuff.
The fire Tower Challenge again twenty three mountains throughout the
state will give you a fantastic adventure in all different spots. Now,
(30:42):
as we come to the hiking season, this is a
great time to just kind of re talk about, you know,
things like trail etiquette. So obviously when you're on the trail,
obviously stay on the actual trails. You know, if we
can avoid the super muddy mountains and trails and let
the snow that's up high and the adronic high peaks
(31:03):
melt and somewhat dry out. Ish right ish, we know
the adiron Ax as muddy as anything. But the point
of these smaller mountain challenges is to get you on
thing on mountains that have already already dried out, so
you can leave the high peaks, don't just kind of
let them chill out for just a minute before the
big summer hiking season kicks in. It's more trail etiquette.
You know, you pass people on the trail, just say hello,
(31:26):
you know, make eye contact. Don't pretend like you're not there.
That's more awkward than just saying, hey, how you doing.
Enjoy your hike, you know you do. You don't need
to have a conversation with every hikering meat. But let's
be nice and let's be friendly to one another when
we're out there, and let's not pretend like I don't
see you. You know, you're walking in the woods and
you pass somebody in the woods. It's more weird to
pretend like I'm not there or you're not there. Say hello,
(31:48):
be friendly. Remember you guys have like a common bond
right now. You're out doing type two fun voluntarily in sweaty,
bug infested, muddy conditions on terre that most people would
be like, why would you walk up a mountain? So
you already you know you have something in common right away,
say hello. Let's keep that trail etiquette, trail etquit high
(32:08):
here in the Adirondack Park. Let's hold ourselves to the
higher standard and be kind to one another when we're
out there now gear recommendation. So once during this spring season,
you're still going to want to have micro spikes with
you just in case that it is icy, especially at
the topic. It might look like summer down below, but
then as you get to the top of some of
these mountains, there's still going to be ice on the trail,
(32:32):
especially since it's been packed down all winter and it
just hasn't melted yet. So you're still going to want
to have micro spikes in your pack. You're still going
to want to have a good layer to put on
when you get on top of the trail on top
of the summit, because it's still going to be quite
cold up there for sure, so make sure you have
those things in your backpack. It might feel like summer
where you live, but remember you got to ask yourself, Okay,
(32:55):
it feels like summer up here or like late spring,
but on top of an Adirondack mountain, will it be
like it's gonna be colder than you expect and it's
gonna be icier than you expect. And if there is
no ice on top of these mountains, awesome good stuff.
And again with the mud season, you know the recommendation
is always to walk through the mud, not around the mud,
and the point of that is to not wide in
(33:17):
the trails. Do with that what you will. Some of
these trails that when people are selling you to walk
through the mud, are going to have you losing a
freaking boot in the mud. So you know, use do
the best that you can to stay on the trail
as is. Make sure before you go on your hikes,
as always, you do your pre hike homework. You check
(33:39):
these different websites I've talked about today, find out what's
the trail going to be like. Check your weather forecasts.
Remember I like mountain hyphenfecast dot com. It's a great
website to check what the weather is going to be
like on the mountains. So, like, let's say you're hiking
the LP nine, just because the weather is one way
in Lake Placid doesn't mean that's what the weather is
going to be like in the mountain that you're going
(33:59):
to So just remember to hike to check the actual
mountains forecast before you go out hiking. Always let someone
know what your hiking plans are, where you're going, where
you're parking, when you're expected to return. All that sorts
of thing. But I want to encourage all of you
guys to explore these challenges during mud season. Even if
you've already hiked these mountains before, go do them again.
(34:22):
Every time you climb a mountain, you're getting a new experience.
It's going to be different. The mountains always offer something new,
different weather, different experience that day. You might meet different
hikers that day, all sorts of things. You hike a
mountain once a day for three hundred and sixty five days,
you're gonna get three hundred and sixty five different experiences.
So go give yourself something to do, something to shoot for.
(34:45):
I'm a big fan of goals. When you have a goal,
you have a you know, a north star that you're
shooting for, like I'm I'm gonna hike these no, these
six mountains or I'm gonna hike these nine mountains, it
gives you something to do something to. It gives you
that the clarity that you're looking for. So I highly
recommend you checking out these challenges again, even if you've
already climbed in because again, these mountains are always going
to give you something new. That's the point. So now
(35:10):
I invite you to grab your nljeene bottle, raise it
up for a toast, and may we all have an
awesome summer of hiking adventures in the Adirondacks and beyond
wherever you're going. Let's have a fantastic season. Now that
the winter is behind us and the fun is in
front of us, and the sun fun in the sun,
(35:31):
Let's have a fantastic hiking season. So once again, the
Lake Placid Niner Challenge, to Serenac Lake Sixer Challenge, the
Tupper Lake Triad, the Fulton Chain Trifecta, the Lake George
twelve Sir, and the Adirondack Fire Tower Challenge. All of
these are fantastic ways to get yourself out in the
woods this spring and get your body and your legs
(35:51):
prepared for mountain adventure this summer. Let's have a fantastic year.
