This is likely my last hike of the year and it almost didn't happen because after a hot and mostly dry summer, fall brought with it unsettled weather. Luckily a stretch of good weather between two systems has come along while I was on vacation.
With only 12 hours of daylight a hike that could be completed without a headlamp was needed. Saddleback and Basin seemed to fit just right.
Though not in the forecast, during the night it rained. When my alarm went off at 5:15 it sounded like it was still raining. Emerging from the tent I was met by a star filled sky. The rain sound was from water drops dripping from trees on my tent.
With coffee from Stewarts in Keene I made it to the Garden trailhead parking just as it was getting light.
First light and moonrise from state highway 73 north of Keene Valley
From the Garden it was about an hour and twenty minutes along the John's Brook trail to the junction with the Range Trail that would bring me to Saddleback and Basin.
Ranger station at the start of the Range Trail before crossing John's Brook.
Simple suspension bridge across John's Brook. Stepping onto the bridge I found it had a little bounce to it as I walked across.
I always get a kick out of these house sized boulders lying on the side of the hill. Did they roll down the hill? Were they dragged off the mountain during the last ice age?
It never dried out in the woods this day. The humidity stayed close to 100% in the forest. Trees dripped, the ground was wet, rocks stayed damp and worst of all, almost all day my camera lens was fogged up.
From a small rock outcrop I got a view of the side of Saddleback
This slide, if I am correct was created during Hurricane Irene a few years back. The steps were put in the following spring. That year I hiked Upper Wolf Jaw, Armstrong and Gothics and descended on these with wood looking like they had just been completed. Now they have a bit of a weathered look.
The 2 hikers came from Ohio for our mountains and were headed to Gothics
Looking the other way down the slide.
Until later in the day as I descended Basin this was the only time the air was dry enough for my lens filter to stop fogging up!
Just beyond the junction with the trail up Gothics a smooth and moderately sloping section absolutely glowing in green. Beautiful!
Several steep rocky sections required a little planning, but as always you could find spots for hands and feet to work your way up.
Once at the top of Saddleback I was in mostly solid cloud. It was damp and cool in the breeze, but every once in a while a little sun would shine through a thin spot in the clouds and warm me for a moment.
At the top while resting and having a snack I looked over the edge and spotted the trail markers on the rock below seeming to lead off the end of the world. That's the trail to Basin? No way! Then I see it actually goes off to the right and around the summit. Maybe this isn't too bad...
Well, it was.
The descent from Saddleback towards Basin was the most difficult and scary point in 33 mountains that I had done so far. The clouds obscured view of the tree line below and I had no idea just how far these steep rocks would go on for.
The advice is to hike these peaks in the opposite direction, but I'm not sure I would have been able to go up. At several points as I lowered myself down I simply had to commit because I wouldn't be able to pull myself back up if things didn't go as planned.
I wish there was something to show the scale of this one, of many, difficult sections. The slope of this was probably over 80 degrees and from the trail mark to the bottom of the image is about a body length. But again there were enough cracks or lips on the rock to grip or wedge a foot into.
Looking down with the trees below just coming into view. The sloping rock, before reaching steeper ledges, was right about the limit of my tolerance. On the up side, this rock is super coarse and grippy to the point of being very harsh on your hands.
Bench mark atop Basin
Atop Basin I met up with a group coming the other way who were at the Garden as I left. A little later another lady came up the trail from Haystack.
Haystack emerging from the clouds.
Off the summit of Basin looking to the NW towards Lake Placid on the right.
A ladder. I think a few more of these would be nice...
Basin from the Shorey Short Cut trail between the Range Trail and Phelps Trail
John's Brook
John's Brook Lodge
Sunset was at 6:40. At 5:45 I had about 2-1/2 miles to go. Though the hills to the south and cumulus clouds overhead were still in the sun, it was already quite dim in the forest that was shaded by hills to the west. As the sun set I was only about 10 minutes from the Garden, any further and my headlamp would have to be pulled out of my pack.
Signing out I needed to use light from my phones' screen to find my name in the trail register.
As I was at my car a few minutes later I could see the headlamps from 2 other hikers working their was down the trail.
A good day. Before sunrise to after sunset!
Fitbit stats:
47,951 steps
21.99 miles
490 floors
5,480 calories
603 active minutes
