Lake Placid Slide Climb

When visiting Lake Placid, the long scar that runs down the western flank of Whiteface is hard to miss. Appropriately named the Lake Placid slide, this climb holds some of the best views in the High Peaks. Formed in the 1800s and “cleaned” in 1971 during a torrential downpour, this slide has become a classic route up Whiteface in the summer months and a coveted ski in the winter.

This backcountry ski descent is on my list to check out this next season, but for now my objective was to kayak across the entire lake, beach at Whiteface Landing, and follow the trail up until I needed to bushwhack to reach the base of the slide.

kayak

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Phelps Mountain Mission

Your mission, Jim, should you decide to accept it, is to get your a$$ up one of the 46 High Peaks before summer is out. If you fail, readers will deny any knowledge of your existence. This tape will self destruct in 30 seconds.

Marcy Dam

Eight months into my new life in Saranac Lake, I had yet to get out on one of the Adirondack 4000. I’ve been on all of them, some of them multiple times, but most of that was a long time ago.

Sunday had a sketchy forecast. Monday would be better, but my child would be driving up on Monday to spend the month with me, so Monday was out. Eeny, meeny, miney, mo. After looking at my options, Phelps Mountain came out on top.

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Giant and Rocky Peak Ridge Hike

We’ve had some cool evenings and overnight frosts in Saratoga Springs, but the full effect of winter is still to come. In pursuit of an early taste of the season, my hiking partners, Dave, April, and I ventured into the High Peaks to visit winter.

The Dix Range
The Dix Range

The Adirondacks often see a frost up high, in November. It’d rained the previous day, followed by overnight temps in the 20s; we were confident we would find ice. We decided on a through hike, up from the trailhead on Route 73 to the summits of Giant and Rocky Peak Ridge, and then on to Route 9 in New Russia. It’s a 12-mile traverse, with 4,000 feet of elevation, and to some, it’s one of the most beautiful hikes in New York. We met at 5:30am to drive up in two cars, spotting one in New Russia.

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