And that'll wrap up this episode of the forty six
to forty six podcast. Head over to forty six outdoors
dot com. They see what I can offer you, from
group hikes to more information to books to help you
have a fantastic time up here in the Adirondack Park.
(36:13):
If you are planning to hike the Adiron at forty
six High Peaks. Check out my brand new book, The
Adironi forty six and eighteen Hikes, The Complete Guide to
Hiking the High Peaks. That book will have everything you
need to know to have a safe and successful Adirondack
forty six er adventure. And you'll also get to read
my story going up every single one of those mountains,
so you'll get a little bit of information and a
(36:35):
little bit of narrative. A little bit of information, a
little bit of narrative, and a whole lot more. Once again,
that's available wherever you get your books. The Adironi forty
six in eighteen Hikes Now if you are looking for
help getting in better shape physically so you can enjoy
your hiking adventures this year, My next Great Range Athlete
team kicks off June first. That is a six week
(36:56):
online fitness program where you'll go at this with a
whole team of other people inspiring you and motivating you
to get up, get your workouts in, and you'll have
a coach myself the whole step of the way. It's
a fun experience and that kicks off June first. Check
out Great Rangethathlete dot com for more information or to
sign up and join us on that team. This June's
(37:17):
team is Team Wolfjaw. Yes, we're going to hike Lower
Wolfjaw at the end of the group. And lastly, please
leave a rating and review wherever you listen to this podcast.
But that'll do it. Remember to always leave no trace,
do the rock walk, and if you carry it in,
carry it out. I'll see you on the trails. Everybody,
Hey everyone. If you've got big hikes on the calendar
this summer, but your fitness isn't quite where it needs
to be and you want to make some new hiking
friends to adventure with, listen up, this is for you.
The next Great Range Athlete team kicks off June first.
Team wolf Jaw is up next. This six week training
(00:21):
program is designed to help you get stronger and build
real trail endurance so you can show up to the
mountains ready for your hiking adventure. No more trailhead anxiety
leaving you wondering if you can even make it up
the mountain. That will be a thing of the past.
People all across the country are joining Great Range Athlete
from Maine to Alaska and everywhere in between. So if
(00:43):
this sounds right for you, do not wait, because Team
Wolfjaw is already near capacity from early birds signups alone.
Now is the time to bet on yourself and become
an official Great Range Athlete so you can have amazing
mountain adventures this summer. Head on over to Great rangeathlete
dot com to reserve your spot on Team Wolf Jaw
(01:04):
and I look forward to hiking and training with you
this summer. Let's get into the episode Marcy Skylight, Gray
Cliff and Redfield. Done. Now the long walk back.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
To the lodge.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Three fifty five am. Just signed in Sanony Range. Let's go.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
The wind is whipped in here in the seward range
to just finish the Macomb slide, and my legs are
on fire. Well, I fell victim to the floating logs again.
Made it to the top of East Dix Peak, number
three of five for today here in the Dicking Range,
Avalanche Pass on top of Rocky Peak Bridge.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
It's like a hurricane up here.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Rain and wind here on tabletop, Whiteface number six, Muddy
Day here on street and I for number seven and eight,
Sonny in blue on haystack, al gong Win, I'm up
in the clouds number eighteen, Gothics number twenty two, Panther
number thirty eight, Allen number forty five seven twelve am,
Big Slide Adirondack forty six er.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
You're listening to the forty six of forty six podcast.
Hello everyone, and welcome back to the forty six of
forty six podcast. May is here. Yes we did it everyone, Congratulations,
we made it through the winter. May first is always
(02:21):
my favorite day of the year, because it's the day
where I can officially say, yep, we have completed the
winter up here in the Adirondack. Sure, every few years
we'll get that first week of May snowstorm that just
makes you want to die. However, the weather is going
to be great for the next few days, so I
think we are clear. But once again, it was a cold,
(02:44):
long winter with so much snow. It reminded me of
a winter growing up here in Lake Placid. But congratulations
to all of you listening to this podcast. We've made it.
Winter is behind us and what's in front of us
an amazing summer of adventure is coming. But it is
springtime and that means we can still get out in
(03:06):
the woods. We can still have adventure, and that's what
we're going to talk about today on the podcast. I'm
going to go through a bunch of hiking challenges on
the lower peaks that you can tackle this spring so
that you can get out in the woods, enjoy some
mountain adventure, and get those trail legs moving. So, as
(03:26):
many of you know, the DEEC recommends that people stay
out of the high peaks during this transitional season aka
mud season. The reason being is the snow is melting.
It's actually pretty terrible conditions when you really think about it.
But the point of it is to well, the snow
is melting, the trails get muddier, and the more people
(03:48):
that go on it, the worse it gets. So the
recommendation is to stay out of the high peaks, stay
on lower mountains where the snow is already melted, less muddy.
But we all kind of know how that goes. In
the out it's pretty much muddy all year long. However,
that does not mean we can't get out and enjoy
some mountain adventure. So today we're going to talk about
some different challenges that exist here in the Adirondack Park
(04:15):
now hiking challenges, peak bagging challenges, as they're called. It's
kind of the brand that we have here in the Adcades.
