For years I've wanted to visit the Adirondack High Peaks during the snow season, and this week, with the weather looking fairly favorable, Carol and I made a two-night getaway to Lake Placid. I was fortunate enough to enjoy two shorter hikes sandwiched around an all-day outing to Esther Mountain, one of the 46 High Peaks.
On a nice day, the highlight of the trip over to the 'daks is the ferry ride across Lake Champlain, from Charlotte, VT to Essex, NY. From the Vermont side of the lake there are excellent views of many Adirondack summits.
Most impressive is Giant Mountain, whose entire east face is one massive slide. Rocky Peak Ridge is to the left.
After we got settled in our Lake Placid lodging, I drove up to Wilmington Notch for a favorite short hike.
I strapped on my snowshoes and headed up the short but fairly steep trail to picturesque Copperas Pond.
The evening sun was pouring across the snowy expanse of the well-frozen pond. I had the place to myself, and made a leisurely tour around its white expanse.
The east side of the pond offers a striking view of Whiteface Mountain and its spur, Little Whiteface.
Whiteface is one of the most impressive Adirondack peaks, with sharp ridges on several sides.
To the east the pond is overlooked by two of the wild, trailless peaks of the Sentinel Range, for which this Wilderness Area is named: Stewart Mountain (3615 ft.) on the left and Kilburn Mountain (3881 ft.) on the right. Both are on the Adirondack Hundred Highest list.
These are reputedly some of the toughest whacks in the 'daks. Kilburn's summit bristles with hiker-shredding cripplebrush.
I had hoped to take the half-mile connecting trail over to Winch Pond but, alas, even here in the Adirondacks, where snowshoes are required on the trails, there are plenty of barebooters trashing softly packed tracks.
Instead, I wandered back out onto Copperas Pond for a while before heading down to the trailhead.
No comments:
Post a Comment