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Kane mountain is one of the Adirondack mountains that has a fire tower on it. It is also part of the ADK fire tower challenge. It is an out-of-the-way mountain and was quite a drive to get to; it would take me just under 3 hours from the house. We had left the house a little after 6 am, knowing we had quite a drive to get to it. For the most part, it was a straight shot down the interstate to exit 26; from there, it was several secondary roads. We did pass through some very nice parts of New…

Snowy mountain is part of the Adirondack fire tower challenge. We had previously attempted this hike just over three years ago but turned back just shy of the summit (or so I thought) due to time constraints. For a lesser peak, this is certainly a rugged hike. The first two miles are a very pleasant hike, that ends quickly as I gained over 1500' in elevation in the last mile and a half.

Snowy mountain trailhead is off Route 30 just southwest of the hamlet of Indian Lake. The state has done well…

Rocky Peak is the 20th highest mountain in New York State, with an elevation of 4,420 ft. The length of the climb depends on which trail you take. From New Russia it is approximately 13.4 miles round trip, We went in from the Route 73 trailhead via the washbowl and it was 6.5 miles round trip, with 3527’ of elevation gain, plus the 700’ on the return to the trail junction with Giant Mountain for a total of 4227. This was a huge leg day for me, plus I had company.

My friend Justin and I signed in…

Phelps Mountain is named after Orson Schofield Phelps, also known as "Old Mountain Phelps," who created the first trail over Mount Marcy. According to “The History of the Adirondacks” by Alfred L. Donaldson, he was an early Adirondack guide from Keene Valley. He was not considered a great guide. In fact, he was not considered even a good guide. He became a local legend due to publicity by people such as writers Charles Dudley Warner and E. R. Wallace, and photographer Seneca Ray Stoddard.…

Took my first hike up Cobble Hill in Lake Placid today. I went in via the school, taking the sidewalk from Mirror Lake Drive up to the point of the “temporary” trail entrance from the school property. I could have also taken the Mount Whitney Road access as well as it was just footsteps away from Mirror Lake Drive on the right.

In any event, I opted for the alternative Cobble access from the school for no other reason than it is where I was dropped off. I did not want to worry about trying to…

I had wanted to hike Pitchoff Mountain for quite some time. I must admit I did not think clearly when I picked this weekend to hike it. Labor Day weekend is one of the busiest times in the High Peaks area, and I did not want to add to that problem, but I did. While driving to the trailhead parking area, I decided that I would return home if I could not find a place to park. I did not have a plan B today.

I was somewhat surprised to find open parking spaces. I arrived at the parking area just…