It's very unique to what we do, the mountains that
we climb, the way that we climb them. It's just
a unique element to the Adirondacks. And I know some
people think of the word peak bagging as a derogatory term,
whereas I kind of think of it as just it's
(04:37):
just what we're doing. It's what we do here and
to me. I don't really see it as being derogatory
in any stretch. I just think it's what we do,
and I take it as a it's like a little
badge of honor in my opinion, because climbing mountains is hard,
Summoning mallins is a difficult challenge, but that's what we
do here. And I think that's also why when you
hike in the Adirondacks, and you hike a lot, you
(04:59):
become a very exceptionally talented hiker, because again, as we
all know, most of our trails just go straight up
the mountains. So I think there is a you know,
it's a it's a badge of honor in a sense.
So today, let's go through a bunch of different hiking
challenges that maybe you've climbed, maybe you haven't. It will
help you to be aware of what we have here
in the Adirondack Park and give you something to shoot
(05:21):
for this spring, easily digestible, small mountain challenges that are
not forty six long. Obviously, I know most of you
that listen to this podcast are forty six ers or
aspiring forty six ers, or that is just on your radar.
One day, forty six is a big number, but number
is like three, six, nine, twelve, much more easily digestible.
(05:43):
So we're going to dive right into my list for
fun spring hiking challenges around the Adirondack Park, and I'm
going to go through each of the mountains on those
lists to give you an idea of what to expect,
and you know, see what tickles your fancy where you
want to go in the ADYK. The EIGHTYK is big, right,
there's lots of stuff to do, lots of places to explore.
(06:05):
So let us dive right into some lower elevation hiking
challenges around the Adirondack Park. Starting us out my personal favorite.
I bet you know what this is. This is the
Lake Placid Niner Challenge. Yes, most of you who listen
to this podcast are aware that I created and run
(06:25):
the LP nine. It is near and dear to my heart.
All nine mountains on this list, in my opinion, create
the ultimate Adirondack hiking experience. These are nine mountains under
four thousand feet all around the Lake Placid area, so
in Lake Placid or basically one town over in Keen
(06:46):
or one town over in Wilmington. So you know the
Greater Lake Placid area. The nine mountains on the list
are Cobble Hill, Mount Joe, Baxter Mountain, Mount Van Hovenburg,
Big Crow Mountain, Bear Mountain, pitch Off Mountain, Catamount Mountain,
and Hurricane Mountain. And if you want more information on
the Lake Plaid Niner, go to Lake Placid nine er
(07:10):
dot com. It's got all the information for the challenge there.
The reason that I really recommend this challenge to people
who want to get out this spring is most of
these mountains get dry quickly for starters, but it's also
just the perfect warm up to get your legs ready
to rock for a summer of hiking. You can hike
(07:31):
these mountains small to medium to large and you really
get yourself ready for the high peaks, especially if you
start on the you know, the lower mountains like Baxter
Mountain or Cobble Hill, and then at the end you're
hiking Pitchoff, Catamount, Hurricane. Those mountains kind of hike like
a high peak. So when you hike hike this challenge
in the order, you really you know, build on itself
(07:52):
mountain after mountain after mountain, And that was my intention
when I created the Lake Placid Niner. I wanted a
perfect linear warm up to get people prepared for the
high peaks and just get used to hiking in the
Adirondacks in general, because yeah, everywhere you go hiking it's
a very unique area. This helps you to kind of
see that. And every mountain on this in the Lake
(08:13):
Plastid Niner list are mountains worth visiting many times over.
And that's what it's all about, going up mountains. Not
you know, you check the box, you've done it doesn't
mean you can't go do it again, because again, being
in the mountains is always better than being, you know,
in your living room. In the Lake Plasid Niner list
is a fantastic list to get out there and enjoy,
(08:33):
and each one of these mountains again, it brings a
totally unique experience. So you're gonna have, you know, some
mountains that go straight up but they're short. You're gonna
have mountains that are very rock scramblly. You're gonna have
mountains that are the hike like a high peak. You're
gonna have mountains that offer different types of views of
(08:55):
different areas. So you're gonna have mountains that are like
smack in the high peaks and the mountains that are
over here off to the side, not in the high peaks,
so you just kind of get everything. So to me,
the Lake Placid Niner is the ultimate warm up to
help yourself get trail ready, get in shape for climbing mountains,
and have a fantastic summer adventure. Once again, Lakeplacid Niner
dot com. To date, we have over three thousand finishers
(09:20):
who have completed the Lake Placid Niner in all different
seasons and with everything else that we do in the
Adirondack Park. Right like you hike the mountains, you fill
out your registration, you get a patch that is a
tangible representation of the adventures that you had. I like
these things when they're tangible and when you have something
that you can look at that patch and then it
(09:41):
can remind you of all the different good memories that
you had hiking hiking these certain mountains. The Lake Placid
Niner Challenge now moving just one town over the Saranac
Lake Sixer Challenge. Now this is six mountains around the
Saranac Lake area, which, if you're not familiar, is one
(10:01):
town over from Lake Placid. Another list of fantastic mountains
and right off the bat, I'm going to let people
know because there has been some confusion, and there was
confusion on my end as well. So I did a
little bit of digging, a little bit of research. The
Saranac Lake sixer Challenge consists of Mackenzie Mountain, Amper Sand Mountain,
Scarface Mountain, Haystack Mountain, Saint Regis Mountain, and Baker Mountain.
