Trip Report
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Wakely Mountain Firetower
A few weeks ago Brendan and I drove up to the Adirondacks to hike another firetower. We’ve both been simultaneously hiking the 46 and the Adirondack firetowers, the latter being the easier of the two challenges. We parked at the trailhead on Cedar River Road (12 miles from the turn off on Route 28 in Indian Lake). The first 2 miles were a very nice walk on a wide logging road. It was gorgeous. The climbing began about a mile from the summit. Soon enough we arrived at the helicopter pad. The firetower was only a few steps away. Sadly there aren’t any views unless you climb up. Wakely Mountain…
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Hiking the Seward Range
I’m interrupting my trip recap to bring you a new Adirondack Trip Report! Catching up? Check out my last few posts: General Sherman & Moro Rock in Sequoia National Park Walking with Giants in Sequoia National Park Hiking Sentinel Dome, Yosemite National Park Hiking the Panorama and Mist Trails, Yosemite National Park Fourth of July at Yosemite National Park So, anyway, last weekend I went backpacking in the Adirondacks to snag three more high peaks in the Seward Range, Donaldson, Emmons and Seward Mountains. Jenna, Brendan, Margaret and I drove up to Saranac Lake (The Sewards are the furthest away out of the high peaks, with a 3hr drive from…
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Hiking Sentinel Dome, Yosemite National Park
So, where did I leave off? Oh yeah, hiking in Yosemite! The day we left Yosemite, we decided to do the short hike to Sentinel Dome. The trailhead is located near Glacier Point, where we started our hike of the Panorama Trail the day before. A short 1.1 miles to Sentinel Dome made this hike an option for my parents. I was glad they joined Jordan and I because it was amazing. The trail was easy and you can see Sentinel Dome in the distance. My dad had a hard time believing we were actually going to be hiking up there! As it turns out, the trail curves around and takes…
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Hiking the Panorama and Mist Trails, Yosemite National Park
On July 5, Jordan and I took the one-way shuttle from Yosemite Lodge to Glacier Point to hike the Panorama Trail. We began hiking around 11am. The trail switchbacks down into the valley, with gorgeous views every step of the way. I’ve never experienced anything like it. The hike itself wasn’t challenging at all. The Panorama itself is 8.5 miles long. But our hike turned out being a lot longer than that because it connects with the Mist Trail, which adds on about 2.5 miles. It passes by two large waterfalls. We had to descend so many narrow stairs on the Mist Trail. At one point it was…
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Backpacking the Dix Range (Macomb, South Dix, East Dix, Hough and Dix)
Jenna and I were planning a backpacking trip to hike the Dix Range for months. Thankfully, the stars aligned and the weather was perfect the entire weekend. Friday afternoon I met Jenna and our friend Margaret at the Exit 9 Park and Ride at around 5pm (was supposed to be earlier but there was so much traffic!) and drove up to the Elk Lake Trailhead near Exit 29 off the Northway. Brendan was planning on hiking with us also, but couldn’t leave work early so he was planning on meeting us at the camp site in the morning. The drive up was fast (1.5 hours!) and before we knew it we…