My original plan for the first of our two full days in the Adirondacks was to climb Mount Whiteface via the five-mile Memorial Highway. That fell through when I called the mountain and found out that crews were working on the road to prepare for its May 19th opening. My backup plan was a bushwhack to several sets of ledges on a NW shoulder of Phelps Mountain, on the north side of Pelkey Brook and Pelkey Basin. I had studied this area on satellite images and had eyed it from Mount Jo back in March. It was obvious that hardwoods rule on these slopes and it would keep me below the snow line. Sign me up!
I stopped for the mandatory photo of Mount Colden and the MacIntyre Range after turning onto Adirondack Loj Road.
I parked at the junction with South Meadow Road, which was not yet open for the season.
The approach began with a mile-long walk along South Meadow Road, mostly gently downhill.
I made a short side trip on the Klondike Notch Trail to check out the crossing of South Meadow Brook, where the footbridge has been washed out.
Then I headed south along the Marcy Dam Truck Trail and signed in at the register.
South Meadow Brook, where the truck trail crosses on a bridge.
Signs.
Farther down the truck trail I picked a spot and headed into the woods, where spring greenery was popping.
Bushwhacking up the slope through beautiful open hardwoods.
Getting steeper.
Random ledge wall in the forest.
Approaching a more serious ledge wall that rings the knob where I would find the first view ledges.
An interesting cleft.
A walk-through rock corridor.
Looking through from the other side.
I had to make a fairly long detour around the ledge wall, which went on...
...and on. Eventually I wrapped around it and doubled back to find the open ledges.
There they are! Looking across the broad valley to little Mt. Jo near Adironack Loj, with McKenzie Mountain in the distance.
Looking west to the long ridge of Street Mountain (L) and Nye Mountain (R), two of the ADK 46 peaks. Lost Pond Peak peers over on the far left.
Phelps Mountain rises nearby to the SE. The tip of Mount Marcy peeks over to the right.
The prize vista here peers south to Mount Colden, Avalanche Mountain, Algonquin Peak and Wright Peak.
Zoom on Wright Peak and its slides with Algonquin peering over. The pair of slides on the left are known as the Angel Slides. The one on the right, which fell during Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, has been called the Wright Angle Slide. I climbed most of the way up it in 2021.
On the Wright Angle Slide in 2021.
Down-look from the ledges.
Guess I wasn't the first person to visit this spot.
The next set of ledges was just a few minutes up the ridge.
The woods were generally friendly behind the ledges.
The third set of ledges presented a spacious flat perch.
I took a long break at each of the ledges, a luxury afforded by the long daylight hours of May.
Nice look at birch-lined Pelkey Basin leading up to the summit of Phelps.
Higher up, the open woods on the ridge were reminiscent of The Kilkenny in the Whites.
Birches!
A peek at Whiteface Mountain and Kilburn Mountain (Sentinel Range).
McKenzie and Moose Mountains north of Lake Placid.
I continued up to the highest ledge on the ridge at 3200 ft.
Yes, there are moose in the Adirondacks!
Best view yet of Pelkey Basin. I decided I would descend through that beautiful birch-filled valley.
Heading down through the birches. I later found out that this is a favorite haunt of Adirondack backcountry skiers.
Great whacking area.
Cascade on Pelkey Brook.
Looking upstream.
I descended alongside the brook, wrestling with hobblebush in places, to take in its scenery.
Slidey.
Inviting pool.
Below here the terrain flattened and the woods became brushier down to the truck road.
Evening at South Meadow Brook.