(10:25):
So some of you may know, some of you may
have no idea. The Scarface Mountain trail has been closed,
or at least like the trail head has been closed
due to a bridge out over a river crossing for
the last couple of years. I'm told that the bridge
is supposed to be rebuilt this year. We'll see how
(10:46):
that goes. But the challenge still exists. So I called
the Saranac Lakes Chamber of Commerce, who are the people
who run the program, are run the hiking challenge. I
asked them about Scarface, about like can people still submit
their patch it for patches and submit that they did
the thing? And yes, the challenge is still open as usual,
(11:09):
but it's kind of like a gray area for Scarface
when they say, like we're not going to recommend people
go do it. But if you do climb the mountain,
we're not going to say, We're not going to say
the challenge is closed. They're just kind of not taking
a stance because they kind of don't want to be
responsible for people crossing the river at their own risk.
(11:29):
Even though it's yes, technically a river crossing, it's not
like a flowing river crossing. It's really just like a
more like a little pond crossing in a sense. So
if you do want to go hike Scarface, which is
an awesome mountain, very underrated, you just get ready to,
you know, hike up the shorts, take the boots off,
and cross across the river. So the Serac Lake Sixtra
challenge still exists, still is open, and it's still something
(11:53):
that will create an awesome Adirondack mountain adventure. So let's
dive into some of these mountains. Now. Baker Mountain is
in Saranac Lake, and this has been this has been
a question for quite some time now if Baker is
going to be removed from the hiking challenge, But no,
it is still there. It's an awesome mount and it
hikes like a high peak. It's point nine miles and
(12:14):
the last half a mile just goes straight up the mountain.
It's awesome little mountain in Saranac Lake. But because the
locals are kind of tired of the traffic congestion and
I'm air quoting traffic congestion over at the Baker Mountain trailhead.
According to the Saranac Lake Sixer Challenge, you have to
(12:37):
actually start in downtown Saranac Lake to hike Baker Mountain
where there is a bell. So it's kind of fun,
like you ring the bell when you finish the Saranac
Lake Sixer Challenge. It's actually like part of their part
of their tradition with the Saranac Lake six When you
finish it to the you go to the square in
the middle of downtown main Street and you ring the
Saranac Lake sixer bell. You can't miss it. But to
(13:00):
officially hike Baker Mountain, you park in Main Street, downtown
Main Street, and you walk over to Baker Mountain. So
it's going to add I don't know the exact mileage,
but it's going to add probably a mile in each direction.
The mountain itself is short, it's an awesome mountain, but
that is something to be taken into account. Now you
got Mackenzie Mountain and Scarface Mountain, ampersand Haystack, Saint Regis
(13:25):
and Baker, so you can hike Mackenzie and Haystack in
the same hike. Mackenzie Mountain is thirty eight hundred feet elevation,
so it's just shy of being a high peak, and
in fact it's taller than some official high peaks. Awesome
Mountain overlooking Lake Placid, the actual lake. You get to
see the cool figure eight shape that Lake Placid is
(13:47):
when you're on top of Mackenzie. Fun story, if you
guys haven't heard this podcast for a while, I had
to date my absolute worst experience in the woods of
my life hiking Mackenzie Mountain a long time ago, probably
over ten definitely over ten years ago. At this point,
was in no condition to hike mountains, but I got
(14:07):
roped into trying to complete the Serenaca Lakes and trying
to hike some of the Serenact Lakes sixture with my
brother and brother in law or brother and sister in law,
and my god, I bonked coming down the mountains so bad.
I talk all about it in my new book. Yeah
around I forty six and eighteen hikes. In case you
want to check that book out, it is available now,
little shameless plug. But I bonked so hard coming down
(14:30):
that mountain where my body just stopped working between from
one step to the next. I was so dehydrated and
everything stopped. I couldn't step, I couldn't move. It was
an awful experience. And then long story short, thanks to
having lots of snacks and gatorade and electrolytes and stuff
and my sister in law's pack, we got me. We
(14:51):
got me back moving and I made it out of
the woods. But one of the Mackenzie Mountain will always
hold a dear spot in my heart because it was
one of those moments where I was like, WHOA, what
is happening to my body right now? Wasn't sure. But
Mackenzie Mountain and haste little Haystack Mountain. There is also
a high peak called Haystack Mountain. They are different, and
once again you're gonna see lots of mountains with the
(15:11):
same name here in the Adirondack Park, but you can
hike those in one hike. Awesome Mountain, Big, that's like
a full type of day. Then there's Ampersand Mountain which
is between Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake. And that is
also a mountain that is you know, it's a moderate
sized mountain in it has an amazing summit, open exposed
(15:32):
rock summit, so you got the three hundred and sixty
degree views. Just a fantastic hike. Just be careful crossing
the road when you're out there, because you are on
the side of a highway, a highway as far as
an Adirondacks is concerned, a fifty five mile an hour road.
