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comment by WanderingEng
WanderingEng  ·  3080 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: October 21, 2015

I'm thinking two days in Newcomb in the hopes at least one day is perfect for me to do the Santanoni range. If the first day isn't good I'll do Marshall instead, but if I get the Santas on day one I'll spend the night in Newcomb and drive around to do Lower Wolf Jaw on day two before continuing to Lake Placid that night. Then day three I'll try Esther and/or Whiteface. Day four I'm thinking of doing something from The Garden, maybe Gothics or Basin/Saddleback. By days three and four a lot will depend on my energy level. Porter from The Garden is also an option. Then day five I'm thinking I'll try Rocky Peak Ridge on the way back down 73 before heading down toward Albany that last night.

In snowshoes (but not always "official" winter) I've done Algonquin, Wright, Street, Nye, Giant, Tabletop, Phelps and Big Slide. I love the winter day hikes in the Adirondacks. Giant was very cold and the summit buried in clouds, so a nice day the last day to do RPR and head back up Giant to redeem it would be great.





someguyfromcanada  ·  3080 days ago  ·  link  ·  

That sounds awesome. If you like snow sports I would highly recommend dog sledding.

WanderingEng  ·  3080 days ago  ·  link  ·  

That would be amazing! How does one get into dog sledding? Snowshoeing was easy: shoeshoes, dress warmly and that's about it.

someguyfromcanada  ·  3080 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Just found this video. Look at how eager those dogs are to run. So happy. And not exactly a quiet sport when you are not on the move.

someguyfromcanada  ·  3080 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I just happened to be staying at a resort that had that option so I went out for 6 hours. Loved it so much I had to go for a 3-day trip the next month. It ain't cheap as I think it cost me $500 on the day trip and $1,500 for the 3-day but we had awesome hot meals and they had tents set up for us. Even though you are theoretically just along for the ride it is a lot of work and you are exhausted at the end of the day. Especially when you fall off (which you will) or when someone else falls off and you have to rein in their team. Oh man those dogs love to run and it is tough to stop them. Tons of fun!

BrainBurner  ·  3080 days ago  ·  link  ·  

That's quite the itinerary! I consider myself to be in decent shape but those five days would wipe me out for sure.

WanderingEng  ·  3080 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I've done three days in a row but not five, so I am a little concerned it'll be too much. If I find myself getting worn down I'll take day three or four off in the hopes of making the last day or two more successful. Spending a week rather than just a long weekend as I've done in the past takes some pressure off having to definitely do a specific hike on a given day.

Rule 1 is don't get hurt. I turned back at the tree line on Algonquin in March when I was unable to find the trail. That wasn't fun, but I was safe and uninjured and not lost above the tree line. I went back and got it in April (and again in August with an overnight bag).