Great mountain though, amper Sand Mountain again will hold a
very near and dear place in my heart because that
(15:53):
was the mountain where I realized, WHOA, I can climb
mountains and I can have a good time doing it.
That's the mountain that is what started my journey actually
deciding to like try this hiking thing for real, not
just like hike a mountain here maybe another year later,
might hike another mountain. No, that's what That's where I
got the I bit, the bug bit me was on
(16:15):
Ampersand because I was able to make it to the
summit without wanting to die for the very first time.
So that will hold a near and dear place in
my heart for for a very long time. So it
took me five years to complete the Serac Lake Sixer challenge.
I did Mackenzie McKenzie, Little Haystack and Baker Mountain the
(16:37):
summer that the Saranac Lake Sixer started and I never
hiked again. And then five years later when I did
that time up Ampersan, all of a sudden, I was like, WHOA,
I could actually hike. This is amazing. So the very
following day I hiked Scarface Mountain and then the very
next day I finished the Serac Lake six by hiking
Saint Regis Mountain. So it took me five years, but
(16:58):
it basically took me four days to complete it over
the course of the five years. The Serenac Lake six
are an awesome challenge to enjoy the Adironac high peaks
around the Saranac Lake area. Make sure you go ring
that bell. It's a very unique element to the Serenac
Lake six.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
Hey guys, this is Matt from MS Moreland. I joined
the Great Range Athlete team because going on long hikes,
my legs would cramp up and lock up pretty good.
After Great Range Athlete, I've gone on ten twelve fourteen
mile hikes and no cramps at all. I got stronger,
I got faster, and really wasn't a huge chore to
(17:36):
hike anymore. I'd definitely recommend the program, and good luck
to everyone who's gonna do it. Thanks guys.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Moving further along Route three, we get to the other
try Lakes Town topper Lake. This is the Tupper Lake Triad.
This is the perfect trio of family friendly hikes and
they're all in the tupper Lake area. Young kids, this
is the perfect challenge for you. It's only three mountains.
(18:05):
The kids can easily complete this, so it gives your
family something to do and something to shoot for. That again,
it's digestible. Three obviously a lot less than nine, a
lot less than six. It's a perfect, perfect way to
go spend the springtime climbing some mountains. And yes, if
you are you know, if you are a hiker, who
is in you know even okay shape? Yeah, you can
(18:27):
do all three in one day easily. There are three
different mountains at three different parking lots, so you will
drive between the three. But the Tupper Lake Triad consists
of Mount Arab, Goodman Mountain, and Coney Mountain. They're all
in the twenty to twenty five hundred feet elevation range,
so again shorter mountains, but really enjoyable ones. So Mount
(18:49):
Arab has a fire tower on the top, it has
a little cabin on the top too. It's a really
it's a big summit, awesome place to go have your
lunch for the afternoon. And then you got Goodman Mountain
which has a paved up like a paved trail for
(19:09):
a good portion of the beginning. So the point of
that was to have a wheelchair accessible trail in the
woods so that if you're ever wondering, why is this
paved and why is the first part of the trail paved?
That's that was the reason, so that people in wheelchairs
can you go out and enjoy the nature therapy that
we all love when we're out in the mountains. And
then there's Coney Mountain twenty two hundred and sixty four
(19:30):
feet elevation. That's my favorite mountain of the Tupper Lake triad.
You know, it kind of goes straight up, but the
summit is just fun. It's cool, and you can see
you can see Goodman Mountain just like right next door.
When you're on the summit a fantastic day. It's an
awesome just day to kind of get yourself warmed up,
get back in the woods. If you go on a
nice sunny day, the Tupper Lake Triad is a freaking
(19:52):
awesome day. I highly recommend now as we move west
in the Adirondack Park because right the Adirondacks is more
than just the Tri Lakes area, more than just the
High Peaks region. We head over to the Old Forge
region where a lot of you Western New Yorkers who
listen to this podcast spend a lot of your time.
There is the Fulton Chain trifecta once again another great
(20:15):
family friendly hiking experience, hiking challenge with three very accessible
mountains around the Old Forge Inlet area. We've got Bald Mountain,
Rocky Mountain, and Black Bear Mountain. The Rocky Mountain and
Black Bear Mountain you'll hike from the same trailhead, different trails,
but from the parked at the same trailhead, and Bald
(20:36):
Mountain is just up the street towards Old Forge. Now,
Rocky Mountain is really cool. It gives you a very
unique view of the Fulton Chain, the Fulton Chain of Lakes,
so out in the western Adirondack region. Tons of lakes.
We all know like that, Like boating is the big
thing out there, tons of lakes, and it gives you
(20:58):
a very unique view, especially if you've never really explored
that area or you don't do a lot of paddling
or boating. It's a different view. A lot of people
who listen to this podcast, you get really used to
the High Peaks region and seeing kind of the views
of the High Peaks. This offers a totally different experience
and a totally different Adirondack experience, which is why I
really find this challenge to be really fun. This you
(21:18):
can also easily complete in one day. I would say
it's going to be a slightly longer day than the
Tupper Lake Triad, but maybe not. But also again remember
family friendly, great for the kids, great great experience. So
on black Bear Mountain, that's going to be the longest
of these three mountains. Of the Bald Rocky and black Bear,
black Bear is the longest trail. It's also the highest mountain.
(21:40):
That hike's more like a moderate hike in the Adirondack Park.
You know, it's perfect for this sort of challenge, but
that would be the bigger one of the three. Great
views at the top. Again similar to Rocky Mountains because
they're in similar areas. But then there's Bald Mountains, so
I really like Bald Mountain. Bald Mountain also has a
fire tower and more on fire towers later in the episode.
(22:01):
But Bald Mountain, once you hike in maybe like one
hundred yards, you are now on You now hike on
a slab, like a rock slab, literally all the way
to the summit where you get onto a big exposed
rock summit with a nice fire tower on the top.
Once again, an awesome views, awesome experience with the fire
(22:22):
tower on the top of the mountain. But it's fast
because you are literally on a not a bald slab
the whole way up the mountain very fast. You can
run up that in really quick quick time. But Bald Mountain,
Rocky Mountain, black Bear Mountain. Once again the Fulton Chain
trifecta out in the Old Forge region, a great spot
for you to just go get the get the rust off,
(22:44):
enjoy some different views of the western Adirondack Park and
perfect for the kids. Moving south, we head to the
Lake George region. Yes we have the Lake George twelve
Stir Challenge. Shout out to from the Lake George Twelfster Challenge.
This is a much more extensive challenge obviously twelve peaks.
(23:06):
It's much much more in terms of numbers compared to
what we talked about before. And this is around the
Lake George region. So good thing about the Lake George
region is the snow melts there significantly faster than it
does up here in the high Peaks. Same thing. Without
an old forge, the snow is going to melt much
faster there. And with the Sarac Lake six and the
Lake Placid at nine, some of those mountains are going
(23:28):
to have snow on them longer, specifically the ones around
the Lake Placid region, but anything in the other regions.
So the further you get from Lake Plasted and Saranac
Lake with a lot of these mountains in the LP
nine and the sara Nec Lake six, the snow is
going to melt much faster. However, down in Lake George,
these mounains are going to have less snow significantly sooner
than any of the others. So now is a great
(23:49):
time to hit the Lake George Twelster. So the peaks
on the Lake George twelfster are Black Mountain, Buck Mountain,
Cap Mountain, Thomas Mountain, Arrebus Mountains, Sleeping Beauty Mountain, Brown Mountain,
Huckleberry Mountain, five Mile Mountain, Fifth Peak, French Point Mountain,
and First Peak. So some of these mountains are in
(24:10):
the fifteen hundred foot range, so they're smaller, and then
they go all the way up to twenty five hundred feet,
so you got a good assortment of again smaller mountains
that all pack a lot of punch, have great views
of the Lake George area and offer a complete experience.
I remember that around a park, lots of different areas.
Here a lot of times we forget that. So this
(24:31):
is a great way to experience that area for sure.
And you can go to Lake George twelve stir dot com,
twelve st er, Lake George twelve one two s ter
dot com. That's how you'll submit your information. Once you
do hike the mountains again, you'll go to get a patch.
You're going to get a certificate a roster because that's
(24:52):
what we do here. You know, every one of these
challenges that I'm talking about today. You can submit your
information when you complete the challenge to get a patch,
to get the sticker, to just be have that tangible
representation of your adventure, so you can look all these
things up online. Some some challenges are run privately, such
as the Lake plastd Niner, which again I run lakeplastdniner
(25:14):
dot com, sarah nec Lake Sixer challenges run by the
town of Sarahac Lake. The Topper Lake Triad was originally
created by a private citizen, but now the town runs it.
The Fulton Chain Trifecta ooh, I am sorry for whoever
runs the Fulton Chain tri Effecta. I actually don't know
who it is that runs that, but Fulton Chain Trifecta
is the website and you'll find that again, submit your information,
(25:36):
get the patch, collect them. Let those be tangible representations
of your fun adventures. A lot of beauty is back
to the Lake George twelve. There's a lot of beauty
out in that region. And I feel like the Lake
George region has its own vibe. I feel like it
has its own community. Same thing with Old Fords, Like
people tend to have like the their soft spot, their
sweet spot for what kind of park part of the
(25:57):
Adironack Park is like it's there, they kind of they
feel this ownership to it because it's kind of where
they always go. And I think the Lake George region
also has that same kind of feel. It's unique. It's
different from the ad It's different from the Lake Placid
High Peaks region, which is different from the Old Forage region,
and so on and so forth. The Lake George Twelfster
a perfect challenge for you to enjoy the mountains here
(26:18):
in the springtime, especially where the snow is going to
melt significantly faster than it is here in the High Peaks.
Moving on, the Adirondack fire Tower Challenge. This is a
big one and a popular one. This challenge involves hikes
up to the all of the historic fire towers across
(26:39):
the Adirondacks and in the state, because there are eighteen
in the Adirondack Park and five in the cat Skills,
which are a part of this official challenge. Yes, there
are twenty three fire towers, eighteen and the eighty K
and five down in the cat Skills. So this is
going to take you to different spots right, different air
(27:00):
is The Adirondack Fire Tower Challenge is, as I believe,
is run by the Adirondack Mountain Club, and these are
the mountains two hike Adirondack Park in alphabetical order. Azure Mountain,
Bald Mountain, Belfry Mountain, Black Mountain, Blue Mountain, Buck Mountain, Cathedral, Rock,
good Now Mountain, Gore Mountain, Yes, the Ski Trail, Hadlee Mountain,
(27:24):
Hurricane Mountain, Cane Mountain, Loon Lake Mountain, Lion Mountain, mount
Adams mount Arab, Owlshead Mountain, Pillsbury Mountain, poke A, Moonshine Mountain,
Snowy Mountain, Spruce Mountain, Stillwater Mountain, Saint Regis Mountain, Swede Mountain,
Vanderwacker Mountain, wake Lee Mountain, and Woodhull Mountain. Those are
(27:45):
the Adirondack Park twenty three or those of the fire
towers that are in the Ataronic Park, and the rest
of the twenty three are in the Catskills. The other
five where you got Balsam Lake, Mountain, Hunter Mountain, Overlook Mountain,
Red Hill, and mountin Don't Tremper. Those are some fantastic
mountains to hike when you're in when you're looking, if
(28:06):
you're looking for like a bigger challenge to tackle that
takes you to all different parts of the Adirondack Park
and technically the state if you think about it, but
you know, it's bigger than like the nine, bigger than
the twelve. It's like, you know, more mountains to climb,
but it's a it's undoubtedly the most diverse of any
of these smaller peak challenges because again it's taking you
(28:28):
to all sorts of different parts of the park, so
that it creates that sort of lure and that vibe.
And also these fire towers, like there's so much history
behind them. So the fire towers they were first built
in like the early nineteen hundreds, is part of New
York's effort to stop forest fires before they spread. It
was back then like wildfires, they were like a major
(28:50):
threat to both the Adirondack wilderness. And of course you
had lots of logging operations, right, we've got to follow
the money to a little bit, right, and then obviously
the dry sea. We ought to make sure a forest
fire doesn't spread, right, We want to make sure we
could tackle it sooner. So that's why these fire towers
were built. So they put them up on top of
these different mountaintops and they staffed them with observers who
(29:12):
were called fire watchers shocker, right, and they basically spend
their day just like standing up on the fire tower
looking out into these amazing views that we hike up
just for fun. That was the way they worked, just
kind of scanning the horizon looking for smoke and then
if they did spot fires they spotted anything, they'd report
it right away and then crews could you know, of course,
(29:33):
tackle this before it becomes an absolutely devastating forest fire.
So for decades, these towers they were you know, big
parts of preserving the Adirondack Park and you know, keeping
the keeping the woods safe and keeping people safe technically.
And most of these fire towers, though they're not you know,
technology has improved since right, Like they're not don't have
(29:54):
working you know, firewatchers on top of these fire towers.
So most of these fire towers have been restored or
by different organizations around the park and just local volunteers
who you know, they want to value, they value the
history and the living history that are these fire towers.
So shout out to anyone who has been a part
of restoring these fire towers so that we can enjoy
them and have fun and just experience what it's like
(30:16):
to be on them, and you know, kind of like
step into the boots of those early stewards of the
wilderness here in the Adironic Park who helped make sure
nothing was nothing was lighting on fire and we still
had this beautiful park, you know, all these years later
to enjoy and continue to enjoy. So very cool stuff.
The fire Tower Challenge again twenty three mountains throughout the
state will give you a fantastic adventure in all different spots. Now,
(30:42):
as we come to the hiking season, this is a
great time to just kind of re talk about, you know,
things like trail etiquette. So obviously when you're on the trail,
obviously stay on the actual trails. You know, if we
can avoid the super muddy mountains and trails and let
the snow that's up high and the adronic high peaks
(31:03):
melt and somewhat dry out. Ish right ish, we know
the adiron Ax as muddy as anything. But the point
of these smaller mountain challenges is to get you on
thing on mountains that have already already dried out, so
you can leave the high peaks, don't just kind of
let them chill out for just a minute before the
big summer hiking season kicks in. It's more trail etiquette.
You know, you pass people on the trail, just say hello,
(31:26):
you know, make eye contact. Don't pretend like you're not there.
That's more awkward than just saying, hey, how you doing.
Enjoy your hike, you know you do. You don't need
to have a conversation with every hikering meat. But let's
be nice and let's be friendly to one another when
we're out there, and let's not pretend like I don't
see you. You know, you're walking in the woods and
you pass somebody in the woods. It's more weird to
pretend like I'm not there or you're not there. Say hello,
(31:48):
be friendly. Remember you guys have like a common bond
right now. You're out doing type two fun voluntarily in sweaty,
bug infested, muddy conditions on terre that most people would
be like, why would you walk up a mountain? So
you already you know you have something in common right away,
say hello. Let's keep that trail etiquette, trail etquit high
(32:08):
here in the Adirondack Park. Let's hold ourselves to the
higher standard and be kind to one another when we're
out there now gear recommendation. So once during this spring season,
you're still going to want to have micro spikes with
you just in case that it is icy, especially at
the topic. It might look like summer down below, but
then as you get to the top of some of
these mountains, there's still going to be ice on the trail,
(32:32):
especially since it's been packed down all winter and it
just hasn't melted yet. So you're still going to want
to have micro spikes in your pack. You're still going
to want to have a good layer to put on
when you get on top of the trail on top
of the summit, because it's still going to be quite
cold up there for sure, so make sure you have
those things in your backpack. It might feel like summer
where you live, but remember you got to ask yourself, Okay,
(32:55):
it feels like summer up here or like late spring,
but on top of an Adirondack mountain, will it be
like it's gonna be colder than you expect and it's
gonna be icier than you expect. And if there is
no ice on top of these mountains, awesome good stuff.
And again with the mud season, you know the recommendation
is always to walk through the mud, not around the mud,
and the point of that is to not wide in
(33:17):
the trails. Do with that what you will. Some of
these trails that when people are selling you to walk
through the mud, are going to have you losing a
freaking boot in the mud. So you know, use do
the best that you can to stay on the trail
as is. Make sure before you go on your hikes,
as always, you do your pre hike homework. You check
(33:39):
these different websites I've talked about today, find out what's
the trail going to be like. Check your weather forecasts.
Remember I like mountain hyphenfecast dot com. It's a great
website to check what the weather is going to be
like on the mountains. So, like, let's say you're hiking
the LP nine, just because the weather is one way
in Lake Placid doesn't mean that's what the weather is
going to be like in the mountain that you're going
(33:59):
to So just remember to hike to check the actual
mountains forecast before you go out hiking. Always let someone
know what your hiking plans are, where you're going, where
you're parking, when you're expected to return. All that sorts
of thing. But I want to encourage all of you
guys to explore these challenges during mud season. Even if
you've already hiked these mountains before, go do them again.
(34:22):
Every time you climb a mountain, you're getting a new experience.
It's going to be different. The mountains always offer something new,
different weather, different experience that day. You might meet different
hikers that day, all sorts of things. You hike a
mountain once a day for three hundred and sixty five days,
you're gonna get three hundred and sixty five different experiences.
So go give yourself something to do, something to shoot for.
(34:45):
I'm a big fan of goals. When you have a goal,
you have a you know, a north star that you're
shooting for, like I'm I'm gonna hike these no, these
six mountains or I'm gonna hike these nine mountains, it
gives you something to do something to. It gives you
that the clarity that you're looking for. So I highly
recommend you checking out these challenges again, even if you've
already climbed in because again, these mountains are always going
to give you something new. That's the point. So now
(35:10):
I invite you to grab your nljeene bottle, raise it
up for a toast, and may we all have an
awesome summer of hiking adventures in the Adirondacks and beyond
wherever you're going. Let's have a fantastic season. Now that
the winter is behind us and the fun is in
front of us, and the sun fun in the sun,
(35:31):
Let's have a fantastic hiking season. So once again, the
Lake Placid Niner Challenge, to Serenac Lake Sixer Challenge, the
Tupper Lake Triad, the Fulton Chain Trifecta, the Lake George
twelve Sir, and the Adirondack Fire Tower Challenge. All of
these are fantastic ways to get yourself out in the
woods this spring and get your body and your legs
(35:51):
prepared for mountain adventure this summer. Let's have a fantastic year.
And that'll wrap up this episode of the forty six
to forty six podcast. Head over to forty six outdoors
dot com. They see what I can offer you, from
group hikes to more information to books to help you
have a fantastic time up here in the Adirondack Park.
(36:13):
If you are planning to hike the Adiron at forty
six High Peaks. Check out my brand new book, The
Adironi forty six and eighteen Hikes, The Complete Guide to
Hiking the High Peaks. That book will have everything you
need to know to have a safe and successful Adirondack
forty six er adventure. And you'll also get to read
my story going up every single one of those mountains,
so you'll get a little bit of information and a
(36:35):
little bit of narrative. A little bit of information, a
little bit of narrative, and a whole lot more. Once again,
that's available wherever you get your books. The Adironi forty
six in eighteen Hikes Now if you are looking for
help getting in better shape physically so you can enjoy
your hiking adventures this year, My next Great Range Athlete
team kicks off June first. That is a six week
(36:56):
online fitness program where you'll go at this with a
whole team of other people inspiring you and motivating you
to get up, get your workouts in, and you'll have
a coach myself the whole step of the way. It's
a fun experience and that kicks off June first. Check
out Great Rangethathlete dot com for more information or to
sign up and join us on that team. This June's
(37:17):
team is Team Wolfjaw. Yes, we're going to hike Lower
Wolfjaw at the end of the group. And lastly, please
leave a rating and review wherever you listen to this podcast.
But that'll do it. Remember to always leave no trace,
do the rock walk, and if you carry it in,
carry it out. I'll see you on the trails. Everybody